Gypsy Road Trip

Welcome to the garden!

Not every garden has to be large to enjoy its beauty. In a southwestern corner of Ohio, this friend’s garden bloomed vigorously during a recent visit. An old friend, Bess Siegfried, had moved from Cambridge to the Dayton area on a farm owned by Jill Kesler. The open fields there provide great viewing of sunrise, sunset, and the evening stars. Bess enjoys sitting on the porch enjoying nature – and her flowers of course.

Ever since she was a young girl, Bess found her life surrounded with flowers. Both of her grandmothers were gardeners – vegetables and flowers. One grandmother planted flowers around the edge of her garden to ward off unwanted snackers. But whenever Bess visited them, she helped and learned about gardening.

Once in her teens, she chose flower gardening as her main passion and has continued that ever since no matter where she has lived. Inside and out, plants are evident and cared for with a special touch. Part of her success, it seems, comes from the fact that Bess is also an excellent artist so has an eye for making things look beautiful.

Sunflower stepping stones invite exploration.

An interesting rock garden with freshly painted sunflower stepping stones was created over the years through the help of Jill’s father, who found these rocks as he plowed the fields on their farm. Her favorite turtle figures appear to add a little character to the garden.

Beautiful flowers surround this bird bath.

This summer was one of early heavy rain so plants got a great start. Then things turned dry, and Bess had her hands full watering all the flowers. Even though the flowers slowed down their blooming, the weeds kept growing fine. Her advice: Be very disciplined in the care of your flower garden, if you want it to be a success.

A Chinese Garden captures the eye.

Originally, this area had just the one tall schrub, which seemed to have a Chinese flavor. So Bess decided to get some white gravel and then added some Chinese Buddhas, Oriental figures and a small pagoda along with a few small plants.

The storage shed highlights various native American creations.

This collection of Sun and Moon faces on the side of a storage shed were found by Jill in her travels – some from Zanesville Pottery. Their circular shape symbolizes the never ending circle of life. Another rock garden grows here as new pieces are spotted along the way…with flowers and plants added by Bess.

A modern “she-shed” provides a perfect escape.

Males have always escaped to their “man caves”, while women usually headed to the kitchen. Today the female population has come up with a new idea…a “she-shed”. Here they can relax from the cares of the home and the world, in a comfy chair surrounded by treasures that make them happy. No television sets or phones allowed, just a good book or a craft project permitted.

Barbie Garrett, violinist for Springfield Symphony Orchestra, provided entertainment.

Barbie’s violin held special memories as it belonged to a friend of the family, Jill’s father, a music teacher and violinist. Even though she had a violin of her own, she never used it again after this precious, old treasure came into her possession. Her music was a real pleasure to end an enjoyable afternoon.

“Bloom where you are planted” applies to flowers and people. Finding a blossom in an unexpected place always brings a smile to my face. Finding a talented person in an unexpected place brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart. May you bloom wherever you happen to be in your life.

Auman Museum of Radio & TV still has a working antenna on its roof.

Television won’t be able to hold on to any market after six weeks. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.      

~Darryl Zamuck, head of 20th Century Fox, 1946

Who had the first TV in your neighborhood? Step inside a door marked Auman Museum of Radio & TV  in Dover, Ohio to discover television sets from days of old, and you just might see a TV like that one in your neighbor’s house long ago.

Larry Auman, owner, has accomplished what he set out to do after 50 years of collecting. His interest began way back in 1948 when he first saw a working TV in the window of Western Auto, while walking down the street with his mom and dad on a Saturday night.

He takes great pride in his display and the joy it brings to visitors. “My museum gives people a chance to experience sights and sounds of years gone by.”

Owner, Larry, points out a 10″ GE television, the first set his family had back in 1951.

After graduating from DeVry, Larry opened Auman’s TV & Electronic Service at his home near Dover. At some point, television sets brought in for repair began to accumulate,and soon he had a room full of sets that showed a history of their development.

In 2001, Larry moved his radio and television collection from a room above his garage to the former Iron Valley Bank building in downtown Dover. What was formerly filled with cash, now has priceless memorabilia on display from 1900-1950. The museum contains nearly 150 early TV sets from 60 different companies – none of which are in existence today, Zenith being the last to go.

This home entertainment center from 1948 contained a TV, record player, and radio.

Viewing the old radios, memories might pop into your mind of listening to “Fibber McGee and Molly”, “Amos and Andy”, or “The Life of Riley”. Since Larry attempts to keep all the sets in working order, you might enjoy watching an early television rendition of those old favorites. Some people spend most of their visit going back in time as they watch old shows and commercials.

During those early days of television, viewing time was very limited. There were no programs at all on Thursday or Sunday, and the rest of the week, hours were from 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm. How times have changed!

This played the NBC sign-on tones. The fourth bar was only used during WWII.

Over the last 50 years, Larry collected hundreds of varied items that relate to early days of television and the shows it brought to life. Game boards, toys, posters, comic books and much, much more can be found in his one-room showplace.

Auman Museum has received great publicity since the 70s when Larry appeared on TV as a segment of PM Magazine out of Cleveland. Numerous magazine and newspaper articles have been written about his collection, and he has been filmed numerous times for television specials. Often the sets he has collected appear in special programs also.

This hand-cranked silent movie projector contained a surprise when purchased – a film of Bing Crosby’s “Going My Way”.

If you listened to the radio or watched TV growing up, you will really enjoy this museum. Actually, almost everyone, even youngsters, find it fascinating. Larry tells many captivating stories about the equipment he has found and the unusual ways things have come into his possession.

With a view of a portion of the museum in the background, Larry sits next to a Zenith Chairside Radio.

Hours for the museum are extremely flexible but only opened by request. Call Larry at (330) 364-1058 and he can usually accommodate a visit with a little notice.Television has come a long, long way, but people have never tired of staring at the TV screen.

Auman Museum is located at 215 North Tuscarawas Avenue in Dover, Ohio along Route 211. Off I-77 take exit 81 and turn on Ohio 39 E. Go straight onto W. 3rd Street about .6 mile, then turn right onto Tuscarawas Ave.