HHA presents gift for historic Zoar museum
Estimated cost of restoration of the 1868 building now stands at $700,000 or more.
In May, Heritage Home Association members and friends held a plant sale with the intent of raising funds toward the repairs. Well over 700 plants were sold in one day, along with assorted hand-painted clay pots and two greenhouses built by the Construction Technology Class at Garaway High School in Sugarcreek.
Last night, immediately before the Zoar Community Association Board of Trustees meeting, Edee Kirkendall, event chairperson, and other HHA members presented a check for $2,425 to George Kane, director of Historic Sites and Facilities for the Ohio Historical Society. The contribution will be added to the OHS fund earmarked for restoration of the Bimeler Museum.
Originally built as a private residence in 1868, the museum incurred major damage to the foundation, furnace, water heater and electrical system when its basement was filled with seven feet of water during the flood of 2005 and then flooded again in 2008.
The house and furnishings were bequeathed to the Ohio Historical Society in 1942 by Mrs. Lillian Ruof Bimeler Sturm, wife of William Bimeler, who was a descendent of Joseph Bimeler. Joseph Bimeler was a founder of the Society of Separatists of Zoar. There is a stipulation in her will that no admission be charged to tour the museum. Until the needed funds are raised and restoration is completed, the museum remains closed.
Several other historic buildings in Zoar were damaged by the flooding, as well, including the Zoar Hotel.
Repairs of the Zoar Levee are currently under consideration by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Also being discussed is the possibility of leaving the levee ‘as is,’ which would allow flooding to continue and lead to more extensive damage to historic structures and infrastructure in and around Zoar. In addition, there has been debate over relocating the entire village to a place with higher elevation.
There was no serious flooding problem in Zoar prior to the existence of Dover Dam, as a simple three-foot stone wall had been constructed by the Zoarites to help keep the Tuscarawas River near its banks. Much later, Dover Dam was built to protect factories to its south that no longer exist, rendering the three-foot stone wall inadequate. The levee was then constructed to protect the village from Dover Dam, which was conceived long after this historic community was established.
In essence, Zoar’s very existence is being debated. Those who would like historic Zoar to survive are encouraged to share their views in the form of a letter to Save Historic Zoar, P.O. Box 544, Zoar 44697.
The Heritage Home Association of Tuscarawas County will hold their benefit plant sale again in the spring of 2012 – in Zoar.
Published: July 12, 2011
