Character Sketch of Joseph Thorn, MD for The Haunting at Blackwood Hall

Joseph Thorn was born on December 24, 1839, in Savannah GA, to John and Elizabeth Thorn.  His father was a prominent attorney, and his mother was a society personality, famous for dinners and parties at their home in Savanah.  The house was on Barnard Street, facing Telfair Square, now part of the Historic District of Savannah.

Joseph grew up in Savannah, attended private schools in Savannah for elementary and secondary school, attended the University of Georgia in Athens for pre-med and Harvard medical school for his MD.  He did his internship at Candler Hospital in Savannah.  It was at Harvard that he developed his non-southern accent.

He established his practice in Savannah and, with the influence of his parents, soon had as many patients as needed to provide for more than an adequate income for a surgeon in Savannah at the time.

During the Civil War, he was exposed to the horrors of it as injuries from the field were brought to him for treatment.  It was his witnessing of these horrors that caused him to become a bigoted, conceited and an utterly detestable human being.  It was a justifiably defensive attitude; he would otherwise have withdrawn from society and medicine.

Savannah, although not destroyed by the Union army and General Sherman, suffered a horrific fire that destroyed many homes and buildings, including that of young Dr. Joseph Thorn.  He had only begun his practice at the time, so he was able to recover and rebuild with the help of his parents.  By the year 1875, he had a thriving practice.

He met Gwendolyn Kathcart after hearing of her through rumor and met her initially to offer his medical expertise.  He became infatuated with her and intrigued by her extremely old age and perhaps hoped to uncover the secret to extreme longevity.  He is a control freak.

She was involved in the occult, and he became interested in it as well.  It was far-afield from medicine but the allure “Gwennie,” and her extreme old age, were enough to trap him.  She recognized the value of his presence but treated him with disdain.  She did not disrespect him openly or publicly.  She didn’t want to lose the attention he gave to her.

By the year 1899, she was failing in health from mysterious circumstances.  He concocted a repulsive brew, to which he referred as tea, for her treatment.  It was questionable at best.  By this time, Joseph had taken up residence at Blackwood Hall.  His rooms were adjacent to those of Gwendolyn so he could attend to her needs.  The casual observer would not be able to fathom their relationship. 

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