Quilting retreat to open soon
Sisters Jacque Wagner and Vickie Davis recently purchased the building at 204 S. Fourth St. to create a quilting retreat, which will open soon. They named the retreat after their mother. Pictured from left to right are: Sharon Henry, Wagner, and Davis sitting by the old staircase in the house with original woodwork.
COSHOCTON – Two sisters with a love of quilting have come together to create the ultimate quilting get-away for residents of Coshocton County and visitors alike. The Rose of Sharon Retreat will open to the public on Friday, March 17 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3:30 p.m. and an open house until 8 p.m.
“We both knew we wanted to do something in honor of our mother,” said Jacque Wagner, co-owner of The Rose of Sharon with her sister, Vickie Davis. “She taught us all how to quilt and craft and enjoy it.”
The Rose of Sharon is named after Wagner’s and Davis’ mother, Sharon Henry who was born and raised in Coshocton. She is a local artist, quilter, and crafter and sold crafts at various fairs and festivals throughout the years. She was also a member of the former art guild in Coshocton.
The name also comes from a passage of Scripture, Solomon 2:1, “I am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys”.
A quilting retreat is something new to the Coshocton area and is about the fifth retreat of its kind in the state of Ohio. The number of people who enjoy quilting is growing and currently, there are about 120 members in the local quilting guild. Although the retreat is mostly for quilters, the place is open for business retreats, scrapbooking parties, wedding rehearsal dinners and overnight stays, baby showers, bridal showers, and the like.
“It was designed for quilting, but we want to open it up to everyone,” said Davis. “It’s for Coshocton and it has the potential to bring people to Coshocton.”
The sisters knew what their dream was, but making it a reality was anything but easy. The two started scourging through the county looking for the perfect venue for their quilting retreat. It took them about a year to find the ideal place.
“Mary Mason and Sheri Fortune from Agents Realty went out of their way helping us to find a property,” said Jacque. “They went around knocking on doors for us.”
Finally, the sisters found the perfect place. An old building sat at the corner of Fourth and Mulberry Street. The building, located at 304 S. Fourth St., was built in the late 1890s by Thomas Powelson who was a circus performer who performed on the trapeze. Actually, the hooks Powelson used to practice his circus act still hang in the attic of the old house, and the sisters have a picture of Powelson that has been passed down to each owner through the years.
Powelson died in 1907 at the age of 55 years old and is buried with his family in the North Sixth Street cemetery. Many around the area knew his son, Leonard “Happy” Powelson. Leonard used to run Powelson Amusements and owned a lot of property in Coshocton. He even offered amusement rides free of charge in the downtown plaza area to local foster children. He died in 1980 and his gravestone features a Ferris wheel.
The home was also owned by A.J. Pence, superintendent of the city schools; a local jeweler, contractor, realtor, and used to be a doctor’s office. Wagner and Davis are the eighth owners of the property.
“The original woodwork is what first attracted us to this house,” said Wagner.
An added bonus for the sisters is the fact that the building is three blocks from Mercantile on Main, the local quilting store, and is easily accessible to downtown and restaurants.
After the building was acquired, the real work began. The house has received a completely new make-over and offers modern amenities while still keeping its old-world charm. New features include all new plumbing, heating and cooling, electrical, cable, free WiFi, new appliances and bathroom fixtures, concrete work, an updated kitchen, restored flooring, and new decorations.
However, Wagner and Davis have kept other features of the home which are reminiscent of times gone by including the laundry chute, butler’s quarters which is now a bedroom where guests can sleep, butler’s serving door, the fireplace in the foyer, and of course, the original woodwork.
Remodeling is never a one-person job, and the sisters have been helped in the restoration by Dave Wagner and Phil Wagner who know the building inside and out and have been helping to seal the house, Tyler Grace who has restored the painted walls, and Tim Bourne who restored the wooden floors.
The retreat can accommodate 16 people and 16 crafting stations. People can rent for a day or evening rentals with a two-night stay minimum. All bookings are done through their website, roseofsharonretreat.com except day rentals which are done via phone at 740-575-4275.
“It’s very sentimental,” said Davis. “It’s like seeing your vision come together fairly quickly too. We just started work last November. To see it come together has just been exciting.”
The work on the building is a family affair. Dave, Jacque’s husband, is the designer; Jacque is the decorator and business manager; Harold, Vickie’s husband, does the upkeep and daily management; and Vickie does public relations and bookings. Their brother and sister, Brian and Julie Henry are involved in the project as well.
The sign in front of the property was created by local artist Frank Pettibone, who took the same colors as a rose of Sharon flower to create the sign and lettering.
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