Zoar brings presidential history to life Oct. 4-5
Historic interpreters will portray a number of U.S. presidents and other characters in Zoar Oct. 4-5 including Frank Butwin, left, as William Henry Harrison, Paul Goebbel as a New York Herald reporter, Paolo DeMaria as Rutherford B. Hayes, Kenneth Hammontree as George Washington, Charles Braun as Benjamin Harrison and Jerry Payne as Abraham Lincoln.
The award-winning Zoar and the Presidents School Day in Historic Zoar Village will be expanded this year to include a day open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 5.
In 2023 the Ohio Museums Association honored the program with its Best in Education and Outreach Award.
On Friday, Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., students including those who are homeschooled will encounter historical interpreters acting as U.S. presidents and others appropriate to the topic and time. Presidents appearing include George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Benjamin Harrison and his great-grandfather William Henry Harrison.
President William McKinley’s bodyguard and a New York Herald reporter also will appear, as will Lucretia Garfield, wife of President James Garfield, and Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin Roosevelt.
Tammi Shrum, site director for Historic Zoar Village, said visitors will have the opportunity to speak with and ask questions of the presidents and first ladies on hand.
“The presidents will also give a short biography of their lives as if part of a front porch-style campaign on various home and museum porches throughout the village,” Shrum said.
Charles Braun is a constitutional lawyer from Indianapolis who makes the trip to Zoar biannually for what he considers good reason. “I really value the opportunity to teach young people about the importance of patriotism, history and being active in civic matters,” he said.
Braun has appeared as President Benjamin Harrison numerous times at Zoar. “It’s just a joy. Grade school children love soaking up anything they can get from experiences like this. They truly believe I am the person I’m portraying and then get so excited and involved in it,” he said.
Paul Goebbel of Stow, Ohio will portray a reporter for the New York Herald, a newspaper in New York City that operated from 1835-1924 before merging with the New-York Tribune to form the New York Herald Tribune. In its heyday the Herald was considered to be the most sensationalistic of the New York newspapers.
“I don’t talk about dates or anything like that,” said Goebbel, who also has appeared at Zoar’s biannual Civil War Reenactment since 2009. “I try to give the children a lesson involving the humorous or anecdotal side. So I may talk about Abraham Lincoln’s children and the loss of two of his sons because it’s more memorable.”
The day will be filled with games, trivia, museum tours, historic demonstrations and more.
“One of the games we conduct is a trivia game asking students to match the photo of a president with the state where he was born,” Shrum said. “Also, at the end of the day on Friday, we hold a mock election where visitors can vote for their favorite president and a winner is declared. It’s really a lot of fun.”
The historic interpreters, presidential activities, tours and demonstrations will return Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets for the public day are $12 for adults or free for children age 12 and under and can be purchased at the Zoar Store at 198 Main St.
Also on Saturday
Dr. Kevin Kern, co-author of “Ohio: A History of the Buckeye State” and an associate professor of history at the University of Akron, will speak about the seven Ohioan presidents who served between 1868 and 1920. Kern has appeared on The History Channel, C-SPAN and PBS. The free event will begin at 11 a.m. in the Zoar Schoolhouse.
All private, public and homeschool groups of more than 10 people are required to register for Friday’s program through Shrum at 1-800-262-6165 or tshrum@zca.org. Smaller groups and individual homeschool families can purchase tickets at www.historiczoarvillage.com or call 330-874-3011. Registration is not required for Oct. 5.