According to Alice Wiseman, a member of the Bellbrook/Sugarcreek Historical Society and a local expert on most things “Dille,” when the mansion was demolished, a time capsule dated 1937 was found in the cornerstone.
“There was a chiseled place in the back of the stone and there was a time capsule soldered closed,” Wiseman said. “Carol Dille, a teacher friend of mine whom I’ve known for years, called me and asked if I knew how to open a time capsule.”
Carol, the eldest daughter of Dr. Charles Dille, was one of eight siblings, all of whom grew up in the house once located at the corner of Feedwire Road and Wilmington Pike.
“I said to Carol this would make an interesting presentation for the Historical Society since most everyone in Sugarcreek (Twp.) remembers the Dille house,” Wiseman said. “We are doing a presentation about who built the house and the architect and the Dille family purchasing the house.”
The presentation is scheduled for Sept. 8 and will be open to the public beginning at 7 p.m. It will be held at the Bellbrook Presbyterian Church, 72 Franklin St.
Wiseman has been working tirelessly researching the genealogy of both the Dille and Patterson families, along with the architect of the house, Ellison Smith, who was known for details like solid oak beams, wood interior doors, intricate plaster detailing, beamed and arched ceilings and large, stone fireplaces. Many of his Tudor designs remain standing in Oakwood today.
She will be sharing the history of the families, along with the famous homestead during the presentation, which will culminate in the opening of the time capsule. The cornerstone from the house weighs nearly 400 pounds and according to Carol Dille, no one in the family knew about the time capsule until the demolishing of the house began.
“Everyone thinks the Patterson family put the time capsule in place,” Wiseman said. “We hope people will be interested to see what’s inside. We know so many have watched this famous house over the years and now it’s gone. We really wanted to give people background about the two families that owned it.”
Once the event is over, all materials Wiseman has researched and put together for the event will be permanently housed at the Bellbrook Historical Museum.
For more information about the event, call Wiseman at 937-862-6201.
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