Ed Olenhouse's dedication to the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society spans eight years of active involvement, during which he's lent his time and expertise to various projects and initiatives. As a committed volunteer, he's been instrumental in the seamless operation of numerous endeavors. On weekends, he assumes the role of a docent, leading tours of the village and sharing its rich history with visitors.

Among his many contributions, Ed finds particular joy in engaging with third-grade students during school tours, where he imparts the fascinating story of the caboose. His ability to connect with children, vividly illustrating the life of train conductors and flagmen, has left a lasting impact. He cherishes the moments when returning students recognize him as "the caboose guy."

Ed's roots in Hilliard run deep, with thirty-four years of residency under his belt. His relocation from Binghamton, NY, to serve as a district manager for Columbia Gas underscores his commitment to the community. Now retired, Ed has embraced his newfound freedom by devoting himself to the Historical Society and his church, where he's held various leadership roles.

His journey into the Historical Society was inspired by the enthusiasm of fellow member Bob Peterson. Ed's involvement extends beyond mere participation; he serves on the Advisory Committee, sits on the Board of Directors, and oversees the management of Building and Grounds. His leadership and organizational skills are indispensable assets to the society.

For Ed, Hilliard is not just a place of residence—it's home. Similarly, his involvement with St. Brendan Catholic Church is deeply rooted in his faith. And as for the Historical Society, it's his source of joy and fulfillment, where he's committed to creating a meaningful historical experience for children, shaping their futures positively.

When it comes to the future of Hilliard, Ed advocates for responsible growth, preferring commercial developments to remain closer to the I-270 bypass and limited in height to four stories to preserve the town's character.

Reflecting on the Historical Society's potential, Ed recognizes the need for more volunteers to ensure its continued success and expansion. While the opportunities for improvement are vast, he remains optimistic about the organization's potential with increased community support.

James has been an active member of the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society for the past decade. He was drawn to the society's commitment to preserving the past and educating the public about historical concepts. James admires the society's efforts to provide high-quality educational experiences and events.

One of James's favorite activities within the historical society is contributing to events, particularly the Haunted Village. His involvement allows him to engage with the community while promoting historical awareness in an entertaining way.

James is a dedicated cybersecurity engineer employed by the Defense Logistics Agency. With a background of 24 years of service in the USAF, James brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his current role. His commitment to safeguarding critical systems aligns perfectly with his passion for ensuring the security and integrity of digital infrastructure.

After his extensive military career, James, along with his family, decided to settle in Hilliard, Ohio, to provide a nurturing environment for their children. The selection of Hilliard was a well-researched decision, driven by the town's appealing features and strong community values.

James and his family have lived in Hilliard for 18 years now, and they have become an integral part of the community. He appreciates the town's excellent infrastructure and amenities, especially its public schools and steady economic growth. However, he advocates for improvements in public transportation and better communication about local events.

Volunteering with the historical society has had an impact on James's personal growth. It has boosted his self-esteem and provided him with a sense of purpose beyond his professional endeavors. His commitment to the historical society demonstrates his dedication to making a meaningful contribution to the local community.

In summary, James Chandler is not only a cybersecurity expert but also a passionate advocate for historical preservation and community engagement in Hilliard, Ohio. Through his involvement with the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society, he continues to make a positive impact on both the town's heritage and its residents' lives.

Dawn Steele, prosecutor and staff attorney for the city of Hilliard, is Vice President of the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society. She became involved and became an expert on the Merchant family that is highlighted in the museum after researching potential names for a new city park. She went on to create the museum’s Merchant Family exhibit.

“The project brought me to the society,” she said. “I always loved history and when the city was looking to naming a park we wanted to do research on indigenous and black history in the area. Everything I researched came back to the Merchant family. Because of my work on that, the Historical Society asked me to look into designing the exhibit.”

The project led to friendship with the Merchants. “I think of their sense of family and wanting to learn about and preserve their history. They want to preserve it before it is lost and they welcomed me into their family to share stories,” said Dawn.

Her research uncovered the major role the Merchants played in Hilliard starting in the 1830s.

“They were welcomed and integrated into this community, and their presence, along with other freed slaves that settled here, helped form the community,” said Dawn.

Like so many others in the city, Dawn, a Hilliard resident, was not aware of the society’s projects. She was surprised when she first visited the Village.

“This is amazing that we have this. I had no idea. We have to let more people know,” she said.

Dawn is working to do just that as liaison between the Historical Society and the city. “The city values the partnership and understands the value that the society brings to the community,” she said.

As vice president of the society, Dawn’s work includes providing support to people serving on various boards. She is helping redesign the society’s brochure, and she is on the committee that is creating a virtual tour of the village. The overall goal is to publicize the society.

“We want to get more and more people to know what is here and to come experience it,” said Dawn.

One of the ways to make this happen is to put the focus on children and families, she said. “We would build a little activity or hands-on workshop outside of our big events. Something smaller so if they come they can make butter or build a birdhouse – do something with their hands the way it would have been done in the past so that when they come it is a family experience,” she said.

“The more it is an experience, the more they will tell other people and want to come back. So it becomes one of their weekend go-to stops even if it is for an hour or two. They can see something a little different each time,” said Dawn.

Dawn’s other work is in the museum.

“I enjoy updating the exhibits as we learn new information and we realize there is a piece that we would like to add. We can freshen up the exhibits so people will keep coming back,” she said.

Upgrades in the new part of the museum are ongoing. For example, Dawn is working with Tim Woodruff to make the kitchen representative of the 1800s thanks to the addition of a vintage ice box and wood-burning stove. “It’s a good start,” she said.

Submitted by Rosemary Kubera

Ron Snider has been a member of the Historical Society for some 11 years. Like so many others, he was invited to join by someone already involved - former president, the late Harry Smith. Ron knew Harry when they worked together. Ron was a math teacher for 32 years at the old-Hilliard and at Davidson high schools until he retired in 2001.

“Harry was always on me to join. I turned him down for about two years before he finally wore me down. Harry was right: this is a good thing to do,” said Ron.

“When I joined I had no idea what I’d be doing. I mostly joined to get Harry off my back. He could be pretty insistent,” said Ron. “I discovered I liked what people are doing here. It made me feel good to be part of an organization that was trying to do good for the community. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve done here,” he said.

He works behind the scenes for the most part.

“The Historical Society needs people like me who don’t mind doing the physical work in the background - getting things done. I really I enjoy that a lot,” he said.

“When I joined, the first person I met was Tim Woodruff. He called me and said he was doing a bunch of work in the museum. I got involved in building the doctor’s office, the barber shop, the parlor -- none of that was there when I came, it was just display cases,” he said.

“Tim kept calling me back to do other things around the museum. I put up shelving in the new part of museum. I did a lot of the painting in there with Ben Buoni,” said Ron.

Ron and Ben also collaborated on painting the church exterior.

“That is the sort of thing I like to do,” said Ron.

He’s not always in the background, however. “I work with many of the school tours. I do whatever they want me to do. I’ve presented in the caboose, the train station, occasionally the log cabin. Sometimes I’m the timer. It just depends on whatever Megan (Martin, volunteer coordinator) needs me to do. I’m fine to do that, it’s always interesting,” said Ron.

Ron especially gets a kick out of showing children the caboose. “Virtually never can I find a kid on the tour who has any idea what a caboose was for. The younger teachers don’t even know. The last cabooses came off trains in the 1970s-early 80s. I have to explain to kids the caboose is basically a recreational vehicle on railroad tracks. Kids always know what that is, and that gets the conversation going. Like a RV, the caboose has a table, beds, ice box, and a sort of toilet.”

Ron added that most children don’t know who John Hilliard was.

“It is nice to explain how this town came to be as a railroad stop - to give children a sense of history. Afterwards, you feel like you passed on some information - things children should know about their community,” he said.

Ron said it’s hard to say what he enjoys most.

“I like the times when I’ve been talking to second- and third-graders on a school tour. I like the times working with people to build displays because afterwards you can look and say: I did that. That is a nice feeling. It makes me sort of proud of what I’ve done.”

What he likes best about the society is the sense of history it gives residents.

“Most of the people who live here didn’t grow up here and have no sense of how long the town has been here and what the history is. I really like the idea of passing on all that knowledge.”

He added, “The village is a hidden gem, not just in Hilliard but in Franklin County because a lot of the history of the county is reflected in the history of Hilliard.”

Ron calls it critical that the society attract younger people as new members.

“You look at people like Tim or Bob (Eggerichs) or me, we are all the same age. Though we keep doing it, it is getting more and more difficult because of our age.”

“What we haven’t done enough of is attracting people in their 20s and 30s who can take over. We need somehow or other to get younger people involved,” he said, adding, “I don’t have an answer, I only have questions.”

Ron and his wife, Coral, have three children: Jenny of Hilliard, Jill of Lewis Center, and Nick of
Galloway. They have six grandchildren.

Hilliard Darby High School sophomore Kole Hyer, 15, is one of six teenagers who are members of the society and the only one who is a member of the Board of Trustees. Kole is, in fact, the board’s youngest member.

Why did he seek the post?

“I felt I have a larger impact on the Society and have more of a say in how we spend our money and what events we do and what not,” he said.

Kole said his most important contribution to the board is “having a youth presence – not any big actions but having a younger voice in there.”

Kole is serving his first term. He’s been on the board for two and one-half years and will be up for reelection in February.

He has been a member of the society since age 11. That was when his family visited the Village while attending the Franklin County Fair.

“I talked to Megan Martin in the cabin and I had a real big interest in the society. I’ve always been fascinated by history. It’s a big part of our culture here in Hilliard,” he said.

Kole has put in over 350 volunteer hours helping with numerous events throughout the years. His favorite is the Haunted Village. “It mixes a big holiday with history. It is fun. Families get to know about the society through Halloween,” he said.

He added, “I’ve met a lot of new people and the society has a very special place in my heart. I have a lot of good memories here that I’ll remember forever.”

What are his favorite memories?

“A lot of chats we have had on the porch – a lot of stories old-timers tell. Ron Snider and me have good conversations. It’s just the little stuff like that,” said Kole.

What needs improvement?

“We need more and more volunteers. We are short staffed. We have to get the word out that we are here and part of Hilliard. We need more people to know about the Village. There have been numerous cases where we are talking with people who come through who have lived
here their whole lives and didn’t know about us. They say they are going to come back and bring
the kids and family. And that helps the society become more integrated in Hilliard and that
preserves the society that way,” he said.

The son of Scott and Anita Hyer, Kole has a sister, Lilly, also age 15. He plans to become a history teacher in middle or high school and is looking forward to attending Miami or Ohio University where he will continue to participate in cross country and track.

Contributed by Rosemary Kubera

Bob Eggerichs began his second term as president of the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society in August.

His Number One goal is “to keep the place open. We have to be sure we have enough money coming in to pay for utilities and operating expenses,” he said.

“The second goal is to grow the membership – and that is to replace the people that are not able to work the Village anymore due to moving away or they are physically incapable of helping, and to get younger people involved,” he said.

To meet the goal of involving more young people, Bob said the society works through high schools and also is trying to strengthen the relationship with Hilliard’s superintendent of schools, David Stewart.

“We are trying to build our relationship with the superintendent to have him as one of our advocates,” said Bob.

The state of the society is good. “Financially we feel like we are pretty sound but I’ll qualify that: one catastrophe and it could wipe out everything we’ve accomplished,”
he said. “That could be a fire or unexpected event that would cause us to lose a building or incur a terrible expense we didn’t plan on.”

An unanticipated expense that hit the books in August was the bill for replacement of roofs on the museum and school house that were damaged by a wind storm.

“The roofs weren’t a catastrophe because we had insurance, but it was an unplanned expense,” said Bob.

The society’s greatest asset is its people, he said. “We are so blessed at the breath and depth of our volunteers. We have about 30 that would be available for special events and that is out of a list of 180 members on the roster,” he said.

The biggest problem facing the society is finding volunteers who have time to help out. “Whenever we have an event going on, we have to find people available at that time. It takes a lot of work to find people available at the time and date that we want them. We have a wonderful group and we are blessed that we have them but trying to find when they are available is very difficult,” he said.

To help solve the problem the society has begun using the internet program SignUpGenius. Volunteers can go on line and see when and where help is needed and then match the need to their own availability.

Volunteers who feel they aren’t qualified to lead tours can get training by signing up for one of the tour guide slots when the Village is open on Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The work load typically is light then and volunteers with more experience are available to help those seeking to learn. In particular, long-time volunteer and Board of Trustees member Megan Martin is present at the Village every Sunday to lead tours for visitors and volunteers alike. In addition, Bob, and other long-time members who have expertise to share, volunteer for weekend shifts.

Why did Bob want to take on the challenge of the presidency and also volunteering at special events and weekend tours? “Because it is fun,” he said. “It is so enriching to me that we can tell people about the history of the Hilliard area. To me, it is a legacy that I have the responsibility to pass on to whoever takes on this position later. We also owe it to the community to show the history of Hilliard,” he said.

Bob has been a member of the society for some eight years. “I joined because I had retired from work and was looking for something of interest. One of the members named Bob Peterson said why don’t I look at the Village – they always need help with tours.”

Once Bob Peterson mentioned that the Village has a train station, Bob was hooked. “I like steam trains. It is just the nostalgia of an era gone by,” he said.

Bob, a retired senior project manager for Verizon, lives in Hilliard with his wife, Judy. The couple has two adult children: Jen, a member of the society, and Mike of Vermillion, Ohio. Bob and Judy have two grandchildren. They celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on Sept. 7

Hilliard’s former police chief started his eighth year as treasurer of the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society this month. Rod Garnett wasn’t yet a member when board member Tim Woodruff recruited him for the position in 2015. “I’ve known Tim for a long time and he asked me to do it,” said Rod.

His interest in history leans more toward the Civil War than that of Hilliard in the late 1800s/early 1900s, but his background includes extensive experience and education in finance.

What he enjoys most about overseeing the budget is “being able to make sure that the society is financially stable and has good reporting practices.”

Rod reported at the society’s August membership meeting that the society is indeed on stable financial footing. It is securely in the black and budgets $41,100 for general operations. There is $8,841 in the special projects fund.

Rod enjoys the job of society treasurer. “I have a system. I have paperwork I have to submit to be reimbursed and invoices that need to be paid,” he said.

Good financial news also comes from the city of Hilliard. “We are in the third or fourth year of getting direct grants from Hilliard to help operate the village and society,” Rod said.

Rod is retired after 35 years as a Hilliard police officer – for 24 of those years he was chief. He served as manager of the Franklin County Fairgrounds for six years after he retired from the police force. For some 15 years he has served as treasurer of the Hilliard Kiwanis Club where he is a 40-year member.

“I managed a budget of over $7 million with the police and I have a Bachelor’s Degree in public safety and management from Franklin University, and a Master’s in Criminal Justice Administration from Tiffin University – and that degree had a primary focus on budget and finance. Plus as chief I had to do budgeting and process invoices,” he said.

Though he’s the money man, Rod says the society’s best asset is its members.

“The best asset is the people that I’ve met that belong to the society and contribute to all the things that are going on,” he said.

Improvement is needed in the areas of volunteerism and increased membership, he added.

“You see some of the same people doing the same events over and over again, and sometimes with pretty limited resources,” he said.

Rod and his wife, Meg, live in Hilliard and have three adult children: Nathan and Hilary live in Hilliard, and Betsy lives in Vandalia, Ohio. The couple has nine grandchildren – eight of them girls.

Rod has lived in Hilliard since he was 8 years old. His brothers and sister still live here.

“I’ve been in Hilliard for 63-plus years and seen the own town area and a lot of things change. When I was a kid, the Old Bag of Nails restaurant was a hardware store. And there were several buildings on North Main and Center streets that aren’t there anymore,” he said.

“If you look at the history in metropolitan areas and how they expand, change is inevitable,” he added. What he likes best about the city of Hilliard is his many friends and acquaintances.

“One of my pet peeves is development of the Old Hilliard part of the city. It lacks an identity and the things they have put in to try and attract people don’t have enough parking places. I see that as a big downfall,” said Rod.

Contributed by Rosemary Kubera

Mike Lichtensteiger has been involved with the Historical Society since about 2007 – some two years after his wife, Ruth, began volunteering to work on genealogy in the society’s library.

“We’d be here at activities and I’d see things that needed to be done and just started doing them – in the yards, landscaping and things like that,” said Mike.

Soon both Mike and Ruth were recognized for their time and effort. Ruth has since cut back on volunteering but Mike is going strong.

“Mike is another one of those unsung heroes who does things, primarily landscaping around the Village and library, in the background but wants no recognition for it. He is the type of person who can be counted to do something when asked,” said society President Bob Eggerichs.

Mike recently laid down mulch and tended gardens around the Colwell Chapel in preparation for a scheduled memorial service. But he doesn’t need an upcoming event to get to work. He cares for the landscaping based on
need.

“I work around the buildings – the bushes and flowers and so on. The city has a contractor that does the mowing although I spent quite a bit a time with a trimmer getting spots along the trees and buildings – weeding and cutting out dead stuff,” said Mike. “Sometimes I clean up if contractors haven’t done a good job.”

Why does he do it? “I grew up on a farm and I enjoy working outdoors. When you get things done there are results you can see.”

Mike makes his living indoors as assistant chairman of the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the Ohio State University. “I teach some of the system dynamics, electricity, and instrumentation courses,” he said. “I’ve been connected continuously with OSU since 1974 when I got out of the army and became a student.”

Asked what he likes best about the society, Mike said, “It is providing some perspective from that era for people to see.”

His wife, Ruth, is one of the people who has personally benefited from the society’s work. “My wife does genealogy because she had relatives here in Hilliard and she wanted to see what resources the society had. She has great-grandparents who used to go to the (Colwell) church when it was at its original location,” said Mike.

Ruth said she got a thrill when she found records in the library listing names of her relatives as members of the church.

Mike and Ruth live in Norwich Township. They have a son, Mark, and two stepsons, Brian and Christopher Laszlo.

Contributed by Rosemary Kubera

“Ben Buoni is one of those unsung heroes that every organization wishes they had more of. He will see something that needs to be done and just does it, then wants no recognition for doing it,” said Bob Eggerichs, president of the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society.

Ben became involved in the historical society some 20 years ago thanks to the late Pat Garbrant when both were members of the Old Hilliard Commission. Pat represented the society. “(The society) was trying to pass something and that is how I got used to what the society is all about,” said Ben.

It was Pat and other society members who attracted Ben and inspired him to get involved.

“They were the members that were the bridge from the founding members to today. They had a lot of good stories and they knew the founding members – and they were aging at that point,” said Ben.

The aging of knowledgeable members is the same problem the society faces today.

Ben has fond memories of his early days with the society.

“I was quite a bit younger then and I was in residential painting and when they found out what I knew how to do they put me to work,” he said.

Ben’s first job was repair of one of the church’s bell tower ropes – the rope for what he calls “the joyful bell.”

“I had to use a 40-foot ladder. I’ve done it more than once,” he said. But as he is getting older, Ben nowadays stays away from high ladders.

Based on his background, it is not surprising that it is the buildings as opposed to the artifacts that hold the greatest interest for Ben.

“I always enjoyed older structures due to the line of work I was in,” he said.

But that interest didn’t limit his involvement. Ben is a past president and board member and he has been chairman of several events.

“I started the Santa in the Red Caboose event because at the time we restored the caboose – that was about 15 years ago. I thought it would be a nice thing to do and it caught on,” said Ben. His brother, Joe, was the society’s first Santa.

Of all the repair and maintenance work he’s done over the years, Ben most enjoys working on and talking to visitors about the society’s two antique cars; the 1918 Model T and the 1929 Model A.

“They both, to the best of our knowledge, had connections to the Hilliard area. The Model T had a connection to the American Legion Post 614 in Hilliard,” he said.

In a sense Ben built up the Model T from scratch as it was in bad shape when he began working on it. “It had a cracked head on the engine and it had not been running. It was on display in the Museum,” he said. He got it going with help from donations from experts of expertise and labor and with cash donations.

“The Model T technically is a semiautomatic vehicle,” said Ben. “Low and high are the only gears and you need the clutch. It can be challenging to work if you are not used to
it.”

The Model T will be in Hilliard’s July 4th parade, but the Model A might not make it. “The T runs better in a parade situation. The A tends to overheat. Parades are hard on cars especially on a hot day,” said Ben.

The Model A is on permanent loan from David Patch of the Patch family whose name appears on the YMCA. The Model A belonged to the late Ray Patch, David’s grandfather, and David pays for upkeep and insurance.

“David has been very generous over the years. He donated a buggy and other items,” said Ben.

The Model A has a manual transmission with three speeds. “If anyone knows how to drive a manual, they can pretty much drive the Model A but you have to double clutch between gears. Every time you shift you have to put the clutch back in to (prevent) the grinding of gears.”

“What the society needs most today is more new members,” said Ben.

“We need to try to get families more involved with the items that are here for research -- especially for children and schools,” said Ben. “Folks who are newly retired compose another group the society should try harder to recruit.”

He also would like to see more marketing and more signage to promote the society.

“If the city highlights us at one of the entry (points) with a very nice sign that says Home of the Hilliard Historical Society and Village at Cemetery Road and I-270 it would be very good,” he said.

He is pleased to see the city today more involved with the society compared to the past. “Past leaders of our community didn’t see the asset we are as they see it today so I’m happy about that.”

Ben has lived in Hilliard since he was 11, and he and his wife, Kim, still live here. The couple has three sons and one grandson. Two of the sons, Nathan and Sam, live in Hilliard. A third son, Ryan, is in the U.S. Navy stationed in Hawaii. “Sam at one time was the youngest member. He was a toddler when I joined him up,” said Ben.

We thank Ben for his devotion and continued commitment to the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society and Village as he is truly one of our unsung heroes.

Kathy Chandler used to hate history. Today she’s vice president of the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society. It was a beloved, long-time member and leader, the late Randy Smith, who introduced her to the amazing facts that make up history, especially local history.

“He made me realize what history was like and how things should have been and how things should be today. I miss him. He meant a lot to me. He is the reason that I stay,” said Kathy.

Among other things, Randy worked on accessions or finding antique items people could donate. Randy also worked in the society’s library where people sought him out for his
knowledge about history and the Society.

Kathy met Randy some years ago when she and her husband, James, stopped by the Historical Village on a whim and found the Museum doors open and Randy inside.

“After talking to Randy, I was hooked,” said Kathy. “I realized history was a part of my life. I kind of fit right into that 1800s style because it was a simple life and I’m a simple person. I don’t need all this material stuff. I would love to ride in a stage coach and go get groceries in a horse and buggy,” she said.

Kathy added, “Once I saw the inside of the buildings it kept me more involved and wanting to be sure the kids I was teaching (as a presenter) got to see what the past was like.”

Kathy has been vice president for six years, running unopposed for the office each year. “I just don’t back away. The job needs to be done and I’ve got the time to do it,” she said. She’s seen the Historical Society grow in the past half-dozen years. “Since I’ve been associated with the board and officers we have tried to make it better and still keep it historical.”

Now retired, Kathy was an intervention specialist at South-Western City Schools for five
years, and is a former substitute teacher there and in Hilliard. Her husband and fellow-
volunteer, James, is a government contractor having retired as a technician from the U.S. Air Force after 24 years of service. The couple has three children, Amanda Elliott, Kristopher, and Dustin, and five grandchildren.

Kathy’s tasks at the Historical Society range from drawing a hopscotch on a sidewalk for
children taking school tours to accessing the value of potential donated items to raising funds. She coordinates the school tours and on occasion presents inside buildings. She and her husband volunteer for the Open House, the Art & Craft Fair, and Halloween and Christmas events. “I get to see kids’ faces light up when they see Santa and then I feel I have accomplished something. I like to see people happy,” said Kathy. “When I see a happy face then I know what we did was right.”

Kathy would like to see more people sign up as volunteers. And she would like to see the Society expand its name by adding to it the location in Weaver Park. She’d like the name to be: Hilliard Ohio Historical Society at Weaver Park.

“People don’t know where we are at so it is hard to get volunteers in here. It is a hidden gem of Hilliard. We have got to get word out there because people need to know about us,” said Kathy.

Toward that end, the Society could use more help with marketing. “We need someone to help promote us,” she said.

Megan Martin is the society’s Volunteer Coordinator and expert on the Historical Village’s Log Cabin. She frequently can be seen dressed in a period costume telling visitors about 19th century life. “I like to teach people about the past so they can appreciate the future and what they have,” she said.

Love of history runs in her family -- all of whom have been Columbus area residents since 1870. From childhood days Megan not only heard stories of old-time family life but visited many historical sites. “My parents would go on vacation every year to historical spots so I have always been interested in history. I have always loved history. I like reading historical novels. I’m always learning through reading,” she said. ... Megan has been involved with the society since 2001, joining the year after she retired from her job as a laboratory technician at Anheuser Busch. One of the first people she met at the society was the late Mary Fuller, herself an expert on the Log Cabin. Megan credits Mary as her mentor and teacher.

For school tours, Megan portrays the part of a 1800s pioneer woman at the Log Cabin. Her interest in talking in first-person began with her love of Colonial Williamsburg which she’s visited 11 times. “I was also a volunteer at the Ohio History Connection where I worked in the farmhouse,” she said. There again, she presented information in the first-person.

School children as well as adults are curious about many things in the cabin. “I explain the gun and tell them what they ate. Boys just eat that up -- but when they find out they had to eat squirrel, possum, ground hog, raccoon, and rabbit they are not so thrilled,” Megan explained.

Men who visit want to know where the door under the staircase goes – it’s a cupboard. Girls and women often say the Victorian dolls in the upstairs bedroom are “creepy” because their eyes don’t close. “I say I don’t know what the word creepy means,” being from the 1800’s.

“I usually can answer everybody’s questions. If I can’t, I refer them to another docent.Usually there is somebody who can help answer their questions,” said Megan.

Megan encourages volunteers to sign up to present at the log cabin “A lot of people get scared of the cabin because they think they can’t do what I do, but that’s not true,they can do it,” she said.

Knowledge of history is the secret to being prepared. For example, a student once asked Megan why she wears red fingernail polish. “I tell them I don’t know what fingernail polish is... then I say there was a crock with red berries, which I was using to dye some wool and the dye got on my fingernails – which is true, dye would do that.” she added. And as to why she wears glasses, Megan replies, ‘Thank goodness for Benjamin Franklin,’ the 18th-century man who invented them.

“One time I forgot my hat and I apologized for my short hair. I said I got some bad water and caught typhus and I had to cut off my hair,” she mentioned.

The most unusual item in the cabin is the rope bed and cornhusk mattress, a style often used by pioneers. Megan said. “The cornhusks and ropes make the bed very noisy and uncomfortable.” The ropes are the only thing supporting people while they sleep. “That’s where the saying ‘Sleep tight’ comes from. I always tell that story,”

Megan added. Some volunteers ask where Megan gets her period costumes. “There is Amazon, and I’ve also done Google searches for bonnets, hats, and aprons. There are also recollections websites that have handmade items of all kinds.” She added that there is really no need to buy anything. “The society has costumes in the museum for people to wear – skirts, blouses, dresses, and men’s shirts.” The Historical Society also has vests that can be worn with street clothes.

In the future Megan would like to see more presenters speaking in the first-person. “It would be neat,”

“I really wish that we had to a way to do more advertising of the Village to reach more people,” she commented.

Megan also would like to recruit more docents, especially those who can volunteer on weekdays. “We need more people because we do school tours and we need people who aren’t working. We offer a good docent training program if people would take advantage of it. We can teach them how to be a docent. We have broken down the history into five main points and then a trivia story to tell. It is not too hard.”

In her free time Megan makes beaded jewelry. Bracelets are her favorite. “You can wear two or three of them. I majored in art at the Columbus College of Art and Design. I like putting colors together and arranging patterns,” she said.

Megan’s son, Dustin, is a retired Navy officer who commands the Junior ROTC program at Grove City High School. “He is a big history buff,” said his mother. Megan also has two grandchildren.

Tim Woodruff is a well-known face around Hilliard and at the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society. A current and past Board member, Tim is a two-term past president. All told, he’s served in leadership roles for nine years. Of his involvement Tim said, “It’s one of the most fun things I’ve done outside of my working life. I have a lot of friends here.”

Tim joined in 2000 at the urging of his parents, Ned and Ruth Woodruff. “My parents were both members and they really enjoyed it. They had some things going on where they needed younger people and I came over and helped them out,” he said. What Tim enjoys most about his activities in the Society is being a docent. “I like talking to all the people as they come through,” he said. He especially enjoys the school tours.

“I like to interact with the children so they feel a part of the event they are there for – they feel part of the process and are learning at each of the stations. Many of the kids come back with their parents,” he said. Most days when the village is open Tim can be found in the museum where his specialties are the 1930’s kitchen, dairy, honeybee, and poultry areas where he likes telling stories. His story about chickens who wear glasses is his favorite and always draws great appreciation from the children.

Tim also enjoys Heritage Day. There, he cooks up a big kettle of ham and bean soup. This day is fun for him with its crafts and contests for the visiting public.

In the future Tim would like the Society to develop more programs. “I would like to have videos and sound systems before people pass away who have knowledge of Old Hilliard. We need to get (memories) on video and audio so we capture that for future generations,” he said. One of the Society’s problems is lack of space. Tim continued, “There are a lot of things we could do if we had more area such as old-time games, different kinds of contests, and blacksmithing.”

Tim has lived in Hilliard all his life and is set to celebrate his 78 th birthday on April 10. He grew up across the road from where the Village Church used to stand in Mudsock. “I
affectionately call myself the Mayor of Mudsock – self-appointed and I was the only person who voted for me,” he said. He built his own house along with a log, party house located in woods behind the main house.

A retired asphalt estimator and Hilliard school bus driver, Tim earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Cincinnati which he attended on a football scholarship. Some 57 years ago he married his high school sweetheart, Penny, who passed away last September. The couple graduated together in 1963 from Hilliard High School. They have three children, all of whom live in Hilliard – sons Eric and Mark, and daughter Kay Richardson. They have five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Apart from his work with the Society, Tim has been active in projects for the city of Hilliard. He was twice named Volunteer of the Year. He served on the Community Center’s Advisory Board and First Community Foundation. He leads walking tours of Old Hilliard and has been active at Hilliard Methodist Church for over 50 years.

The people and the organizations in which he has served are Tim’s favorite things about the city of Hilliard. But he admits to missing the old days when the area was mostly rural. Tim recalled, “It was a farm community and the people were fairly close and helped each other. A lot of that changed when they put I-270 through.” You will still find Tim Woodruff giving tours and being actively involved with the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society.

Joann Hensley has been a volunteer with the Historical Society for about 6 years. She loves history and was attracted to the one-room schoolhouse because it reminded her of her own school where she grew up. She enjoys doing school tours because it gives her the opportunity to show the young visitors all the “good times” that existed back then. She has vivid memories of Christmas pageants, shenanigans around the old furnace, and pie supper fund raisers.

Joann likes that we are promoting memories by teaching people about the past so that it doesn’t get lost. She hopes in the future we can get the support and the funding needed to take us where we want to be.

Joann started working in Hilliard as a teacher in 1964, then decided to move to Hilliard in 1988 because it reminded her so much of her southern Illinois hometown of Harrisburg. “So many people knew everybody” so it seemed like home, she said. There is some regret that the town has grown so much. She remembers when she moved here there was only Davidson High School, which had grades 10, 11 & 12 and only 800 students. When she retired in 2000, there were two high schools with a third in the works and each one had 2,500 students.

When asked what the historical society has meant most to her, she responded with the simple yet wise words “it gives me purpose in retirement.” We all need purpose in our lives.

Donna Olenhouse has been a volunteer with the Historical Society since 2016. She works as a docent giving tours of the Historical Village to the public. Donna also volunteers one day a week at our Archival Library, and she manages our growing Venue Rental program. She and her family have been residents of Hilliard for 31 years. Growing up in a small town, Hilliard was a comfortable fit when they had an opportunity to move for her husband, Ed’s, work. Donna remembered, “When we drove through Old Hillard, they had an antique store, and I told Ed, we could live here.” As Hilliard grows, she would like to see more connected bike and walking paths.

What Donna likes best about the Historical Village is that it is a “beautiful thing that Hilliard has,” especially the preservation and presentation of local history. What she likes best about working at the Archival Library is the good feeling she gets helping people connect with their past. What she likes best about working with the Venue Rentals is the connectedness she finds people have and the good feeling one gets helping people. She has enjoyed the personal growth she has experienced working with the Historical Society and the Historical Village.

Donna is also involved with a couple bible studies, two book groups, and is currently
President of the senior’s group at her church. She also makes wine at home with neighbors and enjoys traveling with her husband and family.