Places to go and things to see by Gypsy Bev

Posts tagged ‘Olde Main Street Museum’

The Bloody Bible Displayed at Olde Main Street Museum

Harley Dakin, historian, provided information at Olde Main Street Museum.

One of the most famous legends of Tuscarawas Valley history involves the Bloody Bible, which today can be found at the Newcomerstown Olde Main Street Museum. However, it had a long journey and interesting story before arrival there for safekeeping.

The story centers around John Early, who grew up in Harrison County, lived a happy life, and enjoyed the music of the violin, which he played very well. After meeting a Methodist circuit rider, John Early was converted to Christianity and gave up his violin playing as “the devil was in it.” At that point, he moved just south of Newcomerstown in a beautiful log house.

Traveling Methodist preachers were welcome at his home and eventually, John donated land to have a Methodist Episcopal Church built on the boundary line of Tuscarawas and Guernsey County. There was also room for a church cemetery. In 1853, when Early died, he was one of the first people buried in the cemetery on the west side of the meeting house. His tombstone can still be found there today.

This church replaced Early’s log church where the story began.

The story of the Bloody Bible begins before the start of the Civil War and after the death of John Early. When members of Early’s Church came to the log meeting house in early May to attend their usual Sabbath School, prayer, and class services, what they found when they opened the door was forever impressed on their minds.

Stains can still be seen on the Bloody Bible at the Olde Main Street Museum.

Sometime since the previous Sabbath, a terrible deed had been done. Someone decided to mock God by offering a lamb as sacrifice upon the altar of the church. Then they sprinkled the pages of the Bible with the blood of the lamb causing blood to drip down the altar and cover the floor. The lamb was still there beside the Bible when they entered.

It was later discovered that the deed was done by three young men called “Sons of Belial” who met at Whiskey Springs. They liked to play tricks on neighbors and for some reason especially the Early family. His cornfield had been destroyed, a new plow wrecked, and horses tied to the edge of a cliff so they fell to their death. They later told people they had stolen the sacrificed lamb that was a pet of a young crippled boy in the Early family.

Mrs. Manson Castor, who attended the church, holds the Bible in 1946 at the age of 89.

When the young boys did this terrible deed, one young man shouted for John Early to rise from his grave. A pillar of fire arose in the door of the church and swept down the aisle. One of the boys was not able to see or speak, had to be carried to his home a mile away, and was in a stupor for much of his life. The others could barely stand to live with the guilt. But no charges were filed as the church people agreed, “Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.”

The original story of the Bible appeared in The Cambridge Jeffersonian on April 20, 1899.

The story was first written by Solomon Mercer in the Cambridge Jeffersonian on April 20, 1899. He had a personal interest in the story as his father, James Mercer, lived in the northwestern part of Guernsey County in Wheeling Township. His neighbor was John Early.

Mercer remembered this tale well as he was there when it happened. Everyone was headed to Sunday School that morning in their best church dress. When they entered the church, the smell of the killed lamb was so strong that no services were held there that day. Mercer even remembers his father and another family member carrying the lamb between two sticks out the church door.

A plaque pays tribute to Jim Rogers and family who gave the museum the Bible.

For many years, Jim Rogers of Orrville kept the Bible in his home under glass in a special table he had built. He had received guardianship of the Bible from his wife’s aunt. At the age of 92, Jim wasn’t well and asked the Newcomerstown Museum if they would display the Bible there. It was added to their collection in June of 2020 after being gone from Newcomerstown for 150 years.

Chris Hart prepares himself to present the story of “The Bloody Bible.”

At the age of 10 in 1964, young Chris Hart saw the Bloody Bible on display in the window of Newcomerstown News on Main Street during their Sesquicentennial. As he looked at the Bible through the window, he thought, “That would make a great story.” Today he tells that story to organizations around the area as he portrays one of the young men who played havoc with the church that night.

The Bible’s story is featured in “Tales of the Buckeye Hills” by Lonzo Green.

The Bloody Bible was featured in the book, “Tales of the Buckeye Hills” by Lonzo Green, a retired Methodist minister, and that book is also on permanent display. He tells the story of Early’s Church and the circumstances of the Bloody Bible in the first chapter of his book. His story ends with this quote from the page that was opened in the blood-soaked Bible:

“Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth,

that shall he also reap.”

This tombstone in the cemetery near Early’s church bears the name of John Early.

Sometime in the near future, plan to visit Olde Main Street Museum at 213 W. Canal Street, Newcomerstown to see a replica of an early 1900s village. They built an entire village inside a building! While there be sure to see that popular legend in Tuscarawas Valley history…the Bloody Bible.

Olde Main Street Museum can easily be found from I-77 in Ohio by taking exit 65 for US 35 to the west. In two miles turn left on Pilling Street, then quickly turn right on East Canal Street. You will find the museum on the left hand side about a mile down Canal Street.

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History, Museums, Ohio, Uncategorized

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Baseball Legend Cy Young Called Tuscarawas County Home

Cy Welcome to Museum

This photo with Cy’s old rocking chair welcomes you to the Olde Main Street Museum.

Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet. Those are things that are American to the core. In the nearby town of Newcomerstown, a baseball legend grew up and his legacy is still celebrated today.

  Denton True Young was born in Gilmore, not far from Newcomerstown. Called Dent as a youngster, the lad went to a two-room school in Gilmore but only went through the sixth grade. The boys loved to play baseball and would often either walk or ride horseback for twenty miles to play the game.

   To practice pitching, Dent would throw a ball (if he had one) into a target on the barn door, or walnuts through the knot holes in the fence. It’s no wonder he was known for accuracy during his pitching career.

Cy ball and glove

Cy’s glove holds a baseball marked 1897 – Cleveland…the date he pitched his first no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds.

   Dent received his first contract from a team in Canton at the age of 23. They paid him $60 a month. Wanting to impress his teammates, he threw the ball so hard that no catcher wanted to catch him, so he threw into the fence. One fellow said it looked like a cyclone had struck the fence. The name stuck and Cyclone was his listed name for two years. That soon became shortened to Cy, a name which stayed with him through the rest of his life.

Cy Indians program

This old Indians scorecard only cost a dime.

   Over the years, he played with Cleveland, St. Louis, and Boston. He holds the records of most innings pitched at 7,356 and most wins with 511, a record that is not likely to be broken. Not many could pitch like he did in both games of a double header…and he never had a sore arm!

Cy - 1892 Scrapbook

His personal 1892 scrapbook is on display at the museum.

   In 1914, a young man in Newcomerstown by the name of Jimmie Knowles had a shoeshine stand in front of the newspaper office. He remembers Cy Young coming to town almost every weekend in his big Cadillac and parking it on Main Street. Then he’d stop by and have Jimmie polish his shoes. He always left a tip.

Cy - Trophies

This framed photo shows Cy with his many trophies.

   Cy tried his hand at management for one year with the Cleveland Green Socks as he had a hankering to get back into the world of baseball. But the league was dissolved and Cy returned to Tuscarawas County.

   When Cy retired at the age of 45, he enjoyed the life of a gentleman farmer in Peoli. There he raised potatoes, and tended sheep, hogs, and chickens and enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Cy - ax and wood he chopped

This ax belonged to Cy Young and it is said this is some of the last wood he chopped.

   When his wife, Roba, died in 1933, Cy lost a good friend as they had known each other since childhood. After her death, he worked at various jobs and eventually moved in with friends and helped them bale hay, handle the horse and even chop wood.

   He was an active member of the community and moved up through the ranks of the Masons, was a member of the local Elks Club and was elected to the Republican Party Central Committee.

   Old-timers baseball games gave him pleasure and a chance to meet old friends. In 1937, Cy Young was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the second class ever. He was the first to donate memorabilia to their new museum in Cooperstown.

Cy - Showcase

Several showcases at Olde Main Street Museum contain Cy Young memorabilia.

   In 1948, great excitement filled Newcomerstown as Cy Young was to be honored at Cleveland Stadium for his 80th birthday. To make the day even more special, Bill Veeck, the owner of the Cleveland Indians, arranged for the C&M Railroad to make a stop in Newcomerstown and bring the whole town to Cleveland at no cost to residents.

   Pitching was Cy’s specialty and he threw a fastball with cannonball speed that few could hit. Because of his fantastic pitching ability, the Cy Young Award was created in 1956 and given annually to an outstanding pitcher in all of baseball. Beginning in 1967 through today, the award is given to a pitcher in each league.

Cy - Cy Young Park

The Cy Young Park in Newcomerstown remembers one of baseball’s original legends.

   The first Cy Young Festival was held in 1958 in Newcomerstown. Every year a baseball star pitcher is featured. This year it will be Randy Jones, who won the Cy Young Award in 1978 when he played for the San Diego Padres. Great names such as Dwight Gooden, Dean Chance, and Vida Blue have attended the festival.

Cy- Tombstone

Fans visit his Peoli tombstone to leave baseballs and other memorabilia.

   The festival begins on Saturday morning with a Cy Young Run. Afterward, a car caravan can be seen heading to Cy’s grave in nearby Peoli at the Peoli Church. You might stop along the way at the Newcomerstown McDonald’s where they have a large display honored this hometown hero.

Cy - McDonald's

Stop by Newcomerstown McDonald’s for wall displays about this local hero.

   The afternoon is filled with bands, food, and fun for everyone. The annual parade begins at 6:00 and stops at the Olde Main Street Museum. There they have a special display of Cy Young memorabilia.

Cy - Olde Main Street Museum

Cy’s memorabilia can be seen at the Olde Main Street Museum in Newcomerstown.

   Sunday begins with an Old Timers Vintage Baseball game at the Cy Young Memorial Park Field. Players will be dressed in uniforms similar to those of the mid-1800s and use the same rules and language of the Civil War era. Or you might prefer to go to a Car Show on Main Street, a talent show or pet show. There are events for everyone to enjoy.

Cy - 1 953 Little League Opening

He appeared at the Newcomerstown 1953 Little League Opening where he encouraged youngsters to play ball.

   The Annual Cy Young Days Festival is held in Newcomerstown in June of each year. The festival not only promotes Cy Young but also increases awareness of all the youth baseball and softball programs in the Newcomerstown area. It’s all about Cy Young and baseball, the game he loved.

Cy Young won 511 games in 22 seasons and pitched three no-hitters. Imagine what kind of contract he could command today for an arm like that.

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Festivals, History, Museums, Ohio

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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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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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