6 Photos
This image was taken from the yard of the property and shows the quaint and simple qualities of the cottage.
In between the front door and the tree lies a door mat labeled "The Point."
There is a tree planted in front of the entrance to Steinbeck's cottage.
In Old English, the inscription reads: "In thee I have my earthly joy." Steinbeck had this pool built for his wife, Elaine, though it is unknown who's handwriting this inscription holds.
On the property, Steinbeck had a small cabin with two beds and a bathroom called "The Cozy Cabin," and was a place for his children to stay when they were older.
This gazebo is believed to be where Steinbeck completed a great deal of writing as he looked out onto the water.
Many high school students encounter “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck during their schooling, or hear of Steinbeck’s other well-known and acclaimed novels “Grapes of Wrath” and “East of Eden.”
But what many people may not know is that Steinbeck, a Nobel Prize winning novelist and the author of 30 published books, owned a cottage in Sag Harbor and spent much of his later life both writing and relaxing on this property.
John and Elaine Steinbeck’s Sag Harbor home on Bluff Point Lane in the village is modest by today’s standards, and it consists of a small cottage with a couple of bedrooms, living area, a loft area, a dining room and a kitchen. But the 1.6 acre property, surrounded by the waters of Sag Harbor Cove? That’s a million dollar view. Or, more accurately, a $13.5 million view.
That, in fact, was the total purchase price of the Steinbeck property, which was bought in late March using $11.2 million from the Town of Southampton’s Community Preservation Fund (CPF) and another $2.3 million that was raised by the nonprofit Sag Harbor Partnership.
The property is now slated to become a writer’s residency operated by The University of Texas’s Michener Center for Writers (the university was Elaine Steinbeck’s alma mater and is the keeper of many of John Steinbeck’s papers). As part of the purchase agreement and per Southampton Town, the house and property is open to the public on the holiday weekends of Memorial Day, Labor Day and Columbus Day.
On Saturday, May 27, over Memorial Day weekend, the Steinbeck house officially welcomed its first small group of visitors, who arrived at the property aboard a shuttle bus that had ferried them from Baron’s Cove on West Water Street (a favorite haunt of Steinbeck’s during his lifetime). The fans of Steinbeck’s work were eager to view the home where he wrote some of his later novels, including “The Winter of Our Discontent,” which was published in 1961 and takes place in a seaside town that reflects many of the traits of Sag Harbor. However, Steinbeck himself emphasized in the “Author’s Forward” that the characters in the book are not based on real people. He wrote that “Readers seeking to identify the fictional people and places here described would do better to inspect their own communities and search their own hearts, for this book is about a large part of America today.”
Steinbeck also begins his 1960 book “Travels With Charley: In Search of America” in Sag Harbor, where he is forced to contend with Hurricane Donna as he attempts to secure his boat in the waters adjacent to the property.
In addition to the main cottage, the Steinbeck property has a one bedroom “cozy cabin” and Joyous Gard, the author’s legendary hexagonal writing gazebo, along with “Elaine’s pool” and a garage. While walking the property, visitors seemed particularly amused by the way Steinbeck labeled drawers in his work shed, with phrases such as “bladey things” to refer to certain tools.
Visitors also learned that the small pool on the property was built by Steinbeck for his wife. An inscription written in Old English embedded in the ground next to the pool reads, “In thee I have my earthly joy.” It is unknown whether John or Elaine wrote this, but it has been there in stone since the construction of the pool.
However, the most well-known aspect of this property is, of course, Joyous Gard, which Steinbeck named for King Arthur’s castle. This gazebo encompasses a writer’s desk that looks out onto the water, and has sharpened pencils waiting to be used.
Kathryn Szoka, co-owner of Canio’s Books on Sag Harbor’s Main Street, was one of the first to suggest preservation of the Steinbeck home when it went on the market in 2021 for $16.75 million. She envisioned preserving the property for public access and a writers’ retreat, and helped spearhead the idea to get it moving. Szoka approached members of the Sag Harbor Partnership’s board, and their contributions were crucial in the success of preserving the property through fundraisers, donations from East End residents and the support of local and state governments.
Szoka reminisced recently on how much progress has been made on this project since the listing of the house in 2021. She noted that collecting over 30,000 signatures from members of the East End community was crucial in letting those in official positions realize that Steinbeck’s property, with its cottage and Joyous Gard, was a jewel in the heart of Sag Harbor.
“Nobody believed that we could preserve the house,” said Szoka. “Now, fast forward two years and we were able to preserve it.”
Now, with visitors on the property just two months after the official closing of the deal, Szoka admitted that it was hard for her to put into words what it felt like to finally see this project become a reality.
“It makes me feel terrific because I wanted the local community to be able to get onsite,” said Szoka. “Now it’s a writers retreat and has community access. It’s both things.”
Szoka said that opening weekend was a feel-good experience. She spent the majority of her time that day participating in the tours and witnessing the public enjoy access to this property. Szoka happily recounted that one woman said that visiting the property was the highlight of her entire summer.
In looking at Steinbeck’s relationship to Sag Harbor, she notes the village was appealing to him because it was a community of workers, and quite different from the Sag Harbor of today. Szoka said that she believes the village revitalized Steinbeck’s career, as both “The Winter of Our Discontent” and “Travels With Charley: In Search of America” either started or took place here.
Now, the public can walk the same property where Steinbeck found inspiration for these novels. In addition to tours of the house and property on select holiday weekends, regular Saturday visits are available the rest of the year with access to the grounds and the writing gazebo. If the first public open house is a sign, expect good things to come.
“The weather gods and goddesses shined their light on us with cool temperatures and blue skies,” said Szoka.
We think Steinbeck would have approved.
For details on how to visit the property, go to steinbeckhouse.org/visit and sign up for a tour.
