Now, the focus is on the interior, where Rufus and Alan painstakingly pour over pictures and documentation of the cabin from the 1930s to match the fixtures and details as closely as possible. Fortunately, many original items of Johnson’s were in the cabin when the Jones’ purchased Five Acres, though many in varying states of damage. Rufus and Alan show me Johnson’s original, yet crumbling, day bed whose drawers they intend to rebuild, as well as Johnson’s original bookshelf and bathroom sink. They point to a space just below the window where Johnson’s desk once sat, overlooking the beauty of the river – the perfect place to cure a case of writer’s block.
The Jones family plans for the cabin to be completely restored by spring 2025, in time for the foundation’s annual event at Five Acres – Advancing the Legacy VIII: A Celebration of James Weldon Johnson, in June. In addition to allowing invited guests and community members to tour the cabin, the Foundation will announce their 2025 two-week Artist’s Residency for “five mid-career and emerging visual artists, writers, scholars whose work exemplifies the values that James Weldon Johnson dedicated his life to: social equity, creative expression, erudition, social justice and community.”
