HISTORICAL NEWS
Historical Societies
BRECKSVILLE EARLY SETTLERS HISTORICAL
ASSOCIATION, Brecksville
Mrs. Walter S. Lister, Secretary
The society is working on a project to
restore the first schoolhouse
in Brecksville.
BUTLER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Hamilton
A. S. Anderson, President
New officers, elected in November, are
A. S. Anderson, president;
William E. Lakeman, vice president; Fred
Hammerle, treasurer; and
Mrs. Henry Kessling, secretary pro tem.
This society was incorporated
during the past summer as a step toward
the acquisition of the former
Benninghofen family home, left to the
society under the terms of the
will of Pauline Benninghofen. The
fourteen-room home is to be de-
veloped into a museum.
CRESTLINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Crestline
Ernest G. Hesser, President
Volume I, Number 1 of the society's Bulletin
appeared in September
1949, edited by the president. Its pages
tell of the organization of the
society and the development and use of
its museum. The latter, located
in the city hall, has four rooms, known
as the Crawford-Indian Room,
the Pennsylvania Railroad Room, the
Founders' Room, and the Crafts
Room. All grade-school children from
Crestline and Leesville with their
teachers have visited the museum, where
members of the society have
given them instructive talks on the
collections.
The society is now laying plans for the
celebration of the Crestline
centennial in 1951.
DELAWARE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Delaware
Mrs. Walter S. Cole, Secretary
The society has had several important
projects. One concerns the
preservation of historical buildings and
materials otherwise to be lost
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Historical News 93
when the gates of the new Delaware
Conservancy Dam are lowered.
Another project was a public
pageant-like demonstration of weapons
used since 1400. The society also
sponsored an extensive exhibit on the
history of the community at the Delaware
County Fair in September.
Judge E. M. Wickham, retired Delaware
attorney, and W. D. Thom-
son, editor and publisher of the Delaware
Gazette, have been named
honorary members of the society.
Officers of the society elected in
December are George Pugh, president;
Dwight Howard, George Thurston,
and Floyd Weaver, vice presidents; Mrs.
Walter S. Cole, secretary; and
Edgar Nichols, treasurer.
FRANKLIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Columbus
Charles A. Jones, President
Officers for the coming year are Charles
A. Jones, president; Myron
T. Seifert, vice president; Daniel F.
Prugh, secretary-curator; 0. W.
Powers, treasurer; Hugh Huntington,
counsellor; and Gilbert F. Dodds,
research associate.
The program for the coming year includes
the regular monthly
meetings, monthly seminars, monthly art
tours, and spring tours to
historic sites in Franklin County. The
annual meeting of the society
was held on October 21 with Dr. Philip
D. Jordan of the University of
Minnesota, author of the recent volume The
National Road, speaking on
that historic highway.
HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF
OHIO, Cincinnati
Virginius C. Hall, Director-Librarian
Fletcher Hodges, curator of the Foster
Hall Collection of the Uni-
versity of Pittsburgh, addressed the
annual meeting of the society,
December 5, on the subject "Stephen
Collins Foster, Cincinnatian and
American."
As a compliment to the Cincinnati
Literary Club, celebrating its
one hundredth birthday, the society and
the Cincinnati Public Library
arranged an exhibit at the Taft Museum
entitled "The Story of Literary
Cincinnati." The exhibition was
opened for one month on the evening
of October 30 with addresses by Chalmers
Hadley, president of the
historical society, and Joseph W.
Sagmaster, president of the literary
club.
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Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly
LAWRENCE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Ironton
Mrs. M. B. Edmundson, President
The society has completed plans to
establish a museum at Vesuvius
Lake near the old stack of the charcoal
furnace.
The society prepared a special
historical exhibit for the Ironton
Centennial Celebration in October.
LICKING COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Newark
Mrs. Richard S. Fatig, Secretary
Officers for the coming year are
Clarence R. Jones, president; Cor-
rine A. Metz, Harold Smucker, Mrs. Frank
Webb, Robbins Hunter, Jr.,
Frank A. Woolson, and Mrs. Harry D.
Baker, vice presidents; Mrs.
Richard S. Fatig, secretary; and
Roderick Jones, treasurer.
Monthly programs for the winter months
have been announced in
a ten-page mimeographed pamphlet. The
chief work of the society is
planning for the restoration of the
Davidson House and its development
as a museum.
LORAIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Elyria
Mrs. James B. Thomas, President
The research committee has sent forms
throughout the county to
ascertain what historical manuscripts,
books, newspapers, maps, pictures,
and other materials may be located in
the community.
The October meeting of the society was
addressed by Julian S.
Fowler, Oberlin College librarian, who
spoke on the subject "Books
and Manuscripts."
The president, Mrs. Thomas, is the
author of a volume entitled
Auntie Kate: Her Journey Through
Ninety Years. Published by the
Ohio History Press of the Ohio State
Archaeological and Historical
Society, it is a biography of an Elyria
woman who lived through much
of the Victorian Era and down to the
1930's.
MEDINA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Medina
Belle Warner, Trustee
Miss Louise Jones of Medina has been
elected secretary of the
society.
Historical News 95
MEIGS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Pomeroy
J. H. Grate, President
Officers of the society are J. H. Grate,
president; John Blaettnar, vice
president; Mrs. Edward Jones, secretary;
and Mrs. Manning Webster,
treasurer.
A volume on the early history of Meigs
County by Judge Edgar
Ervin is scheduled to be published by
the society about the first of the
year.
MUSKINGUM COUNTY PIONEER AND HISTORICAL
SOCIETY, Zanesville
Mrs. Amelia Ackerman, Secretary
Officers for the year 1949-50 are
Vincent Linn, president; Scott
Morgan, vice president; Mrs. Hugh Imlay,
treasurer; Mrs. Amelia Acker-
man, secretary; and Norris F. Schneider,
curator.
A history of Zanesville and Muskingum
County is being written by
Mr. Schneider. It will be published in
1950. Mr. Schneider has given
up his classes as an English teacher at
Zanesville High School to devote
full time to the writing of the volume.
OHIO VALLEY FRIENDS' HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Wilmington
Willis H. Hall, Executive Secretary
Willis H. Hall, professor of history at
Wilmington College, has been
reappointed executive secretary and
treasurer of the society for a two-
year term.
SHELBY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Sidney
George O. Harshbarger, Secretary
On October 23 the society conducted a
pilgrimage to points of
historical interest in the southwest
part of Shelby County. The society is
campaigning for a renovation of the
pioneer cemeteries.
Recently this organization placed a
substantial marker at the first
home site in the county. This also
happens to have been a camp site
of General Josiah Harmar on his
ill-fated campaign against the Indians
at the headwaters of the Maumee.
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Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly
SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF PIONEER RIVERMEN, Marietta
Frederick Way, Jr., President
New officers elected at the annual
meeting, held at Marietta, Sep-
tember 10, were Capt. Frederick Way,
Jr., Sewickley, Pennsylvania,
president; C. W. Stoll, Louisville,
Kentucky, and Robert G. Thomas,
Powhatan Point, vice presidents for the
Lower Ohio and Upper Ohio
areas, respectively; William McNally,
secretary; Ruth Maddy, Gallipolis,
treasurer. Mrs. Fannie A. Richardson of
Malta was elected honorary
president of the organization for life.
The speaker at the afternoon session was
Frank Potter of Beaver,
Pennsylvania, who recently completed a
trip from Boston to Pittsburgh
aboard the sailing vessel Seven Seas.
At the evening banquet a motion
picture entitled Timberhead, produced
for the Union Barge Line
Corporation, was shown.
William E. Reed, Pittsburgh artist, has
presented to the River
Museum several oil paintings of former
Mississippi side-wheelers. The
Union Barge Line has given the museum a
scale model of the towboat
Peace, constructed by Frank E. Pollock of Woodsfield.
SUMMIT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Akron
Robert E. Mohler, Secretary
The society, joined by other civic
organizations, encouraged the
city council to set aside an area of the
city, once the town square of
Middleburg, the first settlement in
Akron, as a public park. The society
will erect a fitting marker on these
grounds.
Issues of the society's monthly bulletin
between September and
December carried articles on "Old
Middleburg Square"; "The Copley
Cannon," by Arthur H. Blower;
"The Father of Akron Industry" whose
name was Dr. Eliakim Crosby; and
"First Postmaster," whose name was
Wosley Wells.
UNION COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Marysville
Mrs. Matthew Kennedy, President
This society was organized in October,
when the following officers
were elected: Mrs. Matthew Kennedy,
president; Peter Fisher, vice
president; Mame Finnin, secretary; and
Mrs. Ivan Southard, treasurer.
At the time of organization there were
224 paid members.
Historical News 97
WARREN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Lebanon
Mary Lincoln, Secretary
The News Letter of the society
was begun with the publication of
the first issue in October. Fall
meetings of the organization have featured
the following programs: Marie Dickore of
Cincinnati, speaking on
"What's in Your Attic"; and E.
J. Carmony, Springfield, showing
pictures of the Warren County
Pilgrimage.
The society meets the fourth Monday
evening of each month at
the Golden Lamb as guests of the
proprietors, Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Jones.
WESTERN RESERVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Cleveland
Russell H. Anderson, Director
A manuscript seminar has been
inaugurated by the society, sessions
being held on the second Tuesday of each
month. At that time a section
of the society's manuscript collections
is described, discussed, and
examined. The first session was devoted
to early Ohio manuscripts, the
second to the Burton and Herrick papers,
and the third to the Shaker
collection. Members of the society who
have led discussions in these
seminars are the director, Mrs. H. D.
Piercy, and the Rev. John Schott.
A monthly Research and Study Club has
also been formed to foster
the study of history by the layman. At
the first meeting the color film
entitled Eighteenth Century Life in
Williamsburg was shown. The second
meeting, led by Wallace Baker, Cleveland
attorney, featured displays
and a discussion of "Early Ohio
before 1803."
Acquisitions made by the society during
the past quarter were as
follows: the cartoons of J. H. Donahey,
drawn for the Cleveland Plain
Dealer; a collection of furniture, Staffordshire, and
multifiore paper-
weights, from the estate of Mrs. S.
Prentiss Baldwin; early and rare
samplers, from Mrs. Julian C. Bolton;
seventy books and pamphlets on
the early Moravians; the Coming
Nation, 150 issues, chiefly in the years
1896-99; the Collinwood Citizen, 1900-1903,
1904-7, 1902-12; four
manuscript record volumes of Gleason F.
Lewis; and eight prints by
Elizabeth Keith.
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Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly
WESTERVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Westerville
Ila Grindell, Secretary
Present officers of the society are Mrs.
Robert Wilson, president;
Mrs. Hanby R. Jones and Dr. Robert
Price, vice presidents; Ila Grindell,
secretary; and E. L. Weinland,
treasurer.
About Historians
William D. Overman, librarian and
archivist of the Firestone Library
and Archives, Akron, was elected vice
president of the Society of Ameri-
can Archivists at the annual meeting of
the society held in the fall at
the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec.
Albert T. Volwiler, chairman of the
department of history at Ohio
University, reports a successful third
annual award competition in Ohio
history, government, and citizenship for
Ohio high school students. More
counties and more students participated
than previously. In this year's
contest 2,233 took the preliminary test.
Ninety-seven qualified to take
the final essay examination at Ohio
University on November 11 and 12.
Top winners in the contest for the state
were Carolyn Mae Donnell,
Gibsonburg High School, Sandusky County,
first place; and Don Shackel-
ford, Mariemont High School, Hamilton
County, second place.
This competition won for Ohio University
an award by the Ohioana
Library this fall, which reads:
To the Ohio University, oldest
institution of higher learning in the State.
For having drawn upon its own rich educational
heritage to encourage a
greater appreciation of Ohio through the
medium of a competition for excellence
in knowledge of the History, Government
and Citizenship of the State.
For having developed a competitive
spirit in these fields among the high
school students in every county in Ohio.
For its signal success in extending this
competition to include 2,350 students
in the year 1948.
For having fostered this program with a
maximum of intelligent leadership
and a minimum of funds, and
For its part in thus furthering the
cultural welfare of Ohio and its future
citizens, The Martha Kinney Cooper
Ohioana Library Association takes great
pleasure in presenting the Ohio
University a citation for Meritorious Service to the
State of Ohio.
Ernest G. Schwiebert, formerly a member
of the Wittenberg College
department of history, is now University
Officer, Allied High Commis-
sion, Erlangen, Germany.
Historical News 99
Bernard L. Logan has been appointed
assistant professor in history
at the University of Akron.
Clarence D. Leckey concluded his service
as instructor in the de-
partment at the end of the summer term.
Frederick H. Jackson has been advanced
to the rank of assistant
professor of history at Marietta
College.
William E. Smith, chairman of the
history department at Miami
University, announces a new course
entitled World Civilization and
Cultures, to be given by Richard
Gustavson.
Irene Meister has been appointed to
replace O. J. Fredricksen, who
has been given a two-year leave of
absence for work in Europe.
Paul Ervin has been employed to teach
history and religion.
Dr. Smith and his wife, Mrs. Ophia D.
Smith, have received the
Ohioana Fellowship for 1949-50. They
will be engaged in writing a
book in Ohio history in the period
1820-70.
Hilmar G. Grimm, chairman of the history
department at Capital
University, is collaborating with three
other members of the faculty in
writing a centennial history of the
university.
William Fisk, Jr., of Muskingum College
spent the summer travel-
ing in the British Isles and on the
Continent. He is the author of an
article entitled "The Diary of John
Cuthbertson, Missionary to the
Covenanters of Colonial
Pennsylvania," which appeared in the October
1949 issue of the Pennsylvania
Magazine of History and Biography.
David Burks, formerly of the University
of Chicago, joined the
history department at Muskingum in the
fall of 1949.
John W. Long, Jr., has been promoted to
an associate professorship
in history at Western College.
W. Eugene Shiels, S. J., chairman of the
department of history and
political science at Xavier University
reports the following new members
of his department: William M. Canning,
assistant professor of American
history, and Robert W. Reichert,
assistant professor of European history,
replacing Frank M. Peters and James A.
Moore, respectively.
100 Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly
Frederick B. Artz is now chairman of
the history department, Oberlin
College, succeeding Howard Robinson,
absent on leave, who is doing
research in England.
Newly appointed members of the
department are Charles B. Cre-
means, associate professor, and William
J. Orr, instructor.