Hamlin Garland was born in West Salem in a log cabin in September 1860 on a farm his father bought a year earlier.

"[6] Garland returned to West Salem in 1893 and, using royalties from his successful collection of short stories Main-Travelled Roads (1891), he purchased this home.

[7] The house, which stood on four acres, had been built in the same year of Garland's birth by a mason and carpenter named William Hull.

[8] Garland brought his parents with him to the home; his mother was impressed with the area right away but his father did not immediately approve.

[13] Today, the property is managed by the West Salem Historical Society and is open to the public as a museum.

[11] There are some reports that the home is haunted, possibly by Garland himself due to his unhappiness that his wishes for burial were not followed.