We experienced a day of touring yesterday for the first time! We decided we would go visit the house museum of Jim Thompson, the father of the Thai silk industry. Attached are some photos we took. He was an American architect who first came to Thailand during WWII and fell in love with the country and decided to permanently live here after the war ended. He devoted himself to reviving the craft of weaving silk by hand. He gained worldwide recognition for the Thai silk industry. His home was made by combining six teak buildings, which represented the best in traditional Thai architecture.
Most of the houses were at least two centuries old and were easily dismantled and brought to the present site. He loved culture and developed an extensive collection of artifacts from different eras. There are some pieces in his collection from the 8th century!! Throughout his home are numerous statues of Buddha, though he remained a Christian throughout his life. He felt the teachings of Buddha were important and so his collection contained many pieces relating to Buddha. Thompson's home became the museum to house his collection. On March 26, 1967, he
disappeared while on a visit to Malaysia, with not a single clue as to what happened to him. He was born in the year of the Horse (1906), which prophesied that he would die before age 61, which is exactly what happened! His Thai house remains as a reminder of his deep love of Thailand. The people remember him, and the government has helped setup the Jim Thompson Foundation to encourage the promotion of Thai culture and history.They didn't allow pictures to be taken inside his house. The house is on 2nd story to stay out of floods
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| Boiling cocoons of silk worms to gather strands of silk |
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| Look very close and you can see silk thread from cocoons |
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| Spirit house for deceased ancestors. There is one on all properties, even downtown. |
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