SHELBY — Growth in the number of Shelby Girl Scout troops in 1939 led to the construction of a now well-known community landmark.
The Shelby Girl Scout Little House will be open to the public on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. to celebrate the lodge’s 85th anniversary. The open house will take place exactly 84 years and 364 days after the lodge was dedicated in 1940.
A detailed history of the Little House can be found online, thanks to the efforts of Lillian Heydinger, a 2024 Shelby High School graduate. Heydinger was a recipient of the Girl Scout Gold Award in May, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn.
Kathy Lowe, a member of the Shelby Little House Board, credited Heydinger for her efforts to help preserve the history of the staple city structure.
“There aren’t many kids that think about history,” Lowe said.
Heydinger highlights Little House history
As the number of Shelby Girl Scout troops increased in 1939, members of the Shelby Girl Scout Council wrote articles published in the Shelby Daily Globe — describing the council’s need for a central meeting space, according to Heydinger’s research.
Anna R. Fish donated two city lots for the local troops to build on and use after seeing the need and taking interest in it. Council raised funds to purchase additional land for their community meeting space.
Additional lots were purchased from Carl Stambaugh, John Cole and Robert Daugherty, F. L. Gump, W. Briggs and Viola Myers for a total of $1,100, according to Heydinger.
A contract was signed with Stacy S. Haun in 1940 for the construction of the lodge, along with architect Walter Harrison Smith. Work on the lodge began after a groundbreaking ceremony in May of 1940.
A few months later, the Shelby Little House was built and ready for use.
Girl Scout troops in Shelby organized a dedication program for the house on Sept. 8, 1940, and officially opened the Little House to local troops and the community, according to Heydinger.
The house was put to use first by Shelby Troop 1, which organized the inaugural meeting in the lodge.
Throughout the years, the Little House has been rented and used as a community meeting place, not only for Girl Scout troops, but for events like birthday parties, community dances, graduation parties, showers and family reunions, among other events.
Fond memories of growing up in Shelby
While a lot has changed in Shelby since she’s been gone, the city will always be home to Patricia Seltzer Moehring.
Moehring, a granddaughter of John Seltzer and great-granddaughter of Joseph Seltzer, now lives in Michigan. But she recently returned to Shelby on a trip with her son, Scott Moehring and his wiffe.
While in town, Moehring visited the Little House on her 90th birthday — a place where she made many memories as a child.
“We used to coast down the hill (outside of the Little House). We had bonfires down there — used to sneak into the pool at midnight,” she said with a grin across her face.
Moehring’s grandfather donated the wagon wheel light fixtures which hang from the ceiling in the Little House — which is located in the park the Seltzer family built.
Joseph Seltzer funded the construction of Shelby’s Seltzer Park and pool. In 1923, his son, Howard Seltzer, died unexpectedly of heart failure, so he named the park in his honor, according to the Ohio Genealogical Society Richland-Shelby Chapter.
John Seltzer added amenities to the park, such as a comfort station and gazebo in 1938, according to Shelby historian Christina Yetzer Drain.
Both men were pivotal philanthropists and entrepreneurs who left lasting legacies while helping shape Shelby forever.
Moehring won’t be in town for the 85th anniversary open house, but she had time to appreciate the space more intimately while on her trip back.
“This has been the best birthday I ever had,” she said.