STYLES OF THE 1800S — Tom Haynes, president of the Historical Society of Mount Pleasant, stands in the Quaker Yearly Meeting House surrounded by a few of the 1800s dresses, bonnets, shoes and accessories that will be available for viewing Saturday during a special Quaker Fashion Show at the meeting house. The public is invited to attend the free event, which runs from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. as part of the Ohio Open Doors event. -- Contributed

MOUNT PLEASANT — The Quaker Yearly Meeting House in Mount Pleasant will open its doors to the community from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

As part of the statewide initiative, Ohio Open Doors, the event is being sponsored by the Ohio History Connection.

Friday was the start of the initiative, which will run through Sunday. Several historic sites owned by the Ohio History Connection have opened and are hosting a variety of events for the community.

Built in 1814, the meeting house is a gathering place for some 1,600 Quaker families.

This will be a rare opportunity for architecture enthusiasts to climb up into the attic and view the windlass that was used to raise and lower the large wall designed to separate the men from the women.

“It was an engineering feat to design a wall that could be made to disappear into the attic,” officials commented. “Four men were required to turn the apparatus that raised the wall and coiled the graduated-sized panels around a central core. This created a vast auditorium measuring 60-by-90 feet that would accommodate as many as 2,000 attendees.”

Organizers announced the steps to the attic are extremely steep, so those who are unable to use the stairs might choose to remain on the main level and view a gathering of mannequins which will be attired in bodices and bustles from the 1800s.

A 20-inch waist was the normal figure of women during that time, with poke bonnets being the fashion, officials said.

The public is invited to attend the special event and docents will be on hand to answer any questions.

“Please come and join us at the Quaker Yearly Meeting House where you will discover how walls and ladies’ waistlines were made to magically vanish,” officials stated.

All Ohio Open Doors functions are free of charge.