of Chillicothe, Ross County & South-Central Ohio
of Chillicothe, Ross County & South-Central Ohio
What's New With the "Harley House"? October 2005It's been a while since I penned my first article on the "Harley House," the vacant historic building at the gateway to the Earl H. Barnhart Buzzards' Roost Preserve, a part of the Ross County Park District. Much has happened since then.
The house is still endangered, but it is less so, and it has been cleaned up. But, let's start at the beginning...or at least where my other "Harley House" article "History & Architecture of the 'Harley House'" leaves off.
On February 17, 2005, the three-member Ross County Park District resolved to demolish the "Harley House."
The plan was to have excavation equipment present for water line installation to knock it down, then to have the rubble burned. I learned of this resolution through the minutes made available at the next meeting, March 18.
In the May 20th meeting I approached the District commissioners about preserving the "Harley House," presenting them with two short reports I had composed.
One was a 22-photo documentation of both the historic and attractive aspects of the building, as well as the deteriorating and vandalized aspects. The other was a three-page report on "Historic Preservation for Ross County Park District Facilities," distilling statements from the Ross County Park District Master Plan that supported historic preservation as well as natural conservation and recreation. (I was surprised by how many statements on Historic Preservation I found!)
Although my appeal was without advance notice, after some debate the board graciously agreed to a two-month reprieve for me to "come up with a plan."
Preservation Moot for AnotherIn the meantime, concerns about preserving another Buzzard's Roost building became meaningless.
The c1820 log house below the roost, in Alum Cliffs Gorge by Paint Creek, was completely destroyed by fire June 11th. The roof had been flattened by a tree felled during the Christmas ice storm, but the building was salvageable. Yet, there was now nothing left but its foundation stones.
Vandals and tresspassers have been blamed for the fire, which may or may not have been intentional - but was still deplorable.
This loss clearly indicates the tenuous security of the buildings in the park. Without enough legitimate activity and security in Buzzard's Roost, abusers will have their way with its resources.
With help from an engineering consultant, I wrote up a 10-page report entitled "The 'Harley House' - Suggested Improvement & Implementation Program" to present at the July 14 meeting of the Ross County Park District.
In it I summarized the context of the Harley House and the preserve, listed examples of other preserves and parks where historical buildings have been used to good purpose, proposed a timeline and work schedule for the building, drew a proposed plan of the house, included a letter of support from the Chillicothe Restoration Foundation, and most daringly...asked for three more months.
After some debate, the board - even more graciously - agreed to three months for me to come up with "solid finances" for the building.
Spreading the News Gets ResultsAfter my success with the park district, I announced the status of the "Harley House" in this newsletter and asked for help.
Kezia Sproat, coordinator for SCOPS, the South Central Ohio Preservation Society, wanted to assist. SCOPS and Buzzard's Roost have a long relationship - owner Earl Barnhart met wife-to-be Jean Taylor Craig at an early 1970s SCOPS meeting.
Kezia and I set up a "Visioning Meeting" for the Harley House August 18th and announced it in the SCOPS newsletter. A dozen of us met that afternoon and discussed the past, present, and future of the building.
Inspiration Presents ItselfEven more important was the August 7th South Central Ohio Preservation Society meeting announced in the SCOPS newsletter.
Bo Mohl, a member from Scioto County, had arranged for the summer meeting to be at the Nature Center of the Ironton campus of the Ohio University Southern Center (OUSC). A cooperative venture with the U.S. Forest Service's Wayne National Forest, the classroom-laboratory-exhibit nature center is operated in a public park in a building that was to be demolished by the park's governing body. Sound familliar?
The center's director, Dr. Robert Culp, spoke on his achievements there, as well as humbly mentioning his three college degrees, five patents, and teaching positions at three other universities.
In 1997 the building was vacant and the Forest Service was planning its demolition. The future nature center was planned in the open breezeway of the building, to fill an empty niche in the program of OUSC. A partnership with Wayne National Forest was established and a matching funds grant was earned in 1999 which allowed the center to open.
Dr. Culp mentioned a 1998 State Educational and Environmental Roundtable that experimented with 40 schools in using the environment as a way to help kids learn better. The results were significant, with students performing better and having less behavioral disorder. This was also an inspiration for the OUSC Nature Center.
OUSC students run the Nature Center program as "ambassadors for the university" to create a "culture of creative opportunity in Appalachian Ohio." Several popular events and programs feature Director Dr. Culp appearing periodically as Mr. Wizard, Coordinator Merri Warden as a the Spider Lady, and Naturalist Adam Wilson as the Grim Reaper. Schoolchildren have decorated the open loft rafters of the nature center with paper maché creatures, and they eat "Bugs for Lunch" which they make from foods. The first public program on snakes grew so much from the first 30 attendees that the third session had to be held in the nearby ampitheatre. Several programs and activities, including 70 public programs, have been so popular that there has been no available parking spaces!
We left the meeting inspired with what could be done at Buzzard's Roost in Ross County - done carefully, gradually, respecting the preserve - but doable and needed.
The Harley House - or rather, the Johnson-Marquis House - has been uninhabited since Harley Adam's death in 1995. Ol' Harley was a bachelor, and tended to let things pile up, so he left a lot behind. Much of that was cleaned out when the Chillcothe Conservancy began working on the house in 2001, but some remained.
So Kezia Sproat and I decided to get the building clean. After about 14 hours and two haulings, it was - from dust sifting from mud dauber nests in the loft, stacks of magazines in the kitchen, to exposed nails in walls.
Now no one has the excuse to avoid seeing the house for what it is - a historic building with great potential. And, it seems that the clean house warns vandals and trespassers to keep out of the maintained building (as does a little electronic sensor I installed over a door).
Because of the cleanup, I am now also holding in trust about 650 issues of nature, conservation, and gardening magazines dating as far back as 1960 that can be used for educational pursuits!
The Ross County Park District meeting the morning of October 21st is the end of the 90-day period I asked for back on July 14. Kezia Sproat has worked hard to coordinate a plan which we will present to the board.
Stay tuned for updates!
< HNews_BR-HarleyHse2.html> v1.4w - 10/17/05, 10/14/05, 10/13/05, 10/8/05, 10/7/05
Back to main Heritage News page
