Zoar Wetland Arboretum

The Village of Zoar is full of history and memories of the people who lived there 100 years ago.  Most of the homes and buildings have been preserved for us to enjoy today.  The Ohio Historical Society has an office in Zoar where the staff and volunteers help research local history.  But, one piece of Zoar history that remains hidden is the Zoar Brewery situated just west of the village.

The old building burned down long ago, but the sandstone foundation is still in place.  This foundation is now where the small building stands that houses our office.  We have found a few old photographs of the original three-story building and a few written references to the operation of the brewery, but the history ends there.

 

Front view of the Brewery looking east towards Zoar.
The 30-acre lake is to the rear of the brewery.

  

 

Rear view of the brewery from 1875.

 

 

 

. An article appeared in the New Philadelphia Daily Reporter on August 24, 1906 about the status of Zoar after the commune had disbanded in 1898.  A reference is made to the old brewery which indicated that the "green beer" operations had ceased some years before. 

A well known resident of Zoar, Alexander Gunn, had turned the building into a library for the community sometime before his death in 1901.  In 1906 it was still a library, as shown in this photograph.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A private company called the Zoar Lake and Resort Co. from Massillon Ohio owned the property in the early to mid 1920's.  In 1923 the company published a booklet advertising the lake as a vacation destination.  References to the old brewery indicated it was called Keller's Tavern during those years. 

Also referenced is their plan to build an addition onto the tavern that would house a 1,200 couple dance floor.  We are not sure they ever managed to build one that large, but a covered pavilion was built on stilts overlooking the water.  This pavilion became the dance floor from the 1940's that people still remember.

The dance pavilion is visible through the trees. 
This view from the early 1920's is from across the lake.

  

 

This photo was taken later, possibly in the late 30's and shows the Zoar Dance Hall pavilion.  The original structure of the brewery appears to have been modified.  The man in the photo is a detective investigating the death of someone who committed suicide by falling through the ice.


 

The next newspaper reference we have found is from the New Philadelphia Times Reporter on January 24, 1959.  The Zoar Dance Hall, as it was known at that time, had burned to the ground and nothing was left.

Sometime between 1906, 1923 and 1959 the old brewery had changed hands and been used for many purposes.  We want to know more about the old brewery and dance hall for several reasons.

First, we want to discover and preserve local history that will add to the cultural fabric of Zoar.
Second, we want to highlight the more recent history of the Dance Hall because it was a social "hot spot" in the community that many people still talk about with fondness.  We hosted our first Dance Hall Celebration in October 2005, click here for details.

If you have any information about this history please contact us.  We would like to hear personal stories and see photos of the people and dances from those years.  Contact Pam at the EAP office 330-874-4632 or email at pfeagler@neo.rr.com