CHICAGO, May 16 (Xinhua) - The American Writer's Museum (AWM), the first and the only one of its kind in the United States, opened to the public in downtown Chicago Tuesday.

Covering an area of 11,000 square feet, one major artifact exhibited at the AWM is Jack Kerouac's original scroll of "On the Road."

The most popular part of the AWM should be the "Writers Hall", where 100 legendary American authors and 100 iconic American works have been displayed. The authors displayed here are classic figures, including Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, and Eudora Welty.

In the museum, visitors may find words crafted by George Plimpton, Tupac Shakur, Prince, and H.L. Mencken.

There is also a touch screen educating the visitors on the origins of numerous phrases and terms, including frenemy, skyscraper, shotgun wedding, Bible belt and muscle man.

Christopher Burrow, operation director of the museum, told Xinhua that there are many different author homes, "but this is the first time an American writers' museum has been envisioned and created."

The museum is expecting 100,000-plus visitors a year. The tickets will be 12 dollars for adults and 8 dollars for students. Children under 12 years old can get into free.

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