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Hilltop artifacts find new home
The Hilltop Historical Society has found a new – and dry – storage space for their inventory of historical materials. The majority of these objects are historical documents and maps, yellowed with time, and nostalgic displays such as retired neighborhood signage like the letter “B” from the bankrupted Big Bear venue, but many other items in their collection have been donated over the years by various organizations and residents. “There are a fair amount of albums and pictures,” President Stanton Prior said. The materials made their move to the Spears Funeral Home on Sep. 9, from their previous home in the basement of the Twin Valley Behavioral Health Care Facility on West Broad Street. While the boxes were kept elevated on plastic pallets, moisture in the air from periodical water leaks had threatened to harm the artifacts. “Periodically it’d get damp down there,” Prior said. According to Prior, their organization hired Copley Moving for the rescue efforts and they managed to complete the move in a little under three hours. The boxes are now being stored on three, newly purchased, plastic shelving units. Soon, Prior, is hoping to replace the boxes which are showing wear and tear. “Spears is very pleasant,” Prior said. “They’ve been very welcoming and nice.” Camp Chase vandalism The Hilltop Historical Society is also keeping a watchful eye on the renovations being made to the Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. “There has been some ongoing vandalism,” Prior said about the constant problem, which has upset many members of the surrounding community. Last spring, members requested numerous federal warning signs be placed around the cemetery’s wall to deter trespassing and vandalism, but instead a large “No Guns Allowed” sign was installed. According to board member Dick Hoffman, these acts of vandalism include headstones being dug up and tugged around the cemetery grounds and graffiti tags being sprayed over murals. Hoffman added the Dayton National Cemetery, who own the civil war era cemetery, are busily making repairs to the site by lying down new grass, repairing headstones, and trying to complete a positive overhaul to the entire cemetery. “They’re responsible and they’re taking care of it,” Hoffman said. While the Dayton National Cemetery continues to clean up the grounds, they hope to complete the task shortly. Furthermore, the Hilltop Historical Society is aiming to have a ceremony for Camp Chase Cemetery on June 12, 2011 complete with speakers, bag pipers, buglers, and Civil War-era reenactors.
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