Farm of poet Byron Herbert Reece being restored

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Farm of poet Byron Herbert Reece being restored

Photos of North Georgia poet Byron Herbert Reece and his farm near Blairsville, Ga.

North Georgia poet Byron Herbert Reece, whose simple ballads and lyric poems struck a chord with people, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

A nonprofit group has acquired Reece's house, barn and 9 acres of his family farm near Blairsville, which it is transforming into a living museum.

By day, Reece worked the land on his family's subsistence farm outside Blairsville. At night, he wrote poetry inspired by the North Georgia landscape. Reviewing Reece's first poetry collection, released in 1945, one writer said, "It is as if our eyes were opened to something as big as the Appalachians."

Although Reece won national acclaim for his poetry, including two Guggenheim fellowships, it never proved profitable. He alternated between farming and teaching elementary school to earn a living. Reece killed himself in 1958 at age 40 after contracting tuberculosis from his parents.

Antonio Lopez (left) and Angel Mandosa, both of Blairsville, build a bridge over a creek on the Reece farm outside Blairsville. Union County officials say turning the land into a museum will draw tourist traffic to the area.

A barn on the Reece property, which is about a mile north of Vogel State Park on Ga. 129.

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North Georgia poet Byron Herbert Reece, whose simple ballads and lyric poems struck a chord with people, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

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