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's the old home of a famous writer and cartoonist named James Thurber. Today, it's a center that helps people learn about reading and writing.
Thurber House wants to share the joy of books and stories. It helps people become better writers. It also celebrates all the amazing things James Thurber created. This historic house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's also part of the Jefferson Avenue Historic District.
Contents
The Story of Thurber House
James Thurber was born in Columbus, but not in this house. His family rented this home on Jefferson Avenue. They lived here from 1913 until 1917. This was when James was a student at Ohio State University.
Thurber's Time in the House
Thurber later wrote about his experiences in this house. His book was called My Life and Hard Times. He even claimed to have seen a ghost here on November 17, 1915! This spooky event inspired his short story, "The Night the Ghost Got In." Another one of his famous short stories, "The Night the Bed Fell," also came from events in this house.
Life at the university was tough for Thurber. He had poor eyesight, which made gym classes and military drills hard. He didn't join a fraternity, so he felt a bit lonely. In his second year, he stopped going to classes and failed them all.
How Thurber Found His Way
Things changed when he became friends with Elliott Nugent. Elliott helped James become more outgoing. Soon, James became a co-editor for the campus newspaper. He also wrote for the humor magazine and later became its editor.
Thurber left college in 1918 during World War I. He worked for the Columbus Dispatch newspaper for a few years. Then, he moved to New York. In 1927, he started working for The New Yorker magazine. He wrote and drew cartoons for them for the rest of his career.
Even though he didn't spend much time in Columbus as an adult, his early experiences there shaped his writing. He once said that his books show he was "never far away from Ohio in my thoughts."
Visiting the Museum
Thurber House opened as a historic house museum in 1984. Before that, the house was carefully fixed up. The furniture and decorations now look like they did when the Thurber family lived there.
Visitors can explore the first two floors of the house. These floors have a fancy parlor, a living room, a dining room, five bedrooms, and a bathroom. You can even sit on some chairs or play the piano! The parents' bedroom has changing displays of Thurber's things. This includes some of his drawings that became New Yorker magazine covers.
Thurber House is part of a special area called The Jefferson Center for Learning and the Arts. This area has many beautiful Queen Anne Style Victorian homes. These homes are used by groups that help the community.
Fun Events and Programs
Since it opened, Thurber House has become a popular spot for everyone who loves reading and writing. They have programs for both kids and adults. These include author readings, writing classes, and celebrations of Thurber's life.
Programs for Writers
The 'Evenings with Authors' series brings famous writers to Thurber House. Authors like John Updike and Tracy Chevalier have shared their stories there. Thurber House also hosts two writers each year. These writers live on the top floor of the house for four weeks. One of them is a 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 very important award. It celebrates the best humor writing in the country. For kids, there are popular programs like the Thurber Summer Writing Camp. The winter program, Writing Wizards, has helped thousands of young writers.
