Historic Bus Tour: Worthington Neighborhoods #1
2023-06-09 13:30 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | The Griswold Center, 777 High St, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
In partnership with the Griswold Center
This year’s bus tour schedule will feature several popular itineraries, with each tour being offered on a Friday over the summer months. The Worthington Neighborhoods #1 Tour will be offered on Friday, June 9th, at 1:30 pm.
NEIGHBORHOODS #1 (WEST AND NORTH)
Activity Number #38134

Learn how various neighborhoods have interacted in the development of Worthington from Village to City. This tour will begin with a look at the story of the creation of Worthingway and Medick Estates. See the Orange Johnson house and discuss the development of Wilson Hill which incorporated much of the Orange Johnson farmland. Also included will be Kilbourn Village, and Riverlea, a village within a city. Finish the tour by going through Rush Creek, Worthington’s most unique neighborhood.
Guests can register through the Griswold Center in person or online via Worthington Parks & Recreation here.
Other tours offered this summer will include Worthington Neighborhoods #2 (Friday, July 14th at 1:30 pm) and Worthington, Flint & the Underground Railroad (Friday, August 11th at 1:30 pm).

2023 Worthington Tour of Homes & Gardens
2023-06-25 12:30 - 17:30 | Worthington, Ohio, Worthington, OH, United States
*Sunday, June 25th: All ticket sales today will be IN-PERSON at the Old Rectory, 50 West New England Avenue. Tickets are $30. Prepurchased tickets can be picked up at the Rectory beginning at 11:30 am.
This year’s tour promises to be outstanding, thanks to community residents participating in this much-loved event in Worthington.
Among the homes that will be included on this tour are
*The Harding Home on East Granville Road, now home of the Harding-Buller Foundation
*The Philander Chase home
*An 1850s home, which was the residence of an Irish immigrant family on Oxford Street, now with a mid-century influenced décor
*A 1948 home and a 1951 home in Riverlea, both built by the same builder for his family and for his sister’s family
*The Hannah Bishop House, a house that has been moved and has several additions
*Several unique Worthington gardens; one a formal garden and one a sustainable garden and butterfly habitat
Tickets available using the “Book a Tour” button at worthingtonhistory.org. Itinerary’s and detailed booklets will be available for pick up at the Old Rectory beginning Monday, June 19th through Sunday the 25th of June.

Historic Bus Tour: Green Lawn Cemetery
2023-07-11 13:30 - 16:30 | The Griswold Center, 777 High St, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
Tuesday, July 11, 1:30-4:30
Activity Number #38329
Due to popular demand, a second date has been added for the Green Lawn Cemetery bus tour!
Visit historic Green Lawn Cemetery by bus and tour the final resting places of numerous Worthington families and figures. Kate LaLonde and Steffanie Haueisen will share stories of the people including Orange Johnson and family, the Kilbourne family, James Russell, Dr. Charles Wetmore, Elizabeth Greer Coit and numerous others. The 360 acre cemetery was established in 1849 and has over 155,000 people buried there.
This tour will depart and conclude at the Griswold Center in Worthington.

Historic Bus Tour: Worthington Neighborhoods 2
2023-07-14 13:30 | The Griswold Center, 777 High St, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
Friday June 14th, 1:30, Neighborhoods #2, (across river and south)
Activity Number #38132
Learn how various neighborhoods have interacted in the development of Worthington from Village to City. This tour will begin on the west side of the Olentangy River and explore the histories of Plesenton, Linworth and the Beechview/MA Rusk subdivisions. Then we will cross back over the river and go south and hear the stories behind Davis Estates and Walnut Grove Cemetery, the development of Chaseland and Colonial Hills.
Registration can be made at the Griswold Center, in person, or online, through Worthington Parks & Recreation, using the activity number listed above. This tour will depart and conclude from the Griswold Center.

Birthday Celebration at the Orange Johnson House
2023-07-16 13:00 - 16:00 | Orange Johnson House, 956 High St, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
Come celebrate the birthdays of Thomas Worthington (250) and Mary Johnson (200) with ice cream (thank you to Dairy Queen!), cake and tours of the Orange Johnson House on July 16th. Guests will be able to tour the house at their leisure during this open house. Special exhibits featuring the life of Mary Johnson and a display highlighting the story of Thomas Worthington and how he relates to this city will be on view throughout the museum. Children’s pioneer games will be available in the garden.
This event is open to all and admission to the museum will be free. Donations will be gratefully accepted.

Walking Tour #1 at Walnut Grove Cemetery (1800s)
2023-08-20 14:00 - 15:30 | Walnut Grove Cemetery, Milton Drive, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
Book A Tour

Sunday, August 20th, 2 pm; $7 per person
Advance reservation preferred but not required. Cash only if paying the day of the tour.
This walking tour of Walnut Grove Cemetery will primarily feature people who were second generations of our pioneer founders from the 1800s who carried on their ideals and dealt with the Civil War.
The tour will meet by the office near the Milton Street entrance and will be about one and a half hours. Parking is available by the service buildings as well as along the roads. Rain or shine!

Undesign the Redline
2023-09-01 - 2023-10-31 | Old Worthington Library, 820 High Street, Worthington, Ohio, 43085
UNDESIGN THE REDLINE
September 1 – October 31
Library Hours: Home | Worthington Libraries
Old Worthington Library’s Popular Library (main floor)
Systemic challenges today, like inequalities in housing, education, income, criminal justice and health, are far from separate issues. They are rooted in a deep and tangled history of discriminatory policies, practices and processes that remain hidden and misunderstood. In addition to shining a light on the inequality, Undesign the Redline can help with the long-overdue conversation about it, reframing challenges as opportunities, so discussions about race, wealth, opportunity and power are not about guilt and blame.
The exhibit explores the history of structural racism caused by the 1938 federal redlining maps, which color-coded U.S. cities by their level of security for real estate investments. Some neighborhoods, often with Black populations, were outlined in red and deemed the riskiest for mortgages. This long-ago inequality continues to affect our communities today, but Undesign the Redline focuses on the ways we can “undesign” these systems together.
Presented in partnership with the Worthington Historical Society, City of Worthington, Worthington Community Relations Commission, Worthington Schools and Erase the Space.

Walking Tour #2 at Walnut Grove Cemetery (1900s)
2023-09-17 14:00 - 15:30 | Walnut Grove Cemetery, Milton Drive, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
Book A Tour

Sunday, September 17th, 2 pm; $7 per person
This walking tour of Walnut Grove Cemetery will primarily feature the later arrivals from the 1900s who made their own unique contributions to Worthington.
The tour will speak to the contributions to sports and art of James Lorimer and Bill Arter, as well as Forrest Detrick, inventor, developer and banker. Learn about the Corbin funeral homeowners and Howard Potter of Potter Lumber. Hear about Herman Plesenton Jeffers who created the development of Plesenton. We will share some history about Addie Banks and her sister Nora, daughters of one of the driving forces of the A.M.E. church as well as James Birkhead, one of the three principal founders of the church along with his many contributions to Worthington in general. We will also talk about a gentleman who fled from Castro’s Cuba to make a life here, about one of only two Worthington area men to receive the Silver Star medal in World War II and some cemetery humor displayed through amusing inscriptions and much more. The walk will cover sites from the far east end of the cemetery to the far west end. Wear your walking shoes!
The tour will meet by the office near the Milton Street entrance and will be about one and a half hours. Parking is available by the service buildings as well as along the roads. Rain or shine!

Tröndlin Fortepiano in Concert: An Evening with Nicole Lemaire
2023-09-22 19:00, 2023-09-23 19:00, 2023-09-24 19:00 | Orange Johnson House, 956 High St, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
Friday-Sunday, Sept. 22-24th, 7 p.m. each evening
The Orange Johnson House, 956 High Street
$25 per person
The Worthington Historical Society will welcome Nicole Lemaire on a return visit to Worthington this September. Madame Lemaire is an accomplished pianist from Chambéry, France, where she taught at the Conservatory. She will play a concert on three evenings showcasing both the Society’s instrument and the works of Robert Schumann and Frederick Chopin.
To learn more about the Tröndlin fortepiano, visit www.pbs.org/video/broad-and-high-worthingtons-trondlin-piano/

Book A Tour

Worthington Historical Marker Dedication
2023-10-22 13:00 - 13:30 | Historic St. John’s A.M.E. Church, 682 Plymouth Street, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
St. John’s A.M.E. Marker Dedication
Sunday, October 22nd, 1 pm
682 Plymouth Street, Worthington, OH, 43082
The Worthington Historical Society and St. John A.M.E. Church in Worthington will dedicate the city’s newest historical marker on Sunday, October 22nd at 1 pm at the historic St. John A.M.E. Church, 682 Plymouth Street. The marker honors the history of Worthington’s African American congregation, which was started in 1897, as well as the neighborhood, the Morris Addition, in which the church is located. The brief outdoor dedication is free and open to the public.
The Morris Addition was Worthington’s first platted subdivision, annexed into the town in 1856. Bounded by today’s East Granville Rd, Morning St., South St. and Andover, St, a significant number of free Blacks owned land and built or occupied homes in this subdivision from its inception. In 1897, a house was relocated to Plymouth Street to serve as Bethel Chapel, and later a new building was constructed and dedicated as St. John A.M.E. Church in 1914.
The congregation moved to a larger location at 7700 Crosswoods Drive in 2004, but still retains ownership of their original location. The Ohio Historical Marker’s presence at the historic church, which is a symbol of a close-knit, established community of African American residents who have made the Worthington area home since before the Civil War, will commemorate that history.

Ghost Tours
2023-10-26 | Walnut Grove Cemetery, Milton Drive, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
This year’s Ghost Tour will take place at Walnut Grove Cemetery. On this guided tour, guests will encounter the spirits of residents spanning the last two centuries.
Tours start at 6:45, 7:00 and 7:15 pm and last approximately 1.5 hours. Walking shoes and flashlights are recommended. The tour will take place rain or shine, so bring an umbrella if rain is in the forecast! The tour is designed for guests 13 and older. The tour will meet by the office near the Milton Street entrance. Parking is available by the service buildings as well as along the roads. Tickets are non-refundable. Tickets may be purchased for $18.00 using the Book at Tour button below or at The Shop at the Old Rectory during normal business hours.

Book A Tour

Registration for Children's Christmas at the Orange Johnson House
2023-11-06 19:00 - 20:00, 2023-11-07 19:00 - 20:00 | Orange Johnson House, 956 High St, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
Children’s Christmas Registration
Monday, November 6th, 7 – 8 pm
Tuesday, November 7th, 7 – 8 pm
The Orange Johnson House, 956 High St.
Registration is coming up for a popular holiday tradition in Worthington! Children’s Christmas allows your children in grades 3-5 experience the Christmas holidays the old-fashioned way at the Worthington Historical Society’s Christmas program on Saturday December 2nd, 9th or 16th from 4 pm – 8 pm.
Activities will include learning about school traditions, hearing Christmas stories, touring the Orange Johnson House, playing period games, making a craft, singing traditional songs, preparing and eating a typical early 1800s meal and receiving a gift from a very famous visitor.
Prior registration is required, and must be done in person only, and you may only register a child in your family. Cost per child is $25.00. Payment must accompany registration.
To volunteer to help with Children’s Christmas, please contact the Society.

General Meeting & Program
2023-11-08 19:00 - 20:30 | The Griswold Center, 777 High St, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
General Meeting & Program
Free, open to the public.
Join the Historical Society for our General Meeting when participants in the creation of Worthington-specific panels for the Undesign the Redline exhibit come together to share the history of redlining and public policy that has shaped our nation’s cities and also about this specific project and what has been learned through further research.
Included in the evening, WHS Board Member and Linworth Experiential Program teacher Rosanne Nagel will share her experience working with students over the summer as they researched Worthington history and how policies have shaped our community.
There will be a short business meeting before the program.

Homes for the Holidays: Special Exhibit
2023-11-15 - 2023-12-16 | Old Rectory, 50 West New England, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
Homes for the Holidays: Special Exhibit
‘Twas the month before Christmas and all through the doll houses, small people were scurrying… to ready for everything Christmas!
Since 1910 small houses were made in America for the enjoyment of children, and this fall the Old Rectory parlor will buzz with miniature preparations in little buildings through the decades. From November 15th to December 16th, we invite you to be our guest and enjoy this special Christmas display.
Open during normal business hours: Wed-Fri, 1-4 pm and Saturdays, 10 am – 2 pm.
Add a visit to the Doll Museum and Barbie Special Exhibit for $3 per person. Or visit the Shop at the Old Rectory for some unique holiday gifts of consigned antiques and collectibles, Society merchandise and Worthington memorabilia.

Orange Johnson Christmas Open House
2023-12-03 13:00 - 16:00, 2023-12-10 13:00 - 16:00, 2023-12-17 13:00 - 16:00 | Orange Johnson House, 956 High St, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
Enjoy “An Old Time Christmas” at the Orange Johnson House this year!!
December 3rd, 10th and 17th, 1 pm – 4 pm
The Worthington Historical Society invites you to visit the Orange Johnson House at 956 High Street in Worthington while it is decorated for the Christmas season.
Once again, the Society will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Worthington Resource Pantry. In lieu of an admission cost, we invite guests to donate one or more items to this valuable community program. While members receive complimentary visits all year long, we extend the invitation to donate items to our Society community as well.
Please join us for an enjoyable afternoon of music and holiday merriment!
PLEASE NOTE: The Orange Johnson House will close for Sunday tours after our last open house (except by appointment) on December 17th until Spring 2024. Make sure to visit for the holidays!

Illuminated Shopping
2023-12-06 18:00 - 21:00 | Old Rectory, 50 West New England, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
Hosted by The Worthington Partnership and AR Workshop Worthington, the Shop at the Old Rectory will be open extra hours on Wednesday, Dec. 6 from 6-9 pm for Illuminated Shopping. This longstanding tradition in historic Old Worthington includes live holiday music, festive luminaries lining High Street, and local retailers open late. There will be a horse drawn carriage and a DJ spinning holiday tunes.
Take the short stroll down New England Avenue to shop our antiques and consignment items! Lots of unique Worthington gifts and holiday decor, too.

Winter Closure 2023-24
2023-12-16 10:00 - 14:00 | Old Rectory, 50 West New England, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
The Shop and Doll Museum at the Old Rectory will be closed from December 16th, 2023 until February 2024. The Orange Johnson House will reopen in spring 2023. Thanks for your support in 2023!

Reopening Feb. 7th
2024-01-23 - 2024-02-06 | Old Rectory, 50 West New England, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
It’s almost time! On Wednesday, February 7th the Doll Museum and Shop at the Old Rectory will reopen for 2024. More information coming soon about our Best Friends special exhibit.
Shop & Doll Museum Hours:
Wednesday – Friday, 1-4 pm
Saturday, 10 am-2 pm
Doll Museum is $3 per person, members are free. We look forward to seeing you at the museum or to shop for unique items at the antique and consignment shop.
As always, reservations for tours of the Orange Johnson House are available on Wednesdays and Sundays with 24 hrs advance booking online. Use the blue BOOK A TOUR button on our homepage to select a date and time.

Shop New Items & Consignment
2024-01-30 - 2024-02-07 | Old Rectory, 50 West New England, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
On Wednesday, Feb. 7th the Shop at the Old Rectory will reopen for business. The Shop got a winter cleaning along with new consignments and donations ready for purchase. Thank you to our volunteers for getting the Shop ready for a great 2024.
Shop Hours:
Wednesday – Friday, 1-4 pm
Saturday, 10 am-2 pm

Black History Month
2024-02-01 - 2024-02-29 | OH
Each February since 1976, Americans celebrate Black History Month, which was officially recognized during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial, with President Gerald Ford urging Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
To start the month here in Worthington, consider taking some time to reflect on Worthington’s African American history with a recording of the Worthington Chamber Orchestra’s recent Community Connect event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgqDfilnFM4. Society Director Kate LaLonde was honored to be invited to speak at this event.
The program also includes a panel discussion with artists and community leaders, including Worthington Historical Society Board Member Karen Coleman, who shared her own personal family experiences in Worthington, and a fabulous performance of Dr. Mark Lomax II’s work by UCelli, the Columbus Cello Quartet, who will perform at the orchestra’s upcoming February 4th event. The orchestra writes of the concert, “American Stories of Hope highlights themes in the African American experience and the power of hope in overcoming oppression and challenges. Underrepresented in the classical music canon, Black composers often articulate themes of struggle, hope, triumph over racism, and the fight for civil rights. Worthington’s historical connection to the African American experience and openness to Blacks in the 1800s is a source of inspiration for this program.”
To read additional biographies of African Americans for Worthington, please visit worthingtonhistory.org/BlackHistoryMonth.

Research Your House History
2024-02-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Old Worthington Library, 820 High Street, Worthington, Ohio, 43085
February 21st, 7-8 pm
Old Worthington Library, Owl Meeting Room
Your home’s history is just a click away! Library staff and Worthington Historical Society Director Kate LaLonde will share helpful websites, databases, newspapers and more. Registration is not required.

A Brief History of Worthington
2024-04-02 13:00 - 15:00 | McConnell Arts Center, 777 Evening Street, Worthington, 43085, United States
Tuesday, April 2nd, 1-3 pm
Lifelong Learning Institute at the MAC, 777 Evening Street
Executive Director Kate LaLonde will be sharing a brief history of Worthington. Tickets can be purchased “a la carte” for $10 per presentation or $50 for all eight weeks of programs. Registration and program information can be found here: https://www.mcconnellarts.org/classes/lifelong-learning-institute/

Ohio’s Indigenous History - Newark Earthworks and the Jeffers Mound
2024-04-11 19:00 - 20:00 | McConnell Arts Center, 777 Evening Street, Worthington, 43085, United States
Thursday, April 11th, 7-8 pm
McConnell Arts Center, 777 Evening Street
Learn more about Newark Earthworks’ recent World Heritage designation and Worthington’s own Jeffers Mound from Dr. Brad Lepper, Ohio History Connection, and Kate LaLonde, Worthington Historical Society. Registration is required through the Worthington Library website here, https://www.worthingtonlibraries.org/calendar/20240411/ohios-indigenous-history-newark-earthworks-and-jeffers-mound

Community Led Walnut Grove Cemetery Walk
2024-04-14 14:00 - 15:30 | Walnut Grove Cemetery, Milton Drive, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
Sunday, April 14th, 2-3:30 pm
Walnut Grove Cemetery, 5561 Milton Ave.
Do you have a relative or special person buried in Walnut Grove Cemetery with an interesting story? This tour will give individuals a chance to lead part of the tour and share a brief background and story about their chosen person. Help the Society uncover and document the stories of the Worthington community by contributing to this community-built itinerary.
Tour will be limited to up to ten participants sharing stories and ten additional tourists. Additional details will be communicated to participants upon signing up. Tour is free. Reserve a spot here through SignUpGenius, or by calling the Society at 614-885-1247.
Link to Register: Worthington Historical Society: Community Led Walnut Grove Cemetery Tour (signupgenius.com)

Night Market - Shop Open
2024-04-18 18:00 - 21:00 | Old Rectory, 50 West New England, Worthington, OH, 43085, United States
In partnership with the Old Worthington shops and Experience Worthington, the Shop at the Old Rectory will be open from 6-9 pm for Night Market. Stop in to shop our antiques and consignments – new items are added all the time!
Restaurants will be open as well as food trucks plus music by DJ Joseph Moorer.
