Here is a small list of author related sites throughout New York State.

The author of The Wizard of Oz and other works, L. Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919), was born in Chittenango, NY. The location of his birth home is debated and some say it has burned down. There is a marker that shows the general area. Chittenango celebrates Oz at the beginning of every June with a parade. In June 2007 the New York State Department of Transportation finished a Chittenango project that includes a yellow brick road sidewalk.

Known for his nature motifs, the American poet and journalist William Cullen Bryant (November 3, 1794 - June 12, 1878) was a native of Massachusetts. Although a New Englander, Bryant spent much of his life as a New Yorker. He supported Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Reservoir Square, where 42nd Street meets Sixth Avenue in New York City, was named Bryant Park in 1884. Bryant lived from 1843 until his death in 1878 at the “Cedarmere House” on Bryant Avenue in Roslyn Harbor (Long Island, NY). Admission to the “Cedarmere House” is free and is open on weekends from May through early November. Cedarmere House

James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was an American novelist best known for his masterpiece The Last of the Mohicans. His father brought the family from New Jersey to Lake Otsego, New York where he made an indelible impact on the community. He served the community as a judge and was also a member of Congress. His father built a house on Main Street opposite Fair Street and it was the primary residence of James Fenimore Cooper from 1833 until his death. In 1853 the house was destroyed by fire. The Fenimore House  includes articles related to James Fenimore Cooper such as papers and memorabilia. Phone: (607) 547 – 2533

Theodore Dreiser (August 27, 1871 – December 28, 1945) wrote An American Tragedy in 1925. In 1923 he and his future wife visited Big Moose Lake in the Adirondacks, the site of the 1906 murder he based An American Tragedy on. The famous trial occurred at the Oneida County Court House at 200 Elizabeth Street, Utica, NY, 13501.

Jupiter Hammon (1711- ca. 1800) wrote “Address to the Negroes of New York State” and was America’s first black writer to be published. He was a slave his entire life and was owned by the Lloyd family of Oyster Bay in Long Island, NY. Now a historic house that features tours from June through September, Lloyd Manor has been preserved as Hammon’s residence. Lloyd Manor

Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859), the author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, purchased a manor in Tarrytown in 1835 that earned the nickname “Sunnyside.” The Tappan Zee Bridge is just north of “Sunnyside” and Historic Hudson Valley owns the house and hosts tours for the public. Irving stayed at the house before (1835 – 1842) and after (1848 – 1859) he served as a U.S. Ambassador to Spain. Washington Irving is buried at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery located at 540 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591.

Sunnyside: West Sunnyside Lane, Tarrytown, NY 10591, 914-631-8200

Herman Melville (August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) wrote Moby Dick and was born in New York City, where he lived comfortably with his family. In 1830 his father moved the family to Albany to recover from financial hardship. Herman Melville graduated from the Albany Academy, a private day school for boys. There is a plaque bearing his name at his former address: 3 Clinton Square, Albany NY 12207.

Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950) was the first women to earn the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Sheowned a farm in Austerlitz, NY called “Steepletop.” New York State bought 230 acres of Steepletop for $1.69 million in 2006. The land will become part of a state forest preserve. The sale will help renovate the farmhouse and create a museum. The public can enjoy a trip to the Millay Poetry Trail, a wood road that leads to Edna St. Vincent Millay’s grave.

The Edgar Allen Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) Cottage is located on East Kingsbridge Road and Grand Concourse, Fordham, Bronx, NY.  While living at this cottage, Poe wrote the poems "The Bells," "Annabel Lee," and "Eldorado." He enjoyed meeting students from Fordham University and the University’s bell tower inspired him to write the poem “The Bells.”

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 – October 26, 1902) was an undaunted social activist who fought tirelessly for women’s rights. She presented her Declaration of Sentiments at the first women’s rights convention held in Seneca Falls, NY in 1848. Stanton is closely associated with another indefatigable advocate for women’s suffrage, Susan B. Anthony (February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906). An eloquent writer saddled with parenting duties, Stanton provided speeches for the more mobile Anthony, who gave 75 – 100 women’s rights speeches annually for 45 years. Stanton died in her New York City home and Anthony died about four years later in Rochester, NY. Women were granted suffrage about 15 years after Anthony’s death and both women are remembered for their founding roles in the women’s suffrage movement and are commeroated by the Women's Rights National Historical Park.

Mark Twain (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), the penname of author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, worked in an octagonal study preserved by Elmira College. The study includes a round desk, chairs, typewriter, etc. In the 1870s – 1880s Samuel Clemens and his wife Olivia spent time at her sister’s summer home, Quarry Farm. During this time, Clemens worked on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and other works. The Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College is a source for Samuel Clemens scholars.

Interested in learning more?

New York State Literary Tree

New York Times Literary Map of Manhattan

- Nate Arnold