Haunted Columbus: The Thurber House
Built-in 1873 and located at 77 Jefferson Avenue in Olde Town East; it was the home where author, journalist, playwright, humorist, and “The New Yorker” cartoonist James Thurber lived during a time with his family. James Thurber was born and raised in a different house in Columbus but lived at this house while he was a student at The Ohio State University. Thurber has said living there was one of the worse times in his life mainly due to his struggles in school because he suffered from bad eyesight which debilitated a lot of his learning and physical activities. Thurber also said that he had experienced a ghost in the house quite a few times. One date that sticks out in his mind where he was visited by a ghost was November 17, 1915. Thurber believes that he was visited by a man who has been haunting the house for years. This man is said to have shot and killed himself after pacing around the kitchen and running up the stairs. This incident inspired his short story “The Night the Ghost Got In”. He also wrote about his other experiences in the house in his book, “My Life and Hard Times.” Another one of Thurber’s short stories “The Night the Bed Fell” was also inspired by the events he witnessed in the house.
Writer William O’Rourke, who lived at the house in 1984 was one of the last people to actually live in The Thurber House. He wrote his own version titled “The Night the Ghost Didn’t Get In” a play off of Thurber’s “The Night the Ghost Got In” was based on his own ghostly experiences in the house. His short story was published in Poets & Writers Magazine in 1988. Over the years after the Thurber family moved out of the house in 1917 to 1984, many writers made it almost a pilgrimage to visit this home to write or live there, even if only temporarily. It became something of a writer’s sanctuary. Not everyone said that they saw anything or felt anything, and if they did, they weren’t spooked because they just thought it was the spirit of James Thurber watching over them on their journey. Yep…this was a thing.
After being renovated, in 1984 The Thurber House was turned into a nonprofit literary arts center, James Thurber museum, historic landmark, and gathering place for readers, writers, and artists of all ages; according to their website. I have been to the Thurber House a few times to attend writing workshops. While there, I also had the privilege to go on a tour of the house. It is furnished and decorated in the style of the early 20th century with plenty of Thurber family memorabilia including James Thurber’s original Underwood typewriter (I want one just for decoration) and cartoons that he illustrated himself. James Thurber’s bedroom closet is covered with signatures from authors who have been hosted by Thurber House. The dining room where James Thurber famously heard ghostly footsteps circling the table is now the museum shop. The third floor of the Thurber House is a private modern apartment for visiting writers to stay in if they choose to.
Two events are believed to contribute to the strange activity at the house. One that happened was on the land where Thurber House sits. Before the house was built, it was the former site of the Central Ohio Lunatic Asylum, that burned down in 1868. The fire killed six women while fatally injuring another. Many people believe that the victims never left. These damn fires. From what I heard, fires weren’t uncommon back in the day. Another event was in 1904 before the Thurber Family moved in, a prominent jeweler named Thomas Tracy Tress was living at the house and one evening he was playing around with a gun he thought was not loaded, and accidentally shot and killed himself in the home. Two freak accidents may have set the tone for the aura of the house. Staff, visiting authors, and others have experienced unusual phenomena over the years. People have heard a clock chiming that was not even operational. The glass in a picture frame that was completely untouched, shattered all over the floor. Sightings of glowing orbs and a man in a collared shirt, phantom footsteps, the sensation of being touched, poked, and plus much more. And to think I was in the basement and all over the house of this place.
The Thurber House may be a place that writers and historians are more interested in visiting. However, if you are into visiting haunted places, I would highly suggest this place.
