Lyme Village and the John Wright Mansion, and the Postmark Collectors Club Research Center and Museum

The touring that Anne-Marie choose for us yesterday, was to visit the town of Bellevue, Ohio, the location of The Historic Lyme Village, and Seneca Caverns.  The Village is a group of local buildings, that were located in the township of Lyme, that for some reason or other, were slated for demolition at their original location but moved here for historical display.  The village is sited on the grounds of the John Wright Mansion, and this is the only building that was not moved.

The gift shop and offices are located in the main building, as is the Postmark Collectors Club Research Center and Museum.  The Postmark Research Center has the largest part of the main building, and the wide picture shows rows of files on each side of the room.  I only stepped inside for the picture, as Anne-Marie and I had stronger interests for the village at the moment.  The volunteer had left for the day when we finished the village tour.

The guide started the tour in the old school built in the 1860s, and the furnishings are all from the 1800s.  The church building is a log structure with board and bat siding outside, this was used to cover up the fact that it was built in 1846.

All of the small log homes were marked with the name of the owners, and they did a very good job of furnishing them as the home was used in the 1800s.

Two kitchens, one with the fireplace as the only heating/cooking source with a built in oven and the other with a wood burning cook stove, a bit more modern.

The General Store was from the late 1890s or early 1900s, and it is stocked with goods that may have been sold in the store during its existence up to the 1950s.

The hardware store and contents were donated by the owner, to make room for a new building, and some really old items are also displayed.

The sleigh looks to be late 1800s to early 1900s.  The wooden box on short legs is an early washing machine, hand operated.

One of the old farmhouses was actually used for helping runaway slaves, by hiding them in the basement.  The kitchen had been updated since that time.

We were escorted through the John Wright Mansion, built in 1882.  Pictures were allowed in this home.

Many furnishings were not from this home, but are all of the 1800s, and donated by local families.

One of the bedrooms in this wide picture, and mannequins staged at the mirror.