SWITZERLAND COUNTY

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Settler home being restored

Saturday, November 278, 1998

BY RACHEL MELCER
The Cincinnati Enquirer

VEVAY, Ind. - In a clearing on the banks of Indian Creek, ravaged by man and nature, a distinctive French-style farmhouse is all that remains of the United States' first commercial winery.

Barren and exposed to the elements, awaiting new siding and continued renovation, the humble building - dubbed Musee de Venoge - shows no sign of its historic past.

5-PART SERIES In the past eight years, thousands of new residents have relocated to Southwestern Ohio and Southeastern Indiana. Their arrival has turned once-isolated farms into sprawling subdivisions, and small towns have struggled to maintain public services to the residents. Also threatened have been the rich pasts and historical icons found in Butler, Warren, Clermont and Warren counties in Ohio, and Dearborn, Switzerland and Ohio counties in Indiana. Wednesday through Sunday, Enquirer reporters will profile historic people and places in the region. It's an opportunity to tell new and old residents alike of the area's famous and sometimes forgotten past. Wednesday: The legacy of the Shakers of Warren County. Thursday: Hamilton's Millionaire's Row Friday: Runyan family cemetery

In the early 1800s, it sat at the center of a thriving, cooperative colony of French-speaking Swiss winemakers. President Thomas Jefferson proudly served the fruit of their labors to members of Congress and promoted the vineyard among other burgeoning new industries. The wine was favored by Henry Clay.

John James DuFour, who founded the settlement, the vineyard and the town of Vevay, set a standard for growing and cultivating grapes that was used for 50 years.

But most Tristate residents know nothing about it.

That's something Switzerland County residents Donna and Tom Weaver are working to change.

About six years ago, they discovered the French colonial farmhouse, disguised by several renovations and the toll of the years, and saved it from being burned down by volunteer firefighters in training.

They obtained salvage rights and began tearing down additions and false walls that hid the building's historic features. Early last year, they bought the home and 30 acres. They founded a not-for-profit organization and hired craftsmen to begin a complete restoration. Each year since 1995, they have hosted a historic re-enactment attended by hundreds of elementary students and area residents. Slowly, word is spreading.

''We have a lot of hopes for this. And we hope to keep this valley pretty much the way it is,'' Mr. Weaver said.

He and his wife want to emphasize the history of Switzerland County - named after those first Swiss settlers - in the face of development. They want it to balance the commercial nature of the Hollywood Park-Boomtown riverboat casino that is to open nearby in 2000.

And they want everyone to know about the winemakers who thrived in their chosen industry for just one generation.

Swiss winemaker DuFour arrived in America in 1796, drawn by the complaints of French soldiers who had fought in the Revolutionary War: They could find no decent wine in America.

He traveled along the East Coast and through Kentucky, where he settled on a vineyard site. DuFour summoned his kin from Switzerland and they began cultivating more than 10,000 vines.

But they were soon disenchanted with the southern system of slavery and relocated their vineyard north of the Ohio River.

Although there were few French-speaking settlers in the area, DuFour and his partners used their native language to form bonds with those living in Louisiana.

They brought the Southern, French colonial style of architecture to their northern homes.

And once their vines began to produce, they shipped wine down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, where it was loaded onto sailboats and distributed along the East Coast. Advertisements promoted their wine as far away as New York and Boston.

''They were single-minded. They were ambitious. And they came here with a purpose - they wanted to make the vineyard work,'' Mrs. Weaver said.

But the success was short-lived.

By the second generation of the Vevay settlement - named for their home of Vevey, France - hard frosts and a plant blight had taken their toll on the grapevines. The crop was abandoned in favor of hay, a new, thriving industry in the region.

''The second generation just wasn't as committed to the vision,'' Mr. Weaver said.

Switzerland County recalls its heritage with a wine festival each year. Today, there is one local winery - Ridge Winery - but its grapes are not home-grown.

Aided by about 50 volunteers, craftsmen and architects from around the Midwest, the Weavers say they will soon have the original Swiss settlers' home restored. They will continue to offer tours and use it to teach Hoosiers about their winemaking history.

''It's a little sad that this was almost lost,'' Mrs. Weaver said. ''We're going to make sure that doesn't happen.''