Every year TBS has a tradition of playing a Christmas Story for 24 hours on Christmas eve and day. Many people across America do not know that the film, based on stories from Jean Shepherd‘s book “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash“, was filmed in Cleveland. The house that was used for exterior shots and the opening of the “Fragile” package has become a museum and is open year round. This time of year, however, is the perfect time to visit the house. The original house has been decorated to match the sound stages from the movie and tours are given. Overnight stays are also offered. The Bumpuses’ house next door (for overnight stays), a Museum across the street, and a gift shop are also on site. The House is located in a residential area so be mindful of the neighbors when visiting.
Is some one you know a fan of the movie. Like a major fan of the movie. Looking for the ultimate A Christmas Story gift
You’re looking at pretty much the most natural, holiday themed house and museum in the world. And now, it can be all yours. Wall-to-wall anecdotes throughout, this lovely classic is both spacious and intimate. Nostalgically upgraded with somewhat ancient appliances, you’ll be sure to be the talk of town when you own this world-famous house and museum based on a beloved Christmas classic film. The gem of the lot is the main house, located in Cleveland, Ohio at 3159 W. 11th street, 44109.
The West Side Market is a nationally known market. The market is a great place to stock up on fresh meat, vegetables, and other goodies for your holiday meals. The site is also a great place to see the history of Cleveland. The citizen of Cleveland have been going to the market for the last 106 years so you know they must be doing something right.
Founded in 1946 in Cincinnati, Kenner was one of the leading toy companies of the 20th century. They produced such classics as Easy Bake Oven, Spirograph, Play-Doh, and Stretch Armstrong. Kenner took off when Bob Steiner realized that tv was a big hit with kids. Television commercials made Kenner toys household names. Some were even made by Jim Henson. The toys that they may be best known for are their line of action figures. Kenner produced everything from Batman and Superman to Sports Heroes. While they were great sellers of action figures, it was one toy line that would change the industry, the idea of action figures, and Kenner itself.
On May 25th, 1977 a small space opera was released in to the theaters. At the time no one know how big it was to become. Not even the toy industry. Kenner was not the first choice to make figures for the new movie, but when Mego Corporation turned it down, they got the rights. The success of Star Wars overwhelmed Kenner and they were unprepared for that Christmas’s rush. Instead of an actual toy they sold a certificate to redeem for a action figure, along with a diorama.
By the time Kenner had caught up with demand they had a full line of Figures, weapons, vehicles and more. The small b movie had turned into an empire worthy of competing with anything on the shelf. The best known, and most collected, of these is the 3.75 inch action figure.
Before Kenner and Star Wars most were 12 or 8 inch figures. 3.75 inch figures had been brought over from Japan by Mego Coporation but were limited to just a few franchises and were considered small. Kenner released a few 12 inch figures and a lot more of the 3.75 inch figures. Their popularity soared not in spite their size but because of it. They took up less room and could be shoved in a pocket. Many more of them could fit in a backpack. They could finally fit in the vehicles. With a movie where almost everything was ripe for toy making this was a great thing. Soon 3.75 inch were the standard size for action figures. WVXU had a great interview with some of the people from the early days of Star Wars Toys.
From the Christmas 1976 to today, the toys of Star Wars have help to keep the story alive in many kids. Even though there was a 16 year gap between The Return of The Jedi and The Phantom Menace the toys were still a big deal. New toys are still produced for everything from the books, comics, and even the Christmas special. Everybody from Darth Vader to a lone extra running through a scene with an ice cream maker has been turned in to a 3.75 inch figure. Stores have become “museums” just by sheer virtue of how popular the old figures were.
All because a little space opera and an Ohio Toy company decided to sell some small action figures.
Harking back to a time when travel was a more involved process, and getting in a car and hitting the Interstate was not yet possible, we bring you Train travel. The passenger trains of Ohio like to bring out all the stops for the holidays. In December one can ride through historic towns, a national park, or the hills of southeast Ohio. And who knows maybe some special visitors might be along for the ride.
December is synonymous with gifts, and gifts with toys. Some of the most famous and well-loved toys of all time are Kenner products. The company was founded in 1946 by Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner. Spirograph, Easy Bake Oven, Star Wars, Playdoh, and Stretch Armstrong all came from the Cincinnati based toy company. Probably the most famous of the Kenner lines was Star Wars. Having gotten the line after another company passed on it, Kenner created a new 3.75 inch figure for it, and revolutionized the entire toy market. The company was sold over the years until Hasbro finally dissolved it in 2000.
Feel free to download the pages and print them for personal use, or just check out the dates and the info. They are in PDF format and can be opened in most modern browsers.
Loveland Castle also know as Chateau Laroche is unique museum/outdoor attraction. The castle was built by Harry D. Andrews. The castle is fashioned after medieval castles of Europe. It sits of the banks of the little Miami River near Loveland. There is a reasonably priced admission fee to see the castle and the grounds. The castle does have a small room where there is shown interviews and news programs on Harry D. Andrews and the building of the castle. This is a great way to learn about the history of the castle before visiting the winding rooms and staircases. The building has many levels and rooms, which might not be accessible to all. The castle has a gift shop, ballroom, chapel, armory, watchtower and gardens. Many of the rooms are filled with historical artifacts and news clippings. There is lots of artwork and suits of armor to look at. The nice thing about the castle is that is self guided and open to spend as much time as one has. The castle is just right size for a few hours of exploring and picture taking.
The museum is more of a collection of historical artifacts than a straight story of the region. This works out well. A straight story would be interesting to some people but not much more than a few founders’ names. The collection of artifacts works to envelope the visitor in the era. The artifacts are so well arranged that they blend together into a theme more than stand out on a pedestal. The overall feeling is walking through rooms and lives from the early settlers to the roaring 20’s.
The basement houses the older collections. The first room is filled with early inhabitants’ artifacts and rocks from before any human was in the area. From there one steps forward into the cabin of the Butterworths, early settlers to the area. The cabin is on par with any living history museum in the state. The artifacts so well arranged and taken care of that it felt as if the father of the house was about to come back at any moment for dinner. Outside of the cabin room is a large collection of equipment that the settlers and early farmers would have used to conquer the land and turn Warren County into the agricultural treasure it has become. Surrounding the farm equipment are window displays that house artifacts from the time period. They are themed to every aspect of life from the mundane grooming to the occupational, like journalism, finance, and funeral arts. The lower level also contains the transportation wing with a collection of a few vehicles used to move people around throughout the history of Warren County. On the way out of the basement is the dark and forbidding Underground Railroad exhibit. The dark room only has the sounds of the night time creatures and the light of a distant house. Slowly the lights rise to reveal a display on the work done by Warren county residents to help slaves from the south escape to freedom. Included are maps of stops on the Underground Railroad and displays telling about how Warren County and Ohio dealt with the issues leading to the Civil War. This room is a must see.
The first floor is the one of the largest rooms and is the “Village Green.” This room is set up with display windows around the outside that resemble a town center. Each display recreates a shop that would be found, with real artifacts of the citizens of the time. This is where the theming and curation of the museum really takes off. Each display is surrounded by a facade and filled with artifacts that make it feel like looking into a shop window. The back room of the first floor is the temporary exhibit space with an ever changing collection of exhibits.
Upstairs is a balcony that surrounds the “Village Green” with two main rooms on each side. The main balcony feels like an overflow for not yet used items, but the 2 side rooms are some of the best of the Museum. The front room contains the 1920’s era “house.” The “house” is just a collection of rooms with items from the era. Included are mannequins with period clothing. While the rooms could feel like just a spattering of items, as with the rest of the museum they are so well themed that one is transported to the era and location of a 1920 warren county big wigs estate. The back room is the Shaker exhibit. The exhibit is one of the best exhibits on shaker life outside of a dedicated museum. Each artifact tells the story of Union Village that was just 4 miles outside of Lebanon. “There is great beauty in harmony” was a saying of the Shakers and the exhibit’s simple but well documented form helps to recreate this simple way of life.
One of the greatest parts of the museum was hidden throughout it like a treasure hunt. The “Gruesome but Truesome” exhibit are small placards in the windows that tell the more macabre details of the items inside. The information is well placed and parents with small children do not have to worry about items scaring them. Teens and the more adventurous will love to read about the larger story behind the museum’s collection.
Over all the Warren County Historic Center is a medium sized county museum with nothing extreme or major to set it apart from the larger city museums. As we say “A museum must tell a story, not just be a collection of artifacts.” The center shines with what it does with what it has. Every artifact is carefully placed, maybe not to tell a story, but to transport the visitor back in time to a different era.
Just down the street and around the corner from the Warren County History Center is this old pre Civil War mansion. The mansion is part of the museum and open during the summer and December. It is a beautiful old building overlooking Lebanon, yet still hidden away enough to be hard to fully see.
The Mansion is small and has only 8 rooms. The building is bigger than its structure. The history of the Mansion connects life during the 19th century and the 20th and the 21st century’s efforts to preserve it. The tour is very informative and expands the eight rooms to include the history of the land and Lebanon. The guides are very informative and willing to answer any questions. Take at least an hour to tour the Mansion and grounds. The view from the top of the hill is one of the best in the area. The Mansion and History Center can easily be done in one day with time for lunch at one of Lebanon’s many eateries.
Throughout the year the Glendower puts on a few festivals and around the end of the season holds a civil war encampment. They even try to time it to fall during the Smithsonian’s Free Museum Day so that everyone can enjoy it. In December they decorate the Mansion for the season. Both are very popular events.
The Garst Museum in Greenville Ohio is larger than your average local history museum. This museum, while not as big asCarillon Historic Park, Cleveland History Center, or the Cincinnati History Museum, is not small. The multiple wings of the building are crammed full of interesting artifacts and history.
The museum starts by telling the history of the most famous event in Darke County, the signing of the Greenville Treaty. The treaty was not signed right as either side entered the area, but after societies were built and battles fought. The museum does a great job of setting up that history. With plenty of artifacts of the time and information to describe and explain the use of the artifacts. So much information is given that it can almost get overwhelming. The Garst fortunately uses multimedia displays to break up the text and to give a bit of living history too.
Darke County did not end on August 3, 1795 and neither does the museum. The museum continues on to tell the story of two of the area’s most famous children, Annie Oakley and Lowell Thomas. The Annie Oakley National Center houses pieces of Annie’s own effects. Not just the guns she fired as a famous sharpshooter in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, but clothes, jewelry, souvenirs, trophy’s and so much more. The center helps to break apart the myth of Annie Oakley as tomboy and show her real life as complicated as it was.
The Lowell Thomas section tells the life of the globetrotting man who madeLawrence of Arabia famous. The Garst Museum goes beyond the story of the desert and tells the whole life of the man from birth, with the Lowell’s Birthplace outback, to his death.
Most of the rest of the museum is dedicated to the history of Darke County as an average American county. Inside of small rooms set along the walls are vintages of American life. Displays of what a kitchen, beauty shop, dentist office, and more would look like are filled with actual artifacts from said places. Along with the small rooms is another large room filled with more leftover pieces. This room is a great place for grandparents to take kids and teach them about the items they saw in their grandparent’s houses or even used themselves.
The upstairs houses one of the best displays of military uniforms in the state. With cases of uniforms and other memorabilia from almost every war the country has been in. All donated by local citizens or their families.
The Garst Museum in Greenville works hard to live up to the “Best History Museum” award it was given by the Ohio Magazine and it shows. This museum is a great visit for people of all ages, even if you don’t live in Darke County.
All 88 counties of Ohio have a history. Some like Hamilton, Montgomery, or Cuyahoga have a large and vast history and have large museums dedicated to them. There are also large and vast museums dedicated to educating about science, football, rock and roll, or art. But there are also plenty of museums that are smaller but just as interesting. This month we honor these more locally known museums. They are not just history museums. There are museums dedicated to deaths and funerals, television, signs, popcorn, and so much more. This month we hope to get out and explore the local museums of Ohio.
Feel free to download the pages and print them for personal use, or just check out the dates and the info. They are in PDF format and can be opened in most modern browsers.
On June 27th, 1872 a little boy was born who would open the world to new thinking. He was named Paul Laurence Dunbar. He became famous enough to not only support himself through his written works, the first African American to do so, but also able to buy a house for his mother. 120 years later that house is still standing and now part of a National Park.
Paul Laurence Dunbar was an African American poet at the turn of the 20th century. He wrote in both dialect and standard English. Dunbar became famous as a poet after self-publishing Oak and Ivy, his first book, in 1892. After the popularity of the book he began to tour around the state, then then the nation, and finally England. At the height of his career in 1902 Dunbar bought a house in Dayton for his mother. After he started to suffer medical issues he moved in to the house with her. On February 9, 1906 in this house he died of tuberculosis.
Paul Lawrence Dunbar House
The House was bought by the state in 1936 and turned into the first state memorial to an African American. It was later in the century that people started to notice his works effect on the larger literary world. Maya Angelou even named her first book after a line in his poem “Sympathy.” In 1962 the house became a National Historic Landmark. 30 years later it was incorporated in to larger Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park when the park was created.
The Visitor Center at Paul Laurence Dunbar House
The Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site is a small location with just the house and accompanying visitor center. The center contains a short film on the life of Dunbar, a few of his artifacts, and information about the history of the house. The House itself is a small 2 story building common of the area. Together the entire site can be visited in 1.5 hours.
While that may seem too small for a journey to the area, the House is only 1/2 mile from the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park’s Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center. The center contains more information on the life of the printers of Dunbar’s first Newspaper, Orville and Wilbur Wright. One could easily spend an entire morning visiting both the Paul Laurence Dunbar House and Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, grab lunch at one of the areas great restaurants, and spend the heat of the afternoon walking around shaded Woodland Cemetery where both the Wright Brothers and Paul Laurence Dunbar are buried. With the Carillon Historical Park, National Museum of United States Air Force, and the rest of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park one could make a long weekend in Dayton. Even being rewarded if they go to enough places.
32 rooms of books. Wow sounds like a lot. Barnes and Noble it is not however. This is more of your local “We care about our Community as much as our books” style bookseller.
The Book Loft is nestled in Historic German Village section of Columbus, just blocks from Schmidt’s Sausage Haus. The store feels like it fits perfectly from the outside. Nothing looks out of place or showy. It looks like a small little book store. Once inside however everything changes.
The rooms are organized by category with what seems like an almost perfect flow from one category to another. Walking to a certain section to look up a subject or author can draw interest in so many different things that one may have trouble finding what they originally were looking for. This is a great way to find some lost gems, or spark interest in a new topic.
The rooms themselves are rather small. not much bigger than the average small bedroom. But they hold a wealth of books. Books seem to be hidden in every place possible. Even with the amazing amounts, nothing is too hard to find. The categorizing of the place must have been completed by a genius. Rooms literally flow and merge into one another, yet are still separate with a separate theme and even sometime separate music to help set the mood.
In the end one will get lost in a world of ideas and books at the Book Loft. Go in expecting to find one thing and leaving with another is not at all unheard of, and actually the norm.
Quick Tip: A ton of coupons can be found on the website.
Random Ohio Reviews 