Bridget Edwards, Ph. D., became the third director of the Eudora Welty House on July 1. A cultural anthropologist, Edwards previously worked as curator of education at the Wylie House Museum, an historic home at Indiana University.
Bridget’s title is Lead Historic Resources Specialist with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and she brings exceptional experience to this position. Edwards worked for six years at the Wylie House, which is operated by IU-Bloomington Libraries. Like the Welty House, the Wylie House has an extensive collection of furnishings, artifacts, papers, paintings, photography, an heirloom garden, and an education and visitors center. It is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
“I am honored to have been selected as the new head of the Welty House,” Edwards said. “In collaboration with my colleagues at MDAH, the Eudora Welty Foundation, and beyond, I look forward to the opportunity of sharing Welty’s distinguished literary and cultural legacy with new and current enthusiasts. Her home and its contents are an integral component of this legacy and offer an enticing portal into her life and work.”
Edwards holds a B. A. in community education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Eudora’s alma mater is Wisconsin-Madison), and an M. A. and Ph. D. in anthropology from Indiana University . She replaces Karen Ezelle Redhead, who retired in April.