The John Updike Childhood Home (1/8/2022)

Saturday, January 8, 2022

On the way to Buffalo, NY via Hamburg, PA, we first stopped in Shillington, PA to see The John Updike Childhood Home.

The John Updike Childhood Home at 117 Philadelphia Street,
is where the American author lived from birth until age 13

The house (c 1884) was meticulously restored to the 1930s & '40s,
removing later renovations within the house, copying original
woodwork and wallpaper designs, replacing bathroom fixtures, etc.

The display on the left in the above photo has memorabilia from Shilling High School, from which John Updike graduated in 1950 as co-valedictorian and class president.

A display in the dining room has recorders
played by John Updike and his wife, Mary

The John Updike bibliography includes some 23 novels, 18 short story collections, 12 collections of poetry, 4 children's books, and 12 collections of non-fiction, many printed in foreign languages.

Dominoes on the sideboard in the dining room, where
John Updike and his friend, Harlan Boyer, would play with them

The back bedroom, which was John's, has a display
of toys that belonged to John Updike

There is a small bowl of marbles, which were found under the floorboards in this room. Childhood friend, Harlan Boyer, did not recall playing marbles, but mentioned that he and John would use slingshots to shoot marbles out the bedoom window.

I was distracted from taking a photo
of this chair in the house; it was used
by John Updike until he was age 70,
when his family convinced him to get a
new desk chair (but they kept the old one!)

New vintage-style bathroom fixtures

Headboard and chairs that were painted by John Updike and
his mother, Linda Hoyer (also an author) with moon and stars

John Updike was more than the author of the "Rabbit" series and The Witches of Eastwick. He also wrote many other novels, short stories and poetry, and was a literary critic. He dabbled as an artist and once thought to become a cartoonist. Much of the restoration and placement of items in the house are due to the detailed descriptions written by Updike in his works.

December 2021 was the beginning of opening the house to the public as a museum, and there is hope that more items will be donated over time.

Next: Reading Railroad Heritage Museum.