Willa Cather’s Virginia

08/15/2026

Willa's Great Great Grandfather!

08/15/2026

03/16/2026

🌼Springtime at Willow Shade, Willa's childhood home in Gore, Virginia- just one mile south of her Birthplace. (photo courtesy Jenn Pumphrey.)

02/06/2026

Thank you Mike Robinson and Wi******er Tales. This is wonderful information straight from Willa Cather!

A Letter from Willa Cather to T. Kenneth Wood, April 7, 1941....about her home in Gore, VA:

Dear Dr. Wood:

When I finished reading your kind letter, I wished that my father were still living and here to read it with me. Many of the places you mention, I do not remember, but he would have remembered all of them. I remember the Round Hill Church perfectly but had no idea that the head of the Opequon Creek was so near Round Hill. It was not with my grandfather, William Cather, that Henry Clay used to stop on his journeys, but with my great-grandfather, James Cather, who lived somewhere beyond Flint Ridge. Lena Gore's mother was a Campbell, not a Cather. Lena's father was the son of "Old Mother Gore," (Syndney Gore, who Gore is named after) who was a daughter of my great-grandfather, James Cather. The tough tavern I mentioned was near Hoag Creek, much nearer Wi******er than is the present post-office in Gore. A young engineer in Washington has written me that the denuded Double-S (a road that had two S turns up Timber Ridge) is finally to be blasted away and made a straight line. What a pity! I made a short motor trip through the valley three years ago, but when I passed my old home (Willow Shade), I turned my eyes away from it. Such ruin and desolation...it is sad to look upon. The old winding road from Gore up to Timber Ridge was one of the loveliest things in all Virginia.

Thank you for your good letter, I am
Gratefully and Cordially yours,
Willa Cather

12/08/2025

Good morning dear Friends!
On behalf Willa Cather's Virginia, we want to sincerely thank each of you that attended her Birthday Celebration at Westminster-Canterbury yesterday. Your presence means more than you know — because when we gather like this, we’re honoring a legacy, a story, and a woman whose work shaped American literature. Our speaker, Cather scholar Sallie Ketcham, gave a wonderful presentation on Willa's life and highlighted how she and the Cather family kept their Virginia roots alive while settling in Nebraska. Thank you Sallie for sharing your extensive knowledge with us!

As many of you know, the birthplace is in need of extensive restoration. It is a place of deep historical significance — not only to this community, but to our heritage as a whole. And today is about rallying together to ensure that this building, this piece of history, is preserved with the care and respect it deserves.

So today, we are humbly asking for your help.

There are a few ways you can support the restoration:

• First, through donations — every dollar truly makes a difference and goes directly toward restoration work.

• Second, by becoming a member of our grassroots team -"Friends of Willa Cather", who will work closely with Willa Cather's Virginia to promote the Birthplace Preservation Project and involve the local community in this endeavor.

Our goal today is not only to raise funds — but to nurture a sense of continued stewardship. This birthplace connects us to a woman who told the stories of this land, of ordinary people, and of the beauty found in simple beginnings. And now, it is our turn to protect the beginning of her story.

So again — thank you for your interest in this project, thank you for caring, and thank you in advance for any level of support you’re able to give. Together, we can make sure the Willa Cather Birthplace remains standing as a place of inspiration for generations to come.

Our address is:
Willa Cather’s Virginia
6856 Northwestern Pike
Gore, VA 22637

If you are interested in joining our "Friends of Willa Cather" please comment below and we will private message you for details.
Thank you again!

11/19/2025

11/11/2025

National Geographic Society was founded by Willa Cather relative from the Back Creek Valley, James Howard Gore.

11/11/2025

🎉 You’re Invited! 🎉
Join us for a special afternoon celebrating one of Virginia’s literary treasures — Willa Cather!

📚✨ Come enjoy a wonderful presentation, “Willa Cather the Virginian: Here, There, and Back Again” by renowned Cather scholar, Sallie Ketcham. Together, we’ll honor the life and legacy of this beloved author whose stories continue to inspire generations.

📅 Sunday, December 7th at 2 PM
📍 Shenandoah Valley Westminster Canterbury
300 Canterbury Dr., Wi******er, VA 22603
(No reservations necessary!)

🕊️ This event is free and open to all.
Donations to support the preservation of Willa Cather’s historic Virginia birthplace are greatly appreciated. You may contribute locally by check to Willa Cather's Virginia at this event. Or Online at willacather.org/birthplace or by scanning the QR code on the flyer below.

Let’s celebrate the lasting impact of Willa Cather’s words right here in her home state! 💐