Volunteers will run historic sites in Ohio

The Museum of Ceramics in East Liverpool is another site the state is abandoning.

URBANA, Ohio (AP) — A state nature preserve home to snakes, turtles and several endangered plants and animals is now in the hands of volunteers, one of 26 historical sites transferred to local groups as part of a cost-cutting strategy by the Ohio Historical Society.

“Due to cutbacks in support from the state, we don’t have enough funds to manage them ourselves,” William Laidlaw, the society’s executive director, said Friday after the society turned over day-to-day operations of Cedar Bog to the Cedar Bog Association.

So far, management of 26 of the society’s 59 historic sites have been placed in the hands of cities, park districts and local historical societies, some of whom depend heavily on volunteers. The society is planning the same for three more sites — the State House Education and Visitors Center, Tallmadge Church and the Museum of Ceramics in East Liverpool.

Since 2001, the budget for the historical society has shrunk by one-third and the number of full-time jobs declined from 400 to 270. Most recently, a $2 million budget deficit combined with decreased state funding has resulted in reduced hours at about a dozen historic sites.

“We’re sick about it, but it’s better than closing them entirely,” Laidlaw said. “We really don’t like to reduce access because access is what it’s all about.”

By turning management of historic sites over to other groups, the state no longer has to pay tour guides, curators, exhibit arrangers and other workers. Instead of having to pay between $50,000 and $100,000 a year to operate each of them, it only costs between $5,000 and $10,000.

The state continues to own the sites, pays for major maintenance such as roof and furnace repair, and provides the groups with money for minor, day-to-day upkeep such as grass-cutting.

George Kane, the society’s director of facilities management, said sometimes groups are forced to reduce hours.

“Some of the groups are working really hard to maintain the same level of access,” Kane said. “Hopefully, the quality of service will be maintained, but that’s always an issue.”

The Cedar Bog Association plans to maintain the same hours and programs at Cedar Bog, which was established in 1942.

Association President Melanie Pratt said her organization has essentially been running Cedar Bog for the past three years anyway and for the past 18 months has been raising money in anticipation of taking over staffing and other responsibilities. The group has raised more than $130,000 to date and has a goal of about $1 million.

“It’s not like we’re being thrust into this,” Pratt said. “It just happened a lot sooner than we thought.”

Kane said most of the groups have done a great management job.

“The volunteer groups really put their heart and soul into these sites,” he said. “This is really a great way for the communities to get engaged. It’s a source of local pride in them.”

James Bissland, retired associate professor of journalism at Bowling Green State University and author of “Blood, Tears & Glory: How Ohioans Won the Civil War,” said he is concerned about budget cuts that affect historic sites. He said the nation’s history is its identity and points the way to its future.

“To the extent that we cut back funding for history, we run the risk of amnesia,” Bissland said.