Often in Kentucky, the smallest towns come up with the biggest surprises. Sonora, with an exaggerated population of 475, is one of those.
Occupying a bit more than 1 square mile of real estate, Sonora, in Hardin County, began as a railroad camp in the late 1850s and originally was called Bucksnort. When the L&N Railroad built a depot there in 1859, the name that went up on the structure was Sonora. It was thought that the rail contractor was from Sonora, Mexico, and that he took it upon himself to make the name change. It’s a good bet that residents today are glad they live in Sonora and not Bucksnort.
One of them is Charlie Thurman.
Thurman grew up and graduated from high school there in 1961. After attending college at Western Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky, he went to Louisiana, where his geology education led to work in the oil and gas industry for 35 years.
In 2003, he and his wife, Claudia, who has since passed away, decided to move from New Orleans back to his family’s old home place in Sonora. From that time on, Thurman has been on a mission. What began as a restoration of the Victorian house his great-grandfather, Josiah Phillips, built in 1897 has evolved into a destination event venue with overnight lodging. The house had, for the most part, sat vacant since 1968, even though Thurman’s aunt, Eunice Dwight, owned it. When she died in 1999, she left the house and all of its furnishings to Thurman and other family members.
Before long, he was hooked. The more than three decades away had done nothing to diminish his love for Kentucky and, in particular, his old home place.
“We weren’t going to stay here permanently in the beginning,” he says, “maybe through Christmas of 2003. Thirty days. But once the house was completed, we liked it so much, we decided to commit a year to make sure everything was done right, and then we would move back to New Orleans.”
That never happened.
Now called Thurman Landing, the site in the heart of downtown Sonora includes the restored brick Thurman-Phillips home. In 2006, Thurman purchased the 1880 bungalow-style house next door that had once belonged to his grandfather. The same year, he acquired the inventory from the Elmwood Inn Tea Room in Perryville and opened the bungalow as Claudia’s Tea Room.
“We structurally connected these two historic homes to give us a place to host different types of events, including groups for teas, bridal showers and private parties up to 125 people,” he says.
But Thurman didn’t just stop with the two houses. In the backyard, he added a beautiful gazebo, brick patio, and walkway for outdoor weddings, special gatherings and even an authentic shrimp boil inspired by his years in New Orleans. A neatly landscaped garden features trellised grape vines that are reminiscent of the ones Thurman played near as a small boy, and today, the vines produce grapes for the jellies that come out of the Thurman Landing kitchen.
“We furnished the home with family Victorian furniture, and each of the five bedrooms has its own bath,” Thurman says.
Adding to the ambience of the guesthouse is a cozy library with an entire wall of books, plus a sunroom with a glass ceiling that was added several years ago.
“Our contractor came up with the design that made it look like it’s always been here,” he says. “He based it on researching the greenhouses at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.”
As more individuals and groups began to hear about the Thurman-Phillips house, Thurman decided to expand his operation. Today, Thurman Landing sits on 9 acres of scenic landscape that seems to be miles from nowhere but in reality is only a mile from one of the busiest interstates in America, I-65.
Just a few steps away from the 5,500-square-foot main house is a 1901 home that Thurman refers to as the Lake House, which features four bedrooms, two baths, a full kitchen and a comfortable sunroom that gives visitors a view of the small lake. A large deck and connecting patios provide comfortable spaces to enjoy the outdoors.
The Carriage House sits next door.
“This serves as our wedding cottage,” Thurman says. “The upstairs has a queen bed and its own bath. In a separate living area, we have a queen sleeper, bath, kitchen and washer/dryer.”
A balcony overlooks the lake that is stocked for fishing. Guests can take a cool dip on a warm day, and non-motorized watercraft are available.
Tin roofs are the norm for the covered decks, and a three-tiered patio offers a place for large gatherings.
But Thurman wasn’t finished. In 2016, a new crown jewel was added: a 5,000-plus-square-foot Special Event Barn.
“This gives us so much more flexibility for bringing and attracting all kinds of events, while at the same time, it ties our 9 acres into everything else we have going on here,” he says.
Stone walking paths, fountains and a giant fire pit make this an ideal location for events with up to 275 people. Thurman already has hosted large weddings, private parties, political rallies, shrimp boils, barbecues, fish fries, arts and crafts festivals, live music and car shows. The easy-in, easy-out parking lot is also conducive to motor coaches.
“I have some plans drawn up to make this place even more of a destination,” Thurman continues. “I am looking at expanding the lake to include a waterfall. And then I want to build a large gazebo nearby that will be included in a wedding site with the lake as a backdrop.”
But that’s not all.
“On the hillside across the lake from our two cottages, I’m exploring the possibilities of a large cabin-like structure on the order of a small lodge,” he says. “It will be big enough for families and small groups.”
Visitors who arrive at Thurman Landing in hopes of booking a wedding, reunion or any other event can join Thurman on a golf cart for a journey over the landscape. He points out all of the amenities available but soon settles into a history lesson about Sonora and especially Dorsey Creek, a small-flow rippling stream that meanders behind his event barn.
“Dorsey Creek is famous in this area,” he says. “It runs miles and then disappears underground for a couple of miles and eventually finds its way to Nolin River.”
Thurman said the creek also has a connection to the Civil War.
“There wasn’t a battle here, but there was a skirmish,” he says. “Several died, six or seven, and local historians have always referred to it as The Skirmish at Sonora on Dorsey Creek.”
Today, Thurman is one of those historians he talks about. Living in a house built by his great-grandfather, he takes pride in giving tours of the home. He’ll tell you about the 200,000 bricks made on-site. And then he might tap on one of the brick walls while pointing out they are 1-foot thick.
Reflecting on the priceless antiques Aunt Eunice had left, Thurman mentions the tall Pennsylvania-made 1820 grandfather clock in the foyer. “It keeps perfect time,” he says. A couple of the beds in the house date back more than 200 years. A pie safe, sugar chest and an old high chair sit in the cozy updated kitchen.
“That’s a photo of my dad sitting in this same high chair as a small boy,” he says, pointing to a framed picture on the wall above the high chair. “He was born in 1914, so that comes close to dating the photo.”
Thurman and his friend, Rose Featherhorn, serve as innkeepers of Thurman Landing. Visitors to the property might hear an occasional train passing through this no-stoplight town or the clip-clop of an Amish horse and buggy, which adds to the charm of the accommodations.
For more information or to make reservations, call 270.949.1897 or visit ThurmanLanding.com