Save Historic Zoar, Part III: Save Historic Zoar: Community asked to rally to share their support through letters, calls, and emails

  • By Jennifer Kneuss
  • September 26, 2011
  • 394
Save Historic Zoar, Part III: Save Historic Zoar: Community asked to rally to share their support through letters, calls, and emails
Save Historic Zoar, Part III: Save Historic Zoar: Community asked to rally to share their support through letters, calls, and emails
Save Historic Zoar, Part III: Save Historic Zoar: Community asked to rally to share their support through letters, calls, and emails
Save Historic Zoar, Part III: Save Historic Zoar: Community asked to rally to share their support through letters, calls, and emails
Save Historic Zoar, Part III: Save Historic Zoar: Community asked to rally to share their support through letters, calls, and emails
                        
Summary: All who value the historical import of Zoar Village are being asked to voice their support in favor of repairing the Zoar levee in order to save the historic village from potentially devastating floods. A community is rallying together to do just that. (Note: Historic Zoar Village is in danger of disappearing. Its fate rests on an 18 month study by the U.S.Army Corp of Engineers to either repair the damaged levee protecting the village, tear down the village and allow the area to flood, or relocate the Historic Village of Zoar to higher ground. Letters of support for the village are needed. Below is the final installment in a three part series on the historical and economical value the village provides to the Tuscarawas Valley.) Each year, between 10 to 12 thousand visitors come to the quaint village of Zoar, Ohio to step into the past. They come from all over the United States, with many visiting from Germany. With the help of 2 full time and 4 part time staff, along with the vital assistance of 385 committed volunteers, visitors are introduced to the original buildings and way of life that tell the historically rich story of the Zoar Separatist Society in the 1800’s. The Harvest Festival and Civil War Reenactment events alone attract 8,000, with guests also coming for Christmas in Zoar, the Speaker Series, Zoar Dinner Series, and Zoar Garden Tour. School children and homeschooled children from all over the state also come to visit, their eyes wide as history springs to life before them. “The first part of what makes Zoar unique, is that there are so many historical buildings still in their original location, without many newer buildings interspersed. Just the general history, and what we’ve learned from that, is important. The second is the architecture of the buildings. It is so pristine in the history of buildings from the 1800’s,” said John Elasser, president of the Zoar Community Association and the Zoar Levee Committee, and also a board member of the Ohio Historical Society. Elasser is working hard, along with many others, to preserve the community. The groups have launched the Save Historic Zoar campaign, complete with an informational website at www.savehistoriczoar.org. Elasser also noted that even President William McKinley, along with his family, visited the village in August of 1901. Zoar is protected from flooding by the Zoar levee, constructed almost 75 years ago by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE). The levee, however, is in dire need of very costly repairs, and, in accordance with law, the USACE is currently conducting an 18 – 24 month study to evaluate options. These include: 1) Repair the levee and preserve Zoar, 2)Tear down the village and let the area flood, 3) Relocate the Historic Village of Zoar to higher ground. “Zoar is significant not only as a village, but also in the role it plays in our district,” said Mark Murphy, superintendent of Tuscarawas Valley Schools. “I know full well the challenges this district faces when we have floods now, with the Zoar levee in place. If the levee is not repaired, and they allow flooding to increase, I know how detrimental it will be to our district. Many of our children and their families live in the village of Zoar, and are descendents of Zoar Separatists. Across the district, if the levee is not maintained, the potential exists for that to be very detrimental to the life of our school district, not even including the educational value.” “I’m certain that there is nobody that wants to see Zoar flooded,” said Larry Bell, as he sat outside the Zoar General Zoar recently. Bell has been the village mayor for 16 years. “It was founded for religious purposes, and was the most prosperous and second longest lasting communal society in America.” The Village has applied for National Landmark status, a designation that would greatly improve its chances of survival. The results of that application are still unsettled. “We need financial assistance to promote our cause, and are selling bricks for $50 each as part of our new sidewalk program to help. We also really need letters of support to be sent in to the folks at the Army Corp of Engineers, reminding them of the impact their final decision will have on the Village.” The mayor paused as he looked across the street at the stately Zoar Hotel, and set his chin resolutely. “We have a challenge ahead, and we’ll meet it.” (Public letters of support for saving Historic Zoar Village can be sent to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Huntington District, 502 Eighth St. Huntington, WV 25701-2070, emails to: zoarlevee@usace.army.mil, or phone calls to (304)399-5720.)


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load