The Frost Place is a museum and nonprofit educational center for poetry located at Robert Frost's former home on Ridge Road in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
History According to local family lore, poet Robert Frost spotted this property on the west side of Franconia's Ridge Road in 1915 while looking for a home in the area. He purchased it from farmer Willis Herbert, who reportedly moved into his cousin's empty house down the road. The house is 1½ stories in height, with a long front facade covered by a porch. The facade affords fine views of the Franconia Range and Mount Lafayette.
Frost and his family lived in the house until 1920. It remained a private residence until The Frost Place was founded in 1976 when the farm was purchased by the town of Franconia, restored, and given its name, opening as a museum in 1977. Since 1977, the Frost Place has awarded a resident poet award to an emerging American poet, which includes a stipend and the opportunity to live and write in the house during the summer.
From 2013 until 2022, The Frost Place offered an annual chapbook prize, with the winning chapbook published by Bull City Press. Past winners include Jill Osier, Lisa Gluskin Stonestreet, Anders Carlson-Wee, Tiana Clark, Yuki Tanaka, Cassandra Bruner, Aa Hee Lee, and Ethan Chua.
Conferences In 2024, The Frost Place hired poet Patrick Donnelly to lead as Program Director. He continues to direct the annual Poetry Seminar. For many years, The Frost Place sponsored a Conference on Poetry, and a Conference on Poetry and Teaching. The Conference on Poetry was directed by poet Gabrielle Calvocoressi,"Conference on Poetry Director: Gabrielle Calvocoressi", The Frost Place. with poet Ross White serving as Associate Director. The Conference on Poetry and Teaching and the Writing Intensive was directed by poet Dawn Potter; associate director was poet and teacher Kerrin McCadden.
Management A board of trustees assumed responsibility for the management of the museum and associated programs, and Donald Sheehan served as executive director until 2005. In 2006, the trustees appointed Jim Schley to be Sheehan's successor. From the fall of 2008 until April 2011 the trustees managed The Frost Place. Maudelle Driskell was named executive director in April 2011 and served until 2023, when Stacy Holmes was hired as Interim Executive Director in the fall of that year. In 2024, Stacy Holmes was appointed Executive Director. Friends of the Frost Place is the nonprofit organization that manages The Frost Place house-museum and its programs.
Resident poets Year Poet 1977 Katha Pollitt 1978 Robert Hass 1979 Gary Miranda 1980 William Matthews 1981 Mary Jo Salter 1982 Cleopatra Mathis 1983 Denis Johnson 1984 Sherod Santos 1985 Kathy Fagan 1986 Christopher Gilbert 1987 Pattiann Rogers 1988 John Engels 1989 Julie Agoo 1990 Rosanna Warren 1991 Stanley Plumly 1992 Robert Cording 1993 Sharon Bryan 1994 Mark Halliday 1995 Luci Tapahonso 1996 David Graham 1997 Jeffrey Skinner 1998 Sue Ellen Thompson 1999 Mary Ruefle 2000 Mark Cox 2001 B. H. Fairchild 2002 Gray Jacobik 2003 Adrienne Su 2004 Major Jackson 2005 Laura Kasischke 2006 Robert Farnsworth 2007 Jody Gladding 2008 James Hoch 2009 Rigoberto González 2010 Adam Halbur 2011 K. A. Hays 2012 Paula Bohince 2013 Nicole Terez Dutton 2014 Rebecca Foust2015 Todd Hearon2016 Rose McLarney2017 Christina Hutchins2018 Nicole Homer2019 Matthew Minicucci2023 Jessica Jacobs2024Aurielle Marie2025Nathan Xavier Osorio2026Adam Giannelli
See also Robert Frost Farm (Derry, New Hampshire) Robert Frost Farm (Ripton, Vermont) Robert Frost Farm (South Shaftsbury, Vermont) Robert Frost House, Cambridge, Massachusetts Robert Frost Stone House Museum, South Shaftsbury, Vermont National Register of Historic Places listings in Grafton County, New Hampshire List of residences of American writers
References
External links The Frost Place website Poem: On the Porch at the Frost Place by William Matthews, The Atlantic Online, February 1982