Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home, Savannah

At number 207, just east of Abercorn Street, stands the tall, narrow, pale-fronted row house with a raised entrance, white staircase and porch, and a Georgia historical marker beside the pavement. This is the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home. Although it dates from 1856, the multilevel Greek Revival building was substantially altered before the O’Connor family settled here.

Enter through the door at the top of the exterior staircase, which leads directly into the family’s principal living quarters. Begin in the front parlor, where restored chandeliers, period furniture and original heart-pine flooring evoke Savannah during the Great Depression. Before moving farther inside, look through the front windows: the cathedral across Lafayette Square was the O’Connor family’s parish church, and Catholic faith later became central to Flannery’s life and writing.

Continue toward the dining room, where displays include books from O’Connor’s childhood. Look closely at the pages, as she sometimes wrote blunt reviews directly inside them—including the verdict “Not a very good book.” At the rear of the house, the kitchen windows overlook the enclosed Lee Garden. This backyard recalls one of O’Connor’s earliest claims to fame: as a child, she trained a chicken to walk backwards, attracting a newsreel crew to the family home. She later jokingly described this episode as a formative encounter with publicity.

Head upstairs to her parents’ bedroom. Here, find the unusual screened “Kiddie Koop” used as Flannery’s crib positioned near a window overlooking the cathedral. Nearby is her childhood bedroom, while the bathroom was reportedly one of her favorite places—she spent long hours reading and playing in the empty bathtub.

These ordinary domestic spaces help explain the observant, independent personality that later produced two novels, including Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away, and 31 short stories examining faith, pride, violence, race and moral responsibility through Southern Gothic—or, as she preferred, Southern Grotesque—fiction.

The museum and gift shop are currently open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guided tours covering both occupied levels begin at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. and last approximately 45–60 minutes. Between tours, the first floor can be explored independently for a donation. Before leaving, browse the books by and about O’Connor, and check the program for readings, lectures, and the annual Peacock Party. Be aware that reaching the entrance and upper rooms requires several flights of stairs, and the building is not wheelchair accessible.