The Price Hill Historical Society is an organization that’s been in existence for a very long time. According to an article I read in Heritage on the Hill, their newsletter, the group’s initial meeting took place on May 15, 1875 – a time when the residents were preparing to celebrate the soon-to-be-opened Price Hill Incline. Along with interesting facts about the incline, there was also an article in the April issue about Doris Mary Ann Von Kappelhoff – perhaps you know her better as Doris Day. Yes, the famous singer and movie star of the 1950s and 1960s was born and grew up in Price Hill. Reading that brought back memories of one of my aunt’s claims to fame – she took dance classes with Doris when they were both young girls.
While the neighborhood has many stories to tell, on Wednesday, April 4th, I spoke at the Price Hill Historical Society and shared my stories! I described the research phase in preparation for writing the book, and showed images of what downtown Cincinnati used to look like, including of course the bygone downtown tearooms.
While discussing the food-testing and recipe-gathering work, I mentioned that one of the former tearoom chefs whom I interviewed, Chef Bud, had been a great help. A lady raised her hand and asked if I was referring to Bud Callaway. I said yes, and she told me that Bud had been a member of the Price Hill Historical Society when he lived in Cincinnati. His home had been just a few blocks away on St. Lawrence Avenue, and the woman had lived around the corner from him. When I told him, Bud was happy to hear that they are still keeping it going.
If you are interested in visiting the PHHS and Museum it is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 to 4:00 PM or by appointment. www.pricehill.org
The PHHS members were kind enough to display all my books for sale on a beautiful old chest covered with a lovely tatted cloth.