Series 3: Carriage Hill, 1965-2012

Series 3: Carriage Hill contains materials focusing on Carriage Hill, originally known as Drylick Run. The park is known for Carriage Hill Farm, which portrays daily life in the late-nineteenth century through the story of the Arnold family, a German Baptist family who built and lived at the farm in the nineteenth century.

Subseries 3A, History and Governing Documents, contains material on park history and dates from 1968 to about 1995. There are two categories of documents: photocopies of primary sources documents written by the Arnold family, and historical research assembled by Carriage Hill staff and interns. The first category contains photocopies of scattered primary source materials created by Henry Arnold, Joseph Arnold, Elizabeth Frantz Arnold, and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Arnold Brubaker from the 1850s to about 1903. The majority are copies of the individuals’ diaries, which feature brief, daily entries recording phenomena like weather, chores, travels, social visits, health, and farm products. Other documents include a sawmill daybook or account book, probate records for community members, a book inventory, and minutes of German Baptist church meetings. Note that Special Collections and Archives does not hold the original versions of any of these diaries. The second category includes reports of historical research about Arnold family genealogy and the history of the farm, buildings, and grounds. Additional historical documentation appears in a file of background material for a National Register of Historic Places nomination. The subseries is almost entirely text-based, but there are some photocopies of historical photographs.

Subseries 3B, Events, contains information on several events hosted by outside organizations at Carriage Hill MetroPark from 2004-2006.

Subseries 3C, Surveys and Assessments, contains wildflower information and photos, as well as a brief report on park user satisfaction. Material spans from 1996 to 2005.

Subseries 3D, Public Relations and Marketing, contains material spanning from 1982-2012. It includes an early map of Carriage Hill, documents about the creation of promotional material, and articles published about Carriage Hill. Also included are newspaper clippings documenting a community discussion about a commerce park that proposed sharing a name with Carriage Hill MetroPark. Also of interest is artwork, including an original sketch showing a portion of Carriage Hill Farm. Subseries 3E, Projects and Plans, contains a wide variety of material on topics including land acquisition, infrastructure, and buildings, from 1965-2006. Most of the early material relates to land acquisition, including material on the Master Plan, paperwork submitted to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and other agencies, as well as appraisal reports. (For additional material on land acquisition for Carriage Hill/Drylick Run, see Subseries 1E, Land Acquisition.) Other early material includes general information on the management of the park, as well as informal architectural sketches of the floor plans and exterior of Carriage Hill’s historic structures. Later material includes information documenting themes like the management of facilities and infrastructure, development of a visitor’s center, and improvements to the park’s accessibility. Of special note in this subseries is material surrounding the reconstruction of the Arnold barn after a catastrophic fire in 1987, documenting the community effort to fund the reconstruction, the process of rebuilding, and the dedication ceremony for the new structure. Subseries 3F, Publications, contains pamphlets and newsletters dating from 1968 to 2006. The majority of material is informational literature for visitors to the park, including brochures, programs, and informational leaflets on park history and historical activities. Numerous leaflets describe historical trades and crafts demonstrated at the farm, including agricultural skills, blacksmithing, weaving, and dyeing. Scattered newsletters document the activities and efforts of the Friends of Carriage Hill Farm.

Subseries 3G, Volunteers and Employment, contains a file on a training program for students in a local joint vocational school (JVS), as well as two editions of the Carriage Hill Farm volunteer handbook. The volunteer handbook focuses primarily on the park’s role as a living history farm, and serves to support and guide the interpreters who demonstrate late-nineteenth-century crafts.

Subseries 3H, Programs and Outreach, includes information on 5RMP programs and educational projects put on at Carriage Hill MetroPark from 1969-2009, as well as some awards given for the park’s programming. The material includes information packets for local school districts, program calendars, information about the development and production of a musical about nineteenth-century life, a historical baseball program from the Clodbuster Base Ball Club, and a story written for schoolchildren about a day in the life of Elizabeth “Lizzie” Arnold.

Subseries 3I, Financial, contains one file of scattered financial reports and summaries from 1976-1993. The majority of the information covers the expenses and incomes from crops grown at Carriage Hill Farm.

Subseries 3K, Correspondence, includes letters about the park, its maintenance, historical restoration efforts, and the Friends of Carriage Hill, dating from 1972 to 1992. Also included in this subseries are documents related to the correspondence, such as notes and agendas from meetings referenced in the letters.

Subseries 3L, Committees and Associations, documents Carriage Hill’s relationship with local and state entities from 1973 to 1992. Local material features information on a local garden club, the Friends of Carriage Hill Farm, and the City of Huber Heights. At the state level, there is some documentation of the interactions between Carriage Hill MetroPark and the State Historic Preservation Office regarding the requirement to perform archaeological surveys before park construction activities began.

Subseries 3M, Administrative, includes contracts and a strategic plan, and ranges from 1971 to 1992. The contracts include an agreement for the country store operated at the historic farm, as well as an agreement for an individual providing hay rides within the park.

Subseries 3P, Audiovisual, includes photographs, negatives, slides, audio recordings, and videos.