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Pavelka Farmstead Permanent Exhibit
Restoration, completed in 2021, returned the Pavelka Farmstead to its period of significance. Readers of My Ántonia will recall the farmstead and the fruit cave from from the final scenes of the novel. Anna Sadilek Pavelka was the inspiration for Ántonia Shimerda, arguably Willa Cather's most famous character and the namesake for her 1918 novel. In the next several years, the property will be interpreted as an early twentieth century farmstead of an immigrant farm family in Nebraska. Our aim is to create a space that reflects the culture and life experiences of a Czech immigrant to the Great Plains.
Donations of $1,000 or more will be featured on the exhibit's credit panel.
The Willa Cather Birthplace
Willa Cather's birth home, a rural farmhouse in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, is at risk of collapse. The original wooden structure, which is in disrepair, will require significant restoration in order to be saved. In May 2023 a Virginia realtor purchased the house, sparing it from demolition. Her intention is to donate it to a nonprofit within a year. The Willa Cather Foundation is continuing to work alongside stakeholders in Virginia to ensure the site's preservation.