Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Christmas at Glendower Makes The List

Jenelle Walton of The List on Channel 9, Cincinnati

Jenelle Walton of WCPO Channel 9 in Cincinnati, shot a feature story about Glendower Historic Mansion yesterday.  Janelle is the local host of Scripps-Howard's new magazine news show, The List, airing at 7:00 pm on Channel 9.  The List  runs in six Scripps-Howard markets around the country and features both local and national stories. 

The Christmas at Glendower piece will air this Friday evening at 7:00 pm on Channel 9.  She interviewed Jo Wise of the Pink Hippo, one of the professional decorators for Glendower this Christmas and took lots of great footage of the beautifully decorated rooms.
Patti Johnson of Patti Johnson Interiors, one of two professional decorators at Glendower this year.

Patti Johnson, the other half of the decorating duo at Glendower this year, was interviewed about decorating tips for your own Christmas festivities.  Patti's segment will air December 11 at 7:00 pm on Channel 9. 

Glendower opens for the Christmas season this Saturday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.  Costumed tour guides lead visitors through the house. Bob Ford is scheduled to play his special traditional Christmas music at 2:00 pm.  Admission is just $8.00 for adults, $7 for senior 65 and over and students under 18 just $4.

Janelle also interviewed our own John Zimkus, in costume as Zachariah Johnson the 1898 story teller.Zachariah will be featured at the Lebanon Conference & Banquet Center on Saturday, December 1 as part of Lebanon's Christmas Festival and Horse Drawn Carriage Parade. 

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Jennifer Chiaverini Coming to WCHS


New York Times Bestselling Author of the famed Elm Creek Quilt series of novels, Jennifer Chiaverini will be our guest on January 20, 2012 for lunch, a lecture and a book signing of her brand new novel, Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker.  Seating is limited and tickets cost just $25.00 each. Call the Warren County Historical Society at 513-932-1817 to purchase your ticket with a credit card by phone. 

Book notes: In a life that spanned nearly a century and witnessed some of the most momentous events in American history, Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley was born a slave. She earned her freedom by the skill of her needle, and won the friendship of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln by her devotion. In her sweeping historical novel, Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini illuminates the extraordinary relationship the two women shared, beginning in the hallowed halls of the White House during the trials of the Civil War and enduring almost, but not quite, to the end of Mrs. Lincoln’s days.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Otterbein Homes Makes Major History Donation

The Shakers attempt to attract new converts to Union Village called Marble Hall, still stand today.
Just 100 years ago this month, the Shakers of Union Village sold all 4000 plus acres  comprising their village and farms to the United Brethren Church. The land was prime real estate in western Turtlecreek Township and the Shakers could have sold it to developers for over a $1 million dollars.  But they were reluctant to let their great experiment in building paradise on earth become just another commercial venture. Happily, a few trustees of the United Brethren Church took a chance on Union Village,  and the Shakers agreed to sell them their beloved home  for a little over $300,000.  You see, the money was not important to them. Their home had nurtured and sheltered children and the elderly and all kinds of people in need for over a hundred years.  The United Brethren Church would use the village and its surrounding acres, in much the same way, providing a safe haven for orphans, old folks and other people in need. That vision was full filled and today Otterbein Home is a world class organization serving thousands of people over the last 100 years.


When the handful of elderly Shaker sisters and brothers packed their few personal belongings and moved east to one of the surviving Shaker villages, there were over 100 buildings standing at Union Village, vacant and furnished with Shaker furniture and belonging. For the next several years Otterbein held big sales of the items and in the late 1920's Bob & Ginny Jones, a young couple just starting out to learn the business of inn keeping at their hotel known as the Golden Lamb, enjoyed purchasing the furniture and household items to furnish their property.  They admired the Shaker's beautiful simple designs and high quality craftsmanship. Pretty soon they were traveling to other Shaker villages to purchase pieces for their growing collection. They loved collecting Shaker and began purchasing pieces to donate to the Warren County Historical Society's museums.

At the same time Otterbein Homes officials also recognized the beauty of Shaker craftsmanship and began to display some of the Shaker made items in their residence homes.  When the Warren County Historical Society began collecting furniture for its museums in the early 1940's, Otterbein loaned pieces for display in the museum.

As the Warren County Historical Society's properties grew, Otterbein loaned more and more items to the Historical Society for display.  When WCHS built a special addition on to Harmon Hall to house their growing Shaker collection, Otterbein loaned some large significant pieces of furniture that became some of the most beloved pieces in the museum's collection.

Yesterday, November 20, 2012, in a small but significant ceremony held in the Shaker Gallery of the Warren County History Center, Otterbein Homes officially donated the loaned items to the History Center.  Senator Rob Portman, author of the most definitive work on the Union Village Shakers which they called Wisdom's Paraidse, was the keynote speaker. The vision of the Shakers has come full circle and Bob & Ginny Jones, Rob Portman's maternal grandparents, were smiling down on us, I'm sure. 


Wisdom's Paradise by Rob Portman and Cheryl Bauer
The Warren County Historical Society plans to further develop its Shaker exhibits focusing on the many contributions the Shaker's made to the American culture.  Side by side with the Shaker story, the museum will also tell the Otterbein story. Simply put, the Shakers started a vision for the place they called Wisdom's Paradise and although the Shakers themselves could not continue the vision, Otterbein took up the task and continues it forward making their own contributions to the quality of life in our world. 

Monday, November 19, 2012

Big Sale at Museum Gift Shop This Weekend

The Warren County History Center is open this weekend and the museum gift shop is having a big sale. Members 45% off everything in the shop.

One of the many cookbook on sale.

Even if you are not  a member of the Warren County Historical Society you can still shop local and get a 25% discount.  We are open both Friday and Saturday, November 23 & 24 from 10 am to 4pm. 

The museum gift shop is always open for free admission.

There is a little bit of fall pottery left over from last month's sale. 
Lots of great candleholders for decorating.
Check back for more pictures of Christmas Florals and the latest book titles.

 


Monday, November 12, 2012

Decorating Glendower for Christmas, Part 1


One of our best loved properties is Glendower Historic Mansion located at 105 Cincinnati Ave in Lebanon, OH.  This outstanding example of high style Greek revival residential architecture is a favorite with visitors, especially when we decorate the house for Christmas
Glendower in the snow
Glendower is open June,July and August for regular tours and again in December, decorated for Christams. This year we are featuring four decorating themes throughout the house compliments of two local professional decorators, Jo Wise and Patti Johnson,  and our own curatorial staff.

We were thrilled that Patti Johnson of Patti Johnson Interiors agreed to help with this year's decorating at Glendower.

Patti Johnston of Patti Johnston Interiors
Website:pattijohnsoninteriors.com
 
Patti Johnson is a nationally recognized decorator, blogger and contributor to At Home magazine, a publication of Cox Ohio Media and the Dayton Daily News.  Patti is decorating the formal dining room and family parlor at Glendower. Her theme is Holly & Ivy: Tradtional Red & Green. You can see a preview of her ideas for Glendower by visiting the Warren County History Center.

Glendower will open for Christmas tours on Saturday, December 1 and be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in December after that. The house is open from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm and admission is $8.00 adults, $7.00 for seniors 65 + and $4.00 for students under 18. Musical entertainment is scheduled for most days as well. Visit our website at www.wchsmuseum.org.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Free Thursday Growing in Popularity

Mrs. Mary Allen, WCHS Shaker Curator, tells a group of girls scouts and other visitors about the Shakers of Union Village.
 
It took a while for Free Thursdays to catch on, but for the last several weeks mixed crowds of students and adults have joined us on Thursday evenings from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Each Thursday the crowd enjoys a different lecture about Warren County History.  This evening our Shaker Curator, Mary Allen, gave an introductory talk about our Union Village Shakers who were a major part of Warren County's history from 1805 until about 1916.  The Warren County Historical Society has one of the largest Shaker collections of furniture, artifacts and archives in the country.

Our own Ohio Senator Rob Portman is a Shaker scholar and has written a book about the Union Village Shakers called Wisdom's Paradise. The book is available for sale in our book shop.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Field Trip to the Warren County History Center

Mr. John Zimkus leads  St. Francis DeSales second graders in a discussion about the development of towns and communities in Warren County by reviewing a map of the county.
So many schools have given up field trips because of the cost of providing bus transportation.  A group of second graders from St. Francis DeSales school in Lebanon took advantage of the Warren County History Center's free admission for K-12 field trips and visited the Center last Friday. They walked from their school about a mile north of the History Center. The visit to the History Center was part of a history field trip that included a trip to Lebanon's Pioneer Cemetery and a walking tour of some of the town's significant architecture.

Part of the tour centered around the Six Simple Machines. The six simple machines helped our pioneer fore bearers to carve a living out of the wilderness of Ohio, The six simple machines are the pulley, the wheel, the incline plane, wedge, screw and the lever.  Here a second grader uses a wooden buggy jack to lift up a wheel on a buggy.  Do you know which one of the six simple machines this jack represents?
The History Center's  school tour for students from second through eighth grade follows the Ohio Department of Education's standards for social studies education.  The six simple machines discussions  bridge social studies and science and examples of the machines can be found through out the museum's displays. 
Certified social studies teacher and museum staff person Ms. Dunham, reviews the technology our pioneer grandparents used to produce their clothing on the frontier. Can you name any of the six simple machines that are involved in making cloth?