Chamber Seeks ‘Barnesville Collection’ Pieces
Thirty years ago, during the heyday of the “Barnesville Victorian Village Project,” local Bread and Breakfast operator Janet Thompson commissioned a 14-piece set of miniature buildings that were popular collector pieces.
Barnesville Chamber Director Jill Hissom is currently seeking a number of pieces to form a complete set of the collection. The chamber would like to raffle them off via a fundraiser to support chamber events.
Needed are:
The Barnesville Chamber needs these pieces to assemble a complete set of the Barnesville Collection. Bruce Yarnall collection – ©Barnesville Area News Company Photo]
Needed are:
- First United Methodist Church
- Moore/Smith House, 118 N. Chestnut Street
- Barnesville Depot
- Bradfield Building/First National Bank
- Municipal Building
- 1905 High School.
- Incidental items needed include a baggage car for the depot, the town entrance sign and a wagon filled with pumpkins.
In addition to those needed, the remainder of the collection consists of:
- Watt/Thompson House/Georgian Pillars B & B, 128 W. Walnut Street
- Judkins/Fogle/Plumtree B & B, 301 N. Chestnut Street
- Ely/Bradfield House, 524 N. Chestnut Street
- Treat-Smith House, 602 N. Chestnut Street
- Buchanan/Whitely House, 608 N. Chestnut Street
- Rogers/Robinson/Bruce House, 616 N. Chestnut Street
- First Presbyterian Church
- Street Post signs for Mulberry, Chestnut, and Main streets
- Town Clock
- Accessory Trees
Anyone who no longer has need for any of the missing pieces, please reach out to Hissom at 740-425-3400, or bacc@barnesvilleohiochamber.com. She would like to talk with you.
Background/History
Thompson, who died in 2015 at the age of 71, was operator of the Georgian Pillars Bread and Breakfast located at 128 East Walnut Street. She and her husband, Bruce, moved here from New Lexington when he was employed with a local coal company. They purchased their historic mansion from John Wolfe.
Thompson, who also operated a gift shop out of the house, reached out to her friend, Marlene Whiting, of Yorktown, Virginia. Whiting created the miniature houses at her wholesale business Brandywine Woodcrafts. Whiting’s firm produced the entire collection.
Initially, all buildings were individually numbered and sold exclusively by Thompson. Later, local shop owner, Jo Mott of This Old House, also sold the collection although those sold by Mott were not numbered.
The highest number in this writer’s collection is the depot, number 225!
In the mid-90s, while taking part in a home tour in the Mexican War Historic District on Pittsburgh’s northside, I was shocked to find a kitchen wall filled with Barnesville buildings and houses. Unfortunately, my mind no longer recalls the owner of the historic rowhome, but I do remember she was from Barnesville! It is a small world.
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