632 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
Quarterly but all numbers are promised
from the printer before
the close of the calendar year.
From this brief report it will be seen
that the publications of
the Society are increasing in volume and
value.
(Signed) JOSEPH C. GOODMAN,
Chairman
SCHOENBRUNN
Your committee has been steadily at work
throughout the
year in seeking to make the Schoenbrunn
Memorial Park one of
the outstanding historic spots of Ohio.
An appropriation of $7,500 by the
previous Legislature en-
abled us to secure three important
tracts of land, viz., the "White
Tract," of eight acres, for $3,000;
the "Brown Tract," of eleven
acres, for $1,600; and the
"McDevitt Tract," of five acres, for
$2,245. The "Brown Tract"
embraces the right wing of the
lagoon which is an important link in the
plan of development.
The "McDevitt Tract" squares
the State land on the east. The
"White Tract" was the most
important of all, because the Com-
mittee had for some time been of the
opinion that the Schoen-
brunn Cemetery would be found on this
tract. Great was the
satisfaction of the Committee therefore,
when on March 12, 1927,
the first grave was discovered after
less than four hours of
digging.
During the next three weeks forty-four
graves were found.
We have David Zeisberger's record of
forty-one of these burials,
and their custom of burying the men,
women, boys and girls in
separate rows will enable us, we hope,
eventually to mark every
grave correctly. We were even enabled to
discover twenty-four
of the post holes around the cemetery.
The present Legislature appropriated
$25,000 for the pur-
chase of land and for improvements at
the Park. The Legisla-
tive Committee took up its work
promptly, and has secured an
option on the Morris farm, of about 114
acres, for approximately
$15,000, and also an option on a tract
of about 7 acres, owned by
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, for
$500. Thus by the end of
the year we hope to have approximately
165 acres.
The object of your Committee is
eventually to rebuild most
of this, the first town in Ohio, each
building to be equipped so
that it will stand as an object lesson
of pioneer life. An old pen-
and-ink sketch of the town gives us the
location of the Church,
the School House, and eighteen homes,
and who lived in each.
Other records discovered in Bethlehem
this summer will enable
Minutes of Forty-second Annual
Meeting 633
us to give the names of the members of
most of the households.
The first log cabin is nearly completed
and is attracting a large
number of visitors. Most of the logs have been hewn for
the
Schoolhouse and the hand-split shingles
are ready.
Through the personal interest of Mr. C.
B. Galbreath we
have secured from Dr. W. N. Schwarze,
Archivist of the Mora-
vian Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,
over 100 pages of
translation of the Zeisberger Diary.
This is of intense interest,
not only to us, but the record deals
with many important matters
bearing on the relations of the Colonial
Government and the
Indian tribes in this section. We
greatly appreciate the personal
interest in the whole project taken by
Dr. W. C. Mills and Mr.
C. B. Galbreath. We hope to have further
items of interest to
report next year.
(Signed) JOSEPH E. WEINLAND, Chairman
SERPENT MOUND
The general conditions of Serpent Mound
Park during the
past year have been good.
In addition to the usual upkeep, the
following improvements
have been made: A substantial guard-rail
has been constructed
at the head of the serpent-effigy
overlooking a dangerous point
of the cliff side. This was done at a
cost of $105.00.
A highway guard fence has also been
provided at a danger-
ous point on the driveway along the road
up to the plateau, where
the road approaches dangerously near a
precipitous cliff. This
will cost, when completed, about $170.00.
To provide for the greatly increased
number of visitors at
the Park, a new toilet for men has been
erected at a cost of
$145.00.
An additional well has been drilled at a
point on the plateau,
midway between the residence of the
custodian and the Putnam
Memorial, at a cost of $268.98. The well
at the house was also
drilled deeper and a new pump provided
at a cost of $14.00.
A garage has been built for use of the
custodian at a cost
to the Society of $155.00.
The road up to the plateau from the
entrance to the Park is
being resurfaced with a heavy coating of
gravel and marl. This
road is quite steep but the grade cannot
well be changed without
re-locating the road. This would require
the services of a skilled
road engineer and a cost of several
thousand dollars. It would
seem to be an enterprise to be
undertaken by the Highway De-
partment of the State.