Toy Cellar in Roscoe Village covers Civil War to the Space Age
COSHOCTON — Richard Hoover has been collecting old toys for decades because of the nostalgia they hold for him. He's happy to share that with visitors to The Toy Cellar in Roscoe Village.
The museum opened in 2009 in the basement of the Toll House. It moved to the basement of the Hay Craft Center in 2020 due to Hillbippie Clay taking over the Toll House. It's now home to the Coshocton Art Guild Gallery and Gift Shop.
The Toy Cellar features items from the 1860s to 1960s, from the Civil War to the Space Age. It has wind-up toys, gravity toys, tin toys, wooden toys, push cars, kaleidoscopes and everything in between. It has about 800 pieces and is derived from Hoover's private collection amassed over 50 years.
Hoover said he and his family love flea markets and they once lived near one of the biggest in Ohio in Hartville.
"We'd go almost every Monday morning and get there early. People were unpacking their trunks, bringing stuff from old attics and garages. I never dreamed you could even see stuff like that anymore," Hoover said. "Whatever it was bit me pretty hard and that's where the collecting started."
He collected old tools, clocks and more. The toys came later, a few here and there that Hoover just found interesting.
"It grew from there," he said.
When Hoover retired as a minister in Coshocton, he and his wife Alice devoted more time to working in Roscoe Village as historical interpreters and tour guides. He also took part in a lecture series. For a talk on the evolution of transportation, he brought in some of his toy cars, buses, planes and trains.
Jim McClure, director of Roscoe Village at the time, was so taken with the memorabilia he encouraged Hoover to open The Toy Cellar.
"He asked 'would you be willing to loan all this to the village for a display.' I said yes and he nearly fainted," Hoover said with a laugh. "He probably figured I'd say 'I'll have to think about it,' but I thought it would be a great opportunity not only for me to share my hobby but for other people to enjoy it."
Usually the first word out of people's mouths when they walk in is 'wow,' Hoover said. The question visitors most often asked is what is his favorite toy.
"I always joke with visitors when they ask me that. I say 'what do you think I've been showing you the last 10 minutes.' All the ones I demonstrate are my favorites. I have to be entertained too. I'm not here just to entertain others," Hoover said.
He no longer actively collects toys, even though there are plenty of pieces he'd still love to have. Over the last few years he has tried to fill a few gaps in the collection via eBay and other means.
"Things are just getting very hard to find now and more expensive," Hoover said. "Also, where's the room to put it?"
The Toy Cellar is open 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and by special appointment. Hoover is on hand to answer questions and give demonstration. Contact Roscoe Village for more information at roscoevillage.com or by calling 740-622-7644.
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with close to 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Toy Cellar in Roscoe Village covers Civil War to the Space Age
