During the holidays, family traditions often flicker between romantic and nostalgic and Mansfield’s Ohio Hilll Cottage supplies both. Every Sunday through Dec. 29, Richland County Historical Society volunteers provide guided tours through the Gothic style home.
The Christmas tour focuses on commemorating the time period of 1915 when the house was first electrified and the “Arts and Crafts” movement was at its height in home decoration. The historic site has been authentically decorated for a Christmas in early 1900; and beginning this weekend, tour guides will wear authentic clothing that marks the Victorian period as part of the tour.
Built in 1847 by John Robinson, Superintendent of the Sandusky, Mansfield and Newark Railroad, the home features seven gables, five double chimneys and seven marble fireplaces indicative of the Gothic style.
Part of the homes historical past was also preserved by Louis Bromfield in his 1924 novel “The Green Bay Tree.” Bromfield played at Oak Hill as a child and used his memories of the home as the basis for “Shane’s Castle” in the novel.
The Historical Society purchased the home in 1965 complete with furniture and contents collected by the Jones family for over 100 years. The home was then added to national register in 1969 and has been open to the public as a museum since 1983.
Sunday tours of the home are from 2-5 p.m. and a donation of $5 for adults and $1 for children under 12. For more information visit www.oakhill.org or call 419-524-1765.
