COSHOCTON − Maureen and Todd Kennedy of Cincinnati have visited the region several times to tour Amish country and wineries. They made sure to coordinate their trip to Stone Crest Vineyard in Frazeysburg with the America250 events in Coshocton, saying the celebration reflects what they love about the area.
“It’s a different style of life. You’re bigger cities like Columbus and Cincinnati, they don’t have things like this. (In Coshocton) there’s always something going on,” Todd said.
Myriad activities ran from July 16 to 19 and included everything from performances by the Coshocton Community Band and GhostBox Productions theater troupe to free tours of Roscoe Village and rides on the Monticello III canal boat.
Reenactors and artist connect history
A focus of the weekend was connecting to Coshocton’s past at the dawn of the United States’ founding in 1776. This included a Revolutionary War encampment at Skip’s Landing by Dave Barno of Gahanna and Steve Zinslee of Blanchester. They setup a camp fire, explained their reproduction uniforms and fired muskets.
“I learn best, like everybody else I know, by seeing and doing. My goal is for a family to come out here and have an experience and maybe feel better connected to each other and their ancestors and the area where they live,” Barno said on the value of doing a reenactment.
Barno said Skip’s Landing, with a river on each side, was a key location for soldiers moving through the area from Pittsburgh to Detroit and a hub for Native Americans.
Artist Holly Wilson of the Delaware/Lenape Nation was visiting Coshocton from Mustang, Oklahoma, by invitation of the Pomerene Center for the Arts. She’s been tracking the Delaware’s forced push west from the east coast, including Coshocton, which translates from the Delaware language to “here one turns to go up river.”
“It’s exciting to be where my family has passed through and to be able to connect with that and the land. For me, it’s very touching,” Wilson said of her visit.
Storytelling is a key to history
Activities at the Pomerene’s artPARK included exploring the nation’s musical history and a wood fired cooking demonstration by Jamie Payne of Cincinnati.
“Part of the fun is the storytelling and communicating with people about a very ancient way of cooking. Before we had the grills and the flattops and all the fancy things we have today, this is what humans would gather around,” Payne said while pointing at the roaring fire.
Storytelling was also at the heart of tours of the Coshocton County Courthouse. Local historian Ken Smailes told tales of the area downstairs while Magistrate Christie Thornsley and Judge Robert Batchelor talked about the historic courtroom, which was restored in 2015 to reveal a balcony and mural depicting a treaty between Col. Henry Bouquet and the Seneca, Shawnee and Delaware tribes in 1764.
“It’s part of America250. It’s part of our history,” Batchelor said of the courthouse. “It’s a unique feature and I think it’s the iconic feature of Coshocton County. It’s living history to come through a building like this, learn a little more about it and be a part of it.”
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 18 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Coshocton connects community to nation’s founding through America250 events
Reporting by Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune / Coshocton Tribune
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By Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune | USA TODAY Network
