Coal Mines, Castles & Quilts
Alliance, Ohio
May 2014
I grew up about 25 minutes south of Alliance and never
considered the college town to have many tourist attractions. But when I started an extended project in the
area and began looking for things to do during lunch and after work, I quickly
learned that there’s quite a bit to do in the Alliance area.
I drive through Atwater, Ohio on my way to Alliance from
Akron every morning and stopped to read the Historical Marker describing the
events surrounding the Atwater Coal Company Mine Disaster of 1872. When the entrance to the mine caught fire
those who were able to jump through the flames sustained serious burns but
survive. Those that were trapped inside,
including a 9-year old boy, 9 men and a mule, died. This
disaster led to Ohio being the 2nd state in the nation to pass laws
protecting miners.
Mount Union College expanded into the University of Mount
Union in 2010 and has added quite a bit of housing and buildings to the campus
in recent years. A sign outside Beeghly
Hall on State Street advertised a free exhibit of art quilts by Jean Evans, a
nationally recognized artist. As I love
needle arts, I was thrilled to spend my lunch hour browsing the display of
quilts. I found quite bit of inspiration
for my own projects in her work.
Another lunch hour was spent touring Glamorgan Castle ($5
donation/pp). Once the home of Col.
William Henry Morgan, it is now the administrative offices of the Alliance City
Schools. Although much of it is converted into office space, many original or
restored features remain to remind us of what a grand building and estate it
once was- the stained-glass dome, the ornately carved woodwork of the library,
the jovial sayings painted onto the beer cellar walls. It was a sight to see everything done with
such attention to detail. 
There are so many other attractions I hope to visit while in
the Alliance area- the Troll Hole Museum, Beech Creek Botanical Garden &
Nature Preserve, the Feline Historical Museum- the list goes on and on so I’ll
check back in to update when do.
Update: I was able to visit the Feline Historical Museum one afternoon. This FREE attraction offers just about everything you'd ever want to know about cats from their history- revered in Egypt, blamed for the Plague in Europe, grown to be loved internationally. This exhibit features cats in advertisement, entertainment and other cultures.
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