Historic Warren County Ohio

Quilt Show opens 10:00 Friday

2012-03-01T16:47:00.003-05:00

Ok. The 29th annual Lebanon Quilt & Fabric Arts Show & Sale is all set up now. I wish I had the time to make one of everything!!! Such gorgeous stuff. The quilts are beautiful, the kits are fantastic. The button man is here and so is the lady who makes hand sewn band boxes. And the quilts, you must see the quilts!!

While you are here check out the special exhibits on the top floor. Wonderful collection of quilts and quilted clothing. And the antique samplers are super. How little 8 year old girls did such fine needle work is beyond me.

The Lebanon Council of Garden Clubs is selling chances for the quilt their members hand pieced and quilted. It is pictured below and is called "Nedra's Garden" in honor of Nedra Whittington who donated the fabric. Nedra's collection of wonderful handmade quilts is one of the special exhibits. You don't want to miss it. While you are in the Special Exhibit Gallery please consider purchasing lots of chances to win "Nedra's Garden".

"Nedra's Garden", win this quilt, $1.00 a ticket or 7 for $5.00

John's Birthday Party

2012-03-01T06:03:00.001-05:00

John's Birthday Party 2012 left to right, John, Jenny, Jessica, Nancy, Rose, Rosemary and Lynley

Our Mr. Zimkus has a birthday this Friday, but since we will be in the middle of Quilt Show Madness this weekend, we always celebrate a few days before. Below is a picture from last year that looks almost the same ( a few different faces ) but we are all huddled at a table in the doorway between the Village Green and the front hall feasting on cake. Behind John the Koisins company is busy building vendor booths out of pipe and drape.

John's Birthday Party in 2011, left to right Jessica, Vicky, Lynley, Rose, Kevin, John, Nancy, Marty

Today 30 some quilt and fabric arts vendors will descend on the museum and transform it into the Lebanon Quilt & Fabric Arts Show. Doors open Friday morning at 10:00 am. Admission is just $6 and includes the vendor show plus four special exhibits! It's a beautiful show and one of the prettiest venues anywhere. We hope to see you there.

Russel Wright, Wright Ave., Louisa Wright School

2012-02-22T16:38:00.001-05:00

Russel Wright is one of 8 American Designers honored with US postage stamps. Russel's is the one with the knife, fork and spoon.

If you went to Louisa Wright School or have driven down Wright Avenue in Lebanon, you know the name Wright is associated with Lebanon. But did you know that one of the most famous industrial designers of the 20th century was a Wright from right here in Lebanon?

And did you know the Warren County History Center has a super display of Russel Wright's work? Yes we do! We are known nationally for this exhibit.

And did you know that at present there is a United States Postage Stamp honoring Russel Wright? Well there is!!! It's pictured above - the knife, fork and spoon.

Russel Wright was born and raised in the big white house with the rounded front portico on the east side of South Broadway - as you go up the hill just past the rail road tracks. It's on the left. Anyway, Russel was born into the pioneer Wright family who were all lawyers and judges and such. Russel's parents wanted him to follow in the family business so they sent him to Princeton University in New Jersey for pre-law.

Russel wasn't there very long before the got involved with designing sets for the college drama department. Pretty soon Princeton was suggesting to the Wright family that Russel really should go to art school, so he went to New York and the rest is history. We remember him as the Father of American Casual Design and the first person to design for the middle class and put his name on his products. Ralph Lauren owes it all to Russel.

It's a good story - the story of Russel Wright and his designs. Come to the Warren County History Center and we can tell you all about it!! Remember, we are open free on Saturdays this winter so you have no excuse!!!! The farmers market ladies are here with their maple syrup, bread, cookies etc. Yum! See you sometime between 10am to 4pm.

Presidential Volunteer Service Awards

2012-02-20T11:52:00.004-05:00

Pins honoring hours of volunteer service.

We have several RSVP volunteers at our museum. RSVP stands for Retired Senior Volunteer Program. These volunteers work at least one day a week at the museum at a variety of tasks. They are extremely valuable staff members and make a huge difference in the quality of service we can offer our guests. We encourage everyone to check out the RSVP program. Contact

Dolcee Hoffman

Warren County Community Services, Inc.

570 N. State Rt. 741

Lebanon, OH 45036

513-695-2252

The RSVP program has had a 20% funding cut this past year and has had to delay its appreciation banquet until later in the year. In the past, volunteers could get some mileage reimbursement for driving to their volunteer destination, but that too has gone by the wayside.

That doesn't seem to matter however. The people signed up with the RSVP program seem to be happy with their work and the satisfaction they get from providing service to the museum seems to be enough compensation.

The local RSVP program managed by Warren County Community Services, may be short of funds this year, but they will be able to recognize local RSVP volunteers through the Presidential Volunteer Service Award program. Most of our volunteers will qualify for the Silver Medal award. See the criteria below.

Award Criteria

Any individual, family, or group can receive Presidential recognition for volunteer hours earned over a 12-month period or over the course of a lifetime at home or abroad. The following are the eligibility requirements for each age group:

Kids: Age 5-14
Young Adults: Individual Age 15-25
Adults: Individual Age 26 +

Presidential Volunteer Service Award Criteria

Bronze Level

Kids: 50 to 74 hours
Young Adults: 100 to 174 hours
Adults: 100 to 249 hours
Family & Groups: 200 to 499 hours

Presidential Volunteer Service Award Criteria

Silver Level.

Kids: 75 to 99 hours
Young Adults: 175 to 249 hours
Adults: 250 to 499 hours
Family & Groups: 500 to 999 hours

Presidential Volunteer Service Award Criteria

Gold Level.

Kids: 100 hours or more
Young Adults: 250 hours or more
Adults: 500 hours or more
Family & Groups: 1000 hours or more

President’s Call to Service Award

Presidential Volunteer Service Award Criteria

All Ages
4,000 hours or more of volunteer service (over a lifetime).

Personalized Certificate

Congratulatory Letter from President Barack Obama

Dinner and a Murder

2012-02-14T14:50:00.000-05:00

A sell out crowd enjoyed dinner and a murder Saturday evening, February 11, 2012 at the Lebanon Conference and Banquet Center. The evening, a joint venture of the Lebanon Theatre Company and the Warren County Historical Society featured the play "I'm Getting Murdered in the Morning" a play about a wedding reception with a murdered body on the dance floor.

Damage Control Expert Parker assures the crowd that the murder is no big deal.

Guests dined on a sumptious buffet of baked glazed ham, broccoli casserole, scalloped apples and two salads all fresh made and catered by Marilyn Carter of Carter Catering while the "wedding guests" tried to come to terms with a dead man on the dance floor.

Brenda wants to get on with the wedding by Eddy isn't so sure.

Sponsor Lebanon Kroger Marketplace baked the wedding cake and the cupcakes. Many thanks to the Lebanon Theatre Company and all the actors who volunteered their time and effort to make the event a success. Special thanks to Jay Fultz for choosing a wonderful play and directing the production. Thanks to WCHS Curator's Jessica Thress and Lynley Dunham for staging the wedding reception and to Board Member Bill Rivers and his wife Ann for cleanup services. A great time was had by all!

She Won Two American Girl Dolls!

2012-02-04T17:19:00.001-05:00

The gift shop inside the Warren County History Center sells American Girl books and mini-dolls. Once a year the American Girl company allows us to have a drawing for a full sized American Girl Doll. Sometimes its just one doll and some times its two. This year the company is launching two new dolls from New Orleans, circa 1850's. The drawing took place on January 3 and Marah Belle Campbell of Middletown won both dolls.

Marah Belle Campbell with her two full sized American Girl Dolls, Cecile and Marie-Grace of New Orleans circa 1853.

Mary Haven Still Stalled

2012-02-03T07:41:00.000-05:00

A year ago our Board of Trustees toured Mary Haven Orphan's Asylum and Children's Home. We were curious to see if the building was still strong enough to be preserved, conserved or at least moth balled for future re-purposing.

We were all very surprised to find the building in relatively good shape considering the vandalism it had suffered in the last couple of years. There was a little water in the basement due to the fact that all the copper drain pipes had been stolen and not replaced. A couple of rooms had water damage because the roof had some major holes and was leaking into the building. But by and large, the building sat firm on its stone foundations. A few rooms had water damage but mostly the walls were in good shape and the floors seemed firm. New, inexpensive drain pipes and some covering of the holes in the roof would have gone a long way to preserving the building. It also needed a good cleaning as vagrants had used it as a dumping ground for trash.

Our Board was ready to start looking for a partner for the restoration and re-use of Mary Haven. The Attorney General of the State of Ohio was expected to find some workable solution regarding the outdated Klingling Trust by the end of April, and we were prepared to move forward at that time. In the meantime we mounted an exhibit about Mary Ann Klingling and Mary Haven at our museum (its still in place and can be viewed during regular museum hours, Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm).

It's almost a year later and the Attorney General's office still hasn't acted. The Warren County Commissioners hands are tied. The little bit of money from the original 1867 trust has long since been used to care for the building and the County has been footing the bill for many years out of tax payer dollars. In the meantime record rains have wrecked havoc on the roof and now the damage to the building is more than serious. We can't really fault the Commissioners for not spending money to secure the building. With the economic down turn, it might have been considered irresponsible to spend money to care for a building rather than the people of the county.

At the same time, to tear down the building would be a waste of a good resource. Mary Haven could become anything from a beautiful development of apartments within the building, to a school, to a center for the arts, just to name a few re-use ideas. I don't believe for one second that the old saw "its more cost effective to build new then to renovate old" is anything but a bunch of you know what! A builder who tells me that is not a true craftsman and doesn't have his community's welfare at heart.

If you would like more information contact us at the Warren County History Center, 513-932-1817 or wchs@wchsmuseum.org.

Lynley's Sugar Cream Pie

2012-02-02T08:05:00.001-05:00

At the dusting party last week, everyone brought a dish to share - each was assigned either salad, side, dessert or roles. Our Archivist/Assit. Curator, Lynley Culpepper brought this delicious pie. It's her son's favorite dessert and reminded us all of creme brulee but without the eggs. Enjoy!

Lynley's Sugar Cream Pie

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 baked pastry pie shell

4 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons melted butter

2 1/4 cups half and half (you can use whole milk but it won't be a creamy)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon white sugar

Directions: Preheat your oven's broiler to high.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat combine cornstarch, sugar, butter and half and half. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens to a pudding like consistency. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Pour cream mixture into the prepared pie shell. Pour 2 tablespoons melted butter over the pie distributing as evenly as possible. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar evenly. Cover exposed pastry edges with pie ring or a foil ring and broil the pie for one minute or until butter bubbles. Don't let it burn. Remove pie from oven, refrigerate for at least two hours to firm the filling.

Note: You could probably substitute a graham cracker crust for the pastry, but pastry is more traditional.

Murder Mystery Wedding Reception Sold Out

2012-02-01T21:56:00.001-05:00

As of the end of business today our joint fundraiser with the Lebanon Theatre Company is sold out! Every other February we stage a murder mystery dinner theatre at the museum. This year the play is called "I'm Getting Murdered in the Morning". It's a wedding reception with a murder in the middle of it. The event takes place at our Lebanon Conference & Banquet Center on February 11.

The staff is busy planning the reception. The color scheme is white and silver with a few touches of pink. The meal is a catered buffet and there will be wedding cake for dessert. And a murder mystery to solve of course.

Pictures of NNU Students

2012-01-31T13:38:00.002-05:00

The Digital Archive Project is such a huge undertaking that the Archivist has assigned individual volunteers smaller, more manageable tasks within the scope of the overall project.

One such task involves matching photos of National Normal University Students with the surname file of NNU students in our archive. Many of the students in the photos are identified, but many are not. The volunteers have been trying to match individual photos by comparing them to students in group photos. Sometimes that works.
At this time we have a stack of unidentified individual National Normal University student photos about two inches thick! Here's just a few of them. If anyone knows who these folks are, please contact us at wchs@wchsmuseum.org.

I attended National Normal University in Lebanon, OH. Do you know who I am?

Flea Market Today

2012-01-28T09:40:00.003-05:00

The January edition of the Old Post Office Flea Market is going full force. Doors open today - the last day until the end of April - at 10:00 am and close at 4:00. Yesterday saw a good crowd and a lot of sales but there's still plenty left. Don't wait!

Your Tax Refund Can Help Our Museum

2012-01-26T20:16:00.001-05:00

Visit www.ohiohistory.org to find out more!

Donate to the Ohio Historical

Society and support history

grants for local communities.

Your tax refund can

MAKE

HISTORY

The Dirty 15

2012-01-25T21:57:00.000-05:00

Director of Education John Zimkus vacuumed the high places.

Fifteen Warren County Historical Society volunteers and staff spent the morning dusting artifacts in the warren County History Center. For two hours the group used dusting cloths, dust busters and vacuum cleaners to clean up the museum's artifacts.

Volunteer Reena finishes dusting some of the smalls in the Shaker kitchen.

When the cleaning was finished the group broke for a pot lunch, with everyone contributing a side dish, rolls, salad or dessert. The museum staff provided Golden Lamb fried chicken.

Dusting and Fried Chicken

2012-01-24T07:33:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is dusting day at the museum. Staff and volunteers, about 17 of us, will spend the morning dusting and cleaning the artifacts in the lower level of the museum. We don't have to dust too often but at least once a year the old farm equipment, buggies and the log cabin objects need a good cleaning.

At noon we will break for a pot luck. The museum provides Golden Lamb fried chicken (carry out) and everybody brings a side, salad or rolls. We enjoy an hour or more of good food and camaraderie and then go back to our regular duties.

I'm bringing salad and I've opted for my mothers "Three Bean Salad" which I used to serve as a side option at Copperfield's. Here is the recipe.

"Three Bean Salad"

In a small sauce pain cook to a boil:

1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon water 3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 salad oil 3/4 cup vinegar

In a large bowl mix together:

1 can green beans 1 jar sliced mushrooms

1 can wax beans 1 can sliced water chestnuts

1 can red beans 1 medium onion chopped

1 can whole corn 1 cup celery chopped

Pour the hot liquid over the bean mixture, cool and let stand in the refrigerator over night. Keeps a good week. I vary this quite a bit and its still very good. For example, I will eliminate the mushrooms, water chestnuts and celery and add chick peas and sweet red pepper. It's always good.

You Can't Keep Antiquers Down!

2012-01-23T14:56:00.000-05:00

Despite the ice and snow, the 69th Lebanon Antiques Show opened on schedule Saturday morning at 10:00 am. More than 350 people braved the icy roads to make sure they got first crack at some of the finest antiques offered anywhere.

Silver Cake Stand $145, Royal Dalton Figurines, $185 to $225 Water Glass, $38
Robbens Metal Restoration, Cincinnati, OH 812-637-0798

Sunday the roads were clear and a very large crowd arrived ready to buy. Dealers were kept extra busy and were still writing sales tickets when the show closed at 4:00 pm. As usual, it was a beautiful show. Here's a few of our favorite things:

Cows on the Baltic Sea
by Emanuel Hegenbarth, Germany, 1890-1910
$2000
Jo Akers Designs, Columbus, OH 614-425-7782

Royal Cauldon Turkey Platter, English Staffordshire Transferware, $4975
Blue Diamond Antiques, Dearborn MI, 248-249-0996

1820 Chest of Drawers - $1250

Dallaire Antiques, Brockway, PA, 814-328-2636

Antique Study Classes

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Antique China for sale at the Lebanon Antique Show
January 21 and 22, 2012, Sat. 10-5, Sun 11-4
Bowman Primary School, 825 Hart Rd. Lebanon

The first of the late Sue Studebaker's "Antique Study Classes" will go live on our website next week. You can get a preview of it today by visiting our site at www.wchsmuseum.org.
Sue's classes were essential for anyone wanting to collect antiques either for fun or as an investment. The course lasted eight weeks and covered everything in furniture and decorative arts.

As part of the Warren County Historical Society's "Digital Archive Project", we are placing Sue's classes on line. Originally the classes were presented with slides accompanied by Sue's lectures. Fortunately Sue wrote out each set of lecture notes in detail to match the slides. WCHS inherited Sue Studebaker's entire archive of antique study slides and notes and will present them, one module at a time on our website as a benefit of membership in the Warren County Historical Society.

A membership costs just $35.00. You will be able to join on line, register and get a password for the classes. If you are already a member of the Warren County Historical Society, you need only register on line for the class.

The first module is on ceramics and includes Staffordshire china, a hot collectible at present. Module number two is collecting antique pewter and module number three is quilts and coverlets. You will be able to see modules one in January and two in February and three in March and so on. The class will take you through an entire year of Sue's lectures and should be a valuable resource for anyone wanting to know more about collecting American and some European antiques. We hope you enjoy the classes.

Vote for Us!

2012-01-18T14:25:00.001-05:00

Best of Warren County Contest

We are thrilled two have two of our three historic properties nominated for the "Western Star" newspapers "Best of Warren County" contest. We made it into two categories.

Glendower is nominated for Best Places to Create Winter Memories
Warren County History Center is nominated for Best Hidden Gem

Please, follow this link, http://www.western-star.com/lifestyle/topic-one/ and vote for us before January 29!

Antique Show This Weekend

Don't forget the Lebanon Antique Show this weekend, January 21 and 22 at Bowman Primary School, 825 Hart Road, just west of downtown off Rt. 123. Admission is just $8.00 but here's a $2.00 off coupon under this picture.

Freedom Center Open for Free Today

2012-01-16T09:53:00.000-05:00

Thanks to generous underwriting from PNC, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC) is able to offer free admission to visitors on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 16, 2012. In its ongoing commitment to the spirit of inclusion, PNC continues to fund this free day, providing access to members of the community otherwise not able to visit. The center is located in downtown Cincinnati next to the Great American Ball Park.

The Warren County History Center is closed today as are most museums, but you can visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and learn a great deal about southwest Ohio's role in the abolition of slavery.

There isn't a lot of material culture - that's museum speak for "things" to put on display in this museum. There's the slave pen and a few shackles, but mostly you will read and view and learn about the risks our ancestor's took to help right a terrible wrong.

One of the information exhibits

For "edutainment" there is an exciting "chase" movie introduced by Oprah Winfrey and several short videos of slave re-enactor's telling their stories.

The picture above shows a time line wall with three different historical time lines to ponder. The top line is about the abolitionists and the abolitionist movement. The middle line tells the story of slavery in this country and the last line tells individual slave's stories. It's a lot to read and take in, but between the movie, the videos and the timeline you should come away with a good basic understanding of the events that brought us to war in 1861.

So much culture, so little time!

2012-01-14T08:34:00.000-05:00

As the Director of the Warren County Historical Society it's my job to run the business side of the operations, provide leadership for the staff, be the public face of the the Historical Society and keep in touch with other cultural organizations in the area.

With all that in mind, I spent Wednesday and Thursday of this week visiting other cultural sites in the area and having a wonderful time in the process.

I spent the better part of Wednesday at the Cincinnati Art Museum. www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org
just touring the collections. If you want to educate yourself about art, you can find all that you need at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Some of the best paintings anywhere are in this collection. I visited primarily to see the Cincinnati Gallery, but couldn't pass up the special exhibit on Picasso, and naturally, I couldn't leave without visiting the American collection.

Underground Railroad by Webber, Cincinnati Art Museum

It was while I was dreamily drifting through the American collection enthralled with the wonderful Copley portraits and Moran landscapes and of course the famous "Underground Railroad" by Webber, that I spied a still life of yellow pears. It was a small canvas, about 15 inches by 10 inches, and it was just pears, but something about it beckoned me. I went closer to investigate and read the sign. "Attributed to Rhoda Steddom". That name leaped out at me. Rhoda Steddom was Marcus Mote's wife, and Marcus Mote is a major painter in our museum's collection!

I had no idea that his wife painted! I read the notes displayed next to the painting and found out that the Steddom family had sent their five children to the Turtlecreek Subscription School where a young Marcus Mote was a teacher. The pears were thought to be painted by Rhoda Steddom at that school about two years before she married Marcus at age 16. I couldn't wait to get back to the Warren County History Center and pick the curator's brains. A Marcus Mote painting had just turned up on the Antiques Roadshow two weekends ago and we'd had several calls and emails about Mote since that show aired. Stop by the Warren County History Center to learn more about Marcus Mote and view a large collection of his paintings.

Murder Mystery at a Wedding Reception

2012-01-09T08:45:00.000-05:00

You are invited to a wedding reception and a murder! Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 11 at 6:30 pm. The Lebanon Theatre Company and the Warren County Historical Society present their bi-annual mystery dinner theatre fund raiser with the presentation of "I'm Getting Murdered in the Morning" a comedy murder mystery set during a wedding reception.

Scenes from a real wedding reception at the Lebanon Conference & Banquet Center

The event takes place at the Lebanon Conference & Banquet Center (the old post office), the scene of numerous wedding receptions, but thankfully, no murders yet! RSVP by purchasing tickets, which cost $40.00 each, from the WCHS by calling 513-932-1817. The evening includes a dinner buffet complete with a wedding cake and the "murder" of course.

One of the cakes from a real wedding reception at the Lebanon Conference & Banquet Center

The WCHS staff is thrilled to be hosting a wedding reception. Our banquet center has been the scene of many weddings during the last few years so we've seen a lot of different decorating styles. The curators are busy planning a color scheme and decorations, the dinner menu and the cake of course. There will be music and photo taking and the usual wedding reception goings on! Loads of fun. We can't wait.

Seating is limited to 100 guests, so get your tickets now. The office is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Call us at 513-932-1817. We take cash, checks, Visa, MC and Discover!!

Winter Farmer's Market Returns

2012-01-06T14:42:00.001-05:00

We were closed the last two Saturdays in December, so there was no Winter Farmer's Market inside the museum. This Saturday, January 7 from 10:00 to 3:00 the market returns.

As before, the museum will be open free to the public on Saturday, so you can shop and visit the museum at no charge.

You won't find fresh tomatoes or sweet corn at this Winter Farmer's Market, but you will find maple syrup, honey, jams and jellies and an assortment of breads and baked goods. Glory Farms even has a basket of squirrel corn for sale.

Open Free today for tours and Winter Farmer's Market

Marcus Mote on Antiques Roadshow

2012-01-04T20:04:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday PBS's "Antique Road Show" began their 16th season with a show from Tulsa, OK. That show featured a painting of two twin boys by noted 19th century Ohio artist, Marcus Mote.

Monday we received an email from a gentleman who thought he might have a Marcus Mote painting. He sent us an email of the painting high lighting the signature and we were able to disclaim it as a Marcus Mote. Below is a picture of Marcus Mote's signature on a still life painting of grapes.

An authentic signature by Marcus Mote

Marcus Mote was born into a Quaker family in 1817 near Waynesville, OH. He was a self taught artist who, as a child, made his own paints and drawing materials from charcoal and natural plant dyes. His local Quaker Meeting did not believe in drawing and painting and threatened to kick Marcus out of their church. Fortunately his family was able to convince the church of their son's God given talent and his art career blossomed.

The Warren County History Center has an excellent collection of Marcus Mote paintings, including some of his best portraits. Glendower Historic Mansion also exhibits several Marcus Mote paintings including a beautiful portrait of Thomas Corwin's daughter Evelyn Corwin Sage (pictured below)

Glendower Update

2012-01-04T07:19:00.002-05:00

Glendower had a great Christmas season. All together we were open 13 days and logged in a little more than 500 visitors. That is about 40 visitors a day average and considering we were open five hours each day and the guided tour is an hour long, no wonder the tour guides were always busy! Many thanks to all the volunteers who conducted tours and to the many volunteer musicians who provided musical entertainment. Special thanks to Abby Davey for finding and scheduling such wonderful volunteer musicians. We so very much appreciate their time and effort during the busy holiday season.

The dining room decorations were inspired by the glass pieces on the mantel.

The log book reports visitors from as far away as Washington state in the west and Rhode Island in the east. A good many people came from Columbus and north - Ohio in general, but we also had a good number from Kentucky and Indiana. When we asked folks how they found us, mostly they mentioned our web site. The curators will be busy putting away the decorations this week, so enjoy this few pictures and if you missed us this Christmas we re-open June 6th.

The library decorations were inspired by peacock feathers.

Peacocks and Red Berries on the front door.

Although Glendower is closed for the season until June, tours are available all winter and spring for groups of 20 or more at $5.00 per person. Reservations must be prepaid and should be made at least two weeks in advance. Call us at 513-932-1817 to book your tour.

Homage to Tecumseh

2012-01-01T07:56:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! We start the 200th anniversary year of the War of 1812 with a quote from the great Shawnee Chief Tecumseh provided us by our member and volunteer, Liz Grauwelman:

"Give Thanks. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself."

Liz is an active member of both the Warren County Historical Society and the Daughters of the American Revolution. She is a docent at Glendower Historic Mansion where she plays Lucy Boake. She also plays Lucy at our "Lantern Light Cemetery Tours and she is also a Civil War Re-enactor.

Liz as Lucy Boake and her son Nate as Rigdon Williams at the "Lantern Light Cemetery Tour".

Antique Study Classes Coming Soon

2011-12-29T09:04:00.000-05:00

The Warren County Historical Society is pleased to announce "Sue Studebaker's Antique Study Classes on the Web". When Sue Studebaker passed away a few years ago we inherited her complete archive of antique study slides and lectures. Archaeologist/Assistant Curator Jessica Thress has been scanning the slides and editing the notes into a digital format so the classes can be presented on the web. The first class is on ceramics, including Staffordshire pottery and will be available to members of the Warren County Historical Society via our website sometime in January. Jessica is hard at work on class number two - pewter which will be offered in February. Each month Jessica will add another of Sue's wonderful antique study classes to our website. We will keep you posted when the first class goes live.

One of the booths at the Lebanon Antique Show

Archivist/Assistant Curator Lynley Dunham Culpepper is also working on a part of the Studebaker archive. Thanks to a generous grant from the Queen City Sampler Club, the complete archive of Sue Studebaker's extensive research on needlework samplers will be preserved and archived for study by needlework scholars. This is a large project which will take the better part of a year. Donations for this project are very welcome.

Lunch & Learn on a Saturday?

2011-12-28T11:21:00.000-05:00

One of the Warren County Historical Society's most popular programs is our Lunch & Learn lecture series which takes place at the Warren County History Center one Wednesday a month. This program is managed by our Director of Education, John Zimkus and is offered in conjunction with Sinclair Community College as part of their Life Long Learning program. Anyone can buy a ticket directly from the Warren County Historical Society. As a result we average 35 to 40 persons per lecture, with some programs drawing 50 or more people. The cost is $18 per person and includes a gourmet "box lunch", the lecture and a self guided tour of the museum.

We've been toying with the idea of offering a similar program on the weekends but are not sure who would want to attend. Should we offer the program at noon on Saturday, or maybe Sunday? Should we offer topics just for adults or should we include some lectures for children? We'd love to hear what you think. Just drop us a line in the comment section or send us an email at wchs@wchsmuseum.org.

Lunch & Learn Schedule

First Quarter 2012

January 18 - Ohioans and Their Contributions, Part II, speaker John Zimkus

February 8 - All Things Chocolate, speaker Susan Sumner, Naturalist, Hamilton county Parks

March 14 - In Pursuit of Jane Austen, speaker Carrie Bebris, author of the "Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery" series.

Reservations are being accepted now and must be made in advance. Deadline is always the Saturday before the Wednesday lecture.

Last Three Days to See Glendower This Year

2011-12-27T17:46:00.000-05:00

Glendower Historic Mansion is open just three more days this year. Visit the house Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, December 28, 29 or 30. Hours are noon to 5:00 pm. Admission is just $5.00 for adults, seniors 65 and over $4.50 and students under 18, $3.50.

Glendower is decorated for Christmas. The theme is a Sleigh Bell Christmas and where ever possible the decorating team has incorporated bells. Peacocks are also part of the decorations expanding on that theme begun in the library/office and expanding to the drawing room.

Costumed interpreters lead tours. Most afternoons we have musical entertainment as well.

Note: The Warren County History Center and the Historical Society office is closed until January 3. It opens that Tuesday at 10:00 am. Winter hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 to 4:00pm. Admission is adults $5.00, seniors 65 and over $4.50 and students under 18 $3.50. Saturdays are a free day.