Blue Rock Station,
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-740-674-4300 (phone)
+1-740-674-6303 (fax)
Or contact us by e-mail.
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-
Or contact us by e-
Copyright 2008 Blue Rock Station, All Rights Reserved
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Blue Rock Station, Invitation!
On the eve of the birth of their grandchild Catlyn, Jay and Annie Warmke looked out over the wooded hills of Muskingum County and felt they had come home. They had bought the 38-acre tract that now makes up Blue Rock Station and dreamed of creating a retreat for their family one day.
But these plans soon changed. A few months later, while listening to public radio, Annie heard architect Michael Reynolds of Solar Survival in Taos, New Mexico talking about a new type of home he designed that was built of old tires and bottles —living dwelling he called an “Earthship”. The seed had been sown.
Construction of the original 1,650 square foot house began in 1996.During a nine-week period, 1,200 tires were brought in from an illegal dumpsite cleaned up by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They were used to create the walls of the house. Most of the wood used in the construction was re-claimed from local barns.
The couple used their summers and vacations to work on the project, taking three years off to move to Europe. They returned in August, 2004 to make Blue Rock Station their home and to open it to the public as a sustainability demonstration project.
In addition to the Earthship, they have since added a 600-square-foot conservatory, made of straw bale and pounded tires. They are completing a vaulted straw bale “chicken chalet” – designed to house their flock of rare breed chickens. Several miles of hiking trails wind through the woods of the station (ideal for trekking with their small herd of llamas). A Victorian cottage garden, kitchen garden, herb garden and butterfly garden are developing nicely – nestled about the various buildings of the station.
Over 1500 people visited Blue Rock Station in 2005 to tour the Earthship and straw bale buildings or to attend one of the various summer workshops. In its first full year of operation, Blue Rock Station was honored by Ohio Magazine, which named it one of Ohio’s 35 Best Attractions in their January 2006 edition.
With this success, Blue Rock Station plans to double their workshop offerings in 2006. Sessions include a 7-Day Complete Vaulted Straw Bale Build Workshop, Victorian Cottage Garden workshops, Raising Chickens in Your Back Yard, Creating Your Own Solar Oven – and dozens more. For a complete list of offerings and dates, visit their web site at www.bluerockstation.com.
Blue Rock Station is located at 1190 Virginia Ridge Road near Philo, OH. It is open to the public during the months of June-Sept., on Thursdays from 1-3 pm and Saturdays from 10 am-3 pm. Group tours can be arranged throughout the year by calling 740-674-4300
Originally published April, 2006
They returned in August, 2004 to make Blue Rock Station their home and to open it to the public as a sustainability demonstration project.
Blue Rock Station was honored by Ohio Magazine, which named it one of Ohio’s 35 Best Attractions in their January 2006 edition.
