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Bringing History to Life
The people and places of central Ohio have played an important role in shaping America’s history. Fortunately, that storied past remains alive in the artifacts and architecture contained in the communities that comprise the Heritage Circle.
Surely you know the Christmas song “
Up on the Housetop,” but can you name
its composer? It’s Benjamin
Hanby, whose
19th century home is meticulously preserved
in Westerville. Westerville, which
takes pride in its reputation as the “Dry
Capital of the World,” is also home to the
Anti-Saloon League Museum, where you
can learn more about this little town’s
prominent role in Prohibition.
Neighboring Worthington boasts the only pioneer home in Franklin County still standing on its original foundation. With costumed interpreters and authentic furnishings, the Orange Johnson House makes visitors feel as if they’ve traveled back in time to the early 1800s. Nearby, Worthington’s Old Rectory Doll Museum features the toys and dolls that kept children occupied long before video games came along.
Head north out of Worthington on Route 23 to Historic Downtown Delaware, which has been designated “A Preserve America Community” by the White House. Historic Downtown Delaware is on the National Register of Historic Places and is also the birthplace of Rutherford B. Hayes, our nation’s 19th president. A Hayes Trail brochure highlights points of interest, including where the birthplace once stood.With its vintage marquee and the scent of buttered popcorn in the air, Delaware’s Strand Theatre oozes Americana. Nearby, the area’s rich history is on display in the Nash House Museum, where the Delaware County Historical Society keeps the 1870s alive and well.
The past is also celebrated in the
Delaware County communities of Radnor,
where you will find the Radnor
Historical Museum, and Powell, home of the restored
1889 Martin-Perry
Homestead. Located
on Sunbury’s quaint village square, the
Old Towne Hall and Meyer’s Inn are also
on the National Register of Historic Places.
Head west of Delaware County to Marysville to discover the majestic 19th century Union County Courthouse, which contains the original doors from gangster John Dillinger’s jail cell. The next stop is the Union County Historical Society, where rare glass pieces, china collections, war relics and other historic objects are on display. While you’re there, pay tribute to local heroes at the Veterans Memorial Building, containing inspiring murals and an impressive photo gallery. Uncover pieces of the county’s past on a Historical Walking Tour of Uptown Marysville that includes the town’s first building, which was occupied by the Scotts Company.
Travel to the southern end of the Heritage Circle to Pickaway County, home of Green’s Heritage Museum in Orient, where an old railroad depot and other transplanted landmarks await your exploration. Continue your journey with a trip to nearby Ashville and stop at Ohio’s Small Town Museum, a place so unique that it has caught the attention of both the “Oprah Winfrey Show” and the New York Times. The Ohio Erie Canal played an important role in the nation’s development and, along Wayne Township’s Canal Road, the Pickaway County Historical and Genealogical Society maintains a 2.5-mile stretch of the once-thriving transportation system.
Next, head to Lancaster in Fairfield County and visit the Sherman House, the boyhood home of Civil War Gen.William T. Sherman and his brother, Sen. John Sherman. To the north, Pickerington’s Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum celebrates the history of Harleys, Hondas and other popular bikes along with the people who rode them to fame.
All that excitement will certainly get you
hungry for dessert, so head north to Ye
Olde Mill in the Licking County town of
Utica. Operated by the Velvet
Ice Cream Co., the 1817 mill offers a factory tour,
restaurant, picnic grove and, of course, a
nostalgic ice-cream parlor, where someone
is waiting to scoop up your favorite flavor.
Cross over the Franklin County line to Reynoldsburg to pay a visit to the Alexander W. Livingston House. The house’s namesake is credited with stabilizing the wild tomato and making it a viable commercial crop.
Finally, make your way to the Knox County Historical Museum in Mount Vernon. Among its displays, you will learn more about Johnny Appleseed and musician Daniel Decatur Emmett, who is best known for penning tunes such as “Dixie” and “Turkey in the Straw.” Tours of Emmett’s birthplace home, the Woodward Opera House, and the Knox County Agricultural Museum are available by special appointment.
Historical Events
April
Tartan Days, Reynoldsburg,
(614) 866-4888
Arbor Day Celebration at
Dawes Arboretum, Newark,
1-800-44-DAWES
Recycled Art Sale, Worthington,
(614) 431-0329
Viking Festival, Ashville,
1-888-770-PICK
May
Ashville’s Viking Festival, Ashville,
(740) 983-4428
Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Festival,
Utica, 1-800-589-5000
June
Lancaster Old Car Club
Spring Festival, Lancaster,
(740) 653-2257
Downtown Business
Association’s Car Show,
Circleville, 1-888-770-PICK
July
Miami Valley Steam Threshers,
Plain City, 1-877-473-4314
“Blast from the Past” Cruise-In
Car Show, Historic Downtown
Delaware, 1-888-DEL-OHIO
Worthington Tour of Homes,
Worthington, (614) 885-8237
September
Heritage Days at Longaberger
Homestead, Frazeysburg,
(740) 322-5588
Sertoma Antique Classic
Car Show, Westerville,
1-800-824-8461
All-Horse Parade,
Historic Downtown Delaware,
1-888-DEL-OHIO
Shekinah Festival, Richwood,
1-877-473-4314
Heritage Day & Annual Classic
Car Show, Westerville,
1-800-824-8461
Oldtime Farming Festival,
Centerburg, 1-800-837-5282