By Kate Lohnes
With the holidays kicking into gear, Westerville residents can celebrate with their personal connection to Christmas: the Hanby House on Main Street.
The house, now on the National Register of Historic Places, was home for Benjamin Hanby and his family from 1853 to 1870. In addition to abolitionist, minister, teacher and Underground Railroad conductor, Hanby was also a composer. One of his tunes is still sung by carolers today: “Up on the Housetop.”
“It’s the most popular of his songs,” says Bill Merriman, president of the Westerville Historical Society. “It is a pretty neat song. Anyone or even I can remember that song.”
Hanby composed the song while living in western Ohio, says Margaret Baker, volunteer coordinator at the Hanby House. In the mid-1800s, Hanby ran a singing school for children. When the school was invited to perform for a Quaker group in Richmond, Ind., Hanby wrote the song (originally called “Santa Claus”) for the performance.
Celebrating Hanby’s contribution to Christmas, the Hanby House will sport period decorations echoing the years the Hanby family lived there, Baker says.
“We try to have a Christmas tree with homemade decorations and electric candles, to give the idea that they would have had real candles back in those days,” she says.
Hanby House also will host an open house for the community on Dec. 2, 6 and 7, including house tours, refreshments and musicians performing seasonal music.
“It’s a nice way to celebrate the season. It’s a really happy atmosphere,” she says. “Besides that, you can learn something about your community and this famous person who lived in the community.”
For more information on the Hanby House, call 614-891-6289.
Kate Lohnes is assistant editor of Westerville Magazine.
Check out these Hanby-related activities:
Dec. 2, 6-7
Hanby Christmas Open House
7-9 p.m. Tuesday, 1-4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Hanby House Museum, 160 W. Main St., 614-891-6289
Come enjoy Christmas decorations, refreshments, music and tours of the home. Admission is $2 for adults and 75 cents for children ages 6 to 12.
Dec. 14
Ben Hanby Musical Presentation
2 p.m., Westerville Public Library, 126 S. State St., 614-882-7277
Sponsored by Westerville Public Library.