Zach Bryan Purchases Jack Kerouac’s ‘On The Road’ and ‘The Dharma Bums’ Scrolls for Kerouac Center
Last May, Zach Bryan purchased Lowell, Mass.’s former Saint Jean Baptiste Church for the site of the upcoming Jack Kerouac Center, revealing himself to be not just a stadium-grade sensation, but a lover of the beats and historical preservation. Today, the Kerouac Estate has expressed its gratitude for the country pathbreaker again for acquiring the writer’s legendary scrolls for On the Road and The Dharma Bums, purchased at auction for eventual inclusion in the educational space in development.
Kerouac’s typewritten scrolls for two of his most influential novels are widely recognized among the essential artifacts of his literary career. The continuous manuscripts, assembled through hundreds of sheets taped together without paragraph or chapter breaks, were composed in 1951 and 1957 and measure 120 feet long by 9 inches wide and 61 feet long by 9 inches wide, respectively. Bryan purchased the scrolls and a collection of handwritten letters from Kerouac to Ed White from last week’s Christie’s auction of Jim Isray’s personal collection (which also included legendary guitars from David Gilmour and Jerry Garcia), paying over $12 million for the On The Road scroll alone.
“On behalf of the City of Lowell, we deeply appreciate Mr. Bryan’s commitment to honoring Jack Kerouac’s legacy and his investment in enriching Lowell’s cultural landscape,” said Lowell City Manager Thomas A. Golden, Jr. “Bringing these historic works back to their hometown and into the Jack Kerouac Center not only preserves and celebrates our cultural heritage but also strengthens Lowell’s role as a destination for arts, culture, and economic growth.”
“Kerouac admirers will often tell you that after traveling all over the country, Jack would inevitably return to his hometown. In the wake of breaking yet another world record, America’s most influential work will also be coming back to Lowell thanks to our friend Zach Bryan” said Jim Sampas, Literary Executor of the Estate of Jack Kerouac. “It was the place where this high school football star’s journey as a writer began, before he used those athletic traits to create this legendary ‘road’ scroll in two and a half weeks. And this return will draw folks from all over the world to our city, to glimpse with their own eyes the manuscript that changed it all. We thank Zach for his understanding of this.”
Last year, Bryan advanced the Kerouac Estate’s plans for a tribute project by purchasing the historic Saint Jean Baptiste Church in the heart of Kerouac’s hometown, where the iconic novelist and poet had once served as an altar boy and which later hosted his 1969 funeral mass. The 160-year-old, 20,439-square-foot space is currently being converted into a cultural hub and haven for creativity in the region. Programming will include exhibits of archival material, live music, readings and community-oriented events. The space’s redefinition from a house of worship to a beacon of collective inspiration parallels the complex and powerful spiritual journey that bloomed through Kerouac’s works.
Learn more about the Jack Kerouac Center here, and find updates on Bryan’s live itinerary at zachbryan.com.
