History

Bethany joined Heritage Village Museum & Educational Center in April 2018. She has worked in the airline industry where she developed computer-based training modules for pilots as a Courseware Developer and edited manuals as a Technical Writer. She has also worked in video production for a multimedia company.

Bethany earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with minors in French and film studies from Miami University. She spent a semester studying abroad at the Miami University Dolibois European Center in Differdange, Luxembourg and created a winning ad campaign as part of the Laws, Hall and Associates summer marketing program at Regents College in London, England.

Bethany enjoys going to parks, historical sites, and events with her family. She loves to travel and would like to visit all 50 states and as many countries as possible. She also enjoys reading, music, and teaching Zumba. Bethany lives in Symmes Township with her husband Vic and their two daughters.

Lauren is the Education & Programs Director at Heritage Village Museum. She is responsible for bringing history to life through events, field trips, and period dinners. Lauren earned a bachelor’s degree in history with minors in creative writing and psychology from Wright State University, and a master’s degree in history from Liberty University. Her research interests are in American history, Victorian history, and women’s and gender history.

Lauren lives in Trenton with her husband Garrett, their two daughters, and their cats Cinder and Diesel. She began as an intern at Heritage Village in November of 2021. Lauren enjoys cooking, baking, traveling to historical sites, playing board games, and throwing the occasional murder mystery party. Lauren has wanted to work at Heritage Village Museum since she first walked through the gates as an 8-year-old. A little over two decades later, that dream has become a reality, and she hopes to spark an interest in history in everyone she meets!

Ethan Powles joins Heritage Village Museum as the new Education & Collections Assistant. A graduate of the NKU’s Masters of Public History program, Ethan has interned at the Village during his studies, when he developed videos for a new self-guided tour and assisted in educational programs.

Along with his education, Ethan has nearly a decade of experience within the living history community, blending his skills of storytelling and showmanship with a commitment to historical authenticity to bring the past to modern audiences.

When not engaging with history, Ethan enjoys spending time playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends, playing saxophone in the Community Band, and painting models.

Don’t blink or you’ll miss her in mortal form. Violet Shindler serves as Heritage Village’s in-house Paranormal Historian. She hosts Spirits by Starlight, the region’s only year-round immersive haunted history experience. Shindler is a published ethnographer, who has traveled the nation directing and producing documentaries for both the screen and stage. She possesses undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Theatre, as well as her Masters in Art from New York University. Violet has worked for global non-profits, penned public policy, performed with touring theatre companies, and taught both college and high school. Her scholarship explores the intersection between feminist history, trauma studies, and parapsychology. If you dare to join her on a moonlit tour of the Village, you’ll be equipped with the tools and techniques to conduct your own paranormal investigation. The Village is home to southwest Ohio’s most prolific paranormal phenomenon, and its supernatural secrets span generations. When she’s not ghost whispering – you can find Violet writing eerie poetry, organizing for political change, and caring for her serpentine familiars. Visit the event page to book an investigation.