Visitors from all parts of the globe have toured the Avery-Downer House this summer. They have learned the stories of the people who lived in the house as well as the story of Victoria Woodhull, the subject of our special exhibition. The overwhelming majority come from Ohio, all parts. In addition, folks were here from California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin and Washington. Other visitors came from a further distance: India, Australia, and Singapore. One wrote that his father had lived in the house as a Kappa Sig. Another said that he had lived here during the time of the first director, Paul Goudy.
Many wrote comments such as:
· Wonderful experience…will tell others a must see…
· (Docent) did a great job!
· Second time thru. Did tour several years ago and this is new!
· (Docent) was incredible. Very knowledgeable and enthusiastic
· Thanks….our 25th anniversary!
· Lovely tour, full of great info and enthusiasm for history
· Exceeded expectations!
The exhibit, Celebrating Victoria, has sparked a lot of interest. We have seen it published in many area newspapers and recently received a call as a result of someone reading the Cincinnati Inquirer. Columbus TV news has given coverage and recently a writer from the Associated Press stopped in to interview and photograph. One woman commented that she had taken Women’s Studies at OSU and had never heard of Victoria, Ohio’s own and the first woman to run for President. If you have not seen the exhibit, stop in this fall and don’t miss Jeff Gill’s talk on October 6 entitled “The Dilemma of Sex: the Free Love Debate within Victoria Woodhull’s Writings.”