Shalersville – The Shalersville Historical Society was formed by Don MacLearie and Ron Kotkowski in 2004, shortly after Shalerville Township purchased the Elementary School from the Crestwood School Board.
A structure included on the property was in such poor condition that when they did the initial walk- through to determine the needs and potential uses, one trustee jokingly asked if anyone had a match. But that event lit a fire to the urgency MacLearie and Kotkowski had been feeling to create a historical society to preserve resources like these for future generations. To that end, they received a 99-year lease on the house, gutting it to give the historic structure a new life, while at the same time creating the local nonprofit that now resides inside.
Shalersville Historical Society and Museum are situated inside the Eldridge-Poots House. The structure takes its name from the original builder, Samuel Eldridge (1819) and the Poots family, who added to it in 1926. It’s located just northeast of the intersection of Ohio State Routes 44 and 303. The museum is open on the first Sunday each month and houses many local treasures. The museum has some larger pieces with notable historical significance, as well. Among them are a dresser owned by Abraham Lincoln’s cousin, Sarah Hanks and a rocking chair owned by James A. Garfield. A recent addition has also been put on display – a chair bought at auction from the estate of Betsy Ross, the seamstress credited with creating the first United States flag. Renovations to the 1806 building were completed and the structure was dedicated as the Historical Society Museum in 2006 during the township’s bi-centennial celebration. Sadly, MacLearie passed away not long afterward.
Shortly after, the fledgling society was given the first house to be built in the township. It was dubbed the Baker House after Shalersville’s first residents, Joel and Pamelia Baker. Local lore notes that the Bakers lived in a hollow log with their young daughter Caroline until the home was complete in 1806. The original home was moved near the Historical Society Museum in June of 2016. The work was funded through donations of time, materials, and money from the community. The structure was dedicated on behalf of MacLearie, whose family was very helpful in the restoration project.
This fall, the Historical Society is in the process of moving a new structure to the Historic District – the District Three Schoolhouse. According to Kotkowski, prior to construction of centralized schools in each community in the early 1900’s, area children were educated in one-room schoolhouses spread throughout the region. When the community schools were built, these schoolhouses were converted to residences, many of which remain today. One local schoolhouse-turned residence is currently in the process of being moved to the Historic District. The District Three Schoolhouse (pictured left) was donated to the Shalersville Historical Society by Dick Bonner. Bonner had no need for the structure, which sits on farmland he recently purchased. “He’s been very generous,” Kotkowski noted.
So far, the structure has been gutted to return it to its original design. In order to be relocated to the Historic District, the structure is in process of being shored up. The roof will be removed to simplify transportation from the current location on State Route 44, to the Shalerville Historic District a short distance to the south. According to Kotkowski, the Historic Society plans to have the structure moved by late October.
As with the last project, the Historical Society will complete this project using local donations of time, material and funding. Kotkowski recalled the overwhelming community support received on the Baker House project and has seen similar support for this new endeavor. He noted that a potbelly stove has already been donated for the Schoolhouse Project.
If you’d like to make a monetary donation, have materials for the new project, or have items to add to the Historical Society Museum’s collection, reach out via the Shalersville Historical Society website, via Facebook, or contact Kotkowski at (330) 351-3401.
Shalersville Historical Society meetings are held at 7 pm on the first Thursday of each month; these meetings are held at the Museum (9154 State Route 44). Visit shalersvilletwp.com/history for more information.
