Byesville Rotary learns about the past and future of the Kennedy Stone House

Pictured: Chuck Fair, speaker host; Jim Ferguson, Pres. Friends of the Kennedy Stone House; Phyliss Jeffries, Pres. Byesville Rotary.

Readings for Feb. 2:

• January Rotarian: "Philanthropy," p. 64.
• February Rotarian: "President's Message," p. 1.

Jim Ferguson, President of the Friends of the Kennedy Stone House located at Salt Fork State Park, reviewed the history of the Stone House and described efforts to restore the house. In 1837, Benjamin Kennedy paid an Irish stonemason $500 to build the 4 room house. For an extra $60, the stonemason also built a root cellar. Kennedy, followed by his son Mathew, raised merino sheep on the farm. In 1914, Mathew’s widow turned the farm over to tenants. In 1966, the homestead was sold to the state.

During this period, the building deteriorated. In 1999, Polly Cornish saw the possibilities of the property and founded the Friends of the Kennedy Stone House. She was instrumental in inspiring dozens of volunteers to donate time or money toward the restoration project. Much has been done in the last 10 years, but the project is far from finished.

When restoration began, only the stone walls of the house remained. Roof and floors were missing. Today, the house has been restored and furnished with period furniture. It functions as a museum, providing a glimpse of life on a Guernsey County farm in the 1800’s.The summer kitchen and root cellar have been rebuilt. An herb garden has been planted and the area landscaped.

In addition to restoring the house, a Veterans Memorial Courtyard has been built to honor all who have served in the military. The Courtyard consists of 1300 bricks, each etched with the name of a veteran. The Friends current project is to complete a Memory walk. The Walk is open to anyone. Bricks for this walk for cost $50. There are a few spaces left.

A cabin to house docents has been completed. This cabin provides a comfortable living space for people who volunteer to dress in period clothing and provide tours for visitors. Already, volunteers have been scheduled for all of 2010 and half of 2011.

The museum is open for tours Friday-Monday from 1:00-5:00, May through October, Thanksgiving Day, and weekends if the weather cooperates. For more information, contact the Salt Falk State Park Office, 740-439-3521.

In other business, Rotary members voted to send a donation to the Rotary’s Haitian earthquake assistance effort. Larry Miller and Chris Morris, co-chairs of the Annual Golf Outing and Fundraisers, reported that Chuck Fair, Marty Patchen, Jan Wilson, and Joe Waske have volunteered to work on the golf outing. Jamie Hoops has volunteered to organize the club’s LifeLine of Ohio support.
The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, February 2, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.

Lifeline of Ohio encourages Byesville Rotarians to “Share Life”

Pictured: Phyllis Jeffries, Byesville Rotary President; Cathy Warhola, Lifeline of Ohio.

Ms. Warhola, regional representative for Lifeline of Ohio, explained to the Byesville Rotary club how donated organs and tissues can change people’s lives. Ms. Warhola, a registered nurse, said she saw first hand how much a donated organ could change a patient’s life. She worked with patients waiting for a kidney and who needed dialysis 3 times a week. Each dialysis session took 3 hours. Between sessions, patients had to limit liquids to 2 cups a day and watch what they ate. A donated kidney meant no more dialysis sessions and a normal diet.

Every person who agrees to become an organ donor can save up to 8 lives and can help up to 50 people with a tissue donation. Organs that can be donated include the heart, lungs, pancreas, liver, kidneys and small intestine. Tissues that can be donated include the eyes, bone, veins, heart valves, and skin.

Ms. Warhola stated, “Surgeons have a 4 hour window to use organ donations. Most donations from people in Guernsey County will be used to make a difference in the lives of community members.”

There is no cost to donors or their families for an organ or tissue donation. Donations are only accepted from deceased donors with the agreement of their family.

Fifty-four percent of Ohio’s citizens have agreed to be organ donors. Currently, there are over 105,000 people in the United States on the waiting list for organs. Another patient is added every 10 minutes. To join the donor registry or to get more information about organ and tissue donation, call 1-800-525-5667 or visit www.lifelineofohio.org.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, January 26, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.

Byesville Rotary learns about Byesville Scenic Railway Miners statue project

Pictured: Phyllis Jeffries, Byesville Rotary President; Steve Stolarik, Byesville Scenic Railway.

Reading for Jan. 19:

• January Rotarian, "President's Message," p. 1 and "Nowhere to go," p. 32.

Snowy weather schedule:

• Rotary meeting cancelled if Rolling Hills School District is closed.
• Meeting will be held if Rolling Hills School District is on 2 hour delay.

Members who did not bring canned meat to the meeting can bring their meat donations to the Jan. 19. meeting.

Committee meetings:

• Golf Outing Fund Raiser: Co chairs--Larry Miller and Chris Morris. Contact one of them to work on the committee.
• Budget Review: Co-chairs--Bob Long and. Chuck Fair. Members--Joe Waske, Tanya Hitchens, Dan Navicky, Shana Fair. Contact one of co-chairs to serve in this committee.

Steve Stolarik, History and Museum coordinator for the Byesville Scenic Railway, updated members of the Byesville Rotary about progress made toward purchasing a statue of a miner. The statue will commemorate the miners of Guernsey County.

Byesville Scenic Railway selected a Zanesville artist, Alan Cottrill, to create a bronze, 6 foot high sculpture. Many people riding the train are repeat visitors. Steve feels that people come back because they are trying to get in touch with their ancestors and the history of members of their families. The bronze statue will help people retrieve their past.

“Because people are trying to understand their past,” Mr. Stolarik stated, “it was important that the statue represent a real miner—dirty and raggedy.” Viewers examining the sculpture closely will find that the miner is missing a finger. Steve said that the missing finger represents every miner injured on the job.

The budget for the statue is $36,000. This figure does not include the cost of the base needed to hold the sculpture in the ground. The base will be of black concrete molded to look like the floor in a coal mine. Cost for the base is estimated at $2,000. To date, $17,404 has been contributed to the sculpture project by visitors who have ridden the train. The Scenic Railway expects to be able to install the statue in two years. To make a contribution toward the construction of the Byesville Scenic Miners statue, contact Steve Stolarik at history@bsrw.org.

Currently, two other miners, created by the Dickens Village artists and sponsored by Byesville Rotary, sit in the train depot. Many visitors pose with the miners for pictures. Steve expects that people will want to have pictures taken with the bronze statue. The statue will be mounted on a low base to keep it accessible to visitors.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, January 19, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.