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EAST LIVERPOOL - The Friends of Beaver Creek State Park are preparing to open Pioneer Village for the Year and are asking the community for help. Both financial help and manpower are needed.
The group currently consists of fewer than 20 active volunteers who man the buildings in Pioneer Village during the monthly Village Comes Alive, doing activities like grinding grain in Gaston's Mill, demonstrating a variety of pioneer life skills, teaching children in the schoolhouse, manning the forge in the blacksmith shop, selling souvenirs, toys and refreshments in the trading post and more. Throughout the year, the volunteers also hold Pioneer Days, a Big Foot festival, Civil War reenactments, a fishing derby for children, monthly pancake breakfasts and tours for schoolchildren. The group is also very busy behind the scenes raising money to pay for the maintenance, improvements and repairs to the buildings in Pioneer Village and the restored Lock 36 that lies within Pioneer Village. Numerous buildings in the village have statewide historical value, but Gaston's Mill is particularly valuable because it is one of only three grist mills still in operation in Ohio.
In recent years, the group has torn down, moved and reconstructed the 1860 log home that once belonged to the Esterly family in Columbiana and was donated by Cindy DePillo. Most of the labor for that project has been done by Friends of Beaver Creek State Park volunteers. They are hoping a local mason might be willing to assist them in building the fireplace in the house. Friends of Beaver Creek State Park president Dan Lyon said no one in the group is a mason so they would like to have one involved to make sure the fireplace looks the best it can look. The cost of the Esterly House project to date exceeds $60,000 with approximately $30,000 in expenses remaining to build the fireplace, put a roof on the porch and finish building and installing windows. The last part of the project will be the installation of a handicapped ramp so the house can be enjoyed by everyone.
Recently, a new roof was installed on the barn in the village at a cost of $17,000. New gates were put on Lock 36 at a cost of $28,000 and $10,000 to $15,000 in repairs to the floor of the lock are planned for this year. The lock is historically significant because it is the only restored lock on the entire Sandy and Beaver Canal.
In addition to the work needed on the lock floor, there are several buildings in Pioneer Village that need new cedar shake roofs installed or repair work done on their existing roofs. Another expense that has become necessary is additional security cameras installed throughout the village.
Lyon noted that the group has raised and spent over $350,000 in Pioneer Village since 2015. He added, "People think we get money from the state to help with what we do, but we don't. It is our responsibility to maintain all the structures in the village even though they are on state property. All the money we get comes from our own fundraisers and donations." He added that Covid-19 brought a halt to almost two years of fundraising activities which put a significant strain on the budget.
In discussing all the upcoming expense, Lyon said, "That is an awful lot to ask of less than 20 people. If anyone wishes to make a donation of either time or money, it would be very welcome." The mailing address for Friends of Beaver Creek State Park is P.O. Box 2063, East Liverpool, OH, 43920. Anyone who wants to discuss volunteer opportunities should contact Lyon at 330-853-9940 or see him at Village Comes Alive from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 6.