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Philena Doolittle Returns Home to Centerville After 173 Years By Don
Aukerman, Trustee In 1837 Philena Doolittle embroidered a wonderful sampler at the young age of 14 years. Her work was done while she was living in the early settlement of Centerville. Her parents owned, operated and lived in the Doolittle Tavern. According to the local history of Centerville recorded in "A Sense of Place" the one time famous Doolittle Tavern was located where the Washington Township Hall is now located. Enos Doolittle the owner was a Yankee peddler and settled the area in 1820 when he opened his dry goods store. He had the good fortune to marry Bathsheba Robbins daughter on one of Centerville's founders and this may account for the fact that he could open the Tavern in 1832. It was said that the Doolittle Tavern was one of the finest west of the Alleghenies. The likes of William Henry Harrison and Henry Clay visited the inn. The large dining room, 40 ft. long by 20 ft. wide, was used for dining and as a ballroom. Probably the social gathering place for our growing community. To the rear of the building is said to be a huge stable (1830 standards) to shelter and feed the horses used on the stage coach route between Cincinnati and Dayton. As a young girl Philena must have worked in the business and mingled with the notable guests. She did find time to make her beautiful sampler. When Sue Studebaker, author of "Ohio is My Dwelling Place: Schoolgirl Embroideries 1800-1850" was published in 2002, it described Philena's sampler as "neatly stitched, but she had a difficult time planning the space for her alphabet. The lower half of the canvas was abundantly fill as Philena scattered several decorative designs." The Sampler says Philena Doolittle's Work 1837....I Was Born July 30th 1823 In Centreville Ohio... The mystery unfolds as the Doolittle Sampler was found by an Illinois Antique Dealer in England some years ago. Not in Ohio. Did Philena go to England? In 2000 when Sue Studebaker was researching her book for the schoolgirl samplers she contacted the Illinois dealer so she could include the sampler in the book and in the notable exhibit at the Ohio Decorative Arts Center in Lancaster, Ohio in 2002. At that time she offered to purchase the sampler for the Centerville-Washington Township Historical Society, but the owner wanted to keep it in her personal collection. The plot thickens. When Edythe and I were in Chicago in July 2010, I remembered that Dick Studebaker said that the sampler was in that area. I searched the internet for the owner's name that was listed in the sampler book and called. The owner had passed away several months ago and her husband said he had sold her collection of samplers to another Chicago dealer. With the name of the dealer I immediately contacted her. She had the sampler and was preparing to take it to an antique show to sell. Within the next hour I had Philena Doolittle's embroidery work and was taking it back to Centerville where it belongs. It may have been a matter of fate. I think the Doolittle family would be pleased. Philena's sampler is resting for now in our Centerville 1825 house. She may have played with Elisha Jones' daughter near her age. They lived just a block away...who knows? More importantly, the sampler will soon be purchased by the Centerville-Washington Township Historical Society in memory of Sue Studebaker and in honor of her husband Dr. Richard Studebaker so the whole community can enjoy. After all Sue and Dick are the ones who made it possible for her return. The Society's Memorial Presentation will take place during the Aaron Nutt Cottage 200 Year Celebration on September 12, 2010. The community is invited to honor them and to welcome Miss Doolittle home. |