061311 Traveling through history

  • By Sharon Haught
  • June 3, 2011
  • 297
                        
Summary: A motor coach tour sponsored by the Wayne County Historical Society will transport history buffs to another place and time. Local residents will have the opportunity to travel back in time when the Wayne County Historical Society hosts a motor coach tour packed with places of historical significance spanning the timeframe from the Revolutionary War to the end of the nineteenth century. According to event organizer Gerald Payn the August 11 tour departs at 8:00 a.m. from the parking area at the east end of the Wayne County Fairgrounds on Vanover Street across from the County Administration Building. The first stop on the tour will be Ohio’s only Revolutionary War fort - Fort Laurens in Bolivar. Named in honor of the then president of the Continental Congress, Henry Laurens, the wilderness outpost was built in 1778 to support an unsuccessful campaign to attack British troops entrenched in Detroit. According to the Ohio Historical Society web site, “supplying this wilderness outpost was its downfall, as its starving garrison survived on boiled moccasins and withstood a month-long siege by British-led Indians.” The fort was abandoned in 1779. According to Payn amongst the troops that protected Fort Laurens was Captain Abraham Lincoln, grandfather of the 16th President of the United States. Though little more than the outline of the fort remains today a small museum commemorating the soldiers of the frontier housing archaeological artifacts from the excavation of the fort and a video on the fort’s history is open for visitors. Visitors can also pay their respects to the patriots who died defending the fort at the Tomb of the Unknown Patriot of the American Revolution in the extensive park surrounding the museum. The second stop on the tour is the historic Zoar Village. According to Payn, Zoar was founded in 1817 by German religious dissenters. The communal society flourished until the late 1890’s. Many of the original German style buildings constructed by Zoar’s founders have been lovingly restored. While many of them are open to the public, others house shops, restaurants and bed and breakfasts owned by private individuals. “A lavish garden is cultivated in the center of the village just as it was in the 1800's,” added Payn. During the tour of nine buildings in the Zoar historic area, the group will break for lunch at the historic Firehouse Grill and Tavern in Zoar before departing for the final stop on the tour – the McCook House in Carrollton. “This large brick house, which has recently been restored, is a memorial to the ‘Fighting McCooks’ - a nickname given to the family because of their military service during the Civil War,” said Payn. The home, which was built by Daniel McCook, was the family’s home till 1853. “During the Civil War Daniel's family contributed nine soldiers to the Union cause, including five generals. Brother John's family contributed five officers,” said Payn adding “Daniel and four of his family members died in the conflict.” According to Payn the house has several period rooms and a large room of exhibits on the McCook family and the Civil War. The tour is expected to return to Wooster by about 5:30 p.m. According to Payn the cost of the trip is $40. The only additional costs would be for lunch plus any donations made at the museums. Although the deadline for registration and payment for the trip is August 2, Payn noted that another motor coach tour offered by the Historical Society earlier this spring sold out. According to Payn any profits made on the trip will be used to help the Wayne County Historical Society fulfill its mission to of preserving Wayne County’s history. For additional information on the motor coach tours contact event coordinator Gerald Payn at 330-345-5547.


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