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Wise resident Thomas Kennedy is
pictured with the ornate wood mantle that concealed previously
unknown documents from Napoleon Hill’s family. The find resulted in
the discovery that a dilapidated house in Wise is a former home of
Hill’s father, Dr. James Hill. (KEITH STRANGE PHOTO)
WISE — Treasure can be found in the
darnedest places. Sometimes, history is hiding in plain sight. The
home in Wise was just weeks from demolition. It has yielded
previously unknown writings from internationally revered
motivational author Napoleon Hill.
Hill, a Pound native whose book
“Think and Grow Rich” and many others have influenced business and
civic leaders around the globe, was the son of Dr. James and Sara
Hill. Dr. Hill was a well-known dentist in Wise; living in what was
once a grand hilltop home overlooking the town. Dr. Hill Died in
1939 and is Buried in Norton’s Laurel Grove Cemetery, Norton, VA
Today, the home is anything but
grand. Peeling paint and years of neglect took their toll on the
two-story structure, but owner Thomas Kennedy said all it needs is a
little tender loving care. Kennedy’s family purchased the property
on which the home is located in the 1970s, but it sat forgotten,
shrouded in weeds and decay, until he acquired full ownership in
January.
“My previous partner wanted to tear
the house down,” Kennedy said. “We’d planned to tear it down, but I
always felt like we needed to make every effort to save it.”
Earlier this year, workers were in
the home exploring whether it was worth saving when they removed an
aged mantle that framed an Italian marble fireplace.
“This spring, when we started
cleaning it up, we hired a couple of men to remove the mantles and
molding to begin renovation,” Kennedy said. When they removed the
mantle, dirty, yellowed papers were found folded neatly in the
crevice behind it.
One of the documents discovered was
what appears to be a magazine article entitled “This Changing World”
by Napoleon Hill. Others were store receipts made out to Mrs. Sara
Hill. Still others were family letters dated in the 1920s.
It was the find of a lifetime,
Kennedy said. “The funny thing is that I’d started researching the
property to find out its history since it appears to have once been
a very upscale home,” he said. “I knew a dentist named Dr. Hill had
built the house, but I didn’t have any idea he was related to
Napoleon.”
Kennedy took the find to Napoleon
Hill Foundation Executive Director Don Green, who was instrumental
years ago in moving the international organization’s headquarters to
the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. The foundation’s
activities include sponsoring a business professorship and the
Napoleon Hill Scholars program at UVa-Wise, and operating a learning
center on one campus of Purdue University in Indiana.
When Green saw the material, the
truth was discovered. “As soon as he looked at one of the pictures
of a young man in his 20s he knew it was Napoleon Hill,” Kennedy
said. Kennedy has donated the documents to the foundation.
CHANGED PLANS
The previously planned demolition is
now a thing of the past, and Kennedy says his new goal is to restore
the home to its original glory.
“Prior to the find, I was more
interested in making the home energy efficient. I wanted to maintain
the home in all its grandeur, but wanted to make it energy
efficient,” he said. “But considering its historical significance,
I’m now researching the guidelines for historical renovation. It’s
exciting to go to bed at night and think about all the
possibilities,” Kennedy added. Asked if he is glad he did not
proceed with demolition, Kennedy’s eyes light up. “Oh, yeah!” he
said with a grin.
THE FUTURE
So what will happen to the house? “I don’t have any plans to sell
it,” Kennedy said. “I’d planned on using it as a place for
dignitaries to stay when they come to the area, but now, I really
don’t have any definite plans other than to restore it to the way it
was and make it the best we can.
“It’d be nice to see us get a return
on our investment at some point, but now I’m looking forward to
seeing how the community can benefit from it.” Kennedy said the home
will be a great asset for the Napoleon Hill Foundation as well as
the town of Wise. “It we can use it that way, it’ll be all the
return I’ll ever need.”
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