About the Gorey House

In 1979 Edward Gorey purchased the 200 year-old sea captain’s home at 8 Strawberry Lane on the Yarmouth Port Common, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. After his death in 2000 the house became a museum, dedicated to Gorey’s life and work and his devotion to animal welfare. The house and its annual Gorey exhibits are open to the public from April through December.

Our Mission
The Edward Gorey House celebrates and preserves the life and works of Edward Gorey, an American author, illustrator, playwright, set and costume designer. In honor of his legacy, The House, owned and lived in by Gorey himself, displays his diverse and extraordinary talents and reflects his distinct personality. The House also honors Gorey's passion and concern for animals, raising awareness about local and national animal welfare issues. As a dedicated commemoration to Gorey, the House strives to educate and inspire its visitors, offering a unique introduction to Edward Gorey, the artist and person.

The Edward Gorey House is indebted to the generosity of the Highland Street Foundation who purchased the House in 2002 and enabled the museum to be established. The Highland Street Foundation is committed to addressing the needs and concerns of families throughout Massachusetts and California in areas of education, housing, mentoring and the arts. They have contributed more than $135 Million dollars to many note-worthy non-profit organizations, among them, the Edward Gorey House. Visit www.highlandstreet.org for more info.

Animal Welfare
As reflected through his works and his generosity to various animal welfare organizations, Edward Gorey was a great advocate of animals, large and small, all over the world. Through the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust, numerous animal welfare organizations receive funding. These are organizations that Edward expressed a fondness for in his lifetime and include the following:

  • Tufts Veterinary School - Grafton, MA
  • www.tufts.edu/vet
  • Encompassing education in modern veterinary medicine with an innovative, flexible curriculum, enabling students to pursue careers in veterinary medicine.
  • Bat Conservation International Foundation - Austin, Texas
  • www.batcon.org
  • Protecting and restoring bat habitats worldwide while teaching people to understand and value bats as essential allies, through education and conservation.
  • Animal Rescue League of Boston - Cape Cod Branch - Brewster, MA
  • www.arlboston.org
  • Assisting and protecting animals by providing rescue, investigation, adoption, and medical services.
  • Xerces Society - Portland, OR
  • www.xerces.org
  • An international non-profit organization dedicated to protecting biological diversity through invertebrate conservation.
  • Carrie A Seaman Animal Shelter - Provincetown, MA
  • www.casasanimalshelter.org
  • A no-kill animal shelter designed to support the wonderful animals of lower Cape Cod.
  • The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee - Hohenwald, TN
  • www.elephants.com
  • The nation’s largest natural habitat refuge developed specifically for African and Asian elephants.
  • International Fund for Animal Welfare - Yarmouth Port, MA
  • www.ifaw.org
  • With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW has been saving individual animals, animal populations and habitats all over the world since 1969
  • Massachusetts S.P.C.A. Angell - Boston, MA
  • www.mspca.org
  • A national and international leader in animal protection and veterinary medicine, providing direct hands-on care for thousands of animals each year.
  • National Marine Life Center - Buzzards Bay, MA
  • nmlc.org
  • An independent, non-profit rehabilitation and release hospital for the treatment of stranded sea turtles and seals.
  • The New England Society for Abandoned Animals - Osterville, MA
  • www.nesaa.org
  • Advocating, protecting and rescuing, abandoned and abused animals using a proactive, humane approach, committed to our "no kill" programs, increasing community awareness and creating progressive changes in animal welfare.
  • Pet Partners - Fall River, MA
  • www.petpartnersne.org
  • Meeting the needs of underserved animals, reduce unnecessary euthanasia, and strengthen the human-animal bond.
  • Wild Care - Eastham, MA
  • www.wildcarecapecod.org
  • Treating injured, ill and orphaned native wildlife for release back into the wild for independent survival.
  • Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation - San Antonio, TX
  • www.wildlife-rescue.org
  • Providing a permanent home for a variety of mammals (wolves, bears, big cats, and primates) and non-indigenous birds and reptiles. Each year over 7,000 animals are brought to WRR for rehabilitation, release, or permanent sanctuary.