Shortly after Jim’s body had been moved to the Rose Hill Mausoleum in Tulsa, one of his sons, Bill Thorpe, wired Governor Murray to protest the removal, stating that it was done without the approval of the deceased’s children. The Shawnee Chamber of Commerce was in an uproar over losing $3,000 that was donated by area residents, but their fund-raising effort for the project hadn’t advance beyond the planning stages. A month earlier, she threatened to move the body if progress wasn’t made and she carried out that threat.
Plans in Tulsa didn’t advance much either. The JayCees considered it briefly but found that there were “too many complications.” In early November, still in 1953, reports came out of Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania that two neighboring boroughs were considering merging, naming the new municipality after Jim Thorpe, creating a national shrine in his honor, and building a hospital for the treatment of cancer and heart patients (Thorpe suffered from both).
According to Bruce Heydt, managing editor of British Heritage magazine, Patricia Thorpe found her way to Mauch Chunk after meeting with Bert Bell, then the Commissioner of the NFL. She had seen a TV broadcast about Mauch Chunk’s revitalization efforts and Bell was looking for a location for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They negotiated with Mauch Chunk officials and struck a deal. In addition to the above-named items, the Pro Football Hall of Fame would be located in the newly-incorporated Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. Bell died before he could bring the Hall of Fame to Jim Thorpe and it went to Canton, Ohio, the city for which Big Jim had his greatest professional years.
It appears that the town fulfilled its side of the agreement but Mrs. Thorpe and Bell were unable to provide everything they promised. The outcome may have been considerably different had Bert Bell succeeded in bringing the Hall of Fame to Jim Thorpe.
Tags: Bert Bell, Mauch Chunk, Patricia Thorpe, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Rose Hill Mausoleum
Tom Benjey's Weblog 
July 23, 2015 at 11:08 am |
[…] around the celebrity and reputation and physical presence of Jim Thorpe never materialized. A promise by then-NFL commissioner Bert Bell to bring the Pro Football Hall of Fame to the site did not come to fruition any more than did the […]
July 23, 2015 at 11:10 am |
[…] across the superstar and status and bodily presence of Jim Thorpe by no means materialized. A promise by then-NFL commissioner Bert Bell to convey the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame to the location didn’t come to fruition any […]
July 23, 2015 at 11:16 am |
[…] around the celebrity and reputation and physical presence of Jim Thorpe never materialized. A promise by then-NFL commissioner Bert Bell to bring the Pro Football Hall of Fame to the site did not come to fruition any more than did the […]
July 23, 2015 at 11:35 am |
[…] across the movie star and popularity and bodily presence of Jim Thorpe by no means materialized. A promise by then-NFL commissioner Bert Bell to convey the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame to the location didn’t come to fruition any […]
July 23, 2015 at 11:44 am |
[…] across the superstar and status and bodily presence of Jim Thorpe by no means materialized. A promise by then-NFL commissioner Bert Bell to convey the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame to the location didn’t come to fruition any […]