Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-02
UNCLE JOSH At HOME
Where the Proprietor of the Old
Homestead Lives.
SOON TO LEAVE THE STAGE
Tells How His Play Came Into
Existence.
THE RESULT OF DEVELOPMENT
Originally a Short Skit Picturing the
Characteristics of Some of His
Neighbors.
HE RESULT OF DEVELOPMENT
BY WILLIAM r. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The and the Chicago
Record Herald.
KEENE. N. H., July s. 1907.
Six miles below Keene is the quiet little
village of Swanzey. with a couple of facto-
ries at which buckets and butter and egg
boxes are made. 1t Is a cluster of old
fashioned houses with two or three stores
couple Of churches. a school house. a
blacksmith shop and a grist mill which Is
turned by the waters OF roaring brook
Millions of people have seen Swanzey and
are personally acquainted with some of its
most interesting Inhabitants for the village
Is the scene of The Old Homestead" which
has been played almost as many times as
Uncle Toms Cabin, and Joshua Whit
comb and the other characters are taken
bodily from its streets and farms Some
years ago Denman Thompson brought his
company to Keene. where he gave a per-
formance In the theater and invited the
entire population Of the township of Swan
zey. He brought them up and took them
back to their homes after the play in a
special train. They filled the body Of the
house and saw themselves others see
them. which Is rare privilege. Mr..
Thompson's townspeople were very quick to
recognize local scenes and local characters
and have been talking about 1t ever since
Denman Thompson's Home.
While Mr. Thompson was not born in
Swanzey. his parents were. and he spent
his childhood and early manhood here:
and when he got money enough he bought
the genuine old homestead and has since
spent his summers here. He has a farm
OF about 100 acres-and a large comfortable
frame house painted green with white trim
mings In the midst Of handsome grounds
that are ornamented with iroE deer and
dogs and dancing girls. and an iron COL
ored boy stands at the gatepost to hold the
horses of visitors. The barn matches the
mouse and Is quite as pretentious and COM
Portable Mr. Thompson Is so careful of
them steers" and his Jersey cows and
calves AID colts that he has wire screens
In the windows Of his stables and protects
has dollhouse and a conservatory in which
he propagates garden plants and early
vegetables and raises rare flowers. He ia
practical farmer and the neighbors say
that he looks and acts just the same in the
meadow and the barnyard as he does on
the stage He needs makeup. He is
Uncle Josh" all the time. But it is not
continuous performance, At present he
does most of his labor in a rocking chair
on the porch or driving around through the
country behind lazy old gray mare COS
splng with the farmers and fnterrupting
them in their work. 1t is unnecessary to
say that they are always glad to be in
: terrupted: He knows every man. woman
and and child in the township and they call
Mr.. Charles Thompson. is son and bust
ness manager. lives with him and sees
: that the wheels go round. Mrs. Fitzpatrick
and Mrs Mcfarland. his daughters, who
appear In the caste OF the play have
handsome places IN the neighborhoed.
A Genial Old Gentleman.
I found him sitting on the porch Of his
daughters cottage on the shores Of Swan
1ey lake. q couple of miles from his own
home. He says It was Swanzey pond when
he was a boy and used to go fishing and
swimming there. but they call it a lake in
order to increase the price of property in
the neighb0rhood
He Is a genial old gentleman. is Uncle
Josh Whitconb. of the stage as we'll az be-
hind the footlights and now that he has
celebrated his seventy fourth birthday he
- beginning to take life easy. Few men
Few men have given 50 many millions OF
people pleasure. There is scarcely a per-
son In the United States who ever at
tends the theater that has not seen The
Old Homestead" at least once. and no play
has ever exercised a more healthful ana
wholesome influence upon the public than
that homely but beautiful paraphrase OF
life at SwanZey.
Il guess I must have played Uncle
Josh nearly 1000 times" said M. Thomp-
son in answer to my question Il have
taken that part average of ten times
a week. forty weeks In the year. for
thirty-two years, and some of my people
have been with ME for twenty years
can play 1t In my sleep. You remember
the story of the actor who was looking
for job and told the manager that ne
knew Hamlet backward. We don't play
1t that way replied the manager and
don't play Uncle Josh in my sleep either
This is good climate to sleep in You can
get more comfort out OF life with less trou-
Bile at Swanzey than at any place 1 know.
and to me. Of course. it's the dearest and
the most beautiful town in the world.
am going to quit the stage
soon and have good time with my old
friends here. ! have contract to play
six weeks during the coming winter-one
week In Newark. one In Philadelphia and
four weeks in the Academy of Music at
New York. Then l am going to quit and
William Lawrence. who has been my un-
6erstudy Will take my part. and | hope he
VIII go on playing the Old Homestead
as long as | played II. It's play that
don't seem to grow old. The public seems
to like 1t Just as we'll now as they did at
first. and know that thousands of people
always go TO see 1t every year when it
comes around.
How the Play Was Born.
Yes. all Of my original support are gone
Len Holbrook. the fiddler was the last. He
died about seven years ago. Chauncey Oh
colt with almost long as Hoi-
brook. The Old Homestead an acct
dent, as you remember continued Mr.
Thompson. "or rather. 1t was originally
intended as a makeshift. l was doing
dancing part in an Irish comedy at Pitts
burg at Henry Martins Varieties. in Janu-
airy, 1879. when l had a severe attack of
rheumatism and had to give up my role
Realizing that ! could not dance any more
while ] lay in bed racked with pain and
wondering how | could earn living con-
ceived tine idea of skit In which / could
represent some of eccentric characters
at Swanzey without using my legs too
much. and the result was the Joshua Whit
comb AT first 1t sketch not more
than twenty five minutes long and pre-
sented the street scene in Boston in which
Uncle Joshua had number of exciting and
aughable adventures, and the birthday
party. in which he made the liveliest sort
OF merrment and homely talk ! did my
best to give accurate imitation OF two
actual personages In Swanzey-Capt. Otis
Whitcomb and Joshua Holbrook, whom I
had known and seen every day In my child
hood. Capt. Whtcomb furnished the
comedy. for he very comical man,
and Uncle Josh Hoibrook the more serious
element of the composite. They are both
dead now. although Capt. Whitcomb lived
10 see himself caricatured the stage, and
one of the most popular types of American
life ever presented TO the public
The sklt was so successful that We
added to IL and introduced other Swanzey
characters. The original of Aunt Matilda
was sister OF Joshua Hoibrook and was