What once stood as a two-story, six-room house that belonged to Woody Guthrie is now just a mass of overgrown weeds and a sandstone foundation. However, this abandoned lot will not remain vacant for much longer.

On Sunday, October 13, 2013 at 7:30 pm, a benefit concert is being held to raise money to rebuild Guthrie’s childhood home that was demolished in the late 1970s in Guthrie’s small hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma. The benefit will be held at The Mabee Center in Tulsa, OK by singer Kris Kristofferson.

More efforts to rebuild the house are being made by “Woody Guthrie London House Inc.” which is the nonprofit group leading a campaign being called “This House Is Your House.” They are trying to raise $500,000 to rebuild the house using original planks of wood from the property that were stored away when it was torn down.

Although a businessman by the name of Earl Walker bought the house in the early 1960s and tried to salvage the house that was in poor condition, town leaders felt the space was not being used for any respectable purposes and ordered it to be torn down. Guthrie’s home state of Oklahoma did not always admire his work. Tensions began shortly after the Great Depression when Guthrie vocalized his opinions about social issues and civil rights through his music. His left-wing political messages did not sit well with the traditionally conservative Oklahoma, and efforts to save or restore the property have been shot down in the past.

Over 30 years have now passed since the neglected house was torn down and admiration for the singer is surfacing, due in part to the Woody Guthrie Centennial celebration, held in 2012. Okemah now honors the music of Woody Guthrie through an annual music festival that attracts thousands of people worldwide. Okemah is hoping that the reconstruction of Guthrie’s home, called London House, will attract even more tourists to their small town of only 3,300 people.

For more info on the project check out: http://www.thishouseisyourhouse.org

— Christina Holden