--- ---  # Billy Graham at Home: Rare Photos From the LIFE Archives by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Updated: Dec 13, 2023 8:29 AM UTCPublished: Feb 21, 2018 5:13 PM UTC  Billy Graham with his wife and daughter, 1955. Billy Graham with his wife and daughter, 1955.Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Updated: Dec 13, 2023 8:29 AM UTCPublished: Feb 21, 2018 5:13 PM UTC It was at his home at Montreat, N.C., that the Rev. Billy Graham, [“the father of modern Christian evangelism”](http://time.com/18423/billy-graham-obituary/?xid=homepage) and “spiritual advisor” to U.S. Presidents, died Feb. 21 at the age of 99. In 1955, LIFE photographed him when that 200-acre mountainside home was being built among the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, near the farm he grew up on in Charlotte. It was a sacred place for him — and only fitting that a man who would preach about [God’s presence in nature](https://billygraham.org/devotion/god-is-in-nature/) would recharge in such a place between his [crusades](http://time.com/5168188/billy-graham-evangelism-crusades/) worldwide and media appearances. The above photos, most of which were never published in LIFE magazine, show outtakes of the Baptist minister at home. They’re images that Ed Clark had taken for [a special issue](https://books.google.com/books?id=HD8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12&dq=%22billy+graham%22+1955&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiutJf5pLfZAhXqslQKHbQWBYIQ6AEIMTAC#v=onepage&q=%22billy%20graham%22%20&f=false) that came out during the Christmas week that year, at a time when Graham was “the most famous U.S. religious leader,” as the magazine put it. The feature, [“Resting Up to Save Souls”](https://books.google.com/books?id=HD8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12&dq=%22billy+graham%22+1955&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiutJf5pLfZAhXqslQKHbQWBYIQ6AEIMTAC#v=onepage&q=%22billy%20graham%22%20&f=false) (Dec. 26, 1955), showed the “boyish-looking” 37-year-old seeking “seclusion” with his wife Ruth (pictured below, from left) — who “knows the Bible better than he does” — and children Franklin, Virginia, Anne and Ruth, plus the family dog.  Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images [_See more: LIFE With Billy Graham: Rare Photos From the Early Years of His Career_](http://life.time.com/history/billy-graham-rare-photos-from-the-early-years-of-his-career/#1) In addition to reading the Bible while relaxing on a hammock, and going on hikes with his family, he played golf with “an unorthodox crosshand grip,” as the magazine observed. Graham told LIFE that the Lord won’t let him play the game well, because if He did, “I’d spend too much time at it.”  TIME Books _TIME’s new special edition_ Billy Graham: America’s Preacher _is available now_ [_in the Meredith shop_](https://www.timeincshop.com/storefront/special-editions/see-all/time-billy-graham/prodTIBZGRAHAM.html) _and at_ [_Amazon_](http://amzn.to/2HJeBuE)_._  Billy Graham in his home office, N. Carolina, 1955. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Billy Graham at home in North Carolina, 1955. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  The Rev. Billy Graham beside his swimming pool, 1955. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Billy Graham with his wife and daughter, 1955. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Billy Graham, his son, Franklin, and his wife, Ruth, in a car, 1955. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Billy Graham with his son, Franklin, in 1955. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  The Rev. Billy Graham and family at a meal, 1955. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Ruth Graham, wife of the Rev. Billy Graham, and daughter, 1955. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  The Rev. Billy Graham and family, 1955. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  The Rev. Billy Graham with his son, Franklin, and the family dog in 1955. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  The Rev. Billy Graham relaxes at home, 1955. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Billy Graham Death: Unpublished Photos of the Pastor at Home ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3893898/billy-graham-photos-unpublished/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3893898/billy-graham-photos-unpublished/"},"headline":"Billy Graham at Home: Rare Photos From the LIFE Archives","datePublished":"2018-02-21T17:13:57.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T08:29:05.000Z","description":"Rare photos of Billy Graham and his family offer a glimpse into the private life of one of the world's most public figures","url":"https://time.com/3893898/billy-graham-photos-unpublished/","keywords":["faith","photography","LIFE Magazine"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4643f86e3ea80e4f/6988515635ba6f03c7c0d698/131120-billy-graham-04.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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