MANSFIELD — At twilight on one evening in early December each year, Oak Hill Cottage becomes a scene of chaos as former inhabitants from ages past are pressed into service as tour guides.
This year the Ghosts of Christmas Past takes place on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. at 310 Springmill St. in Mansfield.
Tickets are $5 for adults, $1 children paid at the basement gift shop. Arrive any time between 6 and 8 p.m. for entry.
Visitors are warned that this is not your regular tour.
What Leile Jones tells you about the house is not going to be the same as what John Riley Robinson, always a difficult guest who lived there 100 years earlier, will relate.
Madelle Jones’ mind is off in a world of her own in the 1940s and we do not disturb her.
Mostly, however, the former denizens of Oak Hill will try their best to show you the house, which is decorated in old Christmas fashion.
Tours start at 10 minute intervals, with the last tour starting at 8 p.m.
Christmas Tour
Those seeking the traditional Oak Hill Christmas Tour can take advantage of that option each Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. through Dec. 29.
No reservations are necessary with the last tour departing at 4:30 p.m.
Oak Hill Cottage history
According to the Richland County Historical Society, Oak Hill was built at a time when the term included large country cottage-villas, and many visitors today are surprised by its size.
It would be difficult to find a better documented mid-nineteenth century house than Oak Hill. It was featured with interior and exterior photos in an 1896 county atlas and was the focal point of Louis Bromfield’s first novel, The Green Bay Tree.
John Riley Robinson built the house for his family in 1847. Robinson was a railroad builder, mine engineer, and all-around capitalist. He situated his home beside an ancient oak tree on a hill overlooking the town.
Dr. Johannes Jones and his heirs purchased Oak Hill in 1864 and lived there until 1965 when the Richland County Historical Society purchased it and opened it as a house museum.
Dr. Jones traveled city to city in his medical practice, advertising ahead of his arrivals and charging enormous fees for his cures.
All the furnishings and artifacts throughout the house belonged to the Jones family, including clothing, photographs, furniture, and personal belongings from Victorian times.