Epworth Historic District Hearing Set
The State Historic Preservation Office will host an online webinar on the nomination February 3
by Bruce Yarnall, Barnesville Area News
A nomination for listing on the National Register of Historic Places submitted to the Ohio History Connection this past fall will be considered by the State Historic Preservation Board in Columbus on Friday, March 14.
The nomination, submitted by the Epworth Park Cottage Owners Association and the newly formed Epworth Park Foundation, is the sponsor of the nomination
Epworth Park was established in 1870 as a Methodist Camp on land adjacent to Shirer Chapel that stood on the site of the current Bethesda Methodist Church. At that time Bethesda went by two names – Burr’s Mills and Fairmount.
Within a few years, the park shifted to hosting annual summer Chautauqua programs. Chautauqua was an educational and social movement that peaked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Chautauqua programs were held at Epworth up through the beginning of World War II during a time, the park was nicknamed “The Green Spot.” After the war, the park sponsored periodic entertainment programs at the auditorium.
A historic wood-frame four-story hotel stood in the park from the 1880s until it was demolished in 1965.
During the 20th century, the park also hosted youth camps, revivals and other religious events associated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, later the United Methodist Church.
In 1967, the Methodist Conference constructed the Epworth Center and a number of cabins to house youth attending church camps at the park.
(Epworth Park photo)
Today, Epworth Park is a historic community considered a “hidden gem” — comprised of approximately 60 100-year-old Victorian cottages, ancient oak trees, and wood carvings.
The park hosts along with the village of Bethesda hosts a two-day Chautauqua Homecoming every July.
The Epworth nomination was prepared by Heritage Architectural Associates, a historic preservation consulting firm with offices in Wheeling and Miami, FL. Lead researcher and writer of the nomination was Belmont County employee Debbie Griffin, senior historic preservation specialists.
Heritage Architectural Associates principal/owner Steve Avdakov’s family owns a cottage at Epworth Park.
The State Historic Preservation Office will host an online webinar on the nomination Monday, February 3 at 6 pm. A representative of the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office will discuss the nomination and answer questions. Information on accessing the webinar is found online. Select the link under “Epworth Park Historic District, Bethesda”
A legal notice of the hearing and nomination filing was published in the local daily newspaper Tuesday, January 21.
If approved by the state board, the nomination will be forwarded to the National Park Service in Washington for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
If this occurs, Epworth Park Historic District will join other area historic districts that include Barnesville, Olney Friends School/Ohio Yearly Meeting, Belmont, Fairview, Morristown and St. Clairsville’s on the National Register.
In addition to local districts there are several individually listed buildings and sites in the area on the National Register. That list includes the Barnesville B & O Depot and the Track Rocks archaeological site.
