What ’ s lit got to do with it ? Deconstructing the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
more . Conversely , for some , the site was seen as undermining the values Sandburg stood for . As one astute visitor pointed out , the home ( and property ) “ although not an opulent mansion , is still awfully fancy for someone who embraced socialism like Sandburg . The amount of books were surprising ... but even more surprising were the 1950 ’ s TVs in abundance in the house .” Though the sprawling farmstead was deeded to the National Park Service for the enjoyment and enrichment of all people ( NPS ), the property itself was no small investment .
Further , while Sandburg would likely have enjoyed the idea that people were coming to his home to enjoy the same natural elements he admired so much in viewing the site primarily as a natural recreation area it is largely excluding references to the urban life that was central to much of what Sandburg so passionately worked to draw attention to in his writings . Given that , as one visitor noted , Sandburg “ won 3 Pulitzer Prizes ( 2 for poetry and one for a bio of Lincoln ), but is most famous for his writing in and about Chicago and his political beliefs ,” it is notable that the memorial property does not fully reflect the values of the author . Beyond the home itself , not a single review mentioned how the site related to Sandburg ’ s commentary on industrialization , economic inequality , and the struggles of immigrants and the working class . These findings may be of interest to the National Park Service who may consider tweaking the memorial to better cater to visitors ’ perceptions of the site and / or to better communicate the importance of Sandburg and his literary works to American history . Scholars may also find these disparities between an author ’ s literature and the memorials dedicated to them worthy of investigation , as memorialization often reflects more about the society that creates them than the thing that is commemorated ( Lowenthal , 18 ).
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