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Opening doors to history

Tours of century-old cottages at Epworth Park

T-L Photo/JOSIE BURKHART Epworth Park Foundation Co-chair Judy Frizzi is ready to show off the cottages during the first-ever Epworth Park fall event from 1-5 p.m. Oct. 19 at the park in Bethesda.

BETHESDA — Historic cottages will be open to tour during the first fall event at the Epworth Park in Bethesda.

The venue will be having A Walk in the Park event with 12 Victorian cottages available to tour. Visitors can also enjoy food including Frizzi’s pepperoni rolls, dishes from the Soup Shack in Wheeling, smoked pulled pork sandwiches, desserts and more. The food will be available to pick up and take home. Cups of hot cider will be provided to visitors as well.

The event is from 1-5 p.m. Oct. 19 at Epworth Park, 215 N. Main St. in Bethesda. The rain date will be Oct. 20.

Tickets can be purchased at epworthpark.org or at the concession stand on the date of the tour.

“This is a unique surrounding that no one knows exists in Belmont County, let alone the state of Ohio,” Epworth Park Foundation member June Diehl said.

Visitors can see the interiors of cottages that were constructed in the late 1890s and early 1900s.

Epworth Park was established in 1870 as a Methodist campground described as a place for spiritual fellowship, instruction and renewal. The park held camp meetings, which drew in 10,000 to 15,000 people.

The need for meeting accommodations and housing for attendees grew. People from nearby towns built the cottages that people see today.

A hotel was also built during the time period, but it has since been demolished. The auditorium at the park was built around the same time as well and now provides a venue for concerts, graduations and weddings.

The cottages at the park are privately owned and the sale of them is handled by the owner. There will be a couple cottages at the event that are up for sale.

Diehl, co-chair of the event, said the reason for the event is because a lot of people show interest in the cottages and want to see the interior of them. The Epworth Foundation had a meet and greet in July that gained many people’s interest in wanting to tour the cottages.

The event is also a fundraiser for the Epworth Foundation.

“This will be an opportunity that we could do as a fundraiser and get people to come and see exactly who and what we look like here, and what, what we’re doing here … and learn a little bit more about the park,” Diehl said.

The point of this event is for people to learn about the park and cottages because a lot of people don’t know it is there. Diehl said many people haven’t heard of it because most of the cottages have been generationally owned.

Diehl said the Epworth Foundation has to make sure the park stays alive and vibrant.

“We need youth. We need new ideas, fresh perspectives, involvement, engagement,” she said. “This is sort of like a closed community, so everybody knows everybody, and we’re all willing to help.”

Diehl described the park as a “hidden gem.” She also described it as a place of serenity and tranquility.

The park will be accepted into the National Register of Historic Places next spring. Diehl said that in itself warrants recognition.

Diehl and co-chair Judy Frizzi said they love being at the park and reside in their own cottages for part of the year. They said the park has Chautauqua weekend with events, vendors, food and music in the summer. They wanted to try something different for the fall.

The two want to expand the event next year with music and make it bigger, but for now they aim to keep the event simple.

“Right now we just kind of want to keep this simple, keep it easy on the cottage owners that are here and are participating,” Diehl said. “We’re just trying to get the word out because we really would love to have people view and share with us what we get to experience every day.”

Frizzi said people should look forward to this event because most fall festivals around the Ohio Valley are coming to an end, but a lot of people still like to enjoy the fall weather.

“It’s just our love for Epworth. It’s hard to put into words. We like to show it off, and we are very proud of it,” Diehl said. “And I think our goal is to get people in to not only make money or to fundraise, but to share with them this little hidden gem.”

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