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A WHITE WOMAN AND BLACK BEAR ARE JUST TWO THINGS
THAT SET COSHOCTON COUNTY APART FROM THE REST OF OHIO 

Coshocton, Ohio – You won’t believe you’re in Ohio when you sample Coshocton County by land, sea and air. It’s just different.  

What do you expect from a place where a mad man built a canal boat and stones sparked controversy?  

An unusual adventure! 

If your favorite pastime is climbing buildings ala the French Spiderman and sitting on a flag pole to take your nuptials wouldn’t you have the perfect resume to build a canal boat? Such is the biography of “Mad” Marshal Jacobs who built the Monticello II canal boat as a replica of the first canal boat to reach the region. Today, Coshocton’s canal heritage is showcased at Historic Roscoe Village depicting what canal town life was like in the 1800’s. Glide the same canal today aboard the horse-drawn Monticello III. Then shop, dine and explore the site where you can see the stones that turned the world upside down.    

The Newark Holy Stones were discovered in the 1860’s while excavating the Newark Earthworks of the Hopewell Indian culture. Astonishingly, these stones depicted Moses and were inscribed in Hebrew sparking a major controversy. This story and that of Native Americans and a famed white woman are revealed at Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum.  

Coshocton was originally the capital of the Delaware nation called Goschachunk meaning Black Bear Town. Long before white soldiers and settlers invaded these lands, a lone white woman named Mary Harris called it home as early as 1750. This white woman inspired renaming of landmarks to White Woman’s River and White Woman’s Town through the ages to today’s Whitewoman Street. Again, where most places would honor a person by name, you’d have to visit Coshocton to understand why Mary Harris went down in history as White Woman.  

It’s just different in Coshocton.  

Named Unusual Junction, a renovated train depot features wonderful dining and eclectic shopping but it may be best known for a sign – The Price Is Right! Where else can boast having the original Price Is Right sign? It’s even autographed by Bob Barker. A couple other unusual adventures feature Old Glory and Missionary Maintenance Services.  

If you ever thought it uncanny that many American flags are sewn overseas, you’re not alone. In a strange twist, it has become unusual to have an American Flag made in the U.S.A. But in Coshocton, the unusual becomes usual just the same. And tours of Annin Flag Company can be arranged to prove it. Another unique tour is the aviation repair shop where Missionary airplanes from around the globe are brought so they may fly again.  

Perhaps the greatest attraction for visitors coming to Coshocton is its 20,000 acres of preserved natural splendor. The Woodbury Wildlife Area is renown to birding and hiking enthusiasts and, in-season, it offers the largest public hunting grounds in Ohio.  

We’ve already covered sea and land adventures so let’s now turn toward the rainbow of colors that dot the heavens above Coshocton’s fairgrounds the first full weekend in June every year.  

One of the most spectacular and long-running hot air balloon events anywhere is Coshocton’s annual Hot Air Balloon Festival which takes flight June 5 – 7, 2009. Originally called the Coshocton Hot Air Balloon Race, it changed its name to reflect the more encompassing events that occur at this festival. Balloonists from all over Ohio and Michigan come to show off their colorful aircrafts. Balloon launches are held at dawn and dusk. And a “night glow” of balloons occurs after dark. Balloonists take part in various events such as dropping markers while in flight in attempt to hit a target on the ground. A traditional hot air balloon race sanctioned by the North American Balloon Association is also held during the festivities.  

Although Coshocton has unique attractions that differentiate it from anywhere else, it also appeals to mainstream interests and offers four distinct wineries, an award-winning cheese factory, artistic endeavors, parks and other outdoor activities, performances at an amphitheater, covered bridge and scenic country drives, Old Stone Fort, dining, lodging, events and lots of history. 

If you sample Coshocton County by land, sea or air, you’ll experience why it’s so different from Ohio’s other 87 counties. For more information about Coshocton County, call (740) 622-4877 or visit www.visitcoshocton.com. 

# # #

Contact:
Belinda Williamson, Director
Coshocton County CVB
PO Box 905, 401 Main Street
Coshocton, OH  43812
(740) 622-4877
coshcvb@coshocton.com

NOT YOUR ORDINARY STORY IDEAS
 

The mad man who built a canal boat

“Mad” Marshal Jacobs earned his nickname by doing crazy stunts his whole life. He’d climb buildings without a ladder much like today’s “French” Spiderman. Another one of his favorite pastimes was to sit on flag poles. He even got married on one. If you had ever ridden the popular Monticello II Canal Boat gliding through Coshocton or Roscoe Village, just know that “Mad” Marshal Jacobs built the original back in the early 1970s.

What were holy stones depicting Moses and inscribed in Hebrew doing in the Newark Earthworks?

This is an age-old mystery told at the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum. Learn more about the controversial Newark Holy Stones uncovered in the 1860s along with the Hopewell Indian culture at the Newark Earthworks.

They do still make American flags in America

It may be rare these days but you can still find Old Glory made in America. In fact, they are made in Coshocton at Annin & Company Flag Makers.

Ohio’s wine country hits a trifecta in Coshocton
Take a wine tour of four distinct wineries; Raven’s Glenn Winery, Rainbow Hills Winery, Shawnee Springs Winery and Heritage Vineyard Winery. Wine and cheese go hand-and-hand so a stop at Pearl Valley Cheese Factory is a must for award-winning cheeses. 

The price is right

The price is always right at Unusual Junction. Oh, and they happen to have the original Price Is Right sign. It was even signed by Bob Barker.

Make a house call to the good old doctor

Check up on Dr. Maro Johnson at his office in Historic Roscoe Village. You’ll have to travel all the way back to the 1840’s to get there but the good doctor rewards anyone making the trip with great storytelling and insight to the practice of medicine in a 19^th Century canal town.

The four corners of the Coshocton art world
Ohio is home to many great artists but four come from the Coshocton region; Todd Malenke (iron and steel sculpture), Joan Staufer (mixed media art), Esther Marie Versch (southwest art), and Karen Shaw Honaker (cowboy and Native American art).

Ohio’s largest public hunting and fishing area

The best place for a trophy buck is Woodbury Wildlife Area.

Missionary Maintenance Service
A unique aviation repair shop repairs airplanes used for mission work throughout the world. Tours are available.

A LIVING HISTORY

Coshocton county is rare in that much of its history lives today.  

At the fork of the Tuscarawas and Walhondering Rivers was the capital of the Delaware nation. In the late 1700’s, it was known as Goschachunk (Black Bear Town), which is today’s city of Coshocton. Coshocton was laid over Goschachunk in 1802 after the Indian village was decimated at the hands of General Brodhead 22 years earlier. In 1833, the city was incorporated. 

Predating white settlement was a lone white woman in the area as early as 1750. Tributes to this woman, Mary Harris, live today in the names of such things as Whitewoman Road.  

The first canal boat to glide into the area was the Monticello out of Cleveland back in 1830. This historic canal boat lives today in the form of its replica – Monticello III, which offers rides. Coshocton’s canal town heritage lives today at the Historic Roscoe Village, a restored 1800’s canal town offering unique shopping and culinary experiences. 

The legacy of the area’s people, whether they were white settlers, Asians or Native Americans, lives on at the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum and Walhondering Valley Historical Society Museum. One of the most controversial exhibits of the past are the Newark Holy Stones found in native earthworks bearing Hebrew inscription and reference to Moses. 

An iron horse stop or 1895 train station and several train cars live today as a renovated railroad depot named Unusual Junction. It earned its nickname because of the eclectic findings there. It features a restaurant, gourmet food market and designer dress shop but also the original sign from the popular TV show The Price Is Right autographed by Bob Barker.  

Nearby is the Troop Train Memorial which is a monument to remember the horrific train wreck in West LaFayette on September 11, 1950 killing 33 members of the 109 Field Artillery Battalion, Pennsylvania National Guard. Another reminder of the area’s military history is the Old Stone Fort, presumed built by the French explorer D’Iberville and believed to be the oldest known structure east of the Mississippi.   

But to see Coshocton County as it was well before its first white woman stepped foot there, explore the 20,000 acres of Woodbury Wildlife Area. It is Ohio’s largest public hunting and fishing area and is renowned for its trophy bucks. It has remained a great place for birding, hiking and camping ever since Native Americans made it home.  

Coshocton County is a living history tour that defines its present. And it is an open book ready for visitors to learn about its distinct history while enjoying the treasures of today.    

Shopping in Coshocton and Roscoe Village is a refreshing change of pace.  You'll be welcomed into the shops like an old friend.  The streets are safe and you'll find plenty of free parking.  In Coshocton County the specialty shopping selections include gourmet foods, furniture, antiques, unique gifts and numerous locally-made items such as cheese, baskets, jewelry, paintings, wine and pottery. For more information go to www.visitcoshocton.com and www.historicroscoevillage.com.