Day 1 of the Ohio Good Sam Rally for us … I should have
started the day out with the walk … but at 8 am, it was still only 42 degrees …
too chilly for these Florida bones!
We signed up for the “Mystery Tour.” We did not know any
more than that … but we were supposed to be lined up at 10 am to depart … and
we would get food.
When we lined up, she said do you know where the
Ravenwood Winery is? Everyone from Ohio said, oh yes … the coordinator said,
“good … but we aren’t going there”. Groans from the crowd could be heard … "It
is a new building across the street from the winery!"
So, our first stop – McKenna’s Farm Market. From the
outside it looked inviting, with two old delivery wagons.
One was a horse and buggy, the other an old delivery
van.
The exterior boasted 50% off basket sales. So we
picked a gold one up for our chapter raffle in Eustis. As Florida is
celebrating its 50th Anniversary.
Inside the ladies were ready for us with samples of
cheese, sodas and meats. The market is owned and operated by the McKenna
family. They have been in the deli and market business for a long time –
starting with Unusual Junction in nearby Coshocton County back in the 1970s. The
deli sandwich selections looked impressive and the soups smelled delicious! Our
tour coordinator told us, this was not lunch … just samples. Well, we might
come back here for lunch one day!
Besides fresh veggies, flowers and baskets. They have
over 200 bulk snacks, dried veggies, fruits, candies, and spices. They sell
gourmet, artisan, and local foods, fresh ground coffee beans, teas, condiments,
and a private label line of over 100 jams, preserves, pickles, relishes and
fruit butters. Some of us filled our bellies more than others, but we all left
with an item or two!
Our Second stop was the Old Stone Fort. The Chamber
of Commerce even hooked us up with a very informative guide. He told us that it
is one of the great mysteries of Ohio history is the identity of the builder of
the Old Stone Fort located near the bank of the Tuscarawas River.
Most historians agree that the Stone Fort is the
oldest existing building west of the Appalachian Mountains. The identity of the
builder is debatable and centers on three candidates – French explorer De’Iberville,
the first British fur trader George Croghan, and finally Isaac Evans, original
owner of the farm where the Old Fort stands. Although occasionally referred to
as the Evans Fort, the last choice is doubtful for descendants of Isaac Evans
say the fort was an antique when he first saw it upon arrival in the area about
1800. The French Ottawa government in the 1700s sent De’Iberville to build
forts to the Mississippi to establish French claims on the Ohio territory.
Several such forts were built; one he recorded, was located northwest of the
Ohio River and is usually considered to be Fort Sandusky, but could be the Old
Stone Fort. The evidence for George Croghan seems the strongest. Paul Goudy, a
historian from Tuscarawas County, spent many months in England in 1975
researching library and museum records on the subject and arrived at the
opinion that the French did not build the Fort. His research found that the
only time the French were in Ohio was in the period of 1752-1759, seven years
after the arrival of Croghan in about 1745.
Its tiny size, about fourteen feet square inside,
hardly qualifies it as a fort in a military sense, but it could be the right
size to ward off bandits or renegade Indians for a few days. There was a loft
above for storage with a second story door opening to the outside. Presumably
there was a ladder access from the inside too.
The floor is dirt and the stone for the 22-inches
thick walls was believed to be quarried north of the Fort, across the
Tuscarawas River. The north, east and west walls have vertical gun slits, or
embrasures; the south side has the only ground entrance. It is said the
original door was a double door; one swung inward, the other outward, each
being about 3-inches thick. The stone walls on the east and west sides are
gabled upward to the peak of the roof.
On that roof, I spotted a bird. He or she looked so
peaceful sitting there, listening to our guide.
The Fort has seen the ravages of benign neglect over
the many years since Croghan left in 1750. By 1952, when owner Manches Atkinson
agreed to deed the Fort and an access right-of-way to the Coshocton County
Historical Society on condition that it would be restored to its original
condition as nearly as possible within a year, only about half of the stone
walls remained standing. Newspaper appeals raised most of the $2,000 needed.
Restoration relied on a few old photographs and descriptions by early settlers
and historians. The 1952 restoration was faithfully completed as authentic as
possible.
For the Coshocton County Sesquicentennial Old Stone
Fort Dedication Ceremony held on May 14, 1953 a marble marker was unveiled. The
marker identifies all that helped rebuild the Old Stone Fort.
More than 65-years have passed now and the Fort
restoration is still basically sound, with some shifting and cracking on the
back wall. A mobile home and large propane tank have been placed on the
property a few feet south of the Fort and spoiled the view. Agriculture continues
close to the north and west edges of the Fort. The last uncertainty is: who is
the owner now. The previous owner, the Coshocton Historical Society dissolved.
The local Scout Troop cuts the grass during the summer and other spirit-minded
historians try to keep interest alive in the community. But what will become of
this historic piece? Local historians fight to keep the Fort alive!
There is an old family cemetery visible from the Old
Stone Fort. It currently sits in the middle of a farmer’s field. The cemetery
is almost as much of a mystery as the Old Stone Fort, but at least some of the
grave stones still have names and dates, unlike the Old Stone Fort.
Our third stop was the Ridgewood General Store in West
Lafayette. It’s proprietor, Jay Davis, likes to try new things and support
small businesses, with both being key to what you will find at the Ridgewood
General Store. The general store opened on October 15th 2018, but
has been about two years in the making. The former Maytag store on Main Street
in West Lafayette was totally renovated.
Ridgewood General Store features a full-service deli with a
breakfast and lunch menu, baked goods from Dutch Valley, meats and cheeses from
regional producers, hand dipped ice cream, espresso bar and apparel from
Ridgewood High School. Davis said a future goal is to open up the second floor
and focus that on clothing and memorabilia for the Ridgewood School District.
Davis also wants to support unique, small businesses, no
matter where they might be. An example is Tractor Beverage Co. located in
Idaho. The organic non-GMO fountain soda boasts unusual flavors like cucumber
and coconut, different than the pop offerings in most local stores and
restaurants.
Many ordered the daily special of beef vegetable soup and a grilled
cheese burger. You can go to almost any restaurant and get a hamburger, so
that's why the deli offers unique items like a hamburger, with all the fixin’
sandwiched between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches. The menu features other items
like fried bologna, jerk chicken wraps and a signature sandwich recently cooked
up, the Wild Pig on Main. Which is grilled kielbasa, Gouda cheese, hot pepper
butter, lettuce, tomato, onion and a fried egg on sourdough. I think I’ll pass
on that one!
This was our last stop on the mystery tour and we all made
our way back to the Coshocton Fairgrounds to partake in more Ohio Good Sam
Rally Activities! Good night, until tomorrows Two Lane Adventures!
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