Greenfield Historical Society History Day Oct. 6

By HAROLD SCHMIDT

The Greenfield Historical Society will hold its sixth annual History Day on Saturday, Oct. 6. The event will be held at the society's complex of historical buildings on the east edge of Greenfield, near the S.R. 28 bridge. Hours for the event will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

A big part of the day will be the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the construction of Travellers Rest.

Noble Crawford built Travellers Rest in 1812 as an inn. Greenfield was located on the College Township Road which connected Athens with Oxford by way of Lebanon.

Travelers along the road needed places to get a good meal and rest for the night.

Noble Crawford understood this and built Travellers Rest to fill the need.

During its 200 years, the building has the distinction as being Greenfield's first post office, a doctor's office and private residences. Today, it sits on the hill overlooking the eastern entrance to Greenfield, watching the travelers go by no longer needing a place to rest.

To celebrate the building's long existence in Greenfield, the society has planned several activities for visitors to take part in. A cake-cutting ceremony will take place at 10:45 a.m., followed by a presentation by Earlene Scott portraying Noble Crawford's wife, Mary Stuart Crawford.

She will tell about the many aspects of running an inn on such a busy thoroughfare. She will repeat her program later in the day. In addition to Scott's program, there will be a display of the history of Noble Crawford and his illustrious building.

Also on display will be the society's latest acquisition, a complete Browder Life Saving Machine.

The society's collection included two of the rings without the canvas center. The new one has the complete canvas in excellent condition considering its age. A demonstration of the new net will be held several times during the day.

Susan Long will perform on the newly acquired Faye Murphy pump organ in the Grain & Hay Building.

Faye Murphy was a longtime teacher at McClain High School and her pump organ was donated to the society by Jackie Emerick. Organ recitals usually take place on our Miller pump organ in the Smith Tannery, but with the recent stone work and planned floor repair, it was decided to not open it for this year's event. It should be like new by next year's History Day.

Paul Orr will be returning this year singing some old favorites from various time periods. Tom Adams will be bringing his train display. It is always interesting to see what part of Greenfield he has added. Last year, he brought his model of the E.L. McClain house. Thelma Coffey will be on hand sharing stories of what it was like living in the Smith Tannery during her youth.

Travellers Rest will be the location of a display of McClain High School uniforms including Wendy Ellis's collection of Tigerette outfits. Special displays in the Grain & Hay will include one on TAPATCO and one on Greenfield during the 1800s.

Bev Lyons and Tammy Scarberry will be showing Victorian prints and vintage hats and gloves. The Barn and the B&O Depot will be open for visitors to view the displays related to the military, railroad, agriculture and transportation in Greenfield.

A new craft demonstrator, Shirley King, will be showing her unique painting skills. In addition, Jayne Honnold will return with her quilting and Sue Faulkner will return with her chair caning.

Attic sales will be held in the Barnyard. People are invited to set up a booth and sell their items. Several sellers have committed to the day selling jewelry, garden produce, baked goods, antiques and miscellaneous. Anyone can set up a booth. Space rental is just $10, no reservations required. Set up begins at 9:30 am.

Food for the day includes pork loin sandwiches, smoked by Chris Dodds on site. Rounding out the menu will be bean soup, hot dogs, cornbread, drinks and desserts.

Hours for the event will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m., with lunch beginning at 11 a.m. and presentations throughout the day.

The annual History Day serves two purposes for the society. First, it gets visitors to visit the society's historical complex and learn about Greenfield's history.

Secondly, it is a major money maker for the society. With operating costs continuing to rise, the society needs to keep up its fund raising efforts. History Day provides a means to accomplish both purposes.

Visitors are invited to see a part of Greenfield's history, learn something new, find a bargain, enjoy good food and visit with friends while supporting the work of the Greenfield Historical Society.