By 1812Blockhouse
This past Sunday, Mansfield’s remarkable gem, Oak Hill Cottage, opened to visitors for the first time in the 2021 tour season.
Like historic house museums across the United States, 2020 was a year of unknowns and the need to severely limit the number of visitors or close their doors entirely. Across north central Ohio, these opportunities to revisit history are opening again on a limited basis. In Galion, for instance, the landmark Gill House will be welcoming guests again starting in May.
Oak Hill Cottage chose April 11 as their opening date, and the museum will be open from 2 PM to 5 PM on Sunday afternoons. Tours now require appointments and tours are limited to six people.
Weekday and Saturday tours are also available at $20 for a maximum of four adults. Those tours can be reserved here. Admission is $5 for adults and $1 for children 12 and under. The newly-renovated Carriage House, directly across the street, is free to visit during tour hours.
The house was built in 1847 by John Robinson. Robinson chose what was then a hill overlooking the town of Mansfield, and not far from the railroad. Known as one of the most “perfect Gothic houses” in the country, Oak Hill was immortalized in the writings of Louis Bromfield and now features period furniture and many items which were once in the house.
Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, it has been owned and opened by the Richland County Historical Society since 1965.
Source: Oak Hill Cottage; Photo: 1812Blockhouse
