Hunter S. Thompson's Childhood Home Used To Include 'The Gates Of Hell' (PHOTO)

As hard as it is to imagine, Hunter S. Thompson was once a child. (Yes, obviously. But some figures are just impossible to imagine as children. See also: Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Day-Lewis, Richard Nixon.)

Thompson's childhood home is located in the Cherokee Triangle neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. It's a quaint, unassuming house that recalls the Arts & Crafts style. At least one room, however, had a feature that could not ever be described as "quaint" or "unassuming."

Flickr photo by newneounion

A painting of the "Gates of Hell."

Granted, it was in Thompson's bedroom. (Disappointing everyone who pictured it in the middle of the family kitchen.) And, it was painted directly onto the floor. Unfortunately, it has since been sanded away, lost to the ages.

As evidenced by the Flickr credit on the photo above, tourists occasionally swing by the house. Thompson surely would not have approved of such gaping-mouthed tourism. Nor would he approve of the surprising number of Pinterest boards dedicated to him. Or, of Pinterest in general. Or, of me writing this piece.

By the way, Hunter S. Thompson would have been 76 years old today. Though a "must-see" list of his works, quotes and appearances would break the internet, you have to see this amazing letter he once wrote to a fan, in response to a submission to Rolling Stone.

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