URBANA — For Marlen Mathias, the battle to keep the memory of her ancestor John Chapman alive is personal.
We all know him as "Johnny Appleseed," and his museum has been a resource for the community of Urbana to learn about his life and influence for over a quarter-century.
“It is important to the history of our country and, of course, it is distant family. And my grandfather was a part of it, it was important to him, and important to my uncle. Because of that, it is emotional to me,” Mathias said.
Although the artifacts inside the museum still belong to the Johnny Appleseed Foundation, the fate of the museum itself remains unknown.
That's because the building sits on the grounds of what was once Urbana University, which was bought by Columbus' Franklin University in 2014 and shuttered as a branch campus last year because of the pandemic.
Mathias and Betsy Coffman, both leading members of the Johnny Appleseed Foundation, hope with the public's help they can once again unbox history.
“Wish would be that we can keep it here at Browne Hall, because of Browne Hall being donated to the university originally. It's a beautiful building. It's been very difficult. The pandemic has made it very difficult to access people, organizations that we normally would,” Coffman said.
The foundation has started a Go Fund Me page and they hope to raise $250,000 dollars to purchase the building and for other operating costs.
Mathias said the fundraising effort is about making sure Johnny Appleseed's legacy and message lives on through future generations.
“The best that can happen is that it's a continuing research museum and education center for anybody to come and learn about the history of Ohio, and take part in preserving that history,” Mathias said.
Franklin University spokesperson Sherry Mercurio released the following statement:
“The pandemic has impacted all associated with the Urbana University branch campus, including the Johnny Appleseed Foundation. It is for this reason that representatives of Franklin University have worked closely with members of the Johnny Appleseed Foundation to help identify possible next steps, including offering the building at a discount from market value. And although the Foundation's educational exhibit has only been on display in Browne Hall the past couple of years, sharing the space with the Miller Arts Exhibit, the University remains hopeful that providing an extended timeframe for the Foundation to remain in Browne Hall will provide its members sufficient time to identify funding sources to continue operation in Browne Hall or elsewhere in the Urbana area. The University is actively marketing the former Urbana University campus and its buildings. By finding new owners, the University has the opportunity to bring a renewed energy and tax base that benefits the entire region.”