About the House.
In 1979, Edward Gorey purchased the 200-year-old sea captain’s home at 8 Strawberry Lane on the Yarmouth Port Common on Cape Cod, MA. After his death in 2000 the house became a museum, dedicated to Gorey’s life and work and his devotion to animal welfare. Instrumental in establishing the House were the Highland Street Foundation of Newton, MA who provided funding for the purchase and renovation of the House, and the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust of New York who provide long-term loans of works and ephemera to the House. The House and its annual Gorey exhibits are open to the public from early April through December.
Our Mission
The Edward Gorey House celebrates and preserves the life and works of Edward Gorey, an American author, illustrator, playwright, set and costume designer. In honor of his legacy, The House, owned and lived in by Gorey himself, displays his diverse and extraordinary talents and reflects his distinct personality. The House also honors Gorey's passion and concern for animals, raising awareness about local and national animal welfare issues. As a dedicated commemoration to Gorey, the House strives to educate and inspire its visitors, offering a unique introduction to Edward Gorey, the artist and person.
The House is located on Wampanoag land. To learn more about the Wampanoag Tribe, visit their website here.
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The House keeps its doors open thanks to the generous support of creatives, oddballs, Goreyphiles, and cat enthusiasts all around the world. If you would like to be counted among them, please consider supporting our mission: saving the world, one little book at a time.
Our Partners
The Edward Gorey House is supported by academic, museological, and arts organizations who work with us to ensure the preservation of Edward Gorey’s legacy.
The Mission of the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust is to honor the creative and philanthropic legacy of Edward Gorey through preservation and promotion of his literary and artistic works and support of the animal welfare causes to which he was devoted. Proposals concerning licensing and reprints are always to be directed to the Trust, which you can do by clicking here.
The Edward Gorey House is indebted to the generosity of the Highland Street Foundation who purchased the House in 2002 and enabled the museum to be established. The Highland Street Foundation is committed to addressing the needs and concerns of families throughout Massachusetts and California in areas of education, housing, mentoring and the arts. They have contributed more than $135 Million dollars to many noteworthy non-profit organizations, among them the Edward Gorey House.
The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod (AFCC) is the regional arts agency for Barnstable County and Cape Cod’s only nonprofit arts and culture organization that serves all artists, all art forms, and all cultural and historical centers. The AFCC’s mission is to support, promote, and celebrate the arts and culture of Cape Cod in order to sustain a vibrant, diverse and strong arts community.
The Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce includes more than 375 members from the town and surrounding communities dedicated to building a strong local economy and preserving the character and charm of Cape Cod’s second oldest town.
The mission of the American Writers Museum is to engage the public in celebrating American writers and exploring their influence on our history, our identity, our culture, and our daily lives.
The Edward Gorey House is supported in part by the generosity of the Mass Cultural Council. Their mission — to preserve and enhance the cultural life and education of Massachusetts — helps keep the history of our state alive and ensures its future as a bastion of creativity and delightful oddness.
Animal Welfare
As reflected through his works and his generosity to various animal welfare organizations, Edward Gorey was a great advocate of animals, large and small, all over the world. Through the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust, numerous animal welfare organizations receive funding. These are organizations that Edward expressed a fondness for in his lifetime and include the following.
Animal Rescue League of Boston, Cape Cod Branch
Brewster, MA
Assisting and protecting animals by providing rescue, investigation, adoption, and medical services.
Bat Conservation International Foundation
Austin, TX
Protecting and restoring bat habitats worldwide while teaching people to understand and value bats as essential allies, through education and conservation.
Carrie A Seaman Animal Shelter
Provincetown, MA
A no-kill animal shelter designed to support the wonderful animals of lower Cape Cod.
Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Grafton, MA
Encompassing education in modern veterinary medicine with an innovative, flexible curriculum, enabling students to pursue careers in veterinary medicine.
The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee
Hohenwald, TN
The nation’s largest natural habitat refuge developed specifically for African and Asian elephants.
International Fund for Animal Welfare
Yarmouth Port, MA
With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW has been saving individual animals, animal populations and habitats all over the world since 1969.
Massachusetts S.P.C.A. Angell
Boston, MA
A national and international leader in animal protection and veterinary medicine, providing direct hands-on care for thousands of animals each year.
National Marine Life Center
Buzzards Bay, MA
An independent, non-profit rehabilitation and release hospital for the treatment of stranded sea turtles and seals.
The New England Society for Abandoned Animals
Osterville, MA
Advocating, protecting and rescuing, abandoned and abused animals using a proactive, humane approach, committed to "no kill" programs, increasing community awareness, and creating progressive changes in animal welfare.
Pet Partners
Fall River, MA
Meeting the needs of underserved animals, reducing unnecessary euthanasia, and strengthening the human-animal bond.
Wild Care
Eastham, MA
Treating injured, ill and orphaned native wildlife for release back into the wild for independent survival.
Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
San Antonio, TX
Providing a permanent home for a variety of mammals (wolves, bears, big cats, and primates) and non-indigenous birds and reptiles. Each year over 7,000 animals are brought to WRR for rehabilitation, release, or permanent sanctuary.
Xerces Society
Portland, OR
An international non-profit organization dedicated to protecting biological diversity through invertebrate conservation.