The Foundation History
Established in June, 2016, the Foundation has set multiple programs in motion including an artist residency in summer, 2017. In addition, the Foundation preserves Five Acres, the summer home and writing cabin of James Weldon Johnson in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Johnson’s writing cabin is one of very few of its kind that still stand in the United States. It is undergoing a meticulous restoration, the goal of which is to allow visitors to instantly imagine Johnson at work at his original desk. Additionally, the Foundation is currently supporting projects in the fine arts and performing arts.
Explore historic photos from the Johnsons’ summer home “Five Acres” in Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Original Barn c. 1926
Original Barn c. 1926
Five Acres under construction c. 1927
Five Acres under construction c. 1927
Grace Nail Johnson and James Weldon Johnson c. 1927
James Weldon Johnson and Grace Nail Johnson c. 1927
Mrs. Grace Nail Johnson, Mrs. Grayce F. Nail (Grace Nail Johnson's sister-in-law, married to her brother, John E. Nail), Mr. John B. Nail (Grace Nail Johnson's father), Mrs. Nora Johnson (James Weldon Johnson's sister-in-law, married to his brother Rosamond Johnson, Mr. John E. Nail (Grace Nail Johnson's brother, married to Grayce), Mrs. Josephine Miller c. 1927
James Weldon Johnson at his Writing Cabin c. 1930
Grace Nail Johnson and James Weldon Johnson at Five Acres
Mrs. Grace Nail Johnson, Mrs. Marion Beasley, Mrs. Grayce F. Nail, Mrs. Bertha Randolph
James Weldon Johnson at Five Acres
The Summer Porch at Five Acres
Alford Brook view of Five Acres
James Weldon Johnson and Grace Nail Johnson c. 1927
James Weldon Johnson and W. E. B. Du Bois in Great Barrington c. 1930