Originally constructed in the 1830s, the Weller Cabin on the Union County Historical Society site, above, recently received a five-week exterior restoration that involved replacing the cedar shakes and chinking. Below, James “Tim” Harrington of H & S Remodeling and Painting, LLC of Marysville works on the cedar shake shingle roof of the historic Weller Cabin on May 21. The shingles were milled locally out of old cedar telephone poles. Harrington finished the exterior restoration around June 19. (Submitted photos)
Tim Harrington of H & S Remodeling and Painting, LLC of Marysville recently completed a five-week exterior restoration of the Weller log home next to the Union County Historical Society’s museum. The Union County Historical Society provided $25,000 for the restoration from its general budget, which is supported by the Union County Commissioners, City of Marysville and private donations.
The exterior work included replacing cedar shakes and chinking. The cedar shake shingles were milled locally.
“The recipe for the chinking was developed by Ellsworth and Larry Ohnsman, local log structure experts and uses local clay as the main ingredient,” said Robert Parrott, president of the Union County Historical Society.
Larry Ohnsman said his father “worked out a formula of sand, dirt and mortar.” Over time, the logs and the mud between the logs deteriorate, so the log house chinking has to be redone roughly every five years.
Additionally, the exterior woodwork was cleaned and oiled, Parrott said.
Originally constructed in the 1830s, the log home has a frame-style addition housing the fireplace and kitchen area and stairs leading to the second floor bedroom.
“The log home is very likely the oldest surviving residence in Marysville,” Parrott said.
In 1849, Edward Weller, a local clay tile manufacturer and potter, purchased two parcels of land with the log home just south of Marysville in Milford on Milford Gravel Road.
In 1970, Ellsworth Ohnsman acquired the cabin and moved it to his property at 755 Milford Avenue, then he restored it to what it would have been in the early nineteenth century.
“After we got that Weller Cabin, my father got interested in other cabins,” Larry Ohnsman said.
During the next two decades, Ellsworth Ohnsman purchased other log homes from Union County families and the barn from Muskingum County. Each structure was moved and reassembled to establish the “Ole Village” by the family’s antique store. Ellsworth Ohnsman’s intent was to create an arts and crafts village, but he was unable to get the necessary permits. So, the Ohnsman family rented the log buildings for residential use.
After the death of Ellsworth and his wife Marjorie, the property was sold to a private individual. The Nestle Co. purchased the property in 2008. The cabins had to be removed for Nestle’s purposes.
Larry Ohnsman donated the Weller log home to the Union County Historical Society in 2006 and it was moved to its property, where it was opened in the fall of 2008 for tours. According to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Marysville Division of Police and the Marysville Division of Fire helped crews from Dayton Power & Light as they moved electric lines for the relocation of the cabin.
When the Weller log home was moved to the society’s property, Larry Ohnsman spent about a year restoring the interior and exterior.
In early 2009, the remainder of the cabins were sold to other parties.
Currently, the Weller log home serves as a museum of the pioneer period in the county’s development.
“The building also contains our collection of Union County Weller pottery,” Parrott said. “The Weller Pottery was a pottery, tile and brick manufacturing business that operated on Milford Avenue in the mid to late 1800s.”
The museum and cabin will be open on Wednesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. from July 7 to September 15 and the first and third Sundays of each month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. from July 18 to October 17.
“I encourage people when it’s open to look, go through all three buildings because it’s our past here in Marysville,” Harrington said.
Harrington will be restoring the military museum on-site next year.