The Oakwood Historical Society Homestead
The Homestead is the headquarters for the Oakwood Historical Society and
is located at 1947 Far Hills Avenue. Situated on two acres of park-like
grounds, the homestead is one of the earliest homes built in Oakwood and
the longest continuously occupied by one family (1863-1985). The
homestead was bequeathed to the Oakwood Historical Society in 1985 upon
the death of Ethel Romspert. The parcel contains two homes, 1947 and
1945 Far Hills Avenue. The Ohio Historical Society approved the
Homestead for the National Registry of Historic Places in June 1987.
Current Renovation at the Homestead:
As
all of us in Oakwood gear up to celebrate our centennial celebration,
the Oakwood Historical Society is asking for your help in restoring the
Long-Romspert Homestead. Together we can create through the Homestead a
living testament of our history not only for the year of celebration,
but for the generations of children who will learn to cherish and
appreciate our heritage through the programs administered by The Oakwood
Historical Society.
The restoration plan is to interpret and create a living history of the
past 100 years of our community’s life by accurately recreating time
periods throughout the Homestead. We will begin with the restoration and
interpretation of the four period kitchens associated with the house:
the 1875 summer and winter kitchens, the 1908 kitchen, and the 1920
kitchen. When school children tour the Homestead, these are areas they
find most intriguing, and we hope these rooms will become the tool for
educating our children and visitors about the history of Oakwood.
Cooking utensils, decorations, food items, paint choice and every other
detail will be carefully researched and selected to create a fully
functional kitchen of the appropriate era. We hope to share our
community’s Homestead kitchens with guests occasionally cook some warm
treats for sharing, while weaving information throughout the experience
to enlighten and educate.
The project will continue with the creation of a professional exhibit
gallery to give the larger context of Oakwood history and the history of
the Homestead’s owners and the accurate restoration of the 1920 living
room and dining room. For all of this, we need your help. Our goal is to
raise $85,000.
Each donation puts us just a bit further toward completing our goal of
preparing The Homestead and
creating a living legacy for future generations. Thank you for your
continuing support of the educational and preservation mission of the
society. Together, we can leave a legacy to our children and to our
community.
Any questions can be directed to Teresa Prosser, past president and
fundraising chair, at 293-8506 or
teresa.prosser@sinclair.edu or to Phyllis Miller at 299-3837, local
artist and restoration chair.
To make a donation to the Centennial Homestead Restoration project,
click here.
For the full gallery of homestead pictures including before and in
progress pictures, select the picture below.
The History of the Homestead:
Henry Long came by covered wagon to Van Buren Township (now parts of
Dayton, Kettering, and Oakwood) in 1828. He married Harriet Shroyer in
1843. In 1856, Long purchased 160 acres for $280. The land extended from
Lebanon Pike (today Far Hills Avenue) west to Ridgeway Road and from
Peach Orchard Road north to Ashridge Road. Henry Long
farmed part of the land and ran a quarry and sand pit on another part of
the property (today near Coolidge Dr.). Long supplied the gravel from
his quarry to pave Lebanon Pike, and in 1875 he constructed a toll
gate at the edge of his property charging people to use the common
route.
In 1863, Long started work on the original part of the Homestead. He
used brick made from a kiln located on Peach Orchard Avenue and timber
from the local area. He added a summer kitchen behind the house. Today,
the summer kitchen has an operational original water pump and
open-hearth fireplace.
Henry and Harriet Long had five children. They both died in 1896, and
the farm was divided among the children. The children got
married and had families of their own. Laura Romspert stayed on the Homestead,
and a second home at 1945 Far Hills Avenue was added in 1902 for the
growing family. Then in
the 1920s, the family added an addition to the north side of the original
home. Because the building contractor could not match the original red
brick, the whole home was covered in stucco. The front
porch, running water, and electricity were added to the home at this
time.
The family purchased and sold parcels of land around Oakwood including
parts of their own homestead along Ridgeway Road. The quarry continued
to supply the sand and gravel for many of the Oakwood roads and homes.
The quarry closed in the 1940s. That land was sold off, and builders
constructed homes along Coolidge Dr. in the late 1940s through the
1950s.
Ethel Romspert, granddaughter-in-law of Henry and Harriet Long, left the
two Long Romspert properties to the Oakwood Historical Society in 1985.
The 17 room home is unique because it maintains its architecture in the
original half of the home (mid-19th century Victorian Italianate
farmhouse) and represents early 20th century suburban Arts & Crafts architecture on
the north side addition. Furnishings in the Homestead have been donated
by Oakwood citizens or loaned from the Montgomery County Historical
Society (now Dayton History).
The Oakwood Historical Society is implementing a long range plan to
restore the Homestead and the adjacent property. Area residents and
Oakwood High School students strip wallpaper, paint, and complete other
home improvement projects under the direction of the Facilities Chair
for the Oakwood Historical Society.
Contact us for tours, to volunteer to
help restore, or to donate a piece of furniture or household furnishing to the Homestead.
The Homestead may also be used free of charge as a meeting space for
area organizations and small groups.
