Thurber House facts for kids
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James Thurber House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Front of the house
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| Location | 77 Jefferson Ave., Columbus, Ohio |
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| Built | 1873 |
| Part of | Jefferson Avenue Historic District |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001840 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 8, 1979 |
Thurber House is a special place in Columbus, Ohio. It is the historic home of a famous writer named James Thurber. He was an author, a humorist, and a cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine.
Today, Thurber House is a literary center. It helps people learn about writing and reading. It also celebrates Thurber's amazing stories and drawings. This house is so important that it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
The Story of Thurber House
James Thurber was born in Columbus, but not in this specific house. His family rented this home on Jefferson Avenue. They lived here from 1913 until 1917. James was a student at Ohio State University during this time.
Thurber's Time in the House
Thurber wrote about his experiences here in his book My Life and Hard Times. He even claimed to have seen a ghost in the house! This happened on November 17, 1915. This spooky event inspired his short story "The Night the Ghost Got In." Another funny story, "The Night the Bed Fell," was also inspired by things that happened in this house.
Life at the university was a bit tough for Thurber. He had poor eyesight, which made gym classes hard. He also struggled to make friends at first. He even stopped going to classes for a while.
But things changed when he met Elliott Nugent. Elliott helped Thurber become more outgoing. Soon, Thurber became a co-editor of the campus newspaper. He also worked on the school's humor magazine. Later, he became its editor!
Life After Columbus
Thurber left college in 1918 during World War I. He worked for a local newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch. Later, he moved to New York City. In 1927, he started working for The New Yorker magazine. He worked there for the rest of his career.
Even though he didn't live in Columbus for long, his time there shaped his writing. He once said that his books show he was "never far away from Ohio in my thoughts." He felt that the clocks in his dreams were "often the clocks of Columbus."
Visiting the Museum
Thurber House opened as a historic house museum in 1984. Before opening, the house was carefully fixed up. The rooms now look like they did when the Thurber family lived there. This was between 1913 and 1917.
Visitors can explore the first two floors. These floors have a fancy parlor, a living room, and a dining room. There are also five bedrooms and a bathroom. You can even touch some things, like sitting on chairs or playing the piano! The parents' bedroom has changing displays. These show Thurber's drawings and his New Yorker magazine covers.
Thurber House is part of a special area. It's called The Jefferson Center for Learning and the Arts. This area has many beautiful old Victorian homes. These homes are now used by groups that help the community.
Fun Events and Programs
Since it opened, Thurber House has become a popular spot. It's a place for readers, writers, and Thurber fans of all ages. They offer programs for both kids and adults. These include author readings and writing classes. They also have celebrations of Thurber's life.
Programs for Writers
The 'Evenings with Authors' series brings famous writers to Columbus. Authors like John Updike and Tracy Chevalier have visited. Thurber House also hosts two writers each year. These writers live on the top floor of the house for four weeks.
One of these is the Children's Writer-in-Residence. This writer also teaches at the Thurber House Summer Writing Camp.
Awards and Camps
The annual Thurber Prize for American Humor is a big deal. It's the top award for humor writing in the country.
For young writers, there are great programs too. The Thurber Summer Writing Camp is very popular. The winter program, Writing Wizards, has helped thousands of young writers.
