The Path

Woodland path, Wegerzyn gardens.

There is something about a beckoning path; One that you can't quite make out where it will lead.

Whether it is a gentle path beneath the trees, wildflowers growing by its side, birds singing overhead, a chipmunk scurrying across your path. Or...



Path to the Federal Garden, Wegerzyn.

a formal brick pathway that curves round to pass beneath an arbor that promises a neat and ordered space with box hedges and iron benches on which to sit and meditate. A well balanced

design, everything in its place and manicured. Or...

Path up from Charleston Falls.

perhaps you will meet with a steep, dirt path where you have to watch each foot fall because of the thick roots and rocks that jut out from the ground. The path sometimes narrow and becomes slippery from  previous nights rain fall. It can be a hard climb. Or...

sometimes unexpectedly you are faced with a choice and you stand in the circle of your power and contemplate the path ahead; one appears to have been favored by many before you  and the other a path less traveled. Not many have passed that way. What do you do? Which path beckons?

Each of us alone can answer that question but for myself I usually take the infamous "road less traveled". I enjoy the unexpected twists and turns, the places I have seen and the different people I have met. In the end there are really no such things as road blocks, yes perhaps detours, but in the end you find a way or make a decision to try another path. What did I find? Beauty, life, my Self... and

ultimately, I discovered that all paths lead back to my own heart.

Each journey I carry there still.

The Hunt for the William Ross Covered Bridge

We persevered and finally found it! The town of Sidney, Ohio does not make it easy, a sign stating that the bridge can be found within the Tawawa Park would be very helpful to out-of- towner's. We actually had given up the search and decided to go investigate the park instead which is quite lovely on its own and on our way out I spotted it. It's really a very pretty spot and a nice example of a covered bridge from the late 1800's though I could not find a definite date. It is named for a gentleman who served on the parks and recreation board.

I am confused as to whether or not it is attributed to pioneer bridge designer and builder, Rueben L. Partridge (1823-1900) or if it was constructed to look like one of his bridges.

Regardless it is a very picturesque site and a favorite with families taking pictures and walks.

The park has hiking trails, playgrounds, lakes and the Tawawa Creek. It serves as a natural preserve.

The "Beautiful Woman"

Gargoyle in front of Bonnyconnellan Castle, Sidney, Ohio.






On another one of our wanderings around the Ohio countryside we found ourselves in Sidney, Ohio and a couple of sites were noted on our Haunted Ohio map so we went in search. The first was this magnificent castle overlooking downtown. Depending upon the angle you come in from you can see its turrets as you approach. It must have been a grand home in its day and is still an imposing structure though it appears run down and gutted. The gates are locked so you can't get too close but from the street we could see a spiral iron staircase in the turret to the left. It is on Walnut Ave. There is a large brick carriage house in the back. Bonneyconnellan means the "beautiful woman."

The grand stair to the front door. Four gargoyle gaurdians.








The home was built in 1886 by John D. Loughlin, (1852-1902), supposedly patterned after a castle in County Cork, Ireland. John was the owner of the Sidney School Furniture Company and the Mary L. Poultry company. His furniture company manufactured school desks which at the height of production they were putting out 300 a day. The company also made blackboards and school bells amongst other things. 





His "Fashion Desk" was the first school desk produced.


He purchased the land in 1880, started construction in 1885 and it was completed in 1886. The front is stone and the back is brick. Interesting fact is that his father Timothy was a stone mason from Ireland.

On the Shelby County Historical Society site it states that the home had 22 rooms,

4 bathrooms and over 5,000 square feet of space. It had custom crafted hard wood floors in each room each out of a different wood, ornately carved bannisters, and a freestanding staircase that rose to the second floor. The interior sounded as if it was a typical Victorian over-the-top extravaganza of ornate features and decorations.

Unfortunately he sold the company in 1901 for a good profit but his chicken business led him to ruin and his castle and holdings were foreclosed upon by the German-American bank and he lost everything. He died in Philadelphia in 1902.  

The only mention of a ghost I could find was that it is haunted by a man in a blue uniform standing over a wedding dress. Ghosts aside hopefully someday someone will restore it to its former glory and fill its rooms and halls with life and laughter once again.

Bridging Time

Mound City.





Ohio has one of the largest concentrations of ancient burial mounds in the world and there are a number of parks and areas across the state that protect these precious and sacred sites. Mound City is just outside of Chillicothe, Ohio the original state capitol. It's full name is Mound City Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. The museum has a collection of artifacts found at the site including over 200 carved clay pipes in the shapes of birds, turtles, snakes and human heads all that had been ritually broken. There are 23 mounds enclosed within a low wall also of earth. It is an area of rolling green grass covered mounds surrounded by trees all around. It is very peaceful and calming to walk here, to imagine that people have been coming here for thousands of years.

I suggest seeing the wonderful movie within the museum as it really gives you an overview of the history and the research that has been done upon the mounds and the buildings that were here at one time. It also explains the dynamics of building this site and similar sites that all match identically in shapes and measurements.  The volunteers in the museum are quite gracious and helpful, obviously quite passionate about the park. You can also check out the website Ancient Ohio Trail for information on the whole trail that crosses the state. I can't wait to go to some of the other parks. It was also listed on the Haunted Ohio map as a sacred site.

Buckskin Bridge 1873.

On the way back we decided to drive the back country roads and visited this covered bridge, Buckskin, built in 1873 which has been beautifully restored. It is on Lower Twin Road in the
                                           Appalachian countryside of Ross County. 

Buckskin covered Bridge.

The little township over the rise is South Salem and is the home of the Salem Academy and a wonderful cemetery that we, of course, had to visit. The stone, Federal style academy was built in 1842 and was founded by a Presbyterian minister Hugh Fullerton. It is a historical site.

Salem Academy.

The cemetery has some beautiful carvings and a lot of graves with these rectangular stone bases that were built up. There is also the grave of Mary Morter, who was supposedly the daughter of  Queen Victoria's father, Prince Edward, but it was not proven. Her husband carved a simple stone for her when she died at the age of 34, weakened by her journey to the America in 1852. At the bottom of her stone it says "Think". Does make one think!

We also went looking for this bridge/tunnel which was on the Haunted Ohio map. A bit more difficult to find but we persevered and finally found it on the other side of Chillicothe. Schrader Road tunnel is supposedly haunted by a woman and her crying baby that you can hear if you drive through the tunnel with your windows down. Also reportedly by a woman who hanged herself from the north end of the tunnel. We didn't experience anything but one of the pictures I took did have orbs.

Schrader Road Tunnel.

We spent the better part of the day driving in and around the area and it is quite a lovely part of Ohio. Stopped at a wonderful barbecue restaurant in Chillicothe on East 7th St., called 7 Miles Smokehouse which was fantastic and reasonable. Everyone enjoyed their lunch and left with doggy bags. I had looked up suggestions before we went and I can honestly say that not one of us would have stopped at this restaurant if I hadn't seen they had gotten top ratings. It looks like a dive and has no atmosphere but the food well makes up for it. A little curb appeal would probably serve them well!