Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm
Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm is a natural area and educational farm in Montgomery County in southwestern Ohio, United States, about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of downtown Dayton.
History
The ground on which Aullwood lies was once covered by a warm shallow ocean, but remain completely different due to glacial movements. The ocean that once covered Aullwood’s property some 450 million years ago has left behind remnants of its abundant life. These remnants include a variety of fossils which now make up the layer we know to be mainly Silurian rock. The Aullwood Website says Ordovician. [requires clarification] These fossilized remains include Brachiopods, Bryozoans, Gastropods, Horn corals, Cephalopods and Crinoids. Due to the rocks high content of fossils, especially near the banks of the Stillwater River, the soil is rich in limestone. During Pleistocene time, this region of Ohio was under the massive ice shelf that formed in Canada. These glacial movements brought soil and rock down from Canada and deposited much of these components in Ohio after the glaciers began to melt. This movement also created the flat landscape that is characteristic around Aullwood which contrasts the hills of Hocking since the glaciers did not move far enough south to flatten Hocking Valley. Aullwood lies within a specific boulder belt where many large rocks were deposited during one of the glaciers receding periods. Several of these boulders can be found right outside of the nature center. The deposits brought by the glaciers also have provided the rich farming soil that surrounds Aullwood’s property. This rich farming land is what brought this land to the attention of John Aull in 1907.
John Aull was born March 27, 1866 and raised in the Dayton area where he attended public school until the age of 14 when he was forced to go to work to help out with the families finances. In 1885 John became a traveling salesman for the company developed by his two older brothers called Aull Brothers Paper and Box Company. In 1918 John took over the company as president after the death of his eldest brother and the move of his other brother to California. The company employed 150 people by 1919. Their company was one of the first large businesses in Dayton and the building that they ran their business from still remains downtown.
While horse back riding along the country side of Dayton, John discovered and fell in love with a piece of farmland just outside the small village of Little York. He purchased the 150-acre (0.61 km2) farm for a weekend retreat. The great flood that hit the Miami Valley in 1913 almost destroyed Dayton and left its mark on John Aull’s property. The people of Dayton wanted to prevent such future disasters so they began to finance a local flood control project. John agreed to sell part of his land to the Miami Conservancy District for the Englewood dam to be built. It was the largest of the five dams that were designed by Arthur Morgan to prevent future flooding of the Miami Valley. John Aull was more than happy to help finance such a project because he knew the safety of his farm depended on its development. This farm eventually became the heart and soul of himself and his future wife Marie Sturwold.
Marie and John met in 1922 when they were passengers together on a trip to Alaska. After one year of traveling to and from Cincinnati to see Marie, they were married. Marie also fell in love with the piece of property John was now living on. She came from a long line of gardeners and held this family tradition using her studies of botany at the University of Cincinnati. Together they spent most of their time gardening in the woods surrounding their home. Many of the species Marie planted can still be seen today when you walk the trails near the center. Her love for the outdoors turned into an enormous gift to the surrounding communities.
After John’s death in 1955, Marie decided to donate the property surrounding her home to the National Audubon Society after her death. The president of the Audubon Society at that time, John H. Baker, suggested that she go ahead and donate the property now so that she could see others enjoying the gift that she had given them. She agreed to do so and donated the land in 1956. Most of the property at that time was intensely used farmland and needed to be restored to its natural state. Natural areas had to be reestablished and nurtured. An existing barn was transformed into what is now the center and trails were built to provide access to the newly established habitats: stream, woodland, meadow, pond and marsh. Native wildflowers were taken from Marie’s garden and strewn along the small woods that were beginning to form. After only six months of work, the Aullwood Audubon Center was officially dedicated to the Dayton community on November 2, 1957.
In 1962, the 120 acre Antrim Farm adjacent to Aullwood Audubon Center was placed on the market. Mrs. Aull purchased the farm because proposed development would have drained the springs which fed the creek. The creek flows through the center’s land and even through Mrs. Aull’s garden. Mrs. Aull donated a portion of the land to the National Audubon Society. Mrs. Aull envisioned a children’s farm with livestock which children could see, touch and hear, and fields where they could watch crops grow. She felt it was important for people to understand the importance of the family farm in American culture. The Audubon Society took on her request and developed its first ever educational farm. This facility was operated independently from the Center with a separate staff and budget. It too offered a variety of 90-minute field trips exploring agricultural life.
In 1978, the center and farm were combined into one operation with one staff. The facility was renamed Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm. In 1979, Friends of Aullwood was incorporated to generate greater community and financial support. In accordance with an agreement formalized between Audubon and Friends of Aullwood, Inc., on September 23, 1986, Friends of Aullwood assumed primary responsibility for funding the operation of Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm from Audubon. In 1989, the 120 acre farm was transferred to the Dayton Foundation, with management by Friends of Aullwood.
In 1995, 150 acres were added to Aullwood’s sanctuary through a long-term lease agreement with the Dayton International Airport. This land was converted in Ohio’s largest restored tallgrass prairie. The prairie is named in honor of retired education coordinator, Paul Knoop Jr. At this time Aullwood is no longer leasing the land from the airport.
To honor Marie Aull, a new $4.3 million education wing was built in 2000, the year of her 103rd birthday. Marie Aull died August 8, 2002, at the age of 105. In 2012, the multimillion-dollar Charity A. Krueger Farm Discovery Center was completed at Aullwood Farm, putting Aullwood's educational farm on the cutting edge of sustainable education.
Mission, Facilities and Activities
Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm, an Audubon Center for environmental education and sustainable agriculture, provides activities that increase understanding and preservation of the planet by children and adults through education, research and recreation. Aullwood offers both children and adults the opportunity to experience and appreciate the world through experience-based education. Aullwood offers a number of special events throughout the year, as well as educational public and school programs.
Aullwood itself consists of two major locations, Aullwood Nature Center and Aullwood Farm, connected by six miles of walking trails running through a 200-acre nature sanctuary. Aullwood Nature Center is located at 1000 Aullwood Road, Dayton, OH 45414. Aullwood Farm is located at 9101 Frederick Pike, Dayton, OH 45414.
At Aullwood's Marie S. Aull Education Center, you will find two themed discovery rooms and six thematic classroooms containing interactive displays, informative exhibits, educational games, native animals and animal specimens. The facility also houses live animals, including snakes, turtles, fish and more. Other features include a Bird Watching Room, where one can observe many birds at outdoor feeding and watering stations, the Windows on Wildlife room, an excellent place for quiet reflection, an auditorium for lectures and special exhibits, and Aullwood's Gift Shop which offers wildlife related books, gifts and more. The grounds feature a geology trail, a wildflower trail, and several different habitats, including a marsh, vernal pool, pond, prairie and meadow.
At Aullwood Farm, the Charity A. Krueger Farm Discovery Center welcomes visitors and is the educational gateway to Aullwood Farm. It is the primary educational facility for agricultural and nature programs and also houses farm offices, learning classrooms where classes such as annual candle dipping workshops are held, interactive farm exhibits, the Liz Wyse auditorium (available for rental) as well as the Miami Valley Child Development Center (MVCDC) Head Start Preschool.
Beyond the Discovery Center, features include the large Farm Yard, and the Wyse Pavilion (available for rental), a central location from which one can admire the farm's buildings, landscape and animals. A Bank Barn built in the German heritage style of the 1800s is also present, while pastures and buildings around the barn provide habitat for cattle, turkeys and goats. A Sheep Barn provides a small sheltered pen and adjacent pasture access. Other items of note include the Spring House with adjacent windmill, a Duck Pond with observation deck, the spectacular Greenview Garden Club’s Herb Garden and the compact Children’s Sustainable Garden. Other farm features include the Chicken Coop, Brood House, Bee Yard and 15 acre Sugar Bush woodland features sugar maples and other native hardwoods like beech and cherry. A variety of animals reside at the farm and can often be seen in their respective buildings or wandering the attached land.
Hours and admission
Aullwood is open Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM and Sunday from 1 PM to 5 PM. The facility is closed during most school holidays. As of January 2017, general admission is free for children 2 and under, $5.00 for children 3 to 11, and $7.00 for adults 12 and over. Members of Friends of Aullwood and the National Audubon Society receive free admission with membership card. Admission prices for special events at Aullwood vary.
References
- A Place Called Aullwood in Southwestern Ohio: Its Flowers, Woodlands and Meadows: Photographic Essay by Allan Horvath
- Personal conversations with Marie Aull
External links
Coordinates: 39°52′23″N 84°16′31″W / 39.87319°N 84.27526°W