Visitors tour Bimeler Cabin in Zoar for the first time
A trio from Brewster were among the first visitors to see the inside of the Bimeler Cabin during an open house in Zoar.
More than 200 years ago, German immigrants seeking religious freedom settled in a place they named Zoar, after the place Lot and his family found refuge in the Bible. Leader Joseph Bimeler built what is believed to be the first home in this new land, a two-story log cabin on what is now Fourth Street, in 1917.
On Sunday, Sept. 8, those curious about the cabin were allowed to tour the inside for the first time. The cabin had been in private ownership by the Gustave “Gus” Ruetenik family of Zoar for more than 80 years. The Zoar Community Association recently was able to purchase the cabin with the aim of restoring it and using it in some capacity on future village tours.
Restoration work on the cabin, which also served as Zoar’s first church, began in August. Efforts at this time focused on the exterior of the home, specifically the chinking between the logs and the roof.
“There is old cement mortar mix between the logs that is sort of pulling away from the logs,” said Jon Elsasser, president of the ZCA. “You can see a bit of a gap between the mortar and the logs, and that’s how moisture and insects get inside.”
Town & Country Log Cabins of Akron is performing the mortar restoration, applying a synthetic chinking and sealant that remains somewhat elastic for a tighter seal against outdoor elements.
Deep roots
The Bimeler Cabin was originally smaller than it is today, consisting of just one room downstairs with a bedroom on the second floor. Bimeler moved into the much grander brick and sandstone No. 1 House at the corner of Main and Third streets upon its completion in 1935.
Bimeler shared the home with several Zoar families, primarily trustees of the Society of Separatists who settled Zoar as a communal society.
When Bimeler vacated the cabin, a Zoar family moved in, and it was thereafter called the No. 10 House. The family added a wing onto the west side of the cabin to add a bedroom.
The cabin remained the same until approximately 1930, when Ruetenik’s maternal aunt Elsie Weitz purchased the cabin as a summer retreat from the noise and heat in Cleveland. Weitz added a second wing on the east side of the cabin that contained a fireplace, a kitchen and a bathroom.
The Ruetenik family — particularly Gus and his wife Tish — would become well-known residents after Ruetenik’s father purchased an 80-acre plot of land northeast of Zoar. The property would be planted with hundreds of evergreen trees on what became Ruetenik’s Christmas Tree Farm in 1947.
“The main goal for the interior is preservation,” Elsasser said. “We will probably remove the bathtub, but what we keep will depend on how we decide to use it and what part of the cabin’s history we focus on.”
The next piece of work to be tackled is repairing the cabin’s roof. Elsasser said the roof tiles have been removed, some of which were broken.
“We were able to obtain extra tiles to replace the broken pieces,” Elsasser said. “First we have to make sure the decking, which is the wood underneath the roof, is good and solid and sealed. Then we’ll put the tiles back on.”
The purchase price of the historic home was $107,500, which was covered by five private donors. The goal now is to raise at least $75,000 to continue restoration and preservation efforts.
Donations can be made by making checks payable to the Zoar Community Association and mailing them to P.O. Box 621, Zoar, OH 44697. Online donations can be made at www.historiczoarvillage.com or by searching 1817 Bimeler Cabin Restoration on www.gofundme.com.