Rebuilding history in Ragersville
With the opening of Old Store Winery, Ray Hisrich and fellow Ragersville Historical Society has brought the former general store in the tiny hamlet south of Sugarcreek back to life.
Ray Hisrich takes a lot of pride in his hometown of Ragersville. He’s been the president of the Ragersville Historical Society for 37 years. and buzzes around in a golf cart overseeing the different properties they care for. He can tell you just how many of the buildings in its small village center were once log cabins.
The answer to that question is eight.
With the opening of Old Store Winery, Hisrich and fellow society members just secured their place in the town’s history. Located in the former general store in the tiny hamlet south of Sugarcreek, the winery boasts an honest to goodness stone wine cellar tucked into bank behind the building. The top of that wine cellar was once a dance hall.
“What we did is purchase this building and the wine cellar four years ago. We wanted to save these buildings,” said Hisrich. “We’re working on putting this all together. It’s come together slowly as funds became available. I may not see it all happen in my lifetime.”
The Old Store Winery sits smack dab in downtown Ragersville, right next to the tavern. With eight flavors of wine available at present and names like Rag Town’s Mistake and Hang Town White Dry, they are aiming for the public’s interest to be piqued enough to come try a glass and ask about their history.
“We came up with the idea for the winery. Then my wife got interested and it took nearly a year for her to get the license. We also had to get our wine labels state-approved,” Hisrich said. “She did a lot of the footwork.”
Nancy Rininger, a Ragersville local and member of the historical society, pours a crisp white wine into a glass as she stands behind the large, beautiful bar. Her and fellow members of the historical society, along with community members, have given much of their time into getting the operation going. Along with myriad tasks they undertook, they tracked down just the right vintage tables and chairs throughout Northeast Ohio to add to the ambience. They want to make sure they get this newest venture in their hometown right.
“It started with the juice, which we got from Madison, Ohio,” said Rininger, who has some experience making wine. “We had it hauled down by a local guy. We had some help from winemakers to start out and they guided us, but we finished it on our own.”
“Our ancestors put in vineyards on Rocky Ridge just up the road when they moved here,” Hisrich said. “They had this excess of everything. There were once 13 cheese factories in Auburn Twp. Eckert had this store and put in the wine cellar. He made wine and cheese.”
A historical tidbit that comes from a written history of the area reads “Where grapes were grown, wine was made. Auburn Township wine at one time enjoyed a fine reputation and found its way by the barrel to nearby cities. When Charles A. Eckert established his general store in Ragersville, he built a wine cellar into the side of the hill west of the store. On the 1870 Ragersville Business Directory, he was listed as: Dealer in pure Grape wine, Dry goods, Groceries, etc.”
The operation does not plan to grow its own vineyards.
While the Ragersville Historical Society is a nonprofit organization, the Old Store Winery will be for profit. The money they make from selling wine they hope to put towards the upkeep of the buildings they have. The society operates off a major donation that was gifted to them in the 90s, plus donations from generous foundations, but Hisrich is quick to point out they’ve done it mostly themselves, with festivals and other events.
“If someone asks how many people live in Ragersville, I always tell them 99,” he laughed. “The count was 99 one time and not much has changed.”
Small-town pride and a healthy respect for its history bodes well for a town this small. Hisrich points out his flower-lined home that sits next door, with a pristine garden and white picket fence. The store property stretches out the back where two buildings sit. The historical society’s hope is for the Old Store Winery, plus the wine cellar and surrounding property, to someday be fashioned into a venue for different events. They also hope to one day make enough wine to sell it by the case. The opportunities are as ripe as a bunch of grapes.
The winery is currently open on Friday from 4-8 p.m. and Saturday from 2-8 p.m., and if the vintage bar doesn’t draw you in, the atmosphere will. Wine samples, $5 glasses of wine, and light food will be available. The winery is located at 2260 Ragersville Road SW, Sugarcreek, Ohio 44681.