Program

Legends & Lore®

Subject

Folklore, House, People

Location

131 W Chestnut St, Oxford, OH 45056, USA

Lat/Long

39.500508747792, -84.74574648099

Grant Recipient

City of Oxford, Ohio

Harry Sylvester Thobe, born in Evansville, Indiana in 1870, was a talented bricklayer and stonemason. He moved to the town of Oxford, Ohio in 1895 after accepting a job to build a train depot at the intersection of Spring and Elm Street. After settling in town, Thobe went on to build several structures, including a few for Miami University. He crafted a fountain from rough stone and donated it to the university in the early 1900s. Thobe was said to have dutifully maintained “Thobe Fountain” until his death in 1950. The fountain was eventually replaced, and the university’s Kappa Kappa Gamma centennial memorial now sits in its place. Thobe’s masterpiece, a family home titled “Sunset Place”, was built over the span of 20 years.

Thobe is best known for being an avid sports fan. He claimed to have gate-crashed “20 World Series games, eight Rose Bowls, three Orange Bowls, and a Sun Bowl” over his 80-year lifetime (Miami University, n.d.-b). Thobe also demonstrated his enthusiasm for athletics by regularly attending Miami University football games. He famously gatecrashed 12 Miami Reds events before the university gave him a lifetime pass to watch the team. Thobe deemed himself the “Number One Fan” and claimed to have attended 54 consecutive Miami homecoming games. With a white suit, red banded straw hat, one red shoe and one white shoe, Thobe could not be missed among the spectators. He actively expressed his support for the team by walking up and down the sidelines, twirling a parasol, and cheering with a red and white megaphone. He frequently predicted Miami victories by telling the crowd that he “had a dream last night” (Miami University, n.d.-a).

Legend says that if one stands West of the fountain’s remains, faces the nearest oak tree, and calls Thobe’s name, he will answer by echoing his name back.

Sources:

Miami University. (n.d.-a). That’s the Spirit. https://www.miamialum.org/s/916/22/Interior.aspx?sid=916&gid=1&pgid=6666&sparam=thobe&scontid=0

Miami University. (n.d.-b). Thobe’s Fountain. https://www.miamialum.org/s/916/22/Interior.aspx?sid=916&gid=1&pgid=413