Creating a public presence on the landscape

When John Thornberry and his wife Martha arrived in the Sudley area in the 1840s, they initially took up a lease with the owner of Sudley Mills to construct a wheelwright shop and build a residence. For their residence, the Thornberry couple selected a high knoll in direct view of Sudley Methodist Church. They strategically positioned the wheelwright shop at the bottom of this knoll near the crossroads so that passing wagons would have access to the shop. This public visibility would serve John Thornberry well, as he took an active role in the church, both as an educator and undertaker. By the middle of the 1850s, the Thornberrys had purchased the land and expanded their home.

Presenting a public image and privatizing the domestic

For the patrons of Sudley Church, the public facade of the Thornberry's modest home dominated the view to the northeast. By placing his home and shop in direct view of the local church, John Thornberry's residence was as a visual reminder of his active role in the community. This public presentation of their home was in direct contrast to the more private day-to-day activities of the Thornberrys. Domestic spaces such as the detached kitchen, root cellar, and trash deposits, were kept east of the house and out of view of the Sudley community. (See Root Cellar Excavations)

The Impact of the Civil War on the Thornberry Household

The same public visibility that aided the Thornberry's prosperity during the antebellum years served to destroy their livelihood during the Civil War. During the Battle of First Manassas, Federal troops occupied the structure as a hospital and destroyed all of the Thornberry's personal possessions as well as the wheelwright shop. Stemming from this loss, John Thornberry ceased the operation of his wheelwright shop and served as a blacksmith for Sudley Mills. In 1871, the Thornberrys sold their property to Elizabeth and Carson Matthews.

Civil War military items recovered from kitchen area suggesting its use as a field hospital. Photo on left, two-piece cuff button embossed with Michigan state seal. Photo on right, clockwise from top left, .69 caliber fired roundball, .69 caliber roundball, .50 caliber roundball, rodent-chewed minie ball, an unfired percussion cap, and a carved Minie-ball.