Places to go and things to see by Gypsy Bev

Posts tagged ‘Newcomerstown’

Rob Hill’s RedHill Glass Creations

Rob demonstrated glass blowing at ARTSNCT’s artist reception.

Making beautiful glass pieces takes special skill, patience, and artistic ability. Rob Hill has developed these traits and today makes a variety of glass items, which can be found at several festivals and online at RedHill Glass Creations.

Putting a flower inside a marble makes for extra special beauty.

Rob grew up in Newcomerstown and graduated from NHS. His mother was an antique dealer and loved beautiful glassware. From the age of five, Rob went along with her on her hunts and developed a love of glass treasures. The young boy was especially fascinated with glass marbles.

Flintknapping and hunting for arrowheads was something Rob also enjoyed. In his travels, he met a man from Texas who wanted to trade Texas flint for Ohio flint. When Rob received the shipment from Texas not only were there flint arrowheads but also glass ones.

Turtles have always been one of his favorites to design.

Upon asking about the glass arrowheads, he discovered they had been made by a method of glass blowing called “Lampworking”, which was something he decided to explore.

In 2012, Rob decided to make some of his own glass creations as a hobby. He bought some glass-making equipment and began watching YouTubes about “Lampworking”. He became self-taught by watching others demonstrate their skill at blowing glass either through videos or watching in person at area glass companies.

Beautiful pendants are popular in many shapes and colors.

It took Rob a while to learn the art of glassblowing but as he became more confident, he began sharing his creations on Facebook and Instagram. They were a hit! Next step was to upgrade his equipment to keep up with the demand for his products.

His tools consist of a blow torch, glass rods of various sizes, and molds for shaping.

Rob uses a torch to melt the glass instead of the traditional blast furnace found in factories. He purchases his glass in rods made of silica glass in various lengths, diameters, and colors.

Once it is in a molten state, he then proceeds to shape it by blowing and using various tools he has acquired. He wants his pieces to last a lifetime and even be handed down to the next generation so is very careful to use glass that won’t crack under extreme temperature changes.

Many of his creations are on display in this setting.

His creations include glass pendants, vintage glass décor, jewelry, suncatchers, animals, mushrooms, and the list goes on. He makes just about anything you would like out of glass. At Christmas, he couldn’t keep up with the orders for glass icicles.

Rob makes one of his popular marbles for cremains.

Memorial marbles and pendants have become a popular item for people and pets. This began in 2013 when he wanted to use his dad’s cremains in a memorial marble, which is golf ball size. It takes about 45 minutes to make one marble. Now he ships these glass memorials all over the U.S. and even to Japan, Germany, Canada, and Australia.

Marbles and hearts are the perfect containers for the cremains of that someone special.

Cremation art has become a very popular item. Some put the cremains in a necklace so the loved one can rest close to their heart. Others prefer to display them in a lovely glass piece in their home. Rob pretty much can control how the design turns out, but often a hidden surprise appears.

This notice was used for his annual show at ARTSNCT last year.

You can find his beautiful glass creations at various craft shows. It has also been on display at Flint Ridge, Salt Fork Festival, and there was a special showing in Newcomerstown at ARTSNCT called “The Amazing Works of Rob Hill” where he even gave a live demonstration of glassblowing. Many of the items on display are for purchase.

Since Rob also sells online, you can visit his Facebook or Instagram postings anytime and order a special treasure for yourself.

This beautiful pendant of many colors seems extra attractive.

He also offers lessons if someone would like to learn the trade of glassblowing. If you would like to develop this special art, contact him at robert.hill8141@gmail.com or call him at 330-440-8141.

Right now Rob is busy with a full-time job and has many special orders to fill. In the future, he would like to devote more time to his special interest in marbles. He’s also exploring the area of painting on canvas. His artistic skills are numerous. However, he also wants to take time to enjoy his two children and three grandchildren.

Turtles and icicles have been very popular items.

Perhaps sometime in the future, he will be able to turn his hobby into an even busier business. Watch for RedHill Glass Creations online or at a nearby festival. Glass treasures last a lifetime!

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Art, Ohio, Uncategorized

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Explore Nearby Remnants of Ohio-Erie Canal

Ground breaking for the Ohio-Erie Canal took place in Newark on July 4, 1825 with Governor DeWitt Clinton, a Master Mason of New York, taking the first shovelful.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson actually discussed the idea of a canal from Lake Erie to the Ohio River back in 1784. It wasn’t until July 4, 1825, that ground was broken for the Ohio-Erie Canal at Newark, Ohio to move goods more efficiently across Ohio.

This map shows major canal stops but not all of the branches.

Amazing as it seems these canals were hand-dug with shovel and wheelbarrow and sometimes mules pulling drag lines. The canal was about 40′ wide at water level and 26′ wide at the bottom with a depth of about 4′. Farmers and townspeople started digging the canal but were grateful for assistance from German and Irish immigrants.

Pay for canal workers was 30 cents a day plus room, board, and a daily ration of whiskey. The whiskey was to help fight off the Shakes, which happened due to the frequency of malaria on the mosquito infested waters.

Many have enjoyed a ride on the Monticello III at an old section of the canal in Roscoe Village.

Many of us are familiar with the gorgeous towpaths that encourage biking and hiking along the old canal. Perhaps you were lucky enough to have ridden on the Monticello III at Roscoe Village as the horses still pull it along the old canal. However, there are pieces still visible from that early canal that go unnoticed here in central Ohio. Here is a sampling of some of those canal remnants.

New Philadelphia- Lock 13

Lock 13 – New Philadelphia was open until the disastrous flood of 1913.

There were 15 locks in Tuscarawas County. Lock 13 can be found south of US-250 near New Towne Mall in New Philadelphia. Many have memories of using this spot for childhood adventures when it was filled with brush at Blake’s Mill. Now it is cleared and there is an Ohio Historical Maker in place.

The canal was responsible for bringing more commerce to Ohio. Then farmers, lumberjacks, and coal miners could get their products to the Ohio River or Lake Erie.

Tuscarawas – Upper Trenton Lock

Lock 15 – Upper Trenton Lock was replaced with concrete walls after a flood in 1907.

Lock 15 was built of sandstone block and named for the nearby town of Trenton, which is now Tuscarawas. There were several warehouses at Trenton where merchants would bring their goods for shipment to all parts of Ohio. Today, the area has been made into a relaxing historical spot with a footbridge built over the canal.

Just down the road a few hundred feet is Lock 16 , Lower Trenton Lock. The lock tender lived on this site and took care of both locks. Both locks are on the west side of SR-416 with the Tuscarawas River on the east side.

Lock Seventeen

This old mill, Wilson’s Feed Mill, still stands in the village of Lock Seventeen.

Lock 17 was destroyed years ago when US-36 was widened. A small village called Lock Seventeen can be found here today. There are several homes, and an old mill, Wilson’s Feed Mill, that was most likely used during the canal days.

Loren Lindon shared the history of Beersheba and guided me to the mill and cemetery as it is today.

Life-long resident, Loren Lindon, told about its previous history as Beersheba, a Moravian village. The Delaware and Cherokee Indians made Beersheba a regular stop and several are buried in the cemetery there.

Newcomerstown – Canal Ditch

This deep ditch behind the hardware store has been saved as a reminder of those early canal days.

On the corner of Canal Street and Goodrich Street, you can easily see the saved ditch that was once part of the canal. The little red house at the end is said to have a foundation actually built on a wall of the old canal.

During canal days, this building was Miskimen’s Feed and Grain Mill with the canal running just north of it.

Temperance Tavern remains in Newcomerstown as a museum today. During canal days, that tavern, which served no alcohol, was a great place for travelers to get a great meal and spend the night.

Roscoe Village – Triple Locks

Walhonding Triple Locks Feeder Canal is located near the Visitors Center at Roscoe Village.

Branch canals fed into the main channel. Near Roscoe Village are well-preserved triple locks from the old Walhonding feeder. After the flood of 1913, much of the canal had a difficult time with repairs.

Triple Locks found a new purpose. It furnished water to a hydro-electric plant in Roscoe until 1950. Today, REACT Memorial Park, formerly Triple Locks Park, provides a beautiful, relaxing place for a picnic. Steps into the locks give visitors a chance to walk on the canal bed and see the stonework.

The Ohio–Erie Canal covered 308 miles with 146 locks so was quite extensive. The canal boats, which were 70-80′ long and 14′ wide, were pulled by a team of horses or mules who walked along the towpath. Large loads of cargo might require six horses, while a passenger boat would only need two.

This mural on the Portsmouth Floodwall shows the canal near its ending at the Ohio River.

Take a trip back in history and drive along the canal route. View some of these sandstone pieces still in existence from Cleveland to Portsmouth.

The advent of the railroads put a halt to travel on the canal. The trains could go 55mph, 24/7, 365 days a year. It’s interesting to note that the first locomotive came to Coshocton County on a canal boat. Assembly required!

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Back Roads, History, Ohio, Uncategorized

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Vane Scott Shares “The Many Faces of Old Glory”

Vane 13 star flag made by great-great grandmother.

Vane still has the 13-star flag hand-sewn by his great-great-grandmother, Sarah Mulvane Sultzer for the American Centennial in 1876.

Flags and their history have always been part of Vane Scott‘s life. His father, Vane Scott, Jr, actually began telling the story of the American flag back in 1975. At that time, young Vane’s father and mother co-founded their own flag company, Colonial Flag Company, which became a division of Annin Flagmakers, the largest flag company in the world.

Vane Miss America

Five-year-old Vane Scott wore the white tuxedo in a parade for Miss America. The float he rode was designed by his parents’ company, Great Scott Displays.

    Before that, they traveled coast to coast with Great Scott Displays, which was started by his grandfather. They decorated cities and designed parades for national functions such as General Eisenhower’s inauguration, Miss America homecomings, Hollywood premieres, and fairs all over the United States.

Vane speaks

Dressed in colonial garb, Vane addresses a Barnesville Masonic Lodge gathering.

     Vane III has a rich family heritage in the Newcomerstown area. His ancestors, the Mulvanes, were the first white settlers in the area. Their Masonic tradition rings strong as his son makes the fifth generation of the family that has been part of the Masons. When Vane speaks of his family, you can hear how much he admires their legacy.

     After high school, Vane served in the Navy on two destroyers. When he returned home, it seemed only natural to work in the Coshocton flag company. Eventually, he became their plant manager.

Vane and Dad

Vane, Jr and Vane III, father and son, shared a passion for the history of our flag.

     His dad encouraged him to learn the story of the flag so he could continue telling it to the next generation. They even practiced a couple of times at the kitchen table when his dad was very ill.

Vane's Dad with flags

His dad, surrounded by flags, began the dynamic flag program back in 1972.

     For relaxation Vane and wife, Sue, enjoy a backroads motorcycle ride. On a ride some two years after he lost his dad, Vane began repeating the flag story in his mind as they rode along. When they took a break, he told Sue, “I need to tell Dad’s Flag Story.” Soon thereafter, he began sharing the story of our flag’s origin.

Vane Grand Union

The Grand Union Flag is often considered the first national flag. It combined the King’s Colors with the thirteen stripes of the colonies.

     The story, “The Many Faces of Old Glory”, tells the story of how our flag was developed. It begins with the early flag of England and progresses through our present flag. The story’s purpose is to make people understand why we love this country so much. Children, especially, need to understand our rich heritage, as they are our future.

Vane - Betsy Ross five point star

Vane demonstrated how Betsy Ross made her five-point star with one cut of the cloth.

     While it’s not possible to give you his entire flag story here, it’s not a boring history lesson. You can be assured there’s a bit of humor thrown in throughout. There are over twenty flags included in the show and some are quite unique. He still uses the flags his dad folded all those years ago.

Vane Easton flag -stripes in corner

The Easton flag followed the First Flag Resolution description in an unusual manner with the stripes being in the corner.

     Of special interest was the fact that when Congress enacted the First Flag Resolution in 1777, it said: “Resolved the flag of the United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; and the Union be thirteen stars white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Every seamstress designed it in a different way. No two flags were alike. That’s where Vane got the title, “The Many Faces of Old Glory”.

Vane Great Star Flag - 20 stars

The Great Star Flag contained twenty stars. This replaced the prior flag with 18 stars and 18 stripes.

     At first, they added a stripe and a star to the flag for each new state. But you can see that would be very cumbersome. So it was decided to maintain thirteen stripes to represent the original thirteen colonies, and then add a star for each state. Out present flag has been in place with fifty stars since 1960.

Vane DVD

Share this amazing story of our flag’s history with “The Many Faces of Old Glory” DVD.

     A special performance of this show was held at Patriot Plaza in Sarasota, Florida where Vane presented the flag history to 2000 people. Here the background music was provided by a live symphony orchestra, Sarasota Pops Orchestra. This flag show travels the country and will be returning to Florida in 2020.

Vane Sue

His wife, Sue, who he met on a high school blind date, runs the musical portion of the program.

     Today he uses a recording of the Tuscarawas Symphonic Orchestra as background for his talk. That local connection also appears on his DVD of the show. If others can’t see the program, that DVD would be a great way to introduce your young family members to the history of our country through the story of the flag.

     This dynamic story continues to raise patriotism to the end when Vane joins a recording of his dad singing, “The Star-Spangled Banner”. Audiences are drawn to their feet as their voices are raised in singing our national anthem. His parents would be so proud of the story Vane is carrying on.

Vane Scott Main Street

As President of the Newcomerstown Historical Society, Vane appears on Olde Main Street as a shoe repairman.

     While Vane enjoys his flag story presentations, he”s not idle the rest of the time. Right now he is president of the Newcomerstown Historical Society, where tour buses are visiting their Olde Main Street Museum on a regular basis. He also serves as commander of the National Honor Guard, where they present at around thirty funerals a year. They also participate in several parades and serve as color guard for many school events.

Vane Scott -Amway Convention

His dad would perform the flag presentation for Amway and Eastern Star Conventions.

     Vane would like to perform more often for large groups all over the country as his dad did before him. This program should be a must see for all students to raise their awareness of our country’s history through the story of the flag. As one man said, “It’s history within history.”

     We may be born in America, but to be an American is quite another thing. After seeing “The Many Faces of Old Glory” you’ll leave a better and prouder American.

To contact Vane Scott regarding his program, “The Many Faces of Old Glory”, or to purchase a DVD, call Vane at 740-498-8803 or email vanescott@yahoo.com. Visit their website at http://www.ManyFacesofOldGlory.com .

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History, Ohio, Uncategorized

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Coopermill Bronze Works Prepares Alan Cottrill Sculptures

Coopermill Hoppy and Alan

Alan Cottrill designed the bronze Hopalong Cassidy statue that stands at the Senior Center in Cambridge.

Seeing is believing. A trip to Coopermill Bronze Works explained more clearly how one of Alan Cottrill’s bronze statues becomes a reality. It’s not an easy task!

DSC01903

Adam’s lifelong friend, Charles Leasure, is his partner at the Coopermill Bronze Works.

    The Bronze Works is located on the farm of Charles Leasure, a life-long friend of Alan, and there’s even a statue in Charlie’s field…a mushroom hunter, in bronze of course. This farm has been in his family for eight generations.

Bronze Mushroom Hunter   Charlie and Alan created Bronze Works back in 1996. Alan needed a handy place to complete his bronze creations so made his own bronze casting foundry. So far they have cast well over 500 of Alan’s statues and hundreds of other sculptor’s works.

Coopermill Bronze Works 2

Coopermill Bronze Works can be found high on a hill along a country road in Zanesville.

   You can tell Alan is a down-to-earth kind of guy in spite of his fantastic talent to sculpt just about anything. His Bronze Works is not a big, fancy building, but one that can do the job required.

   While Alan does the preliminary work of designing the perfect wax statue in the downtown Zanesville studio, the final touches are placed here at Bronze Works by highly skilled Ohio artisans.

Coopermill Gear Shift Knobs

These gear shift knobs were made as gifts for Vietnam veterans.

   You have to understand that the statue is not bronzed as a whole. It is separated into many, many pieces, which are individually prepared before the final assembly happens.

   The whole thing is quite complicated so if my explanation isn’t quite perfect, please excuse me.

Coopermill Josh Leasure details

Josh Leasure uses his magical tools to make certain every detail is perfect.

   Bronze Works is where every fingerprint is erased and every line made crystal clear. Each detail makes a difference in the final product. Some parts are definitely easier than others. The men found it much easier to do a five-foot pant leg rather than a five-inch head.

Coopermill Dana Erichson

Dana Erichsen holds the base for the beginning of a crane family of eight for the Cranes.

   It has to be perfect in its wax state, otherwise, when it is made into a mold, the bronze statue would carry any flaws, no matter how small. When asked how they correct tiny mistakes, Dana answered with a big smile, “I fix it with magic. My magic wand does the work.”

Coopermill Batter Dip

Each waxed part is dipped several times into a ceramic slurry.

   All those smaller pieces are then dipped in what looks like a batter and rolled in fine sand. The workers commented that it was somewhat like dipping a fish in batter and then rolling it in flour.

   They do this dipping several times until dip by dip, a thick ceramic mold is formed all around the wax piece. When this dries, they melt the wax inside and remove it, leaving an empty shell to fill with, you guessed it, bronze. The wax though can be used again and again.

Coopermill Bronze

Bronze ingots are melted at temperatures of 1900-2000 degrees F.

   They receive the bronze in large sticks, which are then melted and poured into the shell. The bronze should then fit down into the perfect lines that were earlier created on the wax figure.

Coopermill Woody Hayes parts

All the parts of the Woody Hayes statue hang waiting for the next steps.

   My purpose in going this particular day was to see the progress that was being made on the statue of Woody Hayes, Ohio State University football coach for many years. The Newcomerstown Historical Society has funded this project since Woody grew up in Newcomerstown while his dad was Superintendent of Schools there. Woody also coached in Mingo Junction and New Philadelphia before going to OSU.

Coopermill Woody Hayes Head

The wax head of Woody Hayes is ready to be detailed.

   During this visit, the head of Woody Hayes was hanging in the room, ready to be examined for any tiny imperfections. Then it would be dipped in the solution to make the mold on the outside.

Coopermill Swan and Wax removed

After the bronze has set, the ceramic mold is knocked off to reveal the perfect creation.

   After the mold is filled with bronze, it sets for a while before the cast is knocked off to reveal the actual piece that will be used in the statue. This is the end of a very long process. But now there will be a head, pieces of arms, legs, and body – all will be in bronze.

Coopermill Bronze Pieces to be Welded

All of these bronzed parts will be assembled into the donkey seen below.

   Now comes the assembly. It’s like putting a big puzzle together! Each piece is carefully attached to the place where it belongs with bronze welding rods. The weld has to be sandblasted so the connection is no longer visible.

Coopermill Bronze donkey 2

This bronze donkey was having its recently attached parts smoothed.

   Even then, it’s not finished as there has to be a solution applied to the bronze to make it the correct shade required for that particular statue. Now you can see why it takes months to create a bronze statue from beginning to end.

Bronze Woody Hayes

New bronze status of Woody Hayes at Newcomerstown’s Olde Main Street Museum with Vane Scott, museum director.

   Alan Cottrill has designed statues all over the United States and the world. We’re lucky to have one in Cambridge of Hopalong Cassidy, and now one in Newcomerstown of Woody Hayes.

   Watching the artisans at Coopermill Bronze Works felt quite magical.

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Art, History, Ohio, Uncategorized, Zanesville

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Evidence of Bigfoot in Southeastern Ohio

Bigfoot Newcomerstown

This large Bigfoot outside The Feed Barn keeps an eye on customers.

Bigfoot captures the attention and following of many residents of Southeastern Ohio. Frequent meetings are held all year with devotees telling of their latest sightings and experiences with the illusive Bigfoot.

Recently an employee of Salt Fork State Park saw something large stand up along the road as she was driving past Hosak’s Cave in the park. This Bigfoot ran into the woods, but left behind a large footprint, which the Bigfoot investigators made into a plaster cast.

Bigfoot Crossing

It’s no surprise that in the Salt Fork Lake area you might find a Bigfoot Crossing.

Each spring, Salt Fork State Park holds Ohio Bigfoot Conference, which draws hundreds to listen to the latest information about Sasquatch, another name for Bigfoot. This year those dates are May 19 and 20. Cliff Barackman from Animal Planet’s “Finding Bigfoot” will be the Master of Ceremonies.

Bigfoot Orrs

Vicky Veselenak shares a passion for Bigfoot with her dad, Marvin Orr.  You can have lunch with Bigfoot at Orr’s Drive-in.

Several area businesses use Bigfoot as a drawing card. In Byesville, Marvin Orr at Orr’s Drive-In placed a statue of Bigfoot beside their picnic tables. Marvin and his daughters frequently attend Bigfoot meetings and conferences. After hearing all the stories told by ordinary people, it makes them believe there’s ‘something’ out there.

Daughter Vicky used the Bigfoot theme in her classroom in Rolling Hills for years. Her bulletin boards were alive with his image, wooden Bigfoots made great hall passes and she designed her own six foot tall Bigfoot with a jigsaw. Stop by Orr’s and have lunch with Bigfoot.

BF The Feed Barn

Three Bigfoot statues draw attention to The Feed Barn in Newcomerstown. Doyle Donathan, manager, enjoys sharing stories about this mysterious creature.

The Feed Barn in Newcomerstown displays and sells Bigfoot statues and tee shirts because of all the sightings in the area. Recently, a young boy was crossing the railroad tracks down by the Tuscarawas River and checked both ways to make sure no train was coming. No train in sight, but he did see a Bigfoot step across the track easily with one long stride.

Bigfoot Caldwell

Denny Crock keeps customers watching as he frequently dresses Bigfoot as a snowboarder, fisherman, or even ready for Jamboree in the Hills. It’s difficult to find his shirt size – 7X.

In Noble County at the Caldwell Food Center Emporium, you will be greeted by Bigfoot at the entrance to the parking lot. Denny Crock, owner, knew people talked about Bigfoot frequently so wanted a concrete statue at his store. This 6’2”, 2400 pound creature attracts much attention.

Bigfoot Salt Fork

This carved, restrained, wooden statue hangs out in Wildlife Lounge at Salt Fork Lodge.

Out at Salt Fork Lodge, Ohio Bigfoot Conference donated a carved wooden statue since their meeting provides Salt Fork Lodge its largest conference of the year. Rooms and cabins are filled to capacity this weekend and the Lodge Gift Shop has record sales with their wide range of memorabilia.

Bigfoot Gift Shop

The hottest items at the Salt Fork Lodge Gift Shop are tee shirts. But they also have              “Bigfoot I Believe” wine,  action figures, games and much, much more.

Nothing But Chocolate will give you a sweet taste of Bigfoot as she has his footprints for sale – in chocolate of course. Amanda makes these delicious footprints for the Bigfoot Conference and for State Park Conventions held at Salt Fork.

Local investigations began with Don Keating in 1980. He wrote an article about a sighting in the Newcomerstown area. Since then Don had organized the Ohio Bigfoot Conferences at Salt Fork State Park until he recently stepped back to devote more time to another interest – meteorology.

Bigfoot Doug

Doug Waller, local Bigfoot investigator and enthusiast, has written two books about the group’s experiences.

Doug Waller speaks frequently around the area about the legendary Bigfoot. The founder of Southeastern Ohio Society for Bigfoot Investigation, Doug and his team tell about the activities and sightings of this mysterious creature.

Ideas range from an ape-like animal to an extraterrestrial being. The Native Americans saw Bigfoot as a spiritual being, including it on their totem poles.  The Delaware Indians cautioned residents here long ago to put out food offerings for “the wild ones in the woods”.

Bigfoot sign

This clever sign always brings a smile to the face of Bigfoot fans.

Each person is free to explore the ideas he finds probable. But when you hear a scratch on the wall, smell something terrible outside your door, or see an eight-foot tall creature lumber off into the woods, you just might become a believer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Back Roads, Cambridge, Just for Fun, Nature, Ohio, Paranormal, Uncategorized

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Stroll Down Memory Lane at Olde Main Street

Main Street

Volunteer shopkeepers line Olde Main Street.

Take a walk down Olde Main Street and view life as it used to be in the early 1940s. Twenty-three store fronts take you back to businesses that served their customers in that era.

Through the inspiration of Barb and Vane Scott II, the Olde Main Street Museum in Newcomerstown opened its doors in 2009 after four years of much hard work and dedication to the project.Since opening, a dressing room and parking lot have been added.

Main Street Ford Garage

Shumaker’s Ford car dealership made its home here in 1915.

The Ford car dealership of Lell Shumaker was originally in this building back in 1915, followed by a factory making carbide tools. The carbide residue created an extensive cleaning problem when organizing the museum.

Today family members are still keeping up that tradition as Vane Scott III, and his granddaughter, Meredith, participate in the enactment of scenes. They both take great pride in carrying on this family inspired project.

Main Street Post Office

Ray McFadden talks to the postmaster regarding his late mail.

Ray and BJ McFadden have been instrumental in organizing this immense project.Their purpose was to restore an authentic village using only things that came from Newcomerstown.  They wanted to establish a Community Center where groups could be entertained and served a catered meal while enjoying the feeling of stepping back in time.

Main Street BJ

BJ McFadden plays a large role in helping the museum go forward.

Now bus tour groups frequently take a break here to have lunch while hearing tales of a bygone era. Class reunions step back to the era of their high school days as shopkeepers dress in costumes according to the time period.  Visitors sitting on Main Street feel like they’re reliving their teenage years.

Main Street Jail

This prisoner was a bootlegger.

Many of the store fronts have shopkeepers who tell a little about their line of work. There was even a prisoner in jail, who had been arrested for making some home brew out in the woods. Main Street came alive with memories of the days of WWII as shopkeepers complained of there being little male help at their business.

Main Street Shoe Repair

A shoe repairman, portrayed by Vane Scott III, complained because the blacksmith was repairing boots.He bellowed,”I don’t make horseshoes, so you shouldn’t fix boots.” 

Showcase Alley contains rotating collections of local people. Former area residents Cy Young and Woody Hayes each have their own showcase of memorabilia.

In 1948, there was great excitement in town as the whole town was invited to Cleveland Stadium where Cy Young was to be honored on his 80th birthday. Owner of the Indians, Bill Veeck, made it possible for the C&M Railroad to stop in Newcomerstown and carry the entire town to Cleveland at no cost to residents.

Main Street Circus

This detailed circus train collection is highlighted in Showcase Alley.

A miniature circus, purchased by Vane Scott II, was used as a traveling display by the Scott family. The fine details of this circus were first created in Germany, but Vane, the sign painter, touched them up to perfection.

It’s so pleasing to see a community cooperate on such a large project such as this with just volunteers. They take great pride in their museums and rightly so. Next door is a second historic stop, Temperance Tavern, which is packed with local history.

Main Street Music

The Music Room honors native son, Manuel Yingling, who played trombone with the John Philip Sousa Band.

When scheduling a tour there or attending one of their many events, enjoy time in this living history museum. Meander down Main Street of long ago and smile as the memories appear.

Olde Main Street Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10-4, and on Sunday from 1-4. If you would like to have your group visit for one of their many interesting programs, they will rearrange their schedule.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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History, Ohio, Uncategorized

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Mysterious Bigfoot Legend – Skeptic or Believer?

“Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” This quote from distinguished astronomer, Dr Carl Sagan, is popular with Bigfoot investigators. They are still searching for more clues that will prove their Bigfoot theory.

Guernsey County, Ohio is one of those “hot spots” for Bigfoot investigators.  Annually, the Ohio Bigfoot Conference gathers informative speakers to share their adventures with the gathering crowd.  The 2012 conference was held at Pritchard Laughlin Civic Center near Cambridge, Ohio after previously being held at Newcomerstown and then Salt Fork Lodge. The move was partially made to accommodate the growing attendance as last year at Salt Fork they overflowed the conference room and many were  forced to watch the program on big screen TVs in the lobby.  The Bigfoot enthusiasts have increased from less than a hundred in 1989 to over seven hundred at present.

The goal of the Ohio Bigfoot Organization is to find, recognize, and protect what many believe to be an unclassified primate, commonly known as Bigfoot, and residing in North America.

A highlight of the meeting this year was the appearance of legendary Bigfoot seeker, Peter Byrne, who fascinated visitors in the lobby with his Bigfoot stories. Peter, the star of the show, has led professional expeditions in search of Yeti and Bigfoot.  His book, The Search for Bigfoot, tells of his fascinating life exploring since 1946 in the Himalayas for Yeti, the Himalayan version of Bigfoot.  Even though he is 86 years old, Peter still has a curious mind and continues his search for Bigfoot on the Oregon Coast.

Before the scheduled speakers, curious visitors checked out tables in the lobby with lots of unusual items. Of course, there were videos of possible sightings as well as plaster casts of large footprints left behind by something or someone. Lengths of these footprints average about 16″ long, but some range up to 22″, and are much wider than a human footprint.

Soaps and lotions carried the name Sasquatch, the Canadian Bigfoot rendition. One popular soap made in Canada bore the title Sasquatch Sweat Soap – Guaranteed not to grow hair. Sasquatch Sweat Cream was also available. Not certain if their purpose was to repel or attract Bigfoot.   There were even cookies for sale shaped like…yes, you guessed it, Bigfoot.

The first speaker of the day was past president, Don Keating, who led this conference for 23 years. He first heard of Bigfoot in 1984 from a story in the Newcomerstown News that told of strange sightings of a large, hairy creature in and around the Newcomerstown area. Later Don began investigating some of the unusual sightings he heard from neighboring Guernsey County as well – glowing red eyes, large footprints, and very tall creatures.

Salt Fork Lake area became one of those places where frequent strange events seemed to occur. Often something eerie seemed to be happening at Hosak’s Cave in the late evening hours, especially when there was a full moon.  For their safety, people were even strongly advised to leave the area by park rangers.

When Don Keating said he was leaving his president’s position to devote more time to his weather research, someone in the audience asked an interesting question: “Do you find predicting the weather a lot like investigating Bigfoot?” To which Don answered, “With both, you put your neck on the line.”

Grabbed a Bigfoot cookie to munch while listening to additional speakers which included: Dr John Bindernagel, wildlife biologist; Bill Draginis, surveillance and security expert; and Mike Esordi, crypto zoologist with artistic abilities. All are active in Bigfoot research and frequently share their knowledge through lectures around the world.

Whether you believe in the existence of Bigfoot or not, you could hear some interesting adventures at the conference. Maybe some evening you will want to spend the night at Salt Fork State Park. If you listen carefully, you might hear strange calls, branches breaking in the woods, or rocks being thrown into the lake. Could these sounds be made by Bigfoot?  Keep your eyes and ears open!

Salt Fork State Park is located just five miles north of Cambridge, Ohio just off Route 22. I-70 and I-77 intersect close by so you will have easy access to the area.  While in town, stop at Mr. Lee’s or Theo’s Restaurant as both have delicious home cooked meals at reasonable prices.

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Back Roads, Cambridge, Ohio, Organizations, Uncategorized

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