HISTORICAL NEWS
Historical Societies
ALLEN COUNTY HISTORICAL
SOCIETY, Lima
James A. MacDonell, President
The society has recently received two
additions to its file of
historical and genealogical materials:
the bill book of Hollister,
Bliss, and Lytle, a general store at
Delphos, from September 1850
to August 1854 and a five-volume
compilation of Ohio gravestone
inscriptions made by Charles Wagner of
Columbus. Mr. Wagner's
work contains thirty thousand
inscriptions from grave markers in
Fairfield, Franklin, Madison, Perry,
Union, Licking, Pickaway,
Hocking, and Vinton counties.
The December issue of the society's Reporter
devotes several
pages to the history of business
activities in Delphos during the
1840's and 1850's, the period during
which the firm of Hollister,
Bliss, and Lytle was operative. The
publication is edited by Mrs.
Harry B. Longsworth.
ALLIANCE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Alliance
Mrs. Fred Donaldson, President
Present officers of the society are Mrs.
Fred Donaldson, presi-
dent; Walter M. Ellet, vice president;
Mabel Hartzell, secretary-
treasurer; and Oliver Kuhns, Mrs. Melvin
Van Winkle, Mrs. John
Jarman, Mrs. James Vaughn, and Queenie
Barnaby, members of
the board of trustees.
The society is affiliated with the Stark
County Historical Society
and received an appropriation from that
society of $250 which will
be used in placing bronze markers on ten
historic buildings and
sites.
The society is preserving historical
materials and proposes to
secure a building in which to house its
collections.
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220
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
CLARK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Springfield
Orton G. Rust, President
The society has published the second
volume of the series of
reminiscences of Clark County pioneers
entitled Yesteryear in Clark
County. Other volumes are contemplated.
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, Cleveland
Kenneth B. Disher resigned as director
of the museum on
November 16, 1948. Since that time the
institution has been under
the direction of an operating committee
consisting of three members
of the staff and two members of the
board of trustees. A recent
publication of the museum is The
Native Forests of Cuyahoga
County, Ohio by Arthur B. Williams. This was published as
Volume IX of the Scientific
Publications of the Cleveland Museum
of Natural History.
CRESTLINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Crestline
Ernest G. Hesser, President
Ernest J. Wessen, rare-book dealer of
Mansfield, was the
speaker at the meeting of the society on
February 28. His subject
was "You Meet Such Interesting
People." The address was followed
by a "preview" of the
Crestline museum in the town hall.
FAYETTE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Washington C. H.
Harold Craig, President
At the first meeting of the board of
trustees of the Fayette
County Historical Society on February 16
five standing committees
were approved: program committee, Howard
Allen, chairman;
records and research, Mrs. Max G. Dix,
chairman; press relations,
B. E. Kelley, chairman; finance, John P.
Case, chairman; member-
ship committee, George Robinson,
chairman. A committee com-
posed of Howard Allen, B. E. Kelley, and
Harold Craig was named
to arrange for temporary quarters to
house the collections of the
society until a permanent building is
secured. This committee has
since applied to the county
commissioners for the use of the rooms
HISTORICAL NEWS 221
in the courthouse which will be vacated
by the county health de-
partment.
The charter membership of the society
reached 220.
FRANKLIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Columbus
Charles A. Jones, President
The speaker at the January meeting of
the society was Dr.
Harlan Hatcher, vice president of Ohio
State University. He drew
a vivid and interesting picture of the
life of the early settlers of
Franklin County. Dr. Ralph Fanning, of
the department of fine
arts of Ohio State University, addressed
the group on the evening
of February 25 on the theme
"Sketches of Early Ohio Architecture."
The lecture was illustrated by the
speaker's water-color paintings of
historic homes.
Issues of the Bulletin of the
society for January and February
1949 carry a number of interesting
articles on the early history of
Franklin County. The publication is
edited by Gilbert F. Dodds.
GRANVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Granville
Arthur Jones, President
The society is the beneficiary of the
will of the late Clara
Sinnett White. From the funds made
available the society has
recently purchased a one-story stone
structure on Broadway just east
of St. Luke's Episcopal Church. This
building is one of the oldest
in the village, having been erected in
1812 for the purpose of hous-
ing a bank. The plan is to restore the
structure and to add space
to the rear for housing the extensive
collections of the society.
GROVE CITY COMMUNITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Grove City
Mrs. Elmer C. Milligan, Secretary-Treasurer
The society has recently acquired a
detailed history of the town
of Orient written for the society by
Isaac Hill of Orient. Mrs. E. C.
Milligan is compiling a history of the
St. John's Lutheran Church
of Grove City which is celebrating its
centennial this year. Other
individuals are cooperating in the
compilation of the history of the
community.
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OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
THE HAYES MEMORIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM,
Fremont
Watt P. Marchman, Director of
Research
The manuscripts division of the library
has received numerous
additions during the last quarter.
Manuscripts added to the Hayes
papers include seven original Hayes
letters and about forty photostat
or microfilm copies of Hayes letters,
sixteen original letters of Emma
Foote to her relatives, an original deed
notarized by Hayes, and a
copy of an elector's certificate in the
election of 1876. Thirteen
original autographed letters and
microfilm copies of the Fremont
News-Messenger, January-October 1948, and The Great Campaign,
July 18-October 31, 1876, were also
acquired.
Miss Frances Kittle, receptionist at the
Hayes Memorial Library
and Museum resigned last December. Mrs.
Bernice Shell of Clyde
was selected to replace Miss Kittle.
A staff Christmas party was held on the
afternoon of December
23 at the museum, at which wives and
husbands of staff members
were guests of honor. The museum was
decorated with a Christmas
tree and Yuletide decorations.
HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF
OHIO, Cincinnati
Virginius C. Hall, Director-Librarian
The spring meeting and exhibition of the
society is scheduled
for the first week in May, with a gala
opening of the exhibition
for members of the society at the Taft
Museum. The subject is
"Makers of Cincinnati,
1810-1845."
The society is planning a cooperative
exhibit with the Ohio State
Archaeological and Historical Society in
connection with the open-
ing of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House,
Cincinnati, during the early
summer. The Stowe House is now in the
process of restoration under
the direction of the state society.
The bulletin of the society, the Newsletter,
is published at inter-
vals during the year and is devoted
primarily to the names of
donors, with a listing of their gifts,
and important acquisitions added
by purchase. The quality of the
acquisitions of the past twelve
months is probably the finest in the
history of the society.
HISTORICAL NEWS 223
Annual paying members (membership, ten
dollars a year) now
number over five hundred. Interest in
regional history is growing
here as elsewhere in the state and
nation.
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MOUNT PLEASANT,
OHIO
J. C. Wilson, President
The society has recently issued a
leaflet describing the Friends
Yearly Meeting House at Mount Pleasant.
It is illustrated by exterior
and interior views of the building. The
preservation of the meeting
house is one of the principal objectives
of the society.
The present officers of the society are
J. C. Wilson, president;
Paul Walter, William Schuster, and Mrs.
William Krinke, vice
presidents; Adeline Bainbridge,
secretary; and Ruth Lupton, treas-
urer. The directors are S. C. McConahey,
Charles Wilson, Lewis
Thompson, H. O. Geise, Elma Amstutz,
Elizabeth Lupton, Mildred
Jones, William Schuster, and J. C.
Wilson.
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF NORTHWESTERN OHIO,
Toledo
Randolph C. Downes, Executive
Director
The program of the winter meeting of the
society held at the
Toledo Museum of Art was devoted to
canals. It included a pre-
sentation of Canal Days, Volume
II of the Lucas County Historical
Series, recently published by the society; an address on
"Canal
Ways" by Frank N. Wilcox of the
Cleveland Art School; and one
on "Canal Places in the Maumee
Valley" by L. W. Sullivan. In
connection with the meeting there was an
exhibition of canal paint-
ings by Mr. Wilcox and of canal
photographs by Mr. Sullivan.
Students of Scott and DeVilbiss high
schools also displayed illustra-
tive material on canals.
HUGUENOT SOCIETY OF OHIO
John C. Pearson, President
Officers elected at the meeting of the
society on September 18,
1948, are as follows: John C. Pearson,
president; Howard Collette,
secretary; and Eva Alice Scott,
registrar.
The society publishes a quarterly
bulletin and a yearbook.
224
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
LOGAN COUNTY ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Zanesfield
Herman C. Marmon, President
The society is continuing its plan of
marking historic sites in
the county. Markers are to be erected on
the Greene Ville Treaty
route, at Curry Blockhouse, at an
Underground Railroad station,
and at the site of the first Methodist
church in Zane township. Three
additional markers will be erected
during the year at places to be
determined later.
Publication of a sixty-page pamphlet
during the year is also
contemplated.
LORAIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Elyria
Mrs. James B. Thomas, President
Interest in the society has grown during
the year and sixty-four
new members have been added. Among the
speakers on the programs
of the monthly meeting have been Raymond
Vietzen, Prof. Clarence
Ward, and Robert E. Wilson. A research
committee including
Prof. Robert S. Fletcher, Oberlin, and
Miss Harriet Root, Lorain,
will begin the collection of data for a
Lorain County history to be
published by the society.
MAHONING VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Youngstown
Donald J. Lynn, President
At the annual meeting of the members of
the society held at
the museum of the society in the public
library of Youngstown on
January 19 a board of trustees was
elected. The board immediately
elected the following officers from
their number: Donald J. Lynn,
president; Mrs. Henry A. Butler, first
vice president; Joseph G.
Butler, III, second vice president; Mrs.
Franklin B. Powers, third
vice president; Mrs. Ernest A. Goodman,
recording secretary; Ada
M. Rogers, corresponding secretary;
James L. Wick, Jr., treasurer;
and Joseph G. Butler, III, assistant
treasurer. Other members of the
board are Howard C. Aley, Randall H.
Anderson, James T. Arrel,
Hugh W. Bonnell, Elizabeth Brown,
Charles N. Crandall, C. Victor
Deibel, Marion Fowler, Mrs. Ernest A.
Goodman, Helen Hall,
HISTORICAL NEWS 225
Ellen L. Hine, Mrs. S. K. Hine, Frank B.
Medbury, Mrs. I. Harry
Meyer, Mrs. Howard C. Miller, Mary L. W.
Morse, James B. Thomp-
son, and Mrs. James L. Wick, Jr. Mrs.
Ernest A. Goodman, Eva A.
Scott, and Joseph C. Butler, III, were
appointed members of the
accession committee.
SCIOTO COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Portsmouth
Samuel P. Adams, President
The first general meeting of the year
was held on February 15.
It was open to all who had contributed
funds toward the purchase
and restoration of the Kinney home as
well as to the members. Con-
tractors' estimates for repairs on the
building were reviewed at the
meeting.
The society now numbers 508 active
members. In addition some
one hundred business firms contributed
to the funds of the organi-
zation. On December 31 there was a cash
balance in the treasury
of $2,803.86.
SENECA COUNTY HISTORICAL AND
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM, Tiffin
A. C. Shuman, Curator
The museum recently acquired a number of
very interesting
specimens to add to its excellent
natural history and historical
collections.
The curator of the museum, Dr. Albert C.
Shuman, was re-
cently presented a jeweled emblem and
scroll designating him as the
"Honor Citizen of the Month,"
on "The Best is Yet to Come"
program sponsored by the Tiffin Rotary
Club. Dr. Shuman, the
third person to receive the honor, was
cited for his many years of
service in the Christian ministry and on
the board of trustees of
Heidelberg College, for his help on many
worthwhile community
projects, and for his interest in
natural history which led to the
establishment of the museum of which he
is now curator.
SHAKER HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Shaker Heights
Mrs. Harry D. Piercy, Secretary
The society has heard two addresses on
the Shakers: Dr. Russell
H. Anderson, director of the Western
Reserve Historical Society,
226
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
spoke on "Shakers Then and
Now" and Jessie Haynes, curator of
the Shaker museum at Harvard,
Massachusetts, addressed the society
on January 25 on Shakerism. The society
is planning to exhibit
Shaker material at the May show of the
Collectors Society.
Two publications are being prepared by
members of the organ-
ization: a pamphlet on Shaker life by
John Schott, and a book on
the Cleveland Shakers, 1822-89, entitled
"The Valley of God's
Pleasure," by the secretary, Mrs.
Piercy.
SHELBY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Sidney
John Whitney, President
Research on the Harmar Trail through
Shelby County is being
conducted by the society. Other
activities of the organization include
research on the history of Shelby County
schools and Shelby County
agriculture, marking of the site of the
first home in the county,
and plans to have the Lockington locks
area set aside as a state
park.
SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF PIONEER RIVERMEN,
Marietta
Frederick Way, Jr., President
The Columbus Sunday Dispatch Magazine
for January 30, 1949,
featured an illustrated article by
Captain Way, "Lore of the Lorena,"
and carried a natural color photograph
and sketch of the author.
The Lorena was a sternwheel
steamboat which ran on a weekly
schedule between Zanesville and
Pittsburgh between 1895 and 1913.
It burned February 2, 1916.
STARK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Canton
Paul B. Belden, President
The annual dinner meeting of the society
held on January 27
was attended by 216 members and guests.
Paul B. Belden, H. T. O.
Blue, and E. T. Heald were reelected
respectively president, vice
president, and secretary-treasurer of
the society and to membership
on the board of trustees. Six other
members of the board were also
renamed. The guest speaker of the
evening was Grace Goulder (Mrs.
Robert J. Izant), writer for the Cleveland
Plain Dealer, who spoke
HISTORICAL NEWS 227
on "Rambles in Stark County."
She discussed the contributions
of Frederick C. Post, Bezaleel Wells,
Thomas Rotch, and William
McKinley.
The third annual report of the society
has been issued as a
twenty-four page booklet containing a
financial statement, a schedule
of "Stark County Story"
broadcasts over WHBC, a list of acquisi-
tions, a summary of progress on various
projects, and a membership
list in addition to the president's
report. The report indicated an
increase in individual memberships from
358 to 432 (454 as of
February 1) and in institutional
memberships from 32 to 50. In
1948 the earnings of the society
accounted for 41.3 percent of the
income as compared with 24.0 for the
previous year.
SUMMIT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Akron
Carl H. Pockrandt, President
The annual meeting of the society was
held on January 20,
when four trustees were elected, Daniel
E. Falkner and Irvin R.
Renner being the new members. The
president, Carl H. Pockrandt,
submitted his annual report at the
meeting. The highlights of this
report were summarized in the February Bulletin
of the society. The
society has retained its membership of
over two thousand, making it
the largest independent historical
society in the state. It has sixty-
three affiliated organizations. The John
Brown Museum and the
Perkins Home were visited by over two
thousand persons during the
past year, and the historical
collections, which now total over
fifteen thousand articles, were
augmented during the period by gifts
of over four hundred individuals. An
endowment and building fund
has been started to provide a much
needed auditorium and exhibit
hall.
The February meeting featured a motion
picture film produced
by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company,
"A Letter from
America," which had Akron for its
locale.
WARREN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Lebanon
Gardner Townsley, President
Officers of the society for the current
year are Gardner
Townsley, president; Harry C. Schwartz,
vice president; Mary
228
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
Lincoln, secretary; Helen Lamb,
treasurer; Leah Jones, historian;
and Hazel S. Phillips, curator. Seth
Furnas, John Holden, Charters
Maple, Lena M. Irons, and Perle M. Riley
are trustees.
A new school text for Warren County
schools is being readied
for publication. This is a presentation
of local history for use in
the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. The
work has been prepared by
a committee of which Gertrude Brown is
the chairman.
The magazine Antiques for January
1949 carried an article on
"Glendower, the Warren County
Museum," written by Hazel S.
Phillips and illustrated with
photographs by Harold E. Rueppel.
WELLSVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Wellsville
Edgar S. Davidson, President
The Wellsville Historical Society
although not a year old has
attained a membership of nearly one
hundred, including a number
of life members, many of whom are former
residents. A two-page
mimeograph letter signed by the
president has recently been sent
to prospective members in a concentrated
drive for additional mem-
bers. The society's publication,
Wellsville Echoes, initiated in Jan-
uary 1949, is a four-page, mimeographed
bulletin dealing with the
history of the community and its
residents.
During the life of the society its
members have heard addresses
on "The Blockhouse at Yellow
Creek" by Dr. Robert Schilling,
"Wellsville" by T. T. Jones,
"The Beaver and Sandy Canal" by Max
Gard, and "His Truth Goes Marching
On" by W. H. Mathews. The
society meets monthly.
The officers are E. S. Davidson,
president; C. W. Arnold, vice
president; Paul Young,
secretary-treasurer; and Clarence Nickels,
curator.
WEST VIRGINIA ARCHAEOLOGICAL
SOCIETY, Moundsville, West Virginia
Joseph H. Essington, President
A society for the purpose of encouraging
the study and dissem-
ination of information concerning the
archaeology of West Virginia,
the first of the kind in the state, has
recently been incorporated and
organized. The officers elected are:
Joseph H. Essington, Mounds-
HISTORICAL NEWS 229
ville, president; O. L. Mairs,
Charleston, vice president; Delf
Norona, Moundsville,
secretary-treasurer; and E. W. Fetzer, Weirton,
and William Athey, New Martinsville,
directors. Ralph Solecki, of
the Smithsonian Institution, has been
named technical adviser.
A publication to further the objectives
of the society, tentatively
called the West Virginia Archaeologist,
is being planned. It is to be
edited by Delf Norona.
WOMAN'S CENTENNIAL ASSOCIATION OF
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Marietta
Mrs. Nelle Greene, President
Present officers of the association are
Mrs. Nelle Greene, presi-
dent; Mrs. Frank Schafer, vice
president; Mrs. E. A. Flemming,
recording secretary; Mrs. Clara McVoy,
corresponding secretary;
Mrs. Florence Harris, treasurer; and
Freda Schimmel, auditor.
About Historians
Dr. John Schwarz has retired as chairman
of the department
of history at Bowling Green State
University. He has been succeeded
by Dr. Grover C. Platt.
Robert G. Twyman has been appointed
assistant professor of
American history.
Dr. R. S. McCordock served as visiting
professor of history at
Rutgers University during the summer
session of 1948.
An article by Dr. Wilfred E. Binkley of
Ohio Northern Univer-
sity entitled "The Party of
Business" appeared in the January 1949
issue of Fortune.
Dr. Thomas P. Martin, visiting lecturer
at Ohio University last
semester, is serving as visiting
professor of history during the second
semester at West Virginia University.
Dr. Frank L. Esterquest, chairman of the
department of history
at Western College, will read a paper at
the Mississippi Valley
Historical Association meeting in April
on "Promoting History
Teaching Through Visual Aids."
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OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Dr. Benjamin H. Pershing, chairman of
the department of
history at Wittenberg College, reports
that over five percent of the
students at Wittenberg are enrolled in a
course in Ohio history.
Dr. C. Henry Smith, professor emeritus
of history at Bluffton
College, died during the latter part of
1948. Dr. Smith was an
authority on Mennonite history and the
author of several volumes
in that field.