Hope, Arkansas, Birthplace of Mike Huckabee

The artistic team of Tommy Thompson and his two daughters, Michelle and Melanie, has produced composite drawings of more than 300 towns across 12 Southern states. These drawings can be viewed on the web site, Village Prints. One of the prints is Hope, Arkansas, the birthplace of former Governor Mike Huckabee, who now has one of our favorite television shows, "Huckabee." The drawing of Hope was done by Thompson's daughter, Michelle Rideout, who is the one of the South’s most prolific artists in capturing small town Americana.

Struck by the pride of older Americans in the heritage of their towns, Thompson transformed glimpses of the past found in old, faded photographs and memories into composite drawings, which were then printed as limited editions. Collectors of Thompson's prints sometimes find it difficult to locate someone who is willing to part with their prints once all the prints of a particular town have been sold.

Many people have asked Thompson how his unique art business originated. In 1984 Thompson was traveling through a small town called Iron City, Tennessee, and happened to stop by one of the stores for a soft drink and was amazed at the town pride that he heard in the voices of the old men sitting around a pot-bellied stove in the store. After listening some more, he learned that a community group needed a fundraiser to help refurbish a park along a creek that ran through the town. The people in the general store, through their descriptions and recollections, helped the artist capture in a pencil drawing the essence of the buildings that had long ago been torn down. The project was quite successful, selling all prints in a month or so, to benefit the small town. From that spark, the artistic team preserved the memories of bygone days for more than 300 towns in twelve states across the South.

Iron City, Tennessee, Origin of Village Prints

In 1984 artist Tommy Thompson was traveling through a small town called Iron City, Tennessee (link to http://www.villageprints.com/tnironcity.html) and happened to stop by one of the stores for a soft drink and was amazed at the town pride that he heard in the voices of the old men sitting around a pot-bellied stove in the store. After listening some more, he learned that a community group needed a fundraiser to help refurbish a park along a creek that ran through the town. The people in the general store, through their descriptions and recollections, helped the artist capture in a pencil drawing the essence of the buildings that had long ago been torn down. The project was quite successful, selling all prints in a month or so, to benefit the small town. From that spark, the artistic team preserved the memories of bygone days for more than 300 towns in twelve states across the South.

For more than 20 years, Thompson and his two daughters, Michelle and Melanie, preserved small-town Americana for posterity in their drawings. Check out the newly redesigned web site to see if you can find the place of your roots. For example, you will see a composite drawing of Hope, Arkansas (http://www.villageprints.com/arhope.html), the birthplace of two famous men, Governor Mike Huckabee and former President Bill Clinton.

In their travels as painter, photographer, and writer, Tommy and Marie Thompson have met some very interesting people. Last fall in Franklin, TN, they met M. L. Rose, the author of the new book, The Road to Eden's Ridge. In a conversation with Tommy Thompson, Rose learned of his original career as an illustrator (Village Prints.com). She was fascinated with the artist's concept for the unique business that has preserved memories of the past for many Americans who grew up in small towns across the South. Rose advised Thompson to promote vigorously his unusual web site, Village Prints.com, because, she said, in the present economic downturn Americans want to return to the basics and are longing to reminisce about their roots--the place where they grew up.