When Queen Elizabeth II attended a white-tie dinner at the White House in 2007, she ate her Maryland crab and chorizo pozole from flatware given to the White House by Margaret Thompson Biddle upon her death in 1956. Same with Prince Phillip, who was also there. The gold-plated plates and utensils came from a priceless 1575-piece […]
The Magnate Bought His Massive Mineral Collection on Impulse
“Tiffany’s have a collection of minerals on exhibition,” William Boyce Thompson told his staff chemist Fred J. Pope one morning in 1916. “I want you to take a look at it. I may buy it.” A half hour later, he asked Pope whether he had been to Tiffany’s. Pope said “no,” apparently not sensing the […]
Hunt for Homes Built by J.E. Thompson Turns Into Wild Goose Chase
Great grandfather Joseph Edward Thompson must have wanted future generations to find the homes he built as a young man in Bisbee, Arizona, in 1905-06. Why else would he have paid an architect to brand them with his initials, J.E.T.? Unfortunately, the J.E.T. brand, which was painted on the homes, was nowhere to be found on a recent […]
Thompson Colonnade Greets Visitors to Butte Cemetery
A graceful granite colonnade framing several modest gravestones greets visitors to the Mount Moriah Cemetery in Butte, Montana. This is the place where William Thompson (1838-1900) and Annie Maria Boyce Thompson (1846-1894) were buried, along with two of their children, Arthur and Flora. A year before he died, eldest son William Boyce Thompson, who wasn’t particularly religious, commissioned […]
Visit to Thompson Park Provides Unintended Consequences
As the sign says, you can’t drive a recreational vehicle off-road in Thompson Park. You aren’t supposed to shoot anything inside the park, either. But apparently it’s okay to leave your dog’s droppings all over the place. At least that’s what I learned, the hard way, during my visit to the park in Butte, Montana, […]
Mother’s Agonizing Childbirth Made Disbelievers Out of Some Thompson Boys
Anne Marie Boyce attended church at least once every Sunday. She often went to prayer meetings on Wednesday night. She regularly cooked dinner for ministers. She was steadfast in her faith. But when this “invalid” woman who suffered from Bright’s disease was screaming out in agony during the birth of her 10th child, God was a […]