August 14, 2025
The song, “I Love You Truly” plays in the Crouch Family Reading Room of the historical Woodneath home. Mary Schmidt, a storyteller specializing in first person historical interpretation, prepares herself to play the character of Naomi Crouch, the previous owner of the home that is now known as the Story Center. Mary seeks to connect the Crouch family and home of the past with the present visitors of Woodneath by bringing Naomi to a live audience.
I sat down with Mary, and we spoke of how the stories and life of Naomi connect us to our own history.
Q. How did you get started with the Story Center?
Mary:
I had heard of a library up North that was making a dedicated Story Center and through my network of friends in storytelling, Priscilla Howe got me in touch with Story Center Director, Mark Livengood. He knew I was a historical interpreter, and I was asked to do the “At Home with Naomi Crouch” program. I dug deeper into her history through her maiden name, Mohler. I found many clippings through the local newspapers such as, The Plattsburg Leader, Lathrop Optimist, The Turney, and The Cameron Sun to get a strong sense of who she was. That’s where I found out her wedding song was, “I Love You Truly”. I have it playing in the background at the beginning of each program.
Q. What’s the greatest reward you get from your performances?
Mary:
History is the smaller stories of the people. I love bringing people together whether they knew her or not. Woodneath was a gathering place through the hospitality of Naomi. The Crouch family would host big potlucks, family reunions, bonfires, skating parties on the pond and many other get-togethers through church and school. Many knew her firsthand. And that was a lot of people whose lives were impacted in some way by the Crouch family gatherings. But whether they knew her or not, that connection of different generations that hear her story and are inspired to go research their own family is the greatest reward for me.
Q. What connects you the most to Naomi?
Mary:
Hard working, strong women. The women that remind us of our mothers and grandmothers. I use some of my grandmother’s clothing in Naomi’s outfit. She reminds me so much of my own upbringing and my own grandmother. And I grew up on a dairy farm and the Crouch family were big dairy farmers. Naomi is remembered for her hospitality, her work in the community, and in words best summed up under her photo in the high school yearbook, she was “true to her word, her work, her friends.
You can register to attend the “At Home with Naomi Crouch” presentation by Mary Schmidt, in the Woodneath historic home, Wednesday, August 20, at 6:30 pm.
If you are unable to attend this time, the program is given twice a year by Mary Schmidt at The Story Center. Please check our website for future performances.
Vallorie Francis
Story Center Associate
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