A Little piece of Paradise… College Hill, Ohio - SELFCRAFT

Despite all the finery, according to her grandson Chilton Thomson, Laura preferred dressing inborrowed gent’s trousers to play with the children to wearing a fancy dress.At the edge of the Laurel Court property, Peter Thomson built a lovely house for his daughter MaryBell and her husband Walter D. Randall.Laura died in Jan. 1912. Logan and his wife, Sylvia, and their two children, Dwight and Jane, wereborn and raised in Laurel Court, the family then moved to the Caldwell/Prather house at the end ofWindermere Way. Peter G. in 1920 married a family friend, Kate Prather Woolley. She was the widow ofEdgar M. Woolley, whose family was in the leather trade and the daughter of Charles Blair Prather. InFrance during their world wide honeymoon they were lavishly entertained by the publishers of severalmagazines for whom PGT had Champion Coated Paper supply stocked during W.W. I, at his ownexpense .He did the same thing for Britain. I believe that, for a while, both L’Illustration in France andThe Illustrated London News were printed on paper made in Hamilton, Ohio. 17Peter G. died in 1931. Mrs. Thomson moved to the Caldwell/Prather ‘Dower House.’ Laurel Courtwas sheeted and closed. Large plants from the atrium greenhouse were moved to Krohn Conservatory.Later Logan and his family returned to reside in Laurel Court. The house passed from the family in 1947and for 30 years was the residence of the Archbishop of Cincinnati. Archbishops John McNicholas andKarl J. Alter lived there.Donald S. ‘Buddy’ LaRosa bought the property in 1977, partially furnished, for $350,000. Itencompassed 7.5 acres. Without this purchase, it is likely that the building would have been razed andapartments built on the site. Much of the building was in poor shape when Mr. LaRosa acquired it. In1977 it cost approximately $50,000 per year simply to maintain and operate the mansion. Mr. LaRosa didmuch to restore and preserve the building and grounds. The oriental garden had completely grown over. Ittook four years to unearth the original garden site and restore it. It took three years to restore theRookwood swimming pool, which was in such a bad shape in 1977 that it appeared to be a shallowreflecting pool. Mr. LaRosa had the wrought iron gates made in Mexico to add security and privacy to hishome. For several years it served as his corporate headquarters and would be open to the public on certainoccasions. Through his efforts the house was placed on the both the local and national historic registers(1979).The house was sold in 1991 with an auction of the furnishings that drew international antiquecollectors.In 1997 Champion International Paper sold the Hamilton mill. The Asian paper industry is creatinginroads on U.S. production with newer, more efficient equipment and lower worker wages.The Thomson name may be familiar if you are Boy Scout. Dwight Thomson, due to his support ofthe Scouts, has been honored by the Dan Beard Council. The Dan Beard Riverwalk Trail, for which anyScout can earn a medal and a patch, takes approximately 3 hours to complete. Starting at Fountain Square,the trail follows the Bicentennial Riverwalk and crosses over the river to Riverboat Row along theKentucky shore and passes Dan Beard’s house. The medal says Dwight Thomson Trail Award. Mr.Thomson was a Star Scout and an Assistant Scoutmaster and served on many Dan Beard Councilpositions. For service to boyhood, Mr. Thomson was awarded the Silver Beaver, Antelope and Buffalo.17 Correspondence, Chilton Thomson, July 1, 1996207