Founders Day celebrates Mansfield history

By Amanda Rogers

Mansfield Record

Warm temperatures didn’t deter the community’s interest in Mansfield history, as the fourth annual Founders Day drew the largest crowd yet Saturday.

With temperatures hovering around 90 degrees, visitors, vendors and volunteers gathered under the trees surrounding the home of city co-founder Ralph Man to celebrate life in the mid-1800s at the Man House Museum, 604 W. Broad St.

“Our attendance was more than 200 over what we had last year,” said Tom Leach, president of the Mansfield Historical Society, who said attendance topped 600 this year.

Jessica Baber, manager of the Mansfield Historical Museum & Heritage Center, agreed.

“It’s been a wonderful day,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of great volunteers from the high school and adults willing to get dressed up (in period costumes). We had some new vendors and new things to do, the petting zoo, basket weaver. We try to have new things to do every year.”

Youngsters and adults took the day to slow down, playing 19th century games like rolling the hoop, sack races and checkers, getting their silhouettes cut out by a craftsman and shopping handmade items, such as soap, pottery, metal works and clothing.

Visitors also got history lessons, learning about bee keeping, outdoor cooking, quilting, spinning, sending a telegram and blacksmithing.

The annual event is sponsored by the city.

“This is a great event and a great turnout,” said Art Wright, city planning manager. “You can come out and learn about how Mansfield was in the early days.”

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