You must fit a visit to the J.E. Reeves Victorian Home into your holiday plans. You just must. Why? Because it's all dressed up for Christmas, and it's a beautiful sight.
Personally, I've been admiring the home for more than 50 years (I remember riding by the house ever since I was a child, dreamily gazing at its grandeur), but I never had the opportunity to go in until just recently. I must say, it was worth the wait.
The home began as an eight-room farm house in 1870, and was then purchased by J.E. Reeves and beautifully developed into a 17- to 21-room (depending on whether you count every bathroom, pantry, nook and cranny) mansion in 1901.
Jeremiah E. Reeves was born in England in 1845, and came to America in 1867. A boiler maker and structural iron worker by trade, Reeves was instrumental in developing The Reeves Iron Company and then Reeves Manufacturing in Dover.
Jeremiah also founded the Reeves Banking and Trust Company and operated the Hotel Reeves. He donated land for the Union Hospital, not far from his mansion.
Mr. and Mrs. Reeves frequently traveled abroad, and wintered in Florida. When he died, his estate was estimated at $1,414,668.
Now run by the Dover Historical Society, the Reeves' home has seen changes over its lifetime. After the death of J.E. and his wife (in 1920 and 1926, respectively), the home was only occasionally and sporadically lived in by their descendants. During the late 1940s, the home was "modernized." The beautiful old woodwork was painted, carpeting was installed over the beautiful old hardwood floors, antique furniture was refurbished and painted, light fixtures were updated and many of the original hand-carved decorative items were removed.
Fortunately, however (especially for the historical society, as it began to restore the home to its original magnificence), most of the family furnishings had not been sold, given away or destroyed. They were simply moved to the Carriage House at the back of the property. Even the linens and draperies were preserved! At least 95% of the furnishings you can now see in the mansion are the originals. J.E. Reeves' grandson, Samuel Reeves Jr., lived "next door" in a gorgeous columned, red brick home, and he helped guide the historical society in its restoration of the home.
Now, the rooms of the mansion have been decorated in their holiday finery by the loving and talented hands of volunteers. It looks as if the family is getting ready to go to a Christmas ball ... maybe in their own third-floor ballroom! This outstanding ballroom has a raised ceiling with windows all around. The gentlemen attending a ball would ascend to the "widows walk" to smoke their cigars, but also to peer through these windows into the ballroom below to see if, in their absence, their wives were dancing with other gentlemen!
Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to see the way it was, "way back then."
J.E. Reeves Victorian Home Carriage House Museum, 325 E. Iron Ave., Dover, OH 44662, (330) 343-7040 or (800) 815-2794, www.doverhistory.com, reeves@tusco.net; Christmas Tour Hours: Non-guided tours, daily, Nov. 11-23, 1-7 pm; Guided tours, daily, Nov. 25-Dec. 22, 1-7 pm; $6/adult, $2/child 6-17.Exterior photography courtesy of
Jim Celuch, of Celuch Creative Imaging