of Chillicothe, Ross County & South-Central Ohio
of Chillicothe, Ross County & South-Central Ohio
SCOPS Spring Meeting April 30th new 4/26/06The spring quarterly meeting of the South Central Ohio Preservation Society will take place at "Harley's House" in the Earl H. Barnhart Buzzard's Roost Preserve. We will showcase the work accomplished on the historic house through the course of April, and also take a look at Ross County's gem of a preserve.
new 4/26/06Celebrate the preservation of historic Chillicothe and Ross County at the beginning of Preservation Month on Saturday, May 6th. Coordinated by the Chillicothe Restoration Foundation, visit ten places that illustrate the richness and diversity of history, prehistory, and heritage in the First Capital.
The highlight of the day is the Preservation Awards at the Lucy Hayes Home, 90 West Sixth Street, at 2 pm. Join us as we honor those who have done so much to conserve, protect, and celebrate our historic city and county. Enjoy neighborhood tours by Kevin Coleman starting at Lucy's home, and from 1-4 pm the Ross County quilters will be at work.
Begin the day at the grand opening of the Farmer's Market at the Ross County Service Center at 475 Western Avenue, where we will have information and guidance for the public from 8 am to noon. Also in the morning are free bird and wildflower walks at Mound City, headquarters for the
Hopewell Cultural National Historical Park, a network of five earthwork sites that preserve prehistoric Indian earthworks from more than two thousand years ago. At the landmark home of Thomas Worthington, Adena Mansion & Gardens, find heirloom garden plants for sale as well as tours of the preserved grand 1807 house from 9 am to 5 pm.
Find a meal, treasures, and excitement in the First Capital downtown. The historic Chillicothe business district was listed on the National Register in 1979, and it preserves mid-nineteenth century and Victorian streetscapes full of restaurants, shops, and offices. At
125 West Water Street is the new showroom of Dard Hunter Studios, in a preserved canal warehouse. Find uniquely styled treasures from the Arts and Crafts period at the open house from 10 am to 3 pm.
Home garden tours begin at 153 Caldwell Street for a taste of in-town gardening. From noon to 2 pm view preserved homes and tour well-kept gardens and yards in Chillicothe's Old Residential National Register District, nominated in 1973. Self-guided tours of historic Grandview Cemetery, the scenic burial place of pioneers and governors, will be available in the cemetery from noon to 4 pm, and at the Lucy Hayes Home at 90 West Sixth Street.
Saved from demolition and renovated as the city's art gallery, the Pump House Center for the Arts is open from noon to 4 pm in beautiful Yoctangee Park (Update: the Pump House has been rented for Saturday the 6th, and will not be open; it will be open to the public on Sunday May 7th). And preserving our city's and county's history, culture, and artifacts, the Ross County Historical Society at 45 West Fifth Street is open from noon to 4 pm.
Also consult the "Chillicothe & Ross County Treasures Map" for sites, facts, and more, available at many of these locations and at the Ross-Chillicothe Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
National Preservation Month 2006 is sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and its theme of "Sustain America - Vision, Economics, and Preservation" is echoed in the first annual Preservation Day in Chillicothe and Ross County on May 6th, 2006, celebrating local history, prehistory, and heritage.
new 4/26/06The Earl H. Barnhart Buzzard's Roost Preserve, Ross County's nature preserve, has a few activities planned for this spring and early summer, thanks to the Friends of Buzzard's Roost:
May 13 - Bird Walk / May birding: Come check out the sights and sounds of spring migration. This is a peak time for many of the magnificently colored wood warblers to be passing through on their way to their breeding grounds and some of our summer residents have arrived. Its a great time to become more familiar with bird songs! Starts at 8 a.m.
June 24 - Take a walk through the history of Buzzard's Roost with local historian Kevin Coleman. Explore the newly restored "Harley's House," visit the Hoggard homesite and cemetery, and observe the "bathtubs" and plantings along the way as you learn about the cultural history of what is now the preserve. Starts at 2 pm at the main parking lot; allow two hours.
Thomas' Gardens new 4/4/06Contemporaries Thomas Jefferson and Chillicothe's Thomas Worthington may not have shared gardening secrets, but they both surrounded their homes with landscapes of the early 19th century, and studying one will lead to appreciation of the other.
Thus is the purpose of the Herrnstein-Adena Scholarship, offered annually by the Herrnstein Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Mitsubishi-Suzuki Dealership. This scholarship allows a resident of Ross County to attend the Monticello Historic Landscape Institute, a two-week school on the historic gardening practices of Thomas Jefferson. In return, the recipient gives 80 hours of donated time to Thomas Worthington's Adena Mansion & Gardens. This year's school will be June 5th through the 16th, and includes the landscapes of Jefferson's Monticello, Jefferson's octagonal retreat home "Poplar Forest," and the Jefferson-designed heart of the University of Virginia.
I am proud to have been awarded this scholarship. Thanks to the Herrnstein family, I will have an opportunity to further increase my knowledge and appreciation of historic landscaping and gardening.
Now, I need to save up money so I can afford film for all the photos I know I'll take!
new 4/28/06
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A dogwood tree flowers before the house in the spring of 2000 |
I have worked with Neil and Pat Coleman (no relation) to research and write up the house to get it listed. The Walke House was begun probably in 1816, probably by local investor and developer Thomas James. He then sold it, probably unfinished, to another local investor and developer, Cadwallader Wallace, who probably finished the house. Then it went to Anthony and Susan Walke who lived there for a generation. Their son Henry Walke rose to fame in the U.S. Navy, braving hurricanes and winning Civil War naval battles, but also painting and writing poetry. His painting of the Walke House, surrounded by lush wet meadows where hundreds of houses stand now, is an excellent image of early Chillicothe.
The house has always seemed to be "hidden in plain sight" off Western Avenue at the corner of Locust Street, facing east across it long lawn, but recent improvements to it have brought attention to the building. The Colemans have demolished two 20th century additions in preparation for building new, more sensitive modern additions. The Durable Slate Company of Columbus has been restoring the exterior of the house, removing layers of paint, restoring brick masonry, and installing an authentic window. Unfortunately, it also attracted the attention of vandals who broke windows that had been left untouched for more than a 180 years.
The National Register of Historic Places is a prestigious list of places, buildings, sites and districts that are significant in history or prehistory at a local, state, or national level. A district listing can enable local architectural regulation like in Chillicoth'e "Preservation District," and a listing is usually necessary for receiving 20% tax credits for approved work.
new 4/26/06
The Annual "Earth Gathering" at the Pump House Center for the Arts in Chillicothe's Yoctangee Park was Saturday, April 22nd. "Designed to entertain, educate and enlighten the public about nature, creativity and our role in securing more sustainable communities," it was a great event that more than 2,000 people attended.
For more information, see the website.
new 2/29/06
On Statehood Day, March 4th, I presented a slide lecture at the Ross County Historical Society. "Ross County's Canal History" explored how the Ohio & Erie Canal was constructed and operated, and highlighted remnants of the canal that can still be seen in the area today.
I was surpised by the number of people who crowded into the McKell parlor for my talk. It ended up being standing room only, and I repeated my talk a little later - after running overtime to finish the first part! I hope to give the talk again sometime this year.
Thanks to Lissa Wittrup of the Ross County Historical Society for the photo.
new 2/28/06Missing books! Does anyone have a any of my tomes? I have been missing a few books that have important notes in them. If I have loaned the following to you, I would be very relieved to see them again: Martha Gerber Rittinger's Ohio and Erie Canal Motor Tour; Susan Woodward's Mounds of the Middle Ohio Valley; a folio reprint of Squire & Davis' plates from Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley; and Pat Medert's Chillicothe's Publick Ground. Thanks!
