A Visit to Tor House and Hawk Tower — Through the Eyes of Third Graders
Ms. Harnet’s Class Statement: On April 6, 2026, our third-grade class had the joy of visiting the magical Tor House. From the moment we slipped in through the secret entrance to Hawk Tower, we were transported to another world — one built stone by stone through one man's extraordinary vision and determination.
We marveled at the narwhal tusk, touched volcanic rock, and admired the abalone shells and artifacts that fill these magical spaces. We climbed the swirling staircase and gazed out at the ocean, feeling stones that seemed "made of memory and time."
What moved us most was the determined human achievement of it all. As one student put it, "It's absolutely unbelievable that one man did this with no modern equipment."
We left inspired and very grateful to the Tor House Foundation for keeping this wonder alive for young visitors to experience.
Poem by the class.
At Tor House I …
went in the secret way to get to Hawk Tower
looked out the windows and saw the ocean
saw many flowers
learned about all the stones he used to build Tor House and the Tower
saw a narwhal horn
and the dungeon where the boys played
felt sad when I heard their first daughter died
saw many shells
got to touch a volcanic rock and many artifacts
saw stones made of memory and time
watched the past come alive before our very eyes
loved seeing the old English architecture
was stunned by what human ingenuity can accomplish
found Hawk Tower to be very pretty
found my favorite part--the cottages
loved all the abalone shells saw a doll in Hawk Tower
liked seeing a stuffed owl...going up the swirling staircase...seeing the narwhal tusk, cool how it's twisted
liked the unicorns
Feel it's absolutely unbelievable that one man did this with no modern equipment
learned about the keystones
so impressed by the uniqueness
when I looked at the narwhal horn, I felt twisted
Ms. Gillooly's 3rd Grade Class
Miss Gillooly's Class Statement: My students thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the Tor House. It brought them back in time and was a unique experience for them. They were intrigued by the secret passageway and the writing on the window. One student even got to play the piano. We were so fortunate to have this valuable learning opportunity. Thank you.
At Tor House: Poem by Ms. Gillooly's 3rd Grade Class
(with a line or two by the chaperones)
At Tor House I
saw abalone shells
saw a skull
counted 35 unicorns in the buildings
At Tor House I
smelled different plants
saw many flowers
saw a stuffed hawk
At Tor House I
was in a secret passageway
saw the bed that Robinson Jeffers died in
saw where one of the dogs was buried
At Tor House I
got to see where Robinson Jeffers wrote his poems
saw a lot of oil lamps
felt a 2-billion-year-old stone
At Tor House I
saw where Una played her piano
saw my friend play the piano
saw a narwhal tusk
At Tor House I
saw words chiseled in rocks
saw a lot of dictionaries at his desk
thought of their beloved dog, Haig
At Tor House I
played the piano
saw the stone hawks
learned that the large stones weigh 600 pounds
At Tor House I
saw old license plates
played the song "Sandpiper" on the piano
saw four hand-built stone buildings
At Tor House I
saw an Egyptian rock, a sundial, a lot of fireplaces
heard one of Jeffers’ poems
saw the bookroom that used to be Una’s kitchen
At Tor House I
saw the boys’ workshop
got to see where the family ate dinner
saw where the kids played
At Tor House I
saw many paintings
learned that the family used to have picnics at their favorite rock
saw a tiny window that the boys used to look out of
At Tor House I
saw a painting of Robinson Jeffers
saw one of the boys’ names carved in a window in Hawk Tower
saw a piece of wood from a shipwreck that washed up on shore
At Tor House I
saw Robinson Jeffers’ face carved in a rock
learned that Una was the boys’ alarm clock
saw an old chess set
At Tor House I
saw a mini statue of one of their dogs
saw a book called A Tourist’s Guide to Ireland
played a song on Una’s piano