Over a decade after his death, only a handful of people have been allowed inside Owl Farm’s War Room, the basement where Hunter S. Thompson would spend up to sixteen hours a day writing. Anita Thompson, Thompson’s widow, plans to turn the couple’s Colorado home into a museum and artist’s retreat within the next two years.
Even after Johnny Depp, a close friend of the family, bought 800 boxes of archives, the War Room is a crowded shrine to Thompson’s creative process. Manuscripts, letters, photos, gum wrappers, and beer cans have all stood the test of time. Twelve years later, Anita is still discovering new artifacts. In an interview with NPR’s Claire Woodcock, Thompson said, “It’s been a pleasure to unearth some things, you know, in the files and learn more about the love of my life through his history.”
“This room is full of history. And it’s not something I take lightly,” said Thompson. “I wouldn’t let anybody dust. I just felt like maybe if I left everything as it is somehow he would come back. Even if I knew that wasn’t true, it did bring me comfort.”
Image Via Gonzo Today
Thompson plans for one side of the house to become a museum, the other a haven for writers and musicians to stay and work on long-term projects. “I hope those who visit Owl Farm, it helps them find their own voice,” Thompson said.
The museum will be part of the Gonzo Foundation, a non-profit organization created to promote literature, journalism, and political activism through the legacy of Hunter S. Thompson. Those interested in updates about both the Gonzo Foundation and the upcoming museum should visit the foundation’s site here. The museum’s two year deadline is up in the air, as Anita Thompson wants it “done right.”
Featured image courtesy of Esquire.