Historical society to celebrate grand re-opening of Rose Hill Museum
A typical mother-of-the-bride dress c. 1910 currently on display. To the right on the table is the decorated stoneware cookie jar the Cahoons brought with them in 1810.
The president of the Bay Village Historical Society, Cathy Burke Flament, the society's board of trustees and a whole host of other volunteers saw the Covid-induced closure of Rose Hill Museum and Osborn Learning Center as an opportunity. In fact, the pandemic gave Cathy the ability to quit her regular job in order to concentrate seven days a week to bring the museum and learning center up to professional museum standards, in terms of archival storage and display. Kelsey Rogers, the one paid staff member of the society, has also been putting in 20 to 30 hours per week to that end.
As the saying goes, “it takes a village.” Cathy tells me there have been three volunteers – Diane Pavan, Sue Jachnich and Marj Elhardt – who come in at regular times or work remotely for a combined 30 hours at the museum each week. Jack Hanley and Bill O’Brien have been diligently entering documents into the PastPerfect archival software. Marge Gulley has been reframing the Portrait Gallery. Peg Phillips has repaired all of the vintage rugs. Pamela Ebert painted the life-size standing portraits of the Cahoon sisters and a sign for the gift shop. The Herb Guild never stopped caring for the gardens. And numerous other volunteers have helped with other aspects of the renovation and re-opening. Cathy emphasized that she and the society are thrilled to be beneficiaries of the dedication of Bay Village city staff who have taken great pride in their work and done a tremendous job making many repairs and improvements to the properties which are owned by the city and leased to the society.
The Bay Village Historical Society welcomes the community to see the fruits of all of this volunteer labor with a special afternoon fundraiser and grand re-opening, “Back in Time: A Celebration at Rose Hill Museum,” on Sunday, July 25, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
"We have been counting the days until Rose Hill, the Osborn Learning Center and the Cahoon cabin can be open again to the public," said Cathy. "People have been knocking at the door to view our treasures and hear about the rich history our community enjoys and we are anxious to finally invite them in.”
Planned is a leisurely afternoon on the grounds to enjoy light refreshments and staggered tours of the museum to view the improvements and additions that have been made. The cabin has been closed to the public for a number of years and will finally be open thanks to Bob and Gail Reid and Claire Boettler. Osborn Learning Center features new displays and a "Crime Room" thanks to Pamela Ebert and Dean Brennan.
“We encourage you to join in the festivities and bring friends, neighbors and family to help support the historical society,” Cathy said.
The event will include linen-covered tables with flower centerpieces on the lawn in front of the museum. There will be demonstrations of rug hooking as well as weaving on the loom in the country kitchen, Ed Neal discussing the Wischmeyer Boat collection which he restored, the Herb Guild discussing the gardens, and a display about the Abby Sammon oak and free native oak seedlings given away while they last.
Rose Hill Museum is located at 27715 Lake Road, in Cahoon Memorial Park.
The cost is $10. A reservation form can be downloaded from the society’s website: www.bayhistorical.com.
Please make checks payable to “BVHS” and mail to Colleen Harding, 30508 Salem Dr., Bay Village, OH 44140. You may also pay via PayPal on the society’s website, www.bayhistorical.com. PayPal is preferred so that we can anticipate how many people will be attending but at this point you can also pay in person the day of the event.
Event organizers are Dean Brennan, Pamela Ebert, Cathy Flament, Dorothy Fleming, Colleen Harding and Monica Thomas.
As a relatively new member of the board of trustees I have watched the progress that has occurred in the last year with amazement. During a recent tour of Rose Hill, I was struck by the quality of both the new interior signage and the display vignettes which showcase some of the collection that relate specifically to Bay Village, like the decorated stoneware cookie jar which arrived with the Cahoons in 1810 and held ginger snaps for the family for another 150 years. And the primitive Saddler bench in the country kitchen. And the oil painting of the early Tuttle homes on Lake Road. I could really see these treasures now that the number of artifacts on display have been winnowed down and the other artifacts are now safely archived behind the scene, waiting for their chance to shine.
Please accept the gracious invitation and donate to help preserve these early Bay Village treasures for future generations to enjoy.
William Krause
William R. Krause, AICP, retired as the Assistant Planning Director of the City of Westlake in 2020 after over 30 years with the city. He also served on the Bay Village Planning Commission for 5 years. He is currently a trustee with the Bay Village Historical Society and a former board member of the Westlake Historical Society. He was chair of their Lilly Weston Committee and is a member of the Reuben Osborn Learning Center Steering Committee. He is also currently a Trustee of the Western Reserve Architectural Historians. He has been married to Debra for 40 years and is the father of three grown children, grandfather of four and owner of a Shih Tzu named Cammy.