This was the home of Thomas E. Watson, before he built Hickory Hill nearby. According to the Historical Marker placed in 2001 by the Georgia Historical Society and the Watson-Brown Foundation: After passing the state Bar in 1876, native Thomas E. Watson returned to Thomson and lived in this house with his family from 1881 to 1900. In his first floor office Watson began his law and writing career and entered politics. He served in the Georgia House (1882), U.S. Congress (1890–92), and the U.S. Senate (1920–22). He was nominated for Vice President on the Populist Party ticket with William Jennings Bryan in 1896. Here Watson authored the two-volume Story of France and a biography of Napoleon. In a career often marked by controversy*, he was best known as the “Father of Rural Free Delivery.”

*-Thomas E. Watson was, as Carol Pierannunzi highlighted: …one of the more perplexing and controversial among Georgia politicians. In his early years he was characterized as a liberal, especially for his time. In later years he emerged as a force for white supremacy and anti-Catholic rhetoric...as [a] vice presidential candidate in 1896, he achieved national recognition for his egalitarian, agrarian agenda…He is remembered for being a voice for Populism and the disenfranchised, and later in life, as a southern demagogue and bigot.

While I am perplexed by Watson, who began his public life in such an enlightened way before turning to the darker impulses of the region, I am pleased that the Watson-Brown Foundation has done much good work for people and historical spaces of all backgrounds. This home, along with Hickory Hill and Brown’s birthplace, are maintained by the foundation and are open for tours by appointment. I was in town on a holiday weekend so didn’t get to take the tour. I hope to on my next visit.