'1831' AT THE OAKLAND INN--
Twenty four stars were representative of the US flag in 1831 and are shown above in the glow of a single candle in the community room of Oakland Lutheran Church of Mansfield decorated as a colonial inn of that period.
On a recent series of weekends church members did “A dinner Theater of Historic Proportions” where each performance was done for an audience of about 30 folks who dined on a meal of that period while being treated to snippets of local history from that long-ago time.
The cast was led by church minister Paul Lintern who played Jacob Zeiters owner of the Oakland Inn in those days. Zeiters moved here from Boston in 1815 to help his wife’s sister with their family farm after the sister’s husband died. Zeiters built the inn after the farm failed in the recession of 1818.
Also dining with us was Mansfield’s mayor of the time, James Gilkison played by Mike Briggs. Mansfield had been a village for just 3 years back then and had 300 residents.
Richland County was then the largest county in Ohio at 900 square miles. Uniontown was on the county’s east border—later to be named Ashland.
News of the day was slow to get here but folks ultimately learned Robert Fulton had developed the steamboat. Of course, they knew Andrew Jackson was president and some had an idea the country’s population was almost 13 million; about the same as Ohio’s today.
About 3 and a half million were slaves which would lead—some 30 years later—to what we now know of as our Civil War.
We dined by candle light and were served by church members in period costumes. The meal of beef and chicken and potatoes and cabbage and pie and apple crisp was served family style and the plates went around more than once.
It was fun to salt slightly with the tiny spoon from the little glass container while enjoying a glass of cider quite likely traceable to a fellow who took the name Appleseed as a Mansfield resident for 25 years back then.
Zeiters and the mayor told of the construction of the county’s third courthouse on the village square. It was bricks and mortar and two stories tall and replaced earlier blockhouses that served that purpose.
Folks seemed proud of it back then but an audience member from down in the valley near the Clear Fork speculated the old-timers of the period wondered which would last longer the fancy new building or its log predecessors.
Of course, if you take a peek in South Park of Mansfield you will see a well preserved blockhouse from that colonial period which remains standing to this day.
Kudos to church and cast members for a delightful evening!
Twenty four stars were representative of the US flag in 1831 and are shown above in the glow of a single candle in the community room of Oakland Lutheran Church of Mansfield decorated as a colonial inn of that period.
On a recent series of weekends church members did “A dinner Theater of Historic Proportions” where each performance was done for an audience of about 30 folks who dined on a meal of that period while being treated to snippets of local history from that long-ago time.
The cast was led by church minister Paul Lintern who played Jacob Zeiters owner of the Oakland Inn in those days. Zeiters moved here from Boston in 1815 to help his wife’s sister with their family farm after the sister’s husband died. Zeiters built the inn after the farm failed in the recession of 1818.
Also dining with us was Mansfield’s mayor of the time, James Gilkison played by Mike Briggs. Mansfield had been a village for just 3 years back then and had 300 residents.
Richland County was then the largest county in Ohio at 900 square miles. Uniontown was on the county’s east border—later to be named Ashland.
News of the day was slow to get here but folks ultimately learned Robert Fulton had developed the steamboat. Of course, they knew Andrew Jackson was president and some had an idea the country’s population was almost 13 million; about the same as Ohio’s today.
About 3 and a half million were slaves which would lead—some 30 years later—to what we now know of as our Civil War.
We dined by candle light and were served by church members in period costumes. The meal of beef and chicken and potatoes and cabbage and pie and apple crisp was served family style and the plates went around more than once.
It was fun to salt slightly with the tiny spoon from the little glass container while enjoying a glass of cider quite likely traceable to a fellow who took the name Appleseed as a Mansfield resident for 25 years back then.
Zeiters and the mayor told of the construction of the county’s third courthouse on the village square. It was bricks and mortar and two stories tall and replaced earlier blockhouses that served that purpose.
Folks seemed proud of it back then but an audience member from down in the valley near the Clear Fork speculated the old-timers of the period wondered which would last longer the fancy new building or its log predecessors.
Of course, if you take a peek in South Park of Mansfield you will see a well preserved blockhouse from that colonial period which remains standing to this day.
Kudos to church and cast members for a delightful evening!
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