The 1797 Rich Log Cabin
This Pennsylvania bank log cabin was built over 200 years ago by Thomas and Mary Ann Berry Rich, who came to Symmes Township in Hamilton County from Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It was located about one mile from it's current site on what is now known as Rich Road. The section of land was given to Jacob Rich for service as a General in the American Revolutionary War.
The logs are hand hewn from native white oak, hickory and walnut trees (all but four of the logs are original). One course of chinking has been recreated with hand-sized stones - exactly as it was 200 years ago. Chinking is used to fill the gaps between the logs. The stones in the fireplace are the original stones from the log cabin, quarried on the site. The cabin was built into the side of a hill which provided protection and warmth to the interior. There were two fireplaces, one on the ground floor and one on the second, sharing a chimney. The fireplace was used for both cooking and heat for the building. The roof is made of cedar shingles, in the old fashioned way. It does not leak, even though you can sometimes see daylight through the cracks in the roof. The loft, added to the original log cabin years later, was used for sleeping quarters; 13 people lived there at one time. The cabin is only 20' by 20', a small space for such a large family!
Audrey Gomes Martha Hussar Memorial Herb Garden
The herb garden in front on the log cabin is designed in an old fashioned half circle. It is named for the sisters, who helped design and care for the garden soon after the museum opened. The garden contains many pioneer herbs which were useful for medicine, cooking and seasoning and for beauty products.
An herb garden was very important to pioneer families because they depended on it for their very existence. The herb garden was sometimes called a "kitchen or medic garden" and was usually near the kitchen door. Today the garden is planted and maintained by many loyal museum volunteers. Some of the perennial plants are dried and used for herbal decorations, sold at the annual Harvest Bazaar. During the growing season, it is a favorite spot for tours of both children and adults.
1897 Bishop Coleman Gazebo
This historic structure was restored at the museum in 1997. It once stood at the south corner of West Loveland Avenue and Riverside Drive on the property of Dr. Nathaniel Bishop, just one block from the museum campus. Dr. Bishop was known as the "father" of West Loveland because he developed the area and subdivided it. The Gazebo was named after Jean Coleman Lisle, a descendent of the Bishop family, who was the primary benefactor of the restoration.
The gazebo structure was salvaged from the Riverside property in 1965, stored by a Loveland family who planned to rebuild it but never completed the restoration. In 1996, the pieces were donated to the museum by Mrs. John Cutter; the museum raised $10,000 to have the gazebo restored and relocated. The ceiling, upper posts and about ½ of the Gingerbread trim used in the restoration are original. It has the original tin roof. Today it remains a reminder of days gone by, under a grove of linden trees. The structure is used for special outside events, such as the June Ice Cream Social.