Epworth Park Added to National Register of Historic Places
BETHESDA – The Epworth Park Cottage Owners Association and the Epworth Park Foundation are pleased to jointly announce the listing of the Epworth Park Historic District (Bethesda, Ohio) in the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is the official list of the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation and currently contains over 100,000 properties.
The 20.5-acre District includes 59 privately-owned cottages and the village-owned lake and playground. The boundary includes most of the area that was traditionally part of Epworth Park. The seasonal cottages were mostly constructed between 1875 and 1930, and many of them retain elaborate gingerbread ornamentation, including turned porch posts, decorative brackets, bargeboard, gable ornament, spindle work and jigsaw-cut trim.
Epworth Park was founded in 1870 as the Burr’s Mills Camp Meeting Grounds by the local Methodist Church. Camp meetings were religious gatherings that lasted several days, and people came from miles away for preaching, Bible study and a general retreat from their everyday lives in verdant, peaceful and pleasant surroundings. In 1891, Epworth Park hosted its first Chautauqua-style gathering. The Chautauqua Movement, which started at Chautauqua Lake, New York, in 1874, brought educational and cultural offerings to people in rural areas and small towns who might not have otherwise had exposure to the programs, thus improving the overall education of the nation. Many well-known speakers appeared at the Epworth Park Chautauqua meetings, including future presidents William McKinley and Warren G. Harding, presidential candidates William Jennings Bryan and Eugene V. Debs and many other politicians. The meeting also hosted many famous ministers, suffragettes, and temperance leaders. Entertainment was a popular part of the program and included vocal performance, magic, dramatic readings and plays. Classes were conducted in art, music, Bible study, public speaking and physical education. In the early 20th century, motion pictures were added to the program. The last meeting at Epworth Park was held in 1942, shortly after the U.S. entered World War II.
The process of the National Register nomination took approximately two years to complete and included the preparation of a written and graphic nomination which was reviewed by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office (OHPO), approved unanimously by the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board (OHSPAB), and formally listed by the National Park Service (NPS).
Listing in the National Register will convey several benefits to Epworth Park and the village of Bethesda, including recognition of the significance of the history and architecture of the District. Listing in the National Register also can provide financial incentives and funding opportunities for Epworth Park and the village which could be utilized for improvements to the facilities. A plaque will be made and prominently displayed on the grounds that indicates that Epworth Park is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The nomination was prepared by Heritage Architectural Associates and was jointly funded by the Epworth Park Cottage Owners Association and the village of Bethesda. Steven Avdakov, the founder and principal of Heritage, a long-time cottage owner and Board Member of the Epworth Park Foundation, said, “The National Register listing of Epworth Park is a significant achievement for Epworth Park.
This is a great example of the positive trajectory of the Park, which is truly a hidden gem in the State of Ohio. June Diehl, secretary of the Epworth Park Foundation, said “I am so proud to have been part of this endeavor. Being on the National Register of Historic Places will open many doors to us relative to funding on both the state and national level. We have many infrastructure needs and lofty goals—such as securing funding to build a version of the hotel and restaurant that was demolished in the 1960’s.“
Dirk Davis, Village Administrator, said, “Now that we have been recognized as the Epworth Historic District, this ensures us that we can protect designated areas and that they continue to remain under the Epworth Historic District umbrella.”
Epworth Park Historic District join other area historic districts that include Barnesville, Olney Friends School/Ohio Yearly Meeting, Belmont, Fairview, Morristown and St. Clairsville 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.
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