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Our next stop was the Robert E Howard Museum. When Sam told me this was on our agenda my question was "Who was Robert E Howard". The answer - author of Conan the Barbarian books. Now, as you can imagine, I have never read nor seen the movies, but this turned out to be a real treat. Era Hanke is the chief tour guide and she will make you laugh.
Turns out this author has many fans all over the world, including a couple from Japan who visit annually. The visitors have taken the brochure home with them and had it reprinted in their own language and then sent a copy to the museum. The house itself is where Robert and his family lived since he was 13. He was thought to be a bit weird and played into that with the locals. His father was a doctor. Cross Plains, TX was an oil boom town so a quiet teen who read a lot and made up stories was not well liked. He then continued to live at home after graduating from college and wrote instead of getting a "manly job". However, during the Great Depression records show he made more money than most young men of that decade.
Robert wrote many stories, published in the pulp magazines. During his life only one book was actually published as a hardback book. Years after he died, and the works became public domain, the stories were published as books. The book written by his only girlfriend was made into a movie with Renee Zellweger and Vincent D'onofrio. Seems she was more in love with him than he was with her, as writing was his first love and he would never leave it. He was so attached to his mother that he fell into despair as she lay in a coma dying from TB. A day before she died he took his own life.
As we were talking with Mrs. Hanke she asked "have you heard of Google Earth". Sam replied "yes, that's how I found this house." She says "my son invented that. Also pokemonGo." Sure enough, if you search terms John Hanke Google Earth you find a whole bio on this genius who created and sold a number of electronic games. She says her children keep trying to get her to move near them (He's in CA, daughter in Minnesota) so they can "take care of her". Says she's doesn't need taking care of.
Our next stop was the Robert E Howard Museum. When Sam told me this was on our agenda my question was "Who was Robert E Howard". The answer - author of Conan the Barbarian books. Now, as you can imagine, I have never read nor seen the movies, but this turned out to be a real treat. Era Hanke is the chief tour guide and she will make you laugh.
Turns out this author has many fans all over the world, including a couple from Japan who visit annually. The visitors have taken the brochure home with them and had it reprinted in their own language and then sent a copy to the museum. The house itself is where Robert and his family lived since he was 13. He was thought to be a bit weird and played into that with the locals. His father was a doctor. Cross Plains, TX was an oil boom town so a quiet teen who read a lot and made up stories was not well liked. He then continued to live at home after graduating from college and wrote instead of getting a "manly job". However, during the Great Depression records show he made more money than most young men of that decade.
Robert wrote many stories, published in the pulp magazines. During his life only one book was actually published as a hardback book. Years after he died, and the works became public domain, the stories were published as books. The book written by his only girlfriend was made into a movie with Renee Zellweger and Vincent D'onofrio. Seems she was more in love with him than he was with her, as writing was his first love and he would never leave it. He was so attached to his mother that he fell into despair as she lay in a coma dying from TB. A day before she died he took his own life.
As we were talking with Mrs. Hanke she asked "have you heard of Google Earth". Sam replied "yes, that's how I found this house." She says "my son invented that. Also pokemonGo." Sure enough, if you search terms John Hanke Google Earth you find a whole bio on this genius who created and sold a number of electronic games. She says her children keep trying to get her to move near them (He's in CA, daughter in Minnesota) so they can "take care of her". Says she's doesn't need taking care of.
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| Sam and Mrs. Hanke in front of the house. They placed the sign on the house exactly where Dr. Howard's office sign was located when he practiced here. |
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| Note the house and location of the sign. |
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| Dr. and Mrs. Howard |
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| As the house was being prepared some of the family's original personal effects were returned by neighbors. Dr. Howard had given them away to the ladies who had sat with his wife while she was ill. The chest here was Dr. Howard's |
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| These books were Robert's personal reading material. |
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| These books were those belonging to Dr. Howard. They have his book plate in the front of each. |
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| The only book published in hard back during Robert's life. |
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| Pop culture and few other things. |
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| Based on the book about his only real romantic attachment. Since Vincent D'onofrio is one of my favorite actors I bought the DVD. |
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| The recreation of Robert's office. The neighbors complained about his typewriter noise and talking to himself late into the night. |
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| Sam the Barbarian |
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