On Sept. 6, between 6-9 p.m., the Fayette County Museum will be open for guided tours and on display will be its 1906 era horse-drawn mail wagon. The wagon was used daily for mail delivery from Washington Court House to Good Hope, a small village in southern Fayette County.
Photos courtesy of Historical Society
On Sept. 13, between 6-9 p.m., the museum will again be open for guided tours, and on display will be its turn-of-the-century vintage horse-drawn hearse, manufactured by the Riddle Coach and Hearse Co. of Ravena, Ohio. This hearse would have been manufactured between 1891 and 1910-12 when motorized funeral cars were being phased into use.
Photos courtesy of Historical Society
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, OHIO — The Fayette County Historical Society will take part in Ohio Open Doors from Sept. 6-15.
Visitors can discover Ohio’s amazing heritage on Friday, Sept. 6 through Sunday, Sept. 15, as historic buildings and fascinating places across the state open their doors for tours and events as part of the Ohio History Connection’s annual event.
Admission to all Ohio Open Doors events is free. A list of the statewide events and activities is available at ohiohistory.org/opendoors.
“Ohio Open Doors shares stories of important landmarks and interesting sites right in our backyards, highlighting the history and unique nature of some of Ohio’s most treasured places,” said Diana Welling, director of the Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office and State Historic Preservation Officer.
On Sept. 6, between 6-9 p.m., the Fayette County Museum will be open for guided tours and on display will be its 1906 era horse-drawn mail wagon. The wagon was used daily for mail delivery from Washington Court House to Good Hope, a small village in southern Fayette County.
Each of Fayette County’s 10 rural mail routes covered about 20 miles a day. These wagons were used up until the time horseless carriages were implemented. One will be able to see inside the wagon the “sorting slots” where mail was separated while en route, as mail is sorted today in post offices, along with the very basic interior of the wagons.
On Sept. 13, between 6-9 p.m., the museum will again be open for guided tours, and on display will be its turn-of-the-century vintage horse-drawn hearse, manufactured by the Riddle Coach and Hearse Co. of Ravena, Ohio. This hearse would have been manufactured between 1891 and 1910-12 when motorized funeral cars were being phased into use. One can view the interior of the hearse, which contains a wicker basket used during transportation.
This beautiful, ornately decorated hearse was one of two that came to the Society in 1961 from Pike County, Ohio.
The Ohio History Connection created Ohio Open Doors in 2016 to promote and inspire pride in Ohio’s heritage and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on Oct. 15, 1966, the Act has proven instrumental in transforming communities from coast to coast, establishing the legal framework and incentives to preserve historic buildings, landscapes and archaeological sites. It drives economic revitalization by attracting investment, support small business, stabilizing neighborhoods and creating jobs.
Ohio Open Doors partner organizations include the Ohio Arts Council, TourismOhio, the Ohio Travel Association and Heritage Ohio.
For more information, go to ohiohistory.org/opendoors or the Facebook page: fayettecountyohiohistory, or call 740-335-2953.
