Family history returns home, by piece

Features

Related Photos

This is one of pieces of art created by Dr. Joseph Thompson, donated by Thompson’s grandson, George Purdy. Photo by Travina Coleman
The pencil drawing, “His Consolation,” by Dr. Joseph Thompson, is new to the historical home museum. Photo by Travina Coleman
Beth Herrington, left, Peggy Cotten, center, and Dudley Brown, right, spent time checking out the new acquisitions in the Thompson House Thursday afternoon. Photo by Travina Coleman

Discussion

March 5, 2010

By TRAVINA COLEMAN Press Staff Writer The Tahlequah Daily Press Fri Mar 05, 2010, 09:55 AM CST

TAHLEQUAH —

A few more pieces of Thompson family history made their way home, and local history buffs celebrated the arrival Thursday afternoon at the historic house on the corner of College and Choctaw.

Beth Herrington, a member of the Thompson House organization, said they were thrilled to get the items.

“It’s just amazing,” she said.

Original artwork by Dr. Joseph Thompson, an accomplished artist and Cherokee doctor, has been donated to the group by Thompson’s grandson, George Purdy of California. (Purdy, who visited his birthplace – the actual Thompson House – last fall, is of no relation to Tahlequah Mayor Ken Purdy.)

Herrington said it was Purdy’s first visit to the area since he was an infant. She said when he decided to make the trip, he was initially hesitant to bring the family heirlooms.

“He thought they were in terrible condition,” she said. “A friend who was with him convinced him to bring them in.”

Among the items Purdy brought are three Cherokee long bows, crafted before 1900. There are also four pencil sketches, which are now displayed on the Thompson House walls. Each one was restored and framed properly by NDN Art Gallery. Thompson’s marriage license to Lulu Elliot was also among the treasures, as was a photograph of Lulu.

One drawing, “His Consolation,” was admired by several of the more than 40 people who showed up at Thursday’s reveal. It depicted a table with cigars, cigarettes, playing cards, whiskey, and a pipe billowing smoke in the shape of a woman.

“I think it’s just great,” Herrington said.

In addition to the artwork and photographs, Purdy also donated four handmade Cherokee bows, also made before statehood, and two silver letter openers from the early 1900s.

Dudley Brown of Tahlequah visits the Thompson House just about every year.

“I helped restore the home,” he said. “It was a lot of work.”

Mildred Carroll and Sue Chapman enjoyed looking at the old things in each room.

Chapman said the most fun the organization has is when members bring in fourth- and fifth-graders to the home for educational field trips.

“They are always so amazed,” Chapman said.

Dr. Joseph Thompson was the son of Johnson Thompson, who came to Tahlequah over the Trail of Tears as a boy. Johnson Thompson went on to become a successful merchant in Tahlequah, and built homes for his son, Joseph, and his daughter, Jane Anna. Now known as the Thompson House and the French House, respectively, both of these structures are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Thompson was a physician in early-day Tahlequah, and also served as medical officer of the Cherokee Orphanage. He was never a wealthy man because he donated much of his time and services to those displaced, disabled or left indigent after the Civil War.

Text Only

Features

Be careful when floating your boat
With a countless number of families expected to enjoy this Memorial Day weekend at the lake or in swimming pools, The National Safe Boating Council Inc. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging everyone to step up their safety awareness while in and around a water environment.

May 23, 2012
Glenn liked Tahlequah’s ‘weirdness’
For Eddie Glenn, playing music at the 2000 Cherokee Medal of Honor awards and having James Earl Jones compliment his singing voice is the memory of a lifetime.

May 22, 2012
Summer chock-full of blockbusters
There is no season quite like summer. School is out, baseball season is in full swing, Tenkiller Lake is full of boaters, the Illinois River is ripe for floating, and soon, the summer blockbusters will hit the theaters.

May 16, 2012
Tanning today could mean trouble later
Questioning, and sometimes even ignoring, authority is a hallmark of youth, and can often teach valuable life lessons.

May 16, 2012
Veterans groups have busy schedules
Cherokee County boasts several active veterans organizations, with overlapping members – and some of them are rising to prestigious positions.

May 9, 2012 1 Photo
Volunteering gives Smith skills, confidence
Volunteering has taught Tonya Smith to use power tools and given her confidence.

May 8, 2012
Art a sublime experience for Emerson
Growing up in Tahlequah, Judith Emerson didn’t imagine she’d return as an artist and writer. But she has – after living in New York, raising her daughter and traveling.

May 1, 2012
Class teaches cultural tradition
As any good fashionista knows, a leather purse is a wardrobe staple. But leather purses were first crafter for functionality, rather than fashion.

April 30, 2012
Expert gives program on shell mounds
University of Oklahoma’s Department of Anthropology assistant professor Dr. Asa Randall has spent years studying archaic shell mounds, particularly those along the St. Johns River in Florida.

April 30, 2012
Library kicks off new Living Green series
These days, more and more people want to know where their food comes from, and many prefer a source close to home.

April 23, 2012
More Features Headlines

What do you plan to do over the Memorial Day weekend?

Features

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Family history returns home, by piece

What do you plan to do over the Memorial Day weekend?

Site Map

Contact Us