Robert E. Howard’s house is now a museum in Cross Plains, Texas. The museum is fully owned by Project Pride.

I would like to thank especially Arlene Stephenson and Rusty Burke for helping me out with the details. 

Check the details below for more information and how to get a tour.

Rusty Burke went to Cross Plains in 1985 for the first time. And the experience of seeing Howard’s home and the surrounding countryside led him to organize a trip for members of REHupa (the Robert E. Howard United Press Association), to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Howard’s death. On that trip they met members of the Friends of the Library group in Cross Plains, many of whom would become members of Project Pride.

The nonprofit organization, Project Pride, was organized in 1988. It was organized as a civic group to encourage local residents and businesses to clean up their yards or business premises, so Cross Plains could project an image they could be proud of. Many small towns in the region were dwindling fast, turning into virtual ghost towns, and Project Pride wanted to help Cross Plains avoid that.

The living room

Hester Howard's bedroom

In 1989 Project Pride were able to purchase the home where the Howard’s had lived from 1919 until a few years after Roberts and Mrs. Howard’s deaths in June of 1936. The home had been occupied all that time and was really in quite poor condition. With a lot of research help from a few locals and several members of the REH United Press Association (REHupa) they were able to restore it to what it was when Robert was writing in his little room.

Project Pride has the full ownership of the museum and is totally responsible for the upkeep. The organization relies on income from the annual Howard Days (planned by REH Foundation and facilitated locally by Project Pride), a silent auction of Howard related items, memberships (both annual and lifetime). Donations in general are quite common and appreciated. 

The lovely Arlene Stephenson is currently the President of Project Pride. They have a very active and talented board of 10 people who bring a wealth of experience, skills and enthusiasm to the table. 

The REH Foundation and the REH Days Facebook page encourage donation too. In 2020 some of this was used for painting and repair work on the house.

Arlene Stehenson - President of Project Pride. Here with my daughter

1986 attendees: The attendees, mostly members of REHupa, at the first Robert E. Howard Day, Cross Plains Library, June 14, 1986. Seated, left to right: Glenn Lord, Nancy A. Collins, William Fulwiler; Standing, left to right: Vernon Clark, Steve Ghilardi, Rusty Burke (tall guy in back), Bill Cavalier, Graeme Flanagan, Mark Kimes, Tom Kovacs.

Randy Stephenson took the photos and developed the brochure as a class project. It is now translated into many languages. I did the Norwegian one. Links above.

The Howard House as it was in the 1930's

REH Museum

 Museum (eng)

 Brochure (nor)

Letter from Project Pride regarding membership registration 2021. 

Feel free to use the information and join the organization.

The museum enjoys a wide range of visitors from all over the USA and the rest of the world. People come from Japan, Australia, Russia and South Africa. Howard is very popular in the whole European area too.

The house itself is a simple whitewashed structure, restored to its original condition by Project Pride. It has been listed in the National Register of Historical Places since 1994. 

The generosity of people connected to Howard is evident, and a number of items donated over the years can be found throughout, some following a circuitous route of discovery in an old forgotten attic trunk or found among the possessions of distant relatives. L. Sprague de Camp, Howard’s controversial editor after his death, donated several pieces once owned by the Howards that help capture the feeling of a connection with the author and his family.

The museum also has a number of rare and unique items on display, from photographs that capture images of Howard throughout his life, to copies of his intriguing correspondence with fellow Weird Tales author H.P. Lovecraft that shaped much of his period as a pulp writer.