HISTORICAL NEWS
Historical Societies
ALLEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Mrs. Harry B. Longsworth, Secretary
The society is making a drive for the
collection of old family
records, Bible records, diaries, account
books, journals, and cor-
respondence.
ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF NEGRO LIFE
AND HIISTORY
William F. Savoy, State Director
The general program is to collect and
preserve the valuable
documents of the Negro's history, to
form intercultural study
groups for the proper intergrated study
of peoples, and to dis-
seminate the history of the Negro
through books and articles,
school work, and lecture programs. The
association has active
chapters in several of Ohio's larger
cities, including Columbus,
Cleveland, Toledo, Canton, and Dayton.
There are also branches
in Cincinnati, Newark, Mt. Vernon,
Chillicothe, Akron Lima,
Delaware, and at Lockbourne Air Base.
There are about 925
members of the association in Ohio.
CHAMBERLAIN HISTORICAL ENTERPRISES, AKRON
Gladys E. Chamberlain, Director
This organization has replaced the
former Summit County
Historical Bureau. A leaflet published recently states that its
purpose is "to increase the
knowledge of the history of this sec-
tion of Ohio, particularly Summit
County." The Portage Journal,
edited by Miss Chamberlain. is the new
name of the former
Summit County Historical Bulletin.
The first issue of the Jour-
nal, named for the first newspaper published in Summit
County,
appeared in June.
DAYTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
ROY G. Fitzgerald, President
The sesquicentennial celebration of the
founding of Dayton,
sponsored by the society, was held from
August 27 to September
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OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
7. The Army Air Corps at Wright Field
cooperated in the
activities.
One of the chief concerns of this
society at the present time
is the preservation of the old
courthouse, erected in the form of
a Greek Ionic temple, 1847-50. There is
a movement in Mont-
gomery County to sell the valuable lot
on which the Old court-
house is located, the proceeds to go for
a new courthouse.
FAIRPORT HARBOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Pearl E. Killinen, Acting Historian
The village of Fairport has received
from the United States
Coast Guard a renewal of the license
covering the lighthouse
reservation. The Marine Museum of the
society is located in the
lighthouse. Among the society's recent
acquisitions are the old
lighthouse lens, on permanent loan from
the Coast Guard, a scale
model of the schooner "Pathfinder
of Fairport," a sextant used
on the schooner "Sarah A.
Green," and the Lake County wreck-
master's inventory of salvaged items
from the "S. S. Griffith."
Officers of the society are George
Gedeon, president; George
Henry, first vice president; Elijah
Brown, second vice president:
Lillian Luthanen, secretary; Mrs. Irene
Radike, treasurer.
NORTH FAIRFIELD FIRELANDS HISTOIRICAL
ASSOCIATIION
Charlie D. Harvey, President
Dr. Charles H. Kimberly, of New York, a
former resident
of North Fairfield, has contributed the
sum of $500 for the instal-
lation of a fireplace. "The
association appreciates this very sub-
stantial indication of interest on the
part of an old friend."
OTTAWA COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM
Mae Hesselbart, Curator
Since there has been some confusion
concerning the origins
and early history of Port Clinton, the
curator has devoted much
of her time to writing and speaking on
the subject. An article on
the beginnings of the town, now 118
years old. appeared in the
Ottawa County News. June 14, 1946.
HISTORICAL NEWS 409
PIONEER ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON COUNTY
Mrs. Cora Chapman Reckard, Secretary
The regular meetings of the association
are scheduled to
begin in October. Officers for the year
are Dr. James A. Mc-
Cowan, president; Fred B. Goddard, vice
president; Mrs. Reck-
ard, secretary; Harry M. Hart,
treasurer.
PUTNAM COUNTY PIONEER ASSOCIATION
From the Pioneer News, IV, No. 1
(September 1, 1946)
The council of the village of Kalida has
assigned the upper
story of the City Hall as a home for the
association. Display
cases are being installed and the people
of Putnam County are
being urged to donate historical
materials for display. Officers
of the association are Earl H. Hanefeld,
president; Charles H.
Veach, vice president; Gaylord Meyers,
secretary; Mary F. Fort-
man, acting secretary; Lillian
Clevenger, editor.
SENECA COUNTY HISTORICAL AND
ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
A. C. Shuman, Curator
The fourth anniversary of the Seneca
County Museum.
Tiffin. was marked September 5, with
ceremonies honoring Dr.
Shuman on his birthday for fifty years
spent in the ministry. The
program included greetings by Clarence
I. Smeltz. representing
the county commissioners and the
museum trustees, remarks
bY Erwin C. Zepp, of the State
Historical Society, a talk by Dr.
Shuman, and music by the Calvert High
School Band. The
Seneca County Museum now has twenty one
rooms of displays.
SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF PIONEER RIVERMEN
Frederick Way, Jr., President
At a meeting at Marietta, August 24, the
following officers
were elected: Frederick Way, Jr.,
Sewickley. Penn.. president:
Robert G. Thomas, Clarington, Ohio, vice
president for the tipper
Ohio; C. W. Stoll, Louisville, Ky., vice
president for the lower
Ohio: William McNally, Pittsburgh, secretary: Ruth Maddy,
Gallipolis, treasurer; J. Mack Gamble,
Clarington. chairman, exec-
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OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL, AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
utive committee; W. K. Richardson,
Marietta, and J. W. Rutter.
Sewickley, museum committee.
About Historians
The Mississippi Valley Historical
Association will hold its
annual meeting of 1947 at Columbus,
April 24-26. The Ohio,
State Archaeological and Historical
Society and the Ohio State
University will be joint hosts to the
association. Prof. Francis
P. Weisenburger, of Ohio State
University, has been named
chairman of the Committee on Local
Arrangements with Dr.
James H. Rodabaugh, of the Historical
Society, as co-chairman.
Dr. Earl Beck and Elverett Walters began
work as instruc-
tors in history at Ohio State University
with the summer quar-
ter. Dr. Beck, a graduate of Ohio State,
recently returned from
service with the armed forces in Europe.
Mr. Walters has been
serving in the Navy.
Dr. William J. McNiff has returned to
the history depart-
ment at Miami University after a year as
lecturer to the armed
forces in England and Germany.
Dr. Frank Heck has also returned after
three years of serv-
ice in the army.
Dr. Richard Gustavson has been employed
to substitute for
Dr. Harry N. Howard who will be on leave
with the State De-
partment, 1946-47.
Dr. William Fisk has been appointed
assistant professor of
history at Muskingum College.
At Ohio University the freshman history
course has been
revised to begin with the 15th century
instead of the Fall of
Rome. Prof. Thomas N. Hoover has
contributed an article on
the elections of 1945 to the American
Year Book. Dr. A. T.
Volwiler has been elected to the
executive committee of the Mis-
sissippi Valley Historical Association.
HISTORICAL NEWS 411
The University of Toledo has added six
men to its history
staff. They are Dr. Randolph C. Downes
and Dr. Carleton F.
Waite. associate professors; Dr. Duane
D. Smith, Lloyd Lapp.
Willard A. Smith, and Edward
Schweikardt, assistant professors.
Promotions have been made as follows:
Almeda M. Janney,
emeritus professor; Arvid T. Johnson,
assistant dean of admin-
istration, Emil Lucki, associate
professor and assistant dean of
the College of Arts and Sciences;
Herbert Schering, assistant
professor of history and German.
Dr. Downes has been named managing
editor of the North-
west Ohio Quarterly, periodical of the Historical Society of
Northwestern Ohio.
Arthur H. Benedict has joined the staff
of the Hiram College
history department as assistant
professor. Dr. Harold E. Davis,
dean of administration and professor of
history, served as direc-
tor of the Division of Education and
Teacher Aids, Office of
Inter-American Affairs, during the war.
He was professor of
Latin American history at the United
States Army University at
Biarritz, France, 1945-46.
Hiram College is making plans for the
observance of its
centennial in 1950. The
publication of source materials and books
concerning Hiram's history is proposed.
The microfilming of the
Mahoning Baptist Journal, one of the
basic documents for the
beginnings of the Disciples Church, and
the publication of a life
of Burke Aaron Hinsdale, are included in
preliminary plans.
Dr. Paul H. Bloomhardt has returned to
the history depart-
ment at Wittenberg College after service
with the army school in
England and on the continent. Dr. C. A.
Clausen will continue
on leave of absence with the State
Department. His position will
be filled by R. E. Hawes who recently
was discharged from the
army.
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OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Dr. John I. Kolehmainen, professor of
history and political
science at Heidelberg College, has
received a grant-in-aid from
the Social Science Research Council for
the completion of a his-
tory of the Finnish people in America.
Dr. Kolehmainen pub-
lished an article on the "Founding
of the Finnish Settlements in
Ohio," in the Quarterly, XLIX
(1940), 150-9.