Rooftop view of Zoar c1885 from the Zoar Hotel. Includes the far corner of the Cobbler Shop wash house.
Zoar was established in 1817 by a group of German farmers, or peasants, who had separated from the State Church in Germany, (Lutheran), because of the excessive taxation by the church to pay for Napoleonic Wars. They came to this country with assistance from Quakers in England and then with the Quakers in Philadelphia, PA. The Quakers assisted the group in the purchase of the first 5500 acres from Joseph Haga, who received this land as a land grant. Life was difficult individually for families, since many of the adult males had been jailed in Germany for non-payment of the taxes, and therefore in 1819 they had but two options – return the land to the Quakers and go out on their own, or join together as a communal society and work together to survive and flourish. Needless to say, they chose the communal living.
This backyard view of Zoar includes the rear of the Cobbler Shop – showing the original porch on the back. Possibly taken around dissolutionment days.
To get to the point, the Cobbler Shop was a building used to make all of the shoes and boots for the community, in addition to having living areas for as many as three families. At the time of our purchase of this building to establish both a Bed & Breakfast and a place to house our antiques shop, we chose to maintain the name of the building as it was initially used. It is a building listed on the National Registry as part of the historic district of Zoar Village. True restoration has not been possible, with the addition of the city water and sewage, heating, air conditioning and a kitchen that makes life easier in the 21st century; however the rooms are furnished with early 1800 antiques.
Drawing of the Cobbler Shop – artist unknown.
On the exterior, Zoar-type picket fencing around the property has been restored with many flower gardens, bird feeders and houses, and outdoor seating for when the weather is good and one wants to be under a nice old cherry tree. The wash house is another original building on the property. It is where all of the laundry for the Zoar Hotel was done. Presently, I use it for storage of antiques and to house my car. On the back of the building is a small horse stall.
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Listen to a German flavored bit of history on the Cobbler Shop:
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And hear a snippet regarding the wash house:
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Interested in the story behind the entire founding of the village of Zoar? View this video:
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The original Cobbler Shop showing Jacob Kuemerly and Jacob Sylvan at work circa 1850’s. This room is now a part of our Antique Shop.
