By Tom Collins

The year 1886 marked a significant turning point in Territorial Prescott’s cultural life. Hon. Levi Bashford built an addition to Howey’s Hall and installed upholstered chairs to make a first-class opera house of the existing theatre on the second floor. And a talented young German immigrant, Prof. Ludwig Thomas, arrived in Prescott in time to make the remodeled theatre ring with the sound of music. Under Thomas’s baton, local singers and musicians flourished as never before, making Prescott the cultural capitol of Arizona.

Luckily for Prof. Thomas, Prescott was teeming with talent. Two professional singers from Pauline Markham’s 1879-1880 "H.M.S. Pinafore" company – Joseph Dauphin and Harry Carpenter – had made Prescott their new home; and a gifted amateur soprano, Jessie Stevens, whose "sweet warbling" was unrivaled in the territory, had already captivated local audiences in the 1882 productions of "Pinafore" and Offenbach’s, "The Rose of Auvergne." But instrumental music of the time consisted predominantly of brass and winds, provided by the infantry bands of Fort Whipple. Ludwig Thomas deserves credit for cultivating piano and string players, creating the first genuine "orchestra" in Prescott.

While Thomas’s arrival date in Prescott and his previous domiciles remain unclear, we do know that he studied music in Leipzig, Germany. Around 1879, he immigrated to America and settled in Ithaca, New York. The Syracuse Sunday Herald noted in March 1883 that Thomas was a superior pianist, highly educated in music, and, being exceedingly polished in manner, was admitted into the best society. "His convivial habits, however, were destructive to his pecuniary success" and he disappeared, leaving behind distressed creditors and a woman who claimed to be his wife. After spending some time in the Auburn Prison in NY State for theft, he joined the U.S. Army and was sent to Texas. In 1883, he was serving at Fort Grant, Arizona. Despite a "weakness for wine," he proved to be a great favorite with the officers.

Upon being discharged for disability as a Private (June 12, 1883), with a good character rating, Ludwig Thomas made his way to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he taught music and gave occasional recitals (1883-1884).

Eventually he moved to Prescott. The Prescott Weekly Courier first mentions him as the organ accompanist for an ill-attended revival of Sullivan’s one-act operetta,
“Cox and Box,” in December of 1885. In January, he was giving instruction to several pupils in instrumental music and, by February, he was in full swing. He composed a grand march for the Firemen’s Ball (Feb. 22), dedicating it to the Fire Department. The Miner announced his intention to have it published: “It will be played at the new city hall …promptly at nine o’clock and the disciples of Terpsichore who fail to hear it on that occasion will miss a rare musical treat” (24 Feb. 1886). Messrs. Martin (violin) Baer (bass viol), and Elmore (cornet), and Prof. Thomas (piano) made up a Quartet that accompanied the dancing until 5 a.m.

Prof. Thomas was a grand success, and soon he made himself indispensable to the Prescott musical scene. He married Addah Case (origin unknown) in July 1886 and entered enthusiastically into the town’s cultural and political worlds. He became naturalized in Prescott on July 27, 1888 and became a founding member of the local Republican League Club in 1892, serving on the executive committee.

In 1891, Prof. Thomas and his wife, Addah, built a beautiful Victorian home on North Pleasant Street behind the Prescott Free Academy, moving into their “cozy residence” in May. The house, pictured on the border of Jules Baumann’s famous 1891 map of Prescott, served as the studio where Thomas instructed his pupils and sold pianos to area patrons as well.

Tom Collins, a Professor Emeritus of Theatre, is the author of "Stage-Struck Settlers in the Sun-Kissed Land," a history of the amateur theatre in Territorial Prescott. He is a volunteer in the archives at Sharlot Hall Museum.

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Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(map58 with insert) Reuse only bypermission.

The complete map of Prescott by Jules Baumann in 1891 can be seen in the Sharlot Hall Museum Archives. The cropped portion shown here gives the general layout of the city and the inserts are drawings enhanced from the border of the original. The Ludwig Thomas house was located on Pleasant Street behind the Prescott Free Academy (on the site of present Washington School) on Gurley Street. Howey Hall Opera House was upstairs in the original Goldwater building on the SE corner of Cortez and Goodwin Streets.

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(O137p) Reuse only by permission.

The Wyckoff Club, c.1892-93, with Ludwig Thomas reclining at left. The club, named for the gifted baritone and organist, Rev. Edwin D. Wyckoff of the Prescott Congregational Church, gave a number of concerts in Prescott from 1891-1893. Rev. Wyckoff is not in this photograph.