Keepers of the Past
Goshen Twp. Historical Society P.O. Box 671, 1843 SR 28, Goshen OH 45122 (513) 575-1027 [email protected]
Elected Officers 2016
President – Linda Wasson
Vice President – Andrew Evans
Recording Secretary- Edna Rhoades
Corresponding Secretary – Nina Ross King
Treasurer – Rick Kneipp
Board Members at Large
Gerald Ross
Dave Beck
Audrey Koch
Sandy Graham
President’s Message
Spring 2017 brings some exciting projects and events
to the GTHS and our community.
Over the winter, the new cement floor was poured in
the pole barn at the Marr Education Center at the
Cook Farm. The new floor in this large structure
creates new opportunities for events at the farm. The
improvements to this building were made possible by
the generous gift by one of our members.
Another major project at the farm is the conversion of
the former dilapidated carriage house into a multipurpose building with a working blacksmith shop. This
project is well underway and will be an exciting
addition to the farm’s collection of outbuildings.
Our museum, affectionately known as the Anchorage,
is also undergoing some changes. The former second
floor storage room will soon be the new home of our
historical library. Scrapbooks, letters, newspapers,
photos and hundreds of fascinating documents on
Appointive Offices
Director – Rick Rhoades
Historian – Jim Koch
Librarians – Susan Barnette and Tina McDerman
Advisor – Jim Poe
School Liaison – Valerie Zackerman
Membership - vacant
GoshenHistory.org Statistics 2017
GoshenHistory.org site stats Jan-Feb 2017:
 Average visitors per day: 23
 Unique (new) visitors, average per day: 7
 Most popular pages:
o Home page 30.9%
o Visit (cabin & museum info) 22%
o Goshen Heroes (bios) 5.8%
o Col. John Voll 5.5%
 How users access our site:
o Desktop or laptop computer 72%
o Smart phone 19.6
o Tablet 8.1%
 Most popular search terms:
o Goshen Township Ohio
o John Voll
continued on page 2
Keepers of the Past 1
President’s Letter continued from page 1
local history will now be available to our researchers
and visitors in a comfortable, dedicated space at the
museum. Once the library move is complete, our
librarians will lead a team of volunteers in organizing
the collection and cataloging it into Past Perfect, our
museum archival software. This will be a long term
project that will require many volunteers. If you
would like to help, please contact us at
[email protected]
Thanks to the many requests from the community for
greater access to the log cabin and the museum, I am
excited to announce that the log cabin (next to
Goshen High School) will be open from 1-3pm the 3rd
Sunday of the month, May through September. The
GTHS museum, is open every Tuesday from 10am to
noon, and will now also be open 6-8pm the 1st
Wednesday of the month from April – November.
Both the museum and the log cabin are also available
for private group tours by appointment.
Please find time to visit (and bring a friend!), learn
how we are preserving Goshen’s history for the
future, and share your memories with us.
Best regards.
Linda Wasson
President, Goshen Township Historical Society
Member Notes
Congratulations to Rick Kneipp and Gerald Ross
winners of the 2016 GTHS President’s Award for
outstanding volunteer contributions.
Welcome new corporate member Kat Hall
Photography. In the past, Kat Hall has used our log
cabin exterior as the rustic backdrop for her
professional photo sessions. As a corporate member,
photographers have access to the log cabin interior,
as well as the restored bank barn. Thank you, Kat Hall
Photography for partnering with the historical society.
We look forward to working with you in 2017. For
more information on Kat Hall Photography, visit
www.KatHallPhotos.com or at
www.Facebook.com/KatHallPhotos.
New Location for Membership Meetings
Monthly membership meetings will now be held in
the Community Room at Goshen High School, 6707
Goshen Road. This new location provides us with
space more conducive to meetings and presentations,
a handicap-accessible building, and better parking.
Membership meetings are held the 4th Wednesday of
the month at 7pm. All members are encouraged to
attend.
Collection Update Thanks to Sandy Graham for
helping us acquire two 19th century rocking chairs
owned by the Hawkins family during their residence
at The Anchorage – now the GTHS Museum.
Outbuilding Restoration at the Cook Farm
The transformation of the former carriage house into
a working blacksmith shop continues. This is a major
project that first required the building to be
dismantled down to the foundation. A concrete floor
has been poured in the 1950’s pole barn, creating a
large multi-purpose building for community events.
Keepers of the Past 2
Evolution of the Shoe Last
th
From “Shoes of the 19 Century”
From the earliest origins of footwear, shoes were made
straight - with left and right being identical. Records
show that between the 14th century B.C. in Egypt until
the mid-1800’s, shoes were essentially produced the
same way by the trade—by lapstone and hammer. For
centuries, shoemakers kept secret the measurements
of their client’s feet, to help assure continued business.
Today, a similar approach by manufacturers is evident,
as one size does not fit all the same.
Shoe lasts were used in the manufacture and repair of
shoes and serves as a mold for the work done both on
the sole and the upper. Shoe lasts were made of wood
or iron. Prior to mass manufacturing, business owners
bought raw materials for shoes. Processed materials
went to women in homes, who bound the shoe’s
“uppers,” then to backyard shops (called “tenfooters”), where men “bottomed” them with soles.
Finished shoes went back to the owners for shipping to
merchants
soles of shoes to the uppers. His patents were
purchased by Gordon McKay, who improved upon
Blake's invention. The shoes made on this machine
came to be called "McKays." During the Civil War,
many shoemakers were called into the armies,
thereby creating a serious shortage of shoes for
both soldiers and civilians. The introduction of the
McKay machine was speeded up in an effort to
relieve the shortage.
In 1875 a machine for making a different type of
shoe was developed. Later known as the Goodyear
Welt Sewing Machine, it was used for making both
Welt and Turn shoes. These machines became
successful under the management of Charles
Goodyear, Jr., the son of the famous inventor of
the process of vulcanizing rubber. Following
McKay's example, Goodyear's name became
associated with the group of machinery which
included the machines for sewing Welt and Turn
shoes and a great many auxiliary machines which
were developed for use in connection with them.
For centuries the lasting pincer was the hand
shoemaker's only tool for shaping the shoe around
the form on which it is made - aided only by his
thumbs and tacks. The lasting pincer is a good tool
and is still occasionally useful; with it a century ago,
a man - with great effort- might form or last a few
pair in one long day. Today an automatic toe laster
can create 1,200 pairs in an 8-hour day.
Visit the museum to see our collection of antique
shoe lasts - and some terribly uncomfortable but
charming Victorian shoes.
In 1845 the first machine to find a permanent place in
the shoe industry came into use. It was the Rolling
Machine, which replaced the lapstone and hammer
previously used by hand shoemakers for pounding sole
leather, a method of increasing wear by compacting
the fibers. This was followed in 1846 by Elias Howe's
invention of the sewing machine. In 1858, Lyman R.
Blake, a shoemaker, invented a machine for sewing the
Keepers of the Past 3
centipede. It looked something like this photo.
The Marr Playgrounds
By Laura Bradley
When I was growing up on Goshen Road, there were a
few perks about living where we did. One of those was
the proximity to the school playgrounds. I went to
school at Marr Primary in the late 70s and early 80s, but
living just a few houses away I could access the
playground any time. I have very vivid memories of the
playgrounds at Marr and some of the things we played
there.
Next to the classroom door of Mrs. VanGilder and Mrs.
Huffaker was a small playground for the
kindergarteners. Going through the fence gate, the first
thing you came to on the playground was the swinging
gate. This was updated in color with a coat of paint
every few years, so I remember it being both red and
blue at different times. It had a handle you hung on to,
then you stepped up on the wooden plank and pushed
off to swing around in a circle. There was often a line
for the gate during recess time, so I would skip the line
knowing I could swing later after school when no one
was around. There was a small swing set (as there still
is today) with a few swings. I can remember the tallest
slide on this playground being a little too steep for my
liking at that age, and it also got very hot in the
summertime. I remember when three riding horses on
springs were put in sometime around 1979. There was
usually a line for a turn to ride those during recess as
well. The tan one was my favorite.
Behind the Marr was the bigger playground, a five year
old’s fantasy land. If you followed the path from the
kindergarten playground and entered the gate, you
would see two wooden merry-go-rounds with metal
rails to hold on to. We would all cram on while
someone ran the circle to get the speed going for the
ride around. I remember when they added two huge
tires that were partially underground. I would sit inside
them on days when it would start to sprinkle during
recess. I would sit under the tire, scratching dirt with a
stick and wait for the recess monitor teacher to call us
in.
Some of the highlights of the playground include the
There was also the dome, which was fun to hang on.
And the flat merry-go-round you could stand on.
One of my favorite things to do was swinging. I had
certain friends each year that I would swing with on
recess. For me, the swings were one of the most
social areas on the entire playground. One could
Keepers of the Past 4
The Marr Playgrounds
continued from page 4
really get to know a classmate by chatting with them
while swinging on the swings.
There were also a few teeter totters, other slides and
monkey bars, and during my second grade year there
was an addition of a wooden based monkey bar set. I
remember it well as I had decided one day to take kids
handcuffs to school - and accidentally cuffed myself to
it. I had to wait for the janitor to come out with
something to break the handcuffs open and set me
free!
Recess time on that playground brings back a lot of
memories of carefree days having fun with friends.
Playing tag, or just chasing each other for fun, freely
squealing and yelling at boys, enjoying the cool
morning air and changes in seasons throughout the
year. And for me personally, I remember my mom
making my brother walk with me to the playground,
only to play alone while he snuck under the fence and
fished at the little pond! I spent a lot of time there as a
kid, and sometimes seeing the vast difference of the
playground today is a little surreal to me. Still, there is
nothing different about the air there and the familiar
feeling of comfort one gets going back to a place they
felt safe and enjoyed so much as a kid.
Playground Trivia: The idea of the playground as a
method for imbuing children with a sense of fair play
and good manners originated in Germany where
playgrounds were erected in connection to schools,
although the first public-access playground was
opened in a park in Manchester, England in 1859. The
first public playground in the USA was built in San
Francisco's Golden Gate Park in 1887.
Upcoming events
Wednesday April 5 Historical Museum open 68pm. The GTHS Museum is located at 1843 State
Route 28.
Monday April 10 GTHS Board of Trustees meeting.
7pm at the Anchorage.
Wednesday April 26 Membership meeting. 7pm in
the Community Room at Goshen High School. Guest
speaker on the Civil War Battles of Perrysville &
Chickamauga, followed by light refreshments.
Wednesday May 3 Historical Museum open from 68pm. The GTHS Museum is located at 1843 State
Route 28.
Thursday May 11 GTHS hosts a Brown Bag Lunch for
the Greater Milford Area Historical Society at the
Cook Log Cabin. Open to GTHS members, this noon
presentation lasts approximately one hour and
includes a presentation on the log cabin restoration
and brief tour of the restored outbuildings. Please
bring your own lunch. Event will take place rain or
shine.
Sunday May 21 Cook Log Cabin open 1-3pm, located
next to Goshen High School 6707 Goshen Road. Note:
no restroom facilities on site.
Wednesday May 24 Membership meeting. 7pm in
the Community Room at Goshen High School. Guest
speaker Gary Knepp on the history of Camp
Dennison, followed by light refreshments.
The GTHS Museum is regularly open to the public on
Tuesdays from 10am – noon.
For a complete list of meetings and events, visit
GoshenHistory.org
Keepers of the Past 5
Victoria Woodhull, America's First
Female Presidential Candidate
Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for
president, made her bid for the highest office in the
nation in 1872 as a nominee of the Equal Rights
Party, a full 136 years before Hillary Clinton launched
her first campaign. Woodhull’s life was a rich
tapestry of marriages, scandal, rabble-rousing, and
activism.
Born in tiny Homer, Ohio, to indigent parents in
1838, Victoria California Claflin spent much of her
childhood at the mercy of her father’s moneymaking
schemes. With less than three years of formal
education, she worked as a child preacher, fortune
teller, clairvoyant and “magnetic healer” before her
first marriage, at age 15, to the disreputable Canning
Woodhull, an alcoholic, morphine addict, and serial
adulterer. She had two children with Woodhull
before eventually divorcing him, although she kept
his last name for the rest of her life.
In 1866, she married spiritualist and Civil War hero
Col. James Blood. This also ended in divorce, but the
union would end up being serendipitous for
Woodhull. In 1868, Blood encouraged Woodhull and
her younger sister Tennessee “Tennie” Claflin to
move to New York. The sisters secured a house on
Great Jones Street and convinced shipping and
railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt to hire them
as his personal spiritualists. He eventually agreed to
fund a brokerage firm helmed by the sisters. In 1870,
the firm of Woodhull, Claflin & Co. opened on
Manhattan’s Broad Street. Woodhull became one of
the first two “lady stockbrokers” in the city. New
York newspapers dubbed Woodhull and her sister
“The Lady Bankers” and “Bewitching Brokers,” and
they allegedly made $700,000 in their first six weeks
of business (about $13 million today.) The profits
allowed the sisters to found their own newspaper,
Woodhull & Claflin’s Weekly in which they advocated
for eight-hour workdays, gender and racial equality,
and sexual education for teens.
of the U.S. House of Representatives at the United
States Capitol, advocating for women’s suffrage and
arguing that, in fact, nowhere did the text of the
Constitution deny women the right to vote.
Woodhull was a gifted orator, and her appearance
caught the attention of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and
Susan B. Anthony, catapulting Woodhull onto the
national stage.
On the strength of her newfound notoriety,
Woodhull announced she was going to run for
president of the United States in 1872 as a candidate
of the Equal Rights Party, which she and Claflin had
founded. It seems unlikely that she ever thought she
would win, but the candidacy gave her a national
platform to talk about women’s suffrage and other
progressive issues. She named Frederick Douglass as
her running mate, but there’s no proof that Douglass
ever accepted or even acknowledged the
nomination.
Anthony Comstock, of the New York Society for the
Suppression of Vice, made it his personal mission to
suppress the ideas of the Claflin sisters, and he had
them arrested eight times within a six-month period.
At the end of this ordeal, they were bereft of friends
and allies and nearly broke. When Cornelius
Vanderbilt died in 1877, his heirs may have paid the
sisters to move to England so they wouldn’t be
present to contest his will. In any event, both sisters
married rich members of the landed gentry on the
other side of the pond, where they spent the last
thirds of their respective lives. Woodhull died in
1927.
In January of 1871, Woodhull became the first
woman to appear in front of the Judiciary Committee
Keepers of the Past 6
Goshen Twp. Historical Society
PO Box 671
Goshen, OH 45122
Visit. Explore. Learn. Share.
Goshen Twp. Historical Society
Cook Log Cabin and Farm
Historical Museum
“The Anchorage”
Keepers of the Past 7
www.GoshenHistory.org