Ohio History Journal

HISTORICAL NEWS

 

Historical Societies

 

CAMPUS MARTIUS MUSEUM

Edith S. Reiter, Curator

On May 2 the Museum was the subject of the second of a

series of semimonthly broadcasts given over station WMOA by

the Marietta Chamber of Commerce. The broadcasts are done in

the manner of the "Information, Please" broadcast. Questions

were on the Museum, its exhibits, and the early history of

Marietta.

 

 

CHAMPAIGN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Charles Stickell, President

The annual birthday party of the Society was held in the

Urbana Public Library April 29. A talk given by Orton Rust of

Springfield included some early history of Champaign County

when the boundaries of the county took in the present Clark and

Logan counties as well as Champaign. Mr. Rust also exhibited

the markers which are to be erected in cooperation with the Clark

County Historical Society to honor Simon Kenton and Col. William

Ward.

 

 

FAIRPORT HARBOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Pearl E. Killinen, Acting Historian

The following new officers were elected in March: Lillian

Luthanen Robinson, President; Frank S. Converse, First Vice

President; Alma W. Saari, Second Vice President; Mary M.

Whitmore, Secretary; Bernard L. Farmer, Treasurer.

The presentation of the annual "Navigation Award" was

made April 1 to Capt. H. J. Booth of Marine City, Michigan, for

bringing the first cargo vessel of the season into Fairport Harbor.

Capt. Booth's ship was the steamer Wyandotte of the Wyandotte

Transportation Company.

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On May 14 a ship's binnacle and compass were presented to

the Society by the Columbia Transportation Company at a meeting

held in the Marine Museum. The presentation was made to

Lillian Robinson, President, by Henry W. Wiersch, the Com-

pany's fleet captain, and G. S. Wellman.

The Museum will be open to the public on Sundays and holi-

days beginning Memorial Day, May 30, and will remain open

through Labor Day. Hours are from one to five o'clock.

 

 

 

THE HAYES MEMORIAL

Watt Marchman, Director of Research

Among the recent accessions of manuscripts to the Hayes

Papers is the letter of General Sherman written on February 2,

1876, in which he said: "I have never been, am not now--and

never will be a candidate for the high office of President before

any Convention or the People." In addition to this letter there

have been acquired at least ten original letters written by Presi-

dent Hayes, one photostat copy of a letter, an original letter writ-

ten by President Grant to Hayes shortly before leaving on his trip

around the world, several Hayes manuscript notes, a signed docu-

ment, several photographs and engravings of Hayes, and numerous

newspaper clippings.

The entire map collection has just been completely cataloged,

and a special map, atlas, and chart room is in the process of being

established.

 

 

 

HIRAM HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Harold E. Davis, Secretary

The Society has recently issued a booklet entitled Two Early

Hiram Houses, the second in a series of historical booklets. The

Hiram houses are the Buckingham house, now the Hiram College

president's residence, and the Garfield house. The booklet was

written by Adelaide Rudolph, Ellen C. Hinsdale, and Henry Buck-

ingham Mowbray. There is an introduction by Judge Frederick

A. Henry.

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HISTORICAL NEWS                    307

 

HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY

Virginius C. Hall, Director-Librarian

The Spring Regional History Show for members and guests

of the Society opened at the Taft Museum the evening of April

18. The exhibit was thereafter opened to the public, continuing

through May 3. Paintings, prints, manuscripts, rare books, and

a collection of museum objects were lent by members of the So-

ciety and by Cincinnati institutions. About 2,500 persons attended

during the fifteen days.

The current issue of the Bulletin of the Society, a regular

quarterly publication, is a special river number. Membership in

the Society has increased by 130 since the first of the year. Regu-

lar membership dues are ten dollars.

 

 

KNOX COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Charles V. Critchfield, President

The following officers were elected at the annual meeting of

the Society held April 22: Charles V. Critchfield, President; E. H.

Johnson, Vice President; Belinda S. Beam, Secretary-Treasurer.

 

 

LAKE COUNTY CHAPTER, WESTERN RESERVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Elijah Brown, President

The following officers of the Society were elected at the an-

nual meeting held April 24: Elijah Brown, President; Ethel

Ostrander, First Vice President; T. H. Blakely, Second Vice Presi-

dent; R. J. Soules, Treasurer; A. O. Beamer, Secretary.

 

 

LOGAN COUNTY ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

O. K. Reames, President

The present officers of the Society are O. K. Reames, Presi-

dent, and Paul Osborn, Secretary.

The Society is making preparations to erect markers at his-

torical spots within the county with funds made available by the

County Commissioners. The first marker is to be placed at the

site of Solomontown, near New Richland.

A bulletin is now being published by the Society which, it is

hoped, will soon appear monthly.

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MARLBORO HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Wilbur Main, President

The Society was organized at a meeting held on May 4 at

the home of Mrs. W. S. Cole, Route 1, Ashley. The following

officers were elected: Wilbur Main, President; D. C. Sherwood,

Vice President; Mrs. W. S. Cole, Secretary; Arlington Cline,

Custodian of Records and Relics.

 

 

MEDINA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Florence Phillips, President

New officers of the Society are Florence Phillips, President;

Mrs. C. L. Griesinger, Vice President; S. H. Brainard, Secretary

and Treasurer.

 

 

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Clara S. Paine, Secretary-Treasurer

The following resolution was unanimously approved by the

Association at its meeting in Columbus in April:

The members of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, as-

sembled in annual business meeting, wish to express our appreciation and

gratitude to the following individuals and organizations for the excellent

hospitality and consideration shown our membership during the session of the

Fortieth Annual Meeting held April 24-26, 1947, at Columbus, Ohio.

1. To the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and par-

ticularly to Arthur C. Johnson, president, and Erwin C. Zepp, director, for

the gracious reception and musical program provided at the Ohio State

Museum on the evening of April 24, 1947.

2. To the Ohio State University for its general sponsorship of our

meeting and for entertaining "the wives" at tea this afternoon.

3. To the Program Committee under the chairmanship of Clarence

S. Paine, II, for providing a program of unusual scope, reflecting post-war

interests and historical research.

4. To the committee on local arrangements under the co-chairman-

ship of Francis P. Weisenburger and James H. Rodabaugh for their excel-

lent planning which produced a "well run" convention and provided for our

physical comfort.

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HISTORICAL NEWS                   309

 

MONTGOMERY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Virgil Wysong, President

To further the study of the historical background of the

county, meetings of the Society are under the direction of the re-

spective township chairmen, who present in turn the history of

their townships.

A special effort is now being made to help save the "old"

courthouse at Third and Miami streets, Dayton.

The Society is planning the publication of a monthly to be

known as "The Arrowhead" which will be distributed to all high

school students in Dayton and throughout the county.

 

 

OHIO ACADEMY OF HISTORY

William D. Overman, Secretary

New officers of the Academy selected at its annual business

meeting in April are as follows: Dr. Hastings Eells, President;

Dr. George F. Howe, Vice President; Dr. William D. Overman,

Secretary.

Dr. Foster Rhea Dulles was given the Academy's annual

award for distinction in historical publication during 1946. The

book on which he won the award was China and America.

 

 

OTTAWA COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

May Hesselbart, Curator

The Museum, although small, is gradually acquiring news ar-

ticles, records, books, and pictures of value to students of local

history. Rooms for the Museum are provided by the village coun-

cil which also furnishes financial support.

 

PUTNAM COUNTY PIONEER ASSOCIATION

Earl H. Hanefeld, President

The Association has a new home on the second floor of the

town hall in Kalida. The present circulation of The Pioneer News,

which contains only news pertaining to the history of the county

and the program of the annual Pioneer Day celebration, is about

600 copies. The annual celebration is a kind of homecoming for

former residents of Kalida and the county.

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SCIOTO COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Russell Stockham, President

A campaign was begun May 20 for $12,000 to purchase and

equip the Kinney house in Portsmouth as a museum for the So-

ciety. The campaign is being directed by Harry Wagner and

Franklin Smith. Sampson Eckhart and Ira Coriell are in charge

in the county outside Portsmouth.

 

SENECA COUNTY MUSEUM

A. C. Shuman, Curator

The Museum has recently published a 32-page booklet pre-

pared by the Curator, the Reverend A. C. Shuman, containing

historical and biographical sketches.

Officers of the Museum are A. C. Shuman, Curator; Jesse

W. Brown, Assistant Curator; Mrs. J. William Sholty, Secretary-

Treasurer.

 

STARK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

E. T. Heald, Secretary-Treasurer

The new series of broadcasts sponsored by the Society and

given over station WHBC Sunday afternoons from 1:45 to 2

o'clock is intended to acquaint listeners with their Stark County

neighbors. Beginning with Canton a different city, town, or vil-

lage is the subject of each broadcast, the selection being made

according to the chronological order in which the towns and vil-

lages were originally recorded at the County Recorder's office.

Research and preparation of the scripts have been in progress for

several months under the auspices of the Society. The project

has had the encouragement and support of the Stark County Com-

missioners.

The first story, on Canton, was given May 11. The larger

cities and towns will have several broadcasts. Sixteen scripts

have been prepared, and others are scheduled to be completed

until all the incorporated and many of the unincorporated towns

and villages of the county are covered.

E. T. Heald, Secretary-Treasurer of the Society, is the nar-

rator of the programs. The broadcasts are a public service of the

Ohio Broadcasting Company.

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HISTORICAL NEWS                    311

 

SUMMIT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Robert E. Mohler, Secretary

The following are the officers of the Society for the year

1947: Carl H. Pockrandt, President; Oliver Wolcott, Vice Presi-

dent; E. J. Cauffield, Vice President; Robert E. Mohler, Secre-

tary; Amelia H. Schulz, Treasurer.

The Society now has three projects in the process of develop-

ment: the restoration of the Old Stone School; the conversion of

the John Brown Home into a historical library and museum, and

the refurnishing of a part of the building in the pioneer period;

and the establishment of the Perkins Mansion as a historical

museum of the city of Akron. A six-page leaflet on the three

buildings has recently been published by the Society.

The membership committee of the Society has begun a cam-

paign to increase the Society's membership; it now totals 1,520,

the largest in the State.

 

 

WARREN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Perle Riley, President

The present officers of the Society are Perle Riley, President;

G. H. Townsley, Vice President; Mary R. Lincoln, Secretary;

Hazel Brookes, Treasurer; Mary Forgy, Genealogist; Marion

Snyder, Historian. Recently elected to the Board of Trustees

were Harry Schwartz, Sr., Chairman; Hazel S. Phillips, Secre-

tary; Seth Furnas, John E. Holden, and Charles D. Maple.

An "Open House" sponsored by the Society as a money-mak-

ing project to assist with the publication of the local war history

and other historical writings was held June 7-8 at the Durbin

Ward House and other historic homes in Lebanon.

"Iron Lace of Lebanon," an article by Hazel S. Phillips,

Secretary of the Board of Trustees, appeared in the May 1947 issue

of Antiques.

 

 

WESTERVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Ila Grindell, Secretary

Officers elected for 1947 are the following: Dr. E. W. E.

Schear, President; Mrs. Robert Wilson, First Vice President;

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312 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

Earl V. Needham, Second Vice President; Ila Grindell, Secre-

tary; Alice Shott, Treasurer.

Organized in 1941, the Society now has 114 active members.

Meetings are held every two months during the fall, winter, and

early spring.

About Historians

Professor T. N. Hoover is retiring at the end of the present

year after forty years of service at Ohio University as professor

of history. Professor A. T. Volwiler has been appointed chairman

of the department of history to succeed him. Dr. John S. Gal-

braith, head of the department of history at Mount Union College,

has been appointed assistant professor, and Frederick D. Kershner,

Jr., a candidate for the Ph.D. degree at the University of Wiscon-

sin, instructor in the department.

Dr. Volwiler is serving as visiting professor of history at the

University of Missouri during the summer quarter of 1947.

 

Dr. Louis Filler of Antioch College has contracted to prepare

a study of Abolition and Reform for the new Rise of the American

Nation Series planned by Harper and Brothers.

 

Frank Peters, who is finishing his doctoral studies in politics

and history at Duke University, has been appointed to the staff

of the department of history and political science at Xavier Uni-

versity.

Dr. E. J. Urch has been added to the staff of the history de-

partment at Defiance College to replace Professor J. M. Klock,

who will go to Michigan State College as instructor.

 

Dr. Harold E. Davis, dean and professor of history and

political science at Hiram College, has accepted a new position as

head of the department of history and government at American

University, Washington, D. C. This summer he is directing a

Latin-American workshop at Occidental College, Pasadena, Cali-

fornia.

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HISTORICAL NEWS                    313

Dr. John I. Kolehmainen, professor of history and political

science at Heidelberg College, has received a summer appointment

to the University of Wisconsin. He will work with the Commit-

tee on Studies in Wisconsin Economy and Culture, preparing a

historical survey of the Finnish settlements in the state.

William F. Zornow has been appointed instructor in history

at the Case Institute of Technology.

Dr. Stanton L. Davis has about completed the manuscript of

"An Atlas of Western Civilization," a general historical atlas

from the earliest times to the present.

Dr. John W. Long, Jr., has been serving as assistant professor

in the department of history at Western College since September

1946. Martha Wickard was recently appointed instructor in the

department for 1947-48. She has been a graduate student at the

University of Michigan.

An article by Dr. Frank L. Esterquest, entitled "History

Without Geography or Chronology," appeared in the April 1947

issue of the Mississippi Valley Historical Review. The article is

based on a paper read at the 1946 meeting of the Ohio Academy

of History.

A History of Agriculture in Ontario, 1613-1880 (University

of Toronto Press, 1946) has recently been published by Robert

Leslie Jones of Marietta College.

Dr. C. A. Clausen has resigned from the department of his-

tory at Wittenberg College to accept a permanent position in the

State Department, Washington, D. C.

Dr. William J. McNiff of the department of history at Miami

University is teaching at the Summer Session at Oberlin College.

Dr. William M. Miller of the department of romanic lan-

guages has recently begun work on a study of the appearances of

Sarah Bernhardt in Ohio.

Dr. Howard Robinson, professor of history at Oberlin Col-

lege, is teaching at the University of Michigan this summer.

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