The Thompson House is of particular significance to Carbondale, being the only structure in town on the National Register of Historic Places and the home of the homesteading Thompson-Holland family, including Hattie Thompson, who passed away in the house in 1944. Setting foot inside is like stepping back in time, with many items of the original occupants still filling the space.
Now owned by the Town, and overseen by the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and the Carbondale Historical Society, the building continues to host guided tours, school field trips, Potato Days wrapping parties and more, providing a space for the past and present to intersect.
The enclosed south porch is currently the focus of a restoration effort. The wraparound north porch was added in 1896, when the second story was built, and the south porch was added sometime later, according to local historian Sue Gray.
“This is a maintenance issue,” Eric Doud with the HPC told The Sopris Sun. And for that reason, the legwork, initiated in the fall, was expedient, as no building permit was required. It’s a good thing, because, as Doud pointed out, the building hasn’t seen this extent of upkeep for a long time. The south porch is the most degraded part of the exterior, largely due to being south-facing.
Much of the material needs to be touched up, but some will be replaced and mimic the original. The Town hired Chris Thompson — no relation to the Thompson family — of Aspen Preservation Company to carry out the project.
The contract is for $24,200, according to Planning Director Jared Barnes. The Town budgeted $30,000 in 2025.
Chris has a master’s degree in historic preservation and worked on homes back East before moving to the Valley about 15 years ago, including the Mercer-Williams House in Savannah, Georgia, the murder setting in “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil;” the Green-Meldrim house, which General Sherman occupied and was headquartered during the Civil War; and Fort Garland in the San Luis Valley. Closer to home, he’s done work at the Wheeler-Stallard house, the Wheeler Opera House and in the Town of Ashcroft. “It’s fulfilling work,” he said.
Chris removed the windows around the porch at the end of 2025, which he’s been working on at his shop in Carbondale. He plans to level the porch a little bit, but doesn’t want to stress the structure too much.
“Rule number one of preservation is to do no harm,” he stated. And when it’s necessary to swap out material, “you replace in kind,” mirroring the species of wood, he’s using white pine, the old wavy windows and so forth.
The exterior woodwork mostly consists of scraping, prepping, priming and painting. The Paint Store in Carbondale will help with matching the original colors.
Last year, Carbondale Parks and Rec replaced grass up against the house with fine, copper-colored gravel to pull back the irrigation and keep it from spraying the edges of the house. The Town did the same thing around the cabin at History Park on Weant Boulevard.
Maintenance is critical, and “water is the enemy,” Chris stated.
“All we’re trying to do here is save this thing before it falls down,” HPC member John Williams said. Doud added that taking care of the grounds is equally important.
Heritage Gardens
Sue Gray has stewarded Hattie’s Heritage Garden outside of the house, as well as the Pioneer Heritage Garden on Weant Boulevard, for several years, but is looking to pass on the baton, eventually. The HPC has high hopes of finding a replacement who, like Gray, not only specializes in gardening but also has a keen interest in local history.
“[We’re] just looking for a unicorn,” said Barnes.
“We’re looking for [a] Sue Gray,” added Doud.
Gray volunteers, but the new unicorn will earn a wage and be assisted by volunteers. The bulk of the work occurs spring through fall.
There haven’t been any bites yet, but Gray is confident her successor is out there somewhere. She indicated that the position is especially suitable for someone who is retired, so their day job doesn’t overshadow the role. Gray plans to stick with it until the right person is found and has been properly trained.
“It’s really going to take the right person to fill the role. It’s not just a gardening job,” Gray said. “It’s so much more than that.”
Folks interested in the position can email carbondaleheritagegarden@gmail.com
Tune into Everything Under The Sun on KDNK Community Access Radio this Thursday, Jan. 15 at 4pm for a live interview with Heritage Garden steward and historian Sue Gray and HPC member Eric Doud.