Columbus Ohio
James Thurber House
A betrayed spirit who died via suicide is still hurting.
This bereaved spirit may have spectral company at the James Thurber House.
DESCRIPTION
The James Thurber House is a nonprofit literary arts center and museum, run by The Jefferson Center for Learning and the Arts.
It is described as a charming brick Victorian structure, originally built in 1875, for a middle class family, but whose curb appeal and pleasing interior made it a very popular rental, attracting many good tenants. It has the customary two floors, with the attic turned into a small apartment for resident writers, not open to the public.
Smaller in scale than the robber baron homes, its décor is simpler, yet with beautiful Victorian era touches, including lots of wood, some beveled glass, and lovely ceramic fireplaces. Well-known, honored cartoonist and witty short story author James Thurber, lived here with his parents and along with William, the eldest, and Robert, the youngest. James was the middle son.
The three of them must have been a handful. James lost his sight in one eye while playing William Tell with his brothers. He went totally blind later in life.
The home’s furnishings reflect the popular mission oak style decor, found in the Sears Catalog, around 1913. In 1983, the outside of the home was restored, following an old photograph and the remaining physical evidence of what was originally there. The front porch, and the stairs leading up to the home’s second floor were entirely rebuilt by a local master craftsman. The condition of the home must have been really in need of repair!!
With the help of Robert Thurber, the restoration of the interior began in March of 1984. Robert was an important source of information, to be sure it was done authentically. He remembered a lot of the details, from decor to the habits of the Thurber Family.
They only lived here for a time in this home; one of the three houses the Thurber family lived in Columbus, during the time that James Thurber was attending Ohio State University. The home was a 45 minute streetcar ride away. Because he couldn’t complete the required ROTC course at Ohio State, he wasn’t able to graduate from college, but was given a posthumous degree, after a lifetime of literary and artistic contributions and cartoon fun! His natural talent and gifts opened doors of opportunity for him, even without a college degree. “Although best known for his funny cartoons and witty short stories, James wrote 32 books, collections of essays and modern commentaries, fables and children’s stories.”
It is because of James’ contributions to the literary field, that the home was saved from a date with the wrecking ball. Some of the homes across the street were torn down to make room for modern, brick homes and structures.
Thurber House, now owned by the Jefferson Center for Learning and the Arts, is a literary center, offering year round programming for adults and children. Some of the family’s personal items have been donated to the house, making it a museum of sorts. On display are Robert’s sports memorabilia collection, some of William’s Western and American Indian paintings, and a selection of James’ manuscripts, cartoons, letters, first editions of his books, and selected honors, awards, and original drawings. Some of his books and memorabilia are on sale in the Thurber Country Bookstore, located in the dining room.
Along the walls of the second floor between the bedrooms, pictures of the Thurber Family and important family documents are hung. Also a photograph of a see-through apparition that was taken on one of the staircases is hung on the wall on the second floor landing. Down the back staircase, leading to the dining room, one can see the “Wall of Fame” that displays the pictures of all the authors who visited Thurber House and/or participated in its literary programs.
HISTORY
In 1868, after The Central Ohio Lunatic Asylum burned down, the large parcel of land that this institution sat on was divided into three residential sections. Each section had an oblong/oval shaped park in the middle of their section, making a very fashionable neighborhood.
A family must have lived here until the turn-of-the-century, when the home was turned into a well-liked and appreciated rental property, from 1900–1973. Many people enjoyed this home, including the Thurbers.
After the Thurbers moved on to another home in Columbus, the Thurber House temporarily stopped being a rental, in the early 1920s, and became The Wallace Collegiate School and Conservatory of Music. It once again became a rental in 1946, in the form of a boarding house. Uh oh!
Boarding house status has led many homes into disrepair and instability. In the 1970s, a lot of older homes were torn down, but Thurber House was donated instead to The Jefferson Center for Learning and the Arts, due to someone’s considerable efforts to preserve history.
HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS
Adultery can be very painful for the spouse who discovers their partner has been cheating, and can cause death and suicide.
Plains Hotel, WY (A newly married couple’s honeymoon at The Plains Hotel turned into a disaster when the bride found her new husband in bed with a hotel prostitute. She shot both of them before killing herself).
The Biltmore Hotel, FL (A married woman was caught by her husband in bed with her lover. The husband killed them both).
Broadview Hotel, KS (Clarence and his wife checked into the hotel for some event. Clarence found out that his wife was having an affair with another guest. Clarence lost it emotionally and shot his wife, and then threw himself off the balcony in despair).
James Thurber House, OH (According to Thurber’s research (done shortly after his encounter with the so-called footstep spirit), it was during the 1880s, that a man who lived in this house with his wife was informed by an anonymous note that if he came home early from work, he would find his wife in bed with her lover. So, he left work early, and heard them making love up in one of the second floor bedrooms. He walked around the dining room table, ran up the backstairs to another bedroom, and shot himself).
People who commit suicide, often over the unfaithfulness of a loved one or some other deep emotional upset, find out that the afterlife doesn’t bring peace and escape from their torment and grief.
Broadview Hotel, KS (After a husband caught his unfaithful wife in bed with her boyfriend at the hotel, he committed suicide. He still feels upset at a level that keeps him at the hotel).
Plains Hotel, WY (The spirit of the betrayed bride is still deeply disappointed at the choice she made in choosing a husband and is stuck).
Whaley House Museum, CA (The spirit of Violet Whaley was so upset about the cruel abandonment of her new husband that she shot herself. She is still mourning her bad marriage on the second floor of the house).
James Thurber House, OH (The spirit of the betrayed husband hasn’t found the relief from his grief as a spirit).
Victims of disasters such as fire, flood, or other forms of mayhem, such as war, can’t find rest because they can’t let go of their traumatic death. Sometimes they bond to the land and move into any structure built on that land.
Pittsburgh Theatre, PA (The theatre was built on the land where tenements burned down. The spirit of a mournful mother haunted the theatre, still very sad about losing her home and her daughter).
Kolb Ridge Court, GA (A Civil War skirmish took place on the Kolb Creek Farm in Georgia where soldiers were killed. Years late, Kolb Ridge Court housing development was constructed there. The new residents of the homes experienced the spirits of soldiers casually taking strolls through their new abodes. Some even decided to stay).
James Thurber House, OH (The land where the Thurber House was built was part of The Central Ohio Lunatic Asylum where seven people died in the fire that burned it down).
MANIFESTATIONS
Paranormal activity was first reported in writing, by James Thurber, in one of his early, humorous stories, entitled, “The Night the Ghost Got In,” describing the paranormal incident with one of the spirits that James, his brother William and their mother experienced.
The Spirit of the Bereaved Husband
The man who killed himself has been described by one of the in-house writers, who stayed one summer in the attic apartment, as being a large, overweight “somewhat stooped, black torso shadow,” that was seen passing by a second story window, blocking out the hallway light.
Auditory Experiences
Heavy footsteps have long been heard on the stairway.
This same occurrence happened to other renters of the house over the years before and after the Thurbers lived there, sometimes causing people to find other housing.
Takes Solace in Books
This sad spirit can still enjoy a good book in the parlor.
James Thurber personally witnessed books being quickly moved across the room without any help from him!
Still Enjoys His House
Another in-house writer and Toby, the dog, came down to the first floor at night when things were quiet.
While in the parlor, Toby began growling and staring at an unseen presence, sitting on the velvet couch, just underneath the leaded glass window.
Other Possible Spectral Housemates
They are calm and quiet, and love to tour the home.
Shadow people have been seen walking around the first floor.
James Thurber himself saw shadow people walk in front of windows.
PARANORMAL FINDINGS
All the staff members have had multiple paranormal experiences. Several guest writers, staying in the attic apartment, have convincingly told of their experiences during the evening hours, when the street is still, and it is dark.
A still photo of one of their ghosts was taken and hung on the wall at the top of the stairs. It looks like a translucent apparition wearing pants.
The Jefferson Center for Learning and the Arts finally admitted that the James Thurber House has spectral residents. They have entered into a partnership with Columbus Ghost Tours, and “opened its doors for a series of ghost tours and paranormal investigations, allowing visitors to explore reported supernatural activity firsthand.” (https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus/thurber-house-in-columbus-opens-for-ghost-tours-and-paranormal-investigations/)
STILL HAUNTED?
Yes Indeed! The activity was so heavy that the owner, The Jefferson Center for Learning and the Arts agreed to allow Columbia Ghost Tours to set up public investigations, which will be a great fundraiser for their museum. The existence of these spirits will bring in much needed funds to cover expenses.
The spirit of the mourning husband and his spectral housemates will have the opportunity to communicate with the living, which may lessen their issues.
LOCATION
77 Jefferson Avenue
Columbus, OH 43215
The Thurber House can be found on Jefferson Avenue, just east of East Broad Street, in a nice little section of Columbus. Neighbors across the street are various social organizations, and The Thurber House has private owners as neighbors, in the houses on either side of it.
SOURCES INCLUDE
- The Ghost Hunter’s Field Guide
by Rich Newman
Llewellyn Publications – 2011 - “Welcome to Thurber House”: informational hand-out for visitors.
- The Thurber House page on Forgotten Ohio.com
- Rubio, Josie – “Ghost Stories”
Columbus Monthly – Oct. 2003 - Smith, Robin – “Columbus Ghosts”
Worthington, OH – Emuses, Inc. 2002 - https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus/thurber-house-in-columbus-opens-for-ghost-tours-and-paranormal-investigations
- https://columbusghosttours.com/merchandise/ols/categories/thurber-house-tour-and-investigation
Our Haunted Paranormal Stories are Written by Julie Carr
Our Photos are copyrighted by Tom Carr
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