The Gomez Mill House welcomed a new owner in 1918, Martha Gruening. Gruening, a writer and civil rights activist among other professions, had several of her works published by the NAACP, including her study on lynching, which is attributed to saving many lives. While living at the Gomez Mill House, Gruening tried to open an interracial school on the premises but was unsuccessful in her endeavor. By 1925, Martha Gruening no longer resided at the House.
Seen above is the fireplace in Martha Gruening's bedroom. On the mantel, her family photos are on display.
An Underwood Standard typewriter of this type would have served Martha well as she wrote numerous essays and articles published in newspapers and magazines, such as The Nation, and The Crisis, as well as a children’s educational book, The Story of Mining, published by Harper & Brothers in 1931.