William Allen White House State Historic Site - Emporia, Kansas Red Rocks in Emporia, Kansas was the home of William Allen White, who was the 1923 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Editorial Writing, confidant of presidents, and publisher of the Emporia Gazette, which is still published by his family today. Red Rocks became a National Historic Landmark in 1976. The family donated the home to the state of Kansas in 2001 and today the William Allen White House State Historic Site is managed by the Kansas State Historical Society and open to the public from mid April to mid October. When you arrive at Red Rocks, check in next door at the Visitors Center, behind the home of White's mother, Mary Ann Hatten White. Before starting the tour, enjoy the nine minute video explaining who William Allen White was and telling the history of the four generations who lived in the home. The White family hosted many famous guests, including presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Warren G. Harding, William Taft and Herbert Hoover. The tour takes about 35 minutes and includes the grounds and the first and second floors. The third floor is not open to the public because there is only one staircase to that level. The red stone used for the exterior of the home is from near the Garden of the Gods in Colorado. Construction began in 1887 and the White's purchased the unfinished house in 1899. It was extensively rebuilt following a fire in 1920. Today the interior is much like it was from that time until William Allen White's death in 1944. From November through March tours are only available by appointment with a $50 minimum fee for up to 10 participants.
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