Ohio History Journal

HISTORICAL NEWS

Historical Organizations

ALLEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Lima

James A. MacDonell, President

A Shay engine built by the Lima Locomotive works in 1925 and used at

the National Lime and Stone Company quarry until 1947, has been renovated

by the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation. It is to be placed on a concrete

foundation on the society's property as a permanent exhibit.

Contracts have been awarded for construction of the Allen County Museum

building to be located at 620 West Market Street. The total cost of the

building will be $170,129.89, of which the society now has available $145,-

000. A campaign to collect the additional amount will be undertaken within

the next few months. Construction started the latter part of November.

 

AMERICAN JEWISH ARCHIVES, Cincinnati

Jacob R. Marcus, Director

The archives has recently acquired microfilm copy of the Henry Joseph

Collection of Gratz Papers. As far as is known, this is the largest Jewish

manuscript collection in North America. It includes about 2,000 pages deal-

ing with Barnard and Michael Gratz, Philadelphia merchants from 1754 to

about 1800, and 4,000 pages of letters to Rebecca Gratz, a well-known

Philadelphia Jewess. The use of the private correspondence has been re-

stricted by the family, but that of the business papers is unrestricted.

Two publications have been issued recently by the archives, Loan Exhibits

of American Judaica, and How to Write the History of an American Jewish

Community.

 

ANTHONY WAYNE PARKWAY BOARD, Columbus

J. R. Lawwill, Director

The Indiana Historical Society and the Society of Indiana Pioneers made

their annual pilgrimage last fall on October 24 and 25, touring the Anthony

Wayne Parkway from Fort St. Clair to the site of the Battle of Fallen

Timbers. The touring party was accompanied by J. Richard Lawwill, director

of the Anthony Wayne Parkway Board, and Richard C. Knopf, historian

of the board, who interpreted the historic sites along the way.

The board is coordinating the plans of several state departments and the

Napoleon City Park Department for the development of Ritter Park, a three-

mile area along the Maumee River west of Napoleon.

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Historical News                        69

 

BUTLER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Hamilton

Paul Benninghofen, President

The society is augmenting its collections of objects of historical interest

connected with Butler County. A recent project is the acquisition of photo-

graphs of the oldest homes and other buildings still standing in the county.

 

CRESTLINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Crestline

Ernest G. Hesser, President

The new Crestline-Shunk Museum of Crawford County was opened on

October 29 for inspection by the members of the society. Special guests at

the official opening were John Q. Shunk of Bucyrus, donor of the new home

for the museum, Frances Crawford Comer of Ashland, a direct descendant

of Colonel William Crawford, and the county commissioners. Mrs. Comer

donated a sword carried by Colonel Crawford during the Revolution. The

museum, which contains nine rooms, was open to the public on November

5. It is to be open regularly each Thursday afternoon and evening.

The outline of programs for the current season, 1953-54, has been

mimeographed for the membership.

 

FRANKLIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Columbus

Frank A. Livingston, President

The society's fifth annual dinner meeting, held Friday evening, October

23, at the First Congregational Church Parish Hall, was attended by 350

members and guests. A program of music was presented by the Columbus

Maennerchor, a 105-year-old German singing society, under the direction

of I. E. Leinheuser. Margaret Sittler Ermarth, associate professor of history

at Wittenberg College, gave an address on "German Influences and Con-

tributions." On this occasion Dr. Wilbur H. Siebert was presented the

society's fourth honorary life membership in recognition of his research and

publications on the Underground Railroad in Franklin County and Ohio.

All officers were reelected for another term. They are Frank A. Livingston,

president; Myron T. Seifert, vice president; and Wayne J. Graf, treasurer.

 

GEAUGA COUNTY HISTORICAL AND MEMORIAL SOCIETY, Burton

B. J. Shanower, President

The society's Open House and Apple Butter Festival was held on October

10 and 11. The estimated attendance was five thousand, and two hundred

gallons of apple butter were made and sold.

A one-room schoolhouse has been moved to the museum grounds. Furnish-

ing this schoolhouse is an immediate major project of the society.

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70       Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly

 

GREAT LAKES HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Cleveland

R. W. G. Wilson, President

The present officers of the society are R. W. G. Wilson, president;

Clarence S. Metcalf, vice president and curator of the Wakefield Museum;

Lawrence A. Pomeroy, Jr., secretary; Donna L. Root, executive secretary;

Fred W. Dutton, treasurer; and Janet Coe Sanborn, assistant treasurer and'

financial secretary.

The society's Wakefield Museum at Vermilion was dedicated on Sunday,

October 25, by James P. Schrider, a trust officer of the Wakefield Founda-

tion, which donated the former Wakefield home to the society. The prin-

cipal address was delivered by Donald C. Potts, president of the Pittsburgh

Steamship Division of the United States Steel Corporation.

 

HIRAM TOWNSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Hiram

Mrs. William Squire, President

The society is making a study of old homes in the township and of the

persons who lived in them.

The motion picture, "Freedom's Proving Ground," was shown at the

October meeting.

On September 24 Mrs. William Squire was elected president, replacing

C. M. Young.

 

HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF OHIO, Cincinnati

Virginius C. Hall, Director

The annual meeting of the society was held on Monday afternoon, De-

cember 7, in the Laws auditorium of the University of Cincinnati. Dr.

Thomas Perkins Abernethy, professor of history at the University of Vir-

ginia, was guest speaker. His subject was "Aaron Burr at Blennerhassett

Island and in Ohio." Dr. Abernethy's book on Aaron Burr is expected to

appear in the near future.

Activity in connection with the marking of historic sites in Hamilton

County continues in cooperation with the Anthony Wayne Parkway Board.

 

LICKING COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Newark

Mrs. Richard S. Fatig, President

At the annual election on October 20 Mrs. Richard S. Fatig was elected

president; Miss Nell Jones, secretary; and Roderick Jones, treasurer.

Research on historic landmarks and various early activities in the county

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Historical News                         71

 

is being carried on by the members. A series of papers is being prepared

which when completed will constitute a comprehensive history of the county.

 

LOGAN COUNTY ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Zansfield

Elmer O. Heath, President

The society in cooperation with the Zanesfield Chamber of Commerce

mounted a four-ton, red granite boulder on a concrete base at the site of

old Fort Wapatomica. The boulder bears two metal plaques, one of which

gives a brief account of the erection of the fort by the British during the

Revolution and its destruction by General Logan. The other plaque honors

the founders of the village, Isaac Zane and his wife, the Indian princess

Myeerah. The dedicatory ceremonies on October 18 featured the Zanesfield

High School band and girls' chorus, the Blue Jacket Legion Post drum and

bugle corps, an address by Judge Zimmerman of Springfield, and a historical

skit by G. W. Furbay, secretary of the society. An added feature was a

talk and a presentation of Indian music by Chief Lawrence Zane, seventh

generation grandson of Isaac Zane. Chief Zane and his wife came from

Miami, Oklahoma, for the occasion.

 

LORAIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Elyria

Mrs. James B. Thomas, President

At the September meeting of the society the film, "Freedom's Proving

Ground," was shown, and in October, K. T. Augenbaugh, assistant treasurer

of Oberlin College, talked on "Stories of United States Postage Stamps."

His valuable stamp collection was exhibited.

Since the death of Mary Louise Ely Moise, a collection of letters of the

Ely family documenting the settling and early history of Elyria, has been

donated to the society.

 

MEIGS COUNTY PIONEER AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Pomeroy

A. V. Howell, President

The principal activities of the society during 1953 included a three-day

meeting at the local high school auditorium, June 25-27, at which mementoes,

relics, documents, and pictures were exhibited. Historical pageants and folk

dancing were evening attractions.

The society participated with the Portland Community Club in a Labor

Day celebration and homecoming at Buffington Island Battlefield Memorial

Park. Rededication ceremonies were held, with Fred J. Milligan, a trustee of

the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, delivering the dedi-

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72       Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly

 

catory address. Repairs to the monument, restoration of the prehistoric

Indian mound, and improvements in the park were planned.

The society furnished the information resulting in the erection of highway

markers honoring Valentine B. Horton, pioneer industrialist in the Ohio

Valley.

The seventy-eighth annual meeting of the society (said to be the oldest of

its kind in the United States) was held October 29. Plans were formulated

for organizing local history clubs in each township to affiliate with the

county society. Officers for the current year are A. V. Howell, president;

J. H. Grate, vice president; and Mrs. Edward E. Jones, secretary-treasurer.

OHIO FOLKLORE SOCIETY, Granville

John Ball, President

The society held its sesquicentennial meeting in conjunction with the

Cleveland Folklore Society in Cleveland, October 23-24.

Officers of the society are John Ball of Miami University, president;

Newbell N. Puckett of Western Reserve University, vice president; and

Tristram P. Coffin of Denison University, secretary-treasurer.

OTTAWA COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM, Port Clinton

May Hesselbart, Curator

Miss Hesselbart, curator of the museum for over twenty-one years, con-

tributed to the centennial booklet of the First Methodist Church in Port

Clinton compiled by Lawrence G. Miller, pastor of the church.

 

SENECA COUNTY MUSEUM, Tiffin

A. C. Shuman, Curator

The museum arranged a sesquicentennial display of antiques at the

Seneca County Fair in August. Window displays from the museum's col-

lections were arranged during October in several store windows on Wash-

ington Street. One of these displays was of locally made glass and one of

old musical instruments.

 

SHAKER HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Cleveland

Caroline B. Piercy, Secretary

Current projects of the society include the making of recordings for the

Cleveland Public Schools and for Shaker schools; gathering together all the

society's furniture, utensils, and clothing in a temporary museum; and as-

sembling material for a history of early Warrensville Township (now

Shaker Heights).

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Historical News                        73

 

The society trained groups in Shaker songs and dance for a program of

the Cleveland Folklore Society.

Not by Bread Alone: The Shaker Cook Book, written by the secretary,

Caroline B. Piercy, was published recently by Crown Publishers, New York

City.

 

SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF PIONEER RIVERMEN, Marietta

Frederick Way, Jr., President

The annual meeting of the organization was held at Marietta, Ohio, on

September 26, 1953, with the largest attendance since the organization was

formed in 1939. Fifteen members of the Steamship Historical Society of

America were special guests. The new River Room at Campus Martius

Museum was officially opened. The room contains a gallery of original oil

paintings of steamboats, three of which were done by Dean Cornwell. A one-

hour documentary film of river steamboats in action, taken in 1933-40, was

shown at an evening banquet attended by 125 persons. Most of the scenes

were photographed on the Ohio River between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

At the business session, Miss Lucilia Hock of Cincinnati was elected

treasurer.

Frederick Way, Jr., is author of a book, She Takes the Horns, issued

September 1, 1953, by the Picture Marine Publishing Company. The volume

gives the factual background for many of the famed steamboat races on the

Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri rivers. It is illustrated and contains a large

set of plans of the sidewheeler Buckeye State, the only plans of a "river

racer" known to be extant. The author credits the Martha Kinney Cooper

Ohioana Library Association for financial assistance in the research.

 

STARK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Canton

Donald K. Merwin, President

The society held a membership drive in September and October which

brought in 131 new members, bringing the total membership of the society

up to 1,252--a new high. Twenty new memberships or promised member-

ships were secured for the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society,

every prospect being asked to consider that membership as well as the county

membership.

 

SUMMIT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Akron

Carl H. Pockrandt, President

The sound motion picture, "The Miracle of Muskingum," a picture of the

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74       Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly

 

Muskingum watershed, was shown 'at the September meeting to open the

fall season. In November, "Pipeline to the Clouds," a General Electric

Company picture, was presented.

Hudson Day was observed at the Perkins Stone Mansion and the John

Brown Home on October 18. History students from the Hudson high

school served as hosts and hostesses. The October Bulletin featured "Looking

at Hudson," an article by Marie L. Murphey.

 

UNION COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Marysville

Clarence Hooper, President

At the annual election all incumbent officers were reelected. They are

Clarence Hooper, president; Rachel Robinson, secretary; and Minnie Otte,

treasurer.

 

VINTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, McArthur

Ross Goodwin, President

The Vinton County Historical Society completed organization on March

27, 1953, with adoption of a constitution and bylaws. Officers elected were

Ross Goodwin, president; Arlo Chatfield, first vice president; Cynthia

Hamilton, second vice president; Ethel Cox, secretary; Anna Darby, his-

torian; Nira Tucker, treasurer; and John Shookey, genealogist.

An immediate object of the organization is the securing of a suitable

building for a museum to house the collection of historical materials already

in its possession.

 

About Historians

Antioch College is celebrating its centennial year in 1953-54. On Octobel

5, 1953, a special program commemorated Horace Mann's inaugural ad

dress one hundred years before.

During last July, August, and September, Irwin Abrams, chairman o:

the department of history, was a visiting specialist in Germany under th,

exchange of persons program of the high commission office.

Bernard Weisberger is the author of Reporters for the Union, publishe,

last year by Little, Brown & Company.

 

The Delta Chi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta was installed at the Un

versity of Akron in June 1953.

Bernard S. Logan has resigned as assistant professor of history to acce?

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Historical News                         75

 

appointment in the department of economics at the University of Pittsburgh.

Associate Professor Clara G. Roe has received a grant-in-aid from the

American Philosophical Society to complete a biography of General Nathanael

Greene.

 

At Bowling Green State University, Virginia B. Platt has been promoted

to the rank of associate professor of history.

John Oglevee spent the last summer in Europe, where he did research at

the Bibliotheque Nationale.

 

Stanton Ling Davis, associate professor of history at Case Institute of

Technology, is again conducting a study tour of Europe, July 4-August 24,

under arrangements with Study Abroad, Inc. Two courses on the European

background of western civilization will be offered, making it possible for

enrollees meeting the academic requirements to earn six credit hours. The

tour is open to qualified students, to teachers for in-service credit, and also

to persons not wishing academic credit.

 

Erving E. Beauregard, professor of history at the University of Dayton,

has contributed a chapter, "The Crusades," to A History of Civilization, a

cooperative work to be published soon. Professor Beauregard has temporarily

replaced Wilfred J. Steiner as advisor to the local Phi Alpha Theta chapter.

 

E. J. Urch of the department of history and political science at Defiance

College is now the chairman of the newly formed division of cultural

communications. Majors in this division qualify for the A. B. degree.

 

Sister Loretta Clare, head of the department of history at the College of

Mount St. Joseph on-the-Ohio, has recently collaborated with Don Sharkey

of Dayton in preparing a 56-page booklet entitled Our Catholic American

Heritage. This is a brief history of the Catholic Church in the United

States, intended for the use of study clubs. She has also edited a 48-page

booklet, The Sisters of Charity in Ohio, containing articles written by mem-

bers of the faculty. This was published as a sesquicentennial contribution.

 

Four new instructors in the department of history at Ohio State Uni-

versity were appointed at the beginning of the autumn quarter. They are

Paul Bamford, Bradley Bargar, Morton Borden, and Paul Murphy.

Harold J. Grimm has received a Fulbright teaching award for lecturing

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76      Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly

 

at the University of Freiburg, Germany, during the second semester of

the current academic year.

 

At Ohio University, Frederick D. Kershner has been promoted to the

rank of associate professor. Last May Dr. Kershner served as a member of

the selection committee for Fulbright awards for Australia.

Charles M. Mayes has been appointed acting instructor of history. Mr.

Mayes has studied at the Sorbonne, the University of London, and the

University of Minnesota.

Carl Gustavson has received a Ford Foundation grant for the year 1953-54.

John F. Cady presented a paper, "Southeast Asia Under Revolutionary

Attack," at the annual meeting of the Far Eastern Association in Cleveland

in April.

 

Walter Whalen has resigned from the history staff at Our Lady of Cin-

cinnati College.

 

David Burks of the department of government and history at Otterbein

College received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago in

December 1952. His thesis dealt with Mexican trade in the nineteenth

century.

Harold Hancock, acting head of the department, worked upon his thesis,

"Delaware During the Civil War," at Washington and elsewhere during

the summer.

 

Hastings Eells has been named chairman of the department of history

at Ohio Wesleyan University to succeed Henry C. Hubbart. Dr. Eells

announces that a seminar on Ohio history has been introduced this year.

 

Sarah C. Stevenson of the history department at Rio Grande College will

leave on the first of February 1954 for an extended visit to Italy and England.

 

Two members of the history faculty at Toledo University have recently

published articles in historical periodicals: Willard A. Smith, "Napoleon

III and the Spanish Revolution of 1868," in the Journal of Modern History

(September 1953); and R. C. Downes, "Toledo and the Ohio Centennial

of 1902," in the Northwest Ohio Quarterly (Autumn 1953).

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