Schoenbrunn Village to host lantern tours Sept. 12–13

Schoenbrunn Village is hosting their annual lantern tours Sept. 12-13 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The village is located at 1984 E. High Ave. in New Philadelphia. Doors open at 7 p.m. both nights.

The darkness of the lantern tours makes it easy to slip back in time.

“We’ll have different cabins open, telling unique stories that have to do with 18th century life, or stories that are specific to the site of Schoenbrunn,” Tanner Immel, site manager, said.

One of the new programs is on sugaring. Sugaring or tapping maple trees for their syrup, occurred each spring at Schoenbrunn. A busy season, school at Schoenbrunn stopped during sugaring season. A special guest from another Ohio History Connection site will present the program.

The sugaring season started in early spring depending on the weather.

“Sugaring was so important to Schoenbrunn and 18th century cultures and villages, because it was a sweetener, and it was also a source of trade,” Immel said.

Cookies and cider will be served for refreshments at the event.

“The lantern tours are definitely a fun fall thing, where it incorporates taste, smell, vision and experiencing all the different senses of 18th century life,” Immel said.

Guests are encouraged to go at their own pace through the displays.

The newest reconstructed cabin in the village is Shebosh.

“We’ll have Shebosh being interpreted, with the story of Shebosh as an individual,” Immel said. “He’s one of Zeisberger’s oldest friends in the village. We're going to tell his story a little bit better this year, and we're going to tell the story of his cabin, given that it was just reconstructed for the 250th of the village.”

The story of Shebosh is an under-told story.

“Even how he got the Shebosh name is a unique story,” Immel said.

This year’s lantern tours will have some of the favorite activities as in the past, including the core story of Schoenbrunn, but some of the activities and demonstrations will be different.

“We like to talk about herbs depending on what's available to harvest in our gardens,” Immel said. “They'll actually get to feel the different herbs. Mullein, for example, was used for whooping cough at the time. It's important for kids to understand that a lot of the things that they see in nature can be used.”

The staff and volunteers at Schoenbrunn will work to make everything as authentic as possible.

“This year we'll be using natural lighting in all the cabins,” Immel said. “They’ll be candles and sconces, and you'll be able to actually see within the cabins what it would have looked like, or for example, in the church, when it was all lit up.”

Many of the candles that will be used were made in the village by volunteers who will demonstrate the process.

“You'll see how to make candles, get an explanation of the beeswax process and the importance to the site there,” Immel said. Quill writing will also be included in the activities.

The event will be story focused.

“We want to put guests in the past,” Immel said.

Many of the modern daytime noises are quieter at night leaving the sounds of different birds and bugs to set the tone.

Tickets to the Lantern Tours can be purchased at ohiohistorystore.org or Schoenbrunn Village prior to the event or at the door. Schoenbrunn Village will be open on weekends only through October.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for Ohio History Connection members, $5 for children seven to 17, and six and under are free.