The Christmas Tour of Homes
WELSH SOCIETY OF NORTHWEST OHIO
CHRISTMAS TOUR OF HOMES 2001
CROESO!
Everyone is invited to come and sing
in the season.
Cymdeithas Gymraeg Gogledd Orllewin
Ohio the Welsh Society of Northwest Ohio, presents The Tour of
Homes and the United Church of Christ of Gomer.
The annual Christmas sing will be
held at the church from 2:00 to 3:00 P.M., followed by a "Christmas
Tea" which will be held in the fellowship hall. The Tour
of Homes on Saturday, December 8 starts at 2:00 and goes to 7:00
P.M. and on Sunday, December 9 from 3:00 to 6:00 P.M.
The tour is an expression of the society’s
purpose: To foster appreciation of and preserve our Welsh Heritage.
Each of these homes is lovely and unique
and we are sure you will enjoy the day. You may tour the homes
in any order you wish.
We hope you will enjoy the tour and
that the blessing of the season will be with you and your family.
NADOLIG LLAWEN! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Alice Bushong, President
THE GOMER UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
7350 Gomer Road
The Gomer United Church of Christ goes back to the earliest days
of the Welsh in Gomer. The first recorded ‘Prayer and experience
meeting’ was held in the home of David Morgan only two years
after the first three Welsh families arrived in 1833. In 1837,
services were held in the barn of Thomas Watkins until a 20’
x 30’ log church was erected in 1841. It was a traditional
Welsh Chapel with two doors, one for men and one for women; inside
they were also divided by sex.
In 1855, the first brick church replaced the outgrown log structure.
Since then, the church has remained at its present location but
many additions and changes have occurred over the years. Many
Welsh traditions continue to this day, including the "Gymanfa
Ganu", "St. David’s Day" and singing from
the Welsh Hymnal.
GOMER WELSH COMMUNITY MUSEUM
7365 Gomer Road
This was the home of Robert Shelmadine. Bob lived at this residence
for sixty years or more. There are pictures of garden parties,
quilting meetings and rooms full of toys. Robert was known in
the homes, hospitals and stores giving repaired toys, oranges
and chocolate bars. The house was purchased in March of 2000 and
gifted to the Welsh Society of Northwest Ohio by John and Carla
Olds in December of 2000. The house was thought to be the original
home of the Davis family of about 1865. Wood bark beams and horsehair
plaster walls were used in the construction. The dream of a museum
is becoming a reality.
THE BENT TWIG
4040 Lloyd Road
Abner Morgan, Betty Jo Metzger’s grandfather, built the house
approximately 115 years ago. It was built on State Road and in
the spring of 1993, Barb Lloyd, the current owner, had it moved
to the west end of the original Lloyd farm on Lloyd Road. Barb
has been refurbishing the house ever since. She is attempting
to get back to the original as much as possible. Barb’s shop,
The Bent Twig, is located in a large room that was an addition
to the house. The shop is also a work in progress with much of
the original wood now exposed. She has added an open faced wood
burner, and has quite a few pieces of family furniture which she
utilizes as displays, that date back as far as the 1860’s.
Old tools are used throughout to enhance or hang items, like old
iron bailing hooks. There will be for sale many different items,
from trees, hand made grapevine wreaths, pine wreaths, live arrangements,
lighted baskets, home made candles, embroidered denims, dolls,
scarves and much more.
EVANS HOME
3961 Lincoln Highway
Tom and Wilma Evan’s house was built in 1920 by Tom’s
grandparents, Hoyt Partch and Carrie Gamble. The home was built
on the former site of Gomer’s Creamery (1907-17) next to
Pike Run. The first home had a hip roofed barn, built in back
of a one-acre lot. Further back was a second barn that housed
the Creamery. The Evans moved into their present home in October
of 1964 and in 1971 started to add on to the house and have since
doubled it in size.
CROSINA HOME – LEATHERWOOD PLACE
7201 Leatherwood Road
Sometime in the 1860’s ground was broken by the late Evan
Humphreys, a prominent Welsh farmer and landowner, for what is
now known as "Leatherwood Place". For some period of
time, until completion of the rest of the house, it is thought
that the Humphreys family resided in two rooms, what is presently
the dining room and the room directly above. In 1890, Mr. Humphreys
added the parlor downstairs and the front bedroom upstairs.
The walls are built of brick and are three bricks thick. The woodwork
throughout is made of native woods harvested from the Humphrey’s
farm. Following traditional Welsh plans, the house has three porches-one
for morning, one for afternoon, and one for evening. At present,
these porches are in the process of being renovated.
When the present owners, John and Janice Crosina, purchased the
house and out-buildings in 1992, the house was in a serious state
of disrepair and three of the outbuildings had to be razed. Through
much time, work and effort Leatherwood Place is slowly being restored
to its original beauty.
FOUST HOME
8050 Billymack Road
Lindsey built the family home for his wife, Becky, and their four
sons John, Justin, Jayson and Jeron in 1979. Since then their
family has expanded to include two daughters-in-law, Jennifer
and Mikki, and four granddaughters, Jessica, Jenna, Jaycea, and
Lindsey Gale. With the family spreading out, Christmas is a special
time for them to all come together.
Lindsey and Becky are both descendent of Griffith John, who settled
Elida in 1834. His family came from Pembereshire, Wales in 1683.
Becky’s great grandfather, William Roberts came to the Leatherwood
area from Wales in the late 1800’s.
Each room in the house is filled with reminders and mementos of
Lindsey’s parents, Lester and Betty Foust, Becky’s parents,
Richard and Helen John, and her grandparents and great grandparents.
Also, many of the decorations were gifts from Becky’s students
at Gomer school, where she has taught for twenty-two years.
There is also a display of old farming tools and machinery set
up in the garage.
Becky’s Aunt Judy Strayer, friend Ruth Ann Bowman, mother
and sister, Cynthia Spragg are assisting in the Christmas decorating.
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