Thurber House
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James Thurber House
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Front of the house
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| Location | 77 Jefferson Ave., Columbus, Ohio |
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| Coordinates | 39°57′58″N 82°59′6″W / 39.96611°N 82.98500°WCoordinates: 39°57′58″N 82°59′6″W / 39.96611°N 82.98500°W |
| Built | 1873 |
| NRHP Reference # | 79001840 |
| Added to NRHP | November 8, 1979 |
Thurber House is a literary center for readers and writers located in Columbus, Ohio, in the historic former home of author, humorist, and New Yorker cartoonist James Thurber. Thurber House is dedicated to promoting the literary arts by presenting quality literary programming; increasing the awareness of literature as a significant art form; promoting excellence in writing; providing support for literary artists; and commemorating Thurber's literary and artistic achievements. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as James Thurber House.
James Thurber was born in Columbus at a different home. Thurber's family rented this home on Jefferson Avenue while he was a student at Ohio State University. He and his family lived there until 1917. Thurber later wrote of his experience here in My Life and Hard Times. Thurber claimed to have experienced a ghost in the house on November 17, 1915, and the incident inspired his short story "The Night the Ghost Got In". Writer William O'Rourke, who lived at the house in 1984, wrote his own version titled "The Night the Ghost Didn't Get In", published in Poets & Writers Magazine in 1988.
Thurber's time in the house was challenging, particularly because of his experience at the university. Due to his physical limitations, including bad eyesight, he performed poorly at required gym classes and military drills. He was not invited to join a fraternity and, as such, found few social connections. Though he registered for classes in his sophomore year, 1914–1915, he mostly stopped going to classes and failed them all. Eventually, he befriended former child star Elliott Nugent, who helped Thurber become more outgoing. He eventually became co-editor of the campus newspaper and contributed to the humor magazine before becoming its editor.
Thurber left school in 1918 amidst World War I. For a few years he worked for the Columbus Dispatch before moving to New York. In 1927, he began his association with The New Yorker and contributed to that magazine for the rest of his career. Though he ultimately spent relatively little time in Columbus, Thurber's experience there influenced his writings. As he once noted, "Many of my books prove that I am never far away from Ohio in my thoughts, and that the clocks that strike in my dreams are often the clocks of Columbus."
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