I drove from Boston to Yarmouth Port on a crisp, grey, Saturday last November. It was a perfect day for visiting the Gorey House. Based on Gorey's books, plays and illustrations, I had pictured his home as a Gothic mansion filled with Victorian furniture and dark wallpaper. I imagined the walls to be covered with Edward Gorey illustrations, some cleverly labeled with a small story of what had inspired Gorey when he was drawing. From what I've read about Gorey, he was an incessant collector and had rooms full of books and other odds and ends. To say the real Gorey house was disappointing doesn't really describe how let down I really felt after touring the Gorey house. Where were all the illustrations and prints from the 100+ books that he wrote and illustrated? Where were his 30,000 books and cd's and objects that he was known to have collected? The house I toured could have been your great aunt's house. Or, maybe your grandmother's. Whoever curated this house has completely failed to capture the spirit of Gorey. There are few illustrations on the walls and even fewer original copies of Gorey's books. You will get to see some of his school records and childhood pictures. Very little in the house captures the Gorey's morbid sense of humor. His studio has been reduced to a room with a few objects, but no writing table and no drawings - nothing to indicate that this was the studio of Edward Gorey. The house is utterly boring and does not in anyway celebrate the life and work of Edward Gorey.
Visit the house if you are interested in supporting animal welfare. If you are a fan of Edward Gorey's work, you will be disappointed.