How to go
What: Greene County History Week
Where: Various locations in Beavercreek, Bellbrook, Cedarville, Jamestown and Xenia
When: June 21-27
Cost: Free
More info: Contact Jill Kincer at 937-429-0291 or wmkincer@aol.com or contact Mary Luttrell at 937-708-6346 or xeniareddog1@gmail.com.
Schedule
Monday, June 22: Xenia Station Bike Hub, 150 N. Miami Ave. (at corner of Ohio 68 South), 10 a.m. “Meet Me at the Station” (video), Underground Railroad (short program) and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Caboose is open for tours. The program will be repeated at 2 p.m.
Tuesday, June 23: Jamestown Opera House, 19 N. Limestone St. (at East Xenia Street), 3-5 p.m. Tours of Jamestown Opera House, built 1889.
Wednesday, June 24: Bellbrook Museum, 42 N. Main St., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Experience a one-room schoolhouse circa 1880, with a volunteer guide.
Thursday, June 25: Xenia, Greene County Historical Society, 74 W. Church St., 6-8 p.m. The Railroad Display Committee will be running the model train exhibit of Xenia’s railroads circa 1920-50.
Friday, June 26: Cedarville Opera House, 54 E. Main St., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Ongoing programs about famous Cedarville persons. Learn more about the 1888 opera house.
Saturday, June 27: Beavercreek, Wartinger Park, on Kemp Road (east of Fairfield Road, next to the fire department), 11a.m.-3 p.m. Guided tours of early 1800s buildings and demonstration of pioneer woodworking tools in barn.
Saturday, June 27: Xenia, Greene County Historical Society, 74 W. Church St., 10 a.m. Blacksmith demonstrations begin; noon-4 p.m. Wright B Flyer simulator, care and cleaning of muzzle-loading rifles, rope-making demonstration, hand-quilting demonstration.
Some of Greene County’s historical treasures will be showcased during Greene County History Week, June 21-27, by several Greene County historical organizations that have joined forces to help area residents discover the county’s rich history.
Six days of the week will feature a special free event by one of the sponsors, which includes the Greene County Ohio Historical Society, the Cedarville Historical Society, the Jamestown Area Historical Society, the Bellbrook Museum and the Beavercreek Historical Society.
“Our event is a collaboration of five historical societies and showcases the heritage of Greene County. As a former teacher and director of tourism, I am interested in preserving our legacy for future generations,” said Mary Luttrell, president of the Greene County Historical Society.
“The idea about coordinating activities between all the societies was discussed last March at a joint meeting. We wanted to let the public know who we are and why we are important in Greene County,” said Luttrell, who has been involved in Greene County Ohio Historical Society since 2011 and is serving her second year as president of the organization that was founded in 1929 and now has a membership of over 350.
The week will feature free demonstrations and programs that will be of interest to all ages, she said.
When Jill Kincer retired from Kettering City Schools in 2008, she decided it was time to make good on her longtime promise to volunteer with the Beavercreek Historical Society when she had the time.
After initially volunteering with its Living History program for Beavercreek third-graders at Wartinger Park, she became secretary of its board of trustees before taking over as its president in 2012.
The Greene County History week “was a brainchild of the folks at the Greene County Historical Society. When they reached out to the Beavercreek Historical Society, our board immediately began planning how we could best share Beavercreek’s historical treasure — our beloved pioneer setting at historical Wartinger Park,” Kincer said.
“We hope that visitors will take some time to discover what local treasures are right before their eyes, places they may pass each day as they travel through the various communities — that stand as monuments to those who went before us, who worked hard to make this area what it is today,” she said, using the historical log homes at Wartinger Park as an example.
“I am often filled with a sense of wonder to imagine what Philip Harshman would’ve thought had he known that 200-plus years later, we would be giving tours through the very house he built.”
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