HISTORICAL NEWS
Historical Societies
ALLEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Lima
James A. MacDonell, President
The December issue of the Reporter contains
an article on the early grain
business in Allen County. It also
includes a letter from the president of
the society announcing that the building
fund of the society stood (as of
December 13) at $118,000, and that
$2,000 was needed to meet the board's
annual goal of $10,000 for the fund.
This amount has been secured for
the past three years largely by contributions
from the members of the board.
ALLIANCE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Alliance
Mrs. Fred R. Donaldson, President
The society participated actively in the
celebration of the Alliance cen-
tennial from May through September and
is preparing six scrapbooks of
centennial material. The Alliance
Chamber of Commerce presented to the
society a large blue silk gold-fringed
flag with the official centennial seal.
The society is handling the sale of
about one thousand of the centennial
booklets, which are now available for
twenty-five cents.
Mrs. Melvin Van Winkle has been named to
represent the society at the
meetings of the Stark County Historical
Society.
BRECKSVILLE EARLY SETTLERS HISTORICAL
ASSOCIATION, Brecksville
Ernest Green, President
Mrs. Lois Wallin has been appointed
assistant to the curator, Harold
Wallin.
The society maintains monthly exhibits
of antiques at the Squire Rich
house. A farm bedroom of the 1840's and
an Ohio barn of the same period
have recently been restored by the
society. A recent issue of the Pioneer
contains a master list of the
collections in the museum.
BROWN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Georgetown
Isabelle McCorry, President
Officers of the society elected for the
new year at a meeting on January
15 are as follows: Isabelle McCorry,
president; Mrs. Hugh Gooding, vice
president; Dwight Marriott, recording
secretary; Mrs. John Markley, corre-
sponding secretary; and A. J. Stivers,
treasurer. Mrs. John Purdy was
appointed chairman of the dinner and
program committee for the annual
dinner to be held in April.
200
Historical News 201
BUTLER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Hamilton
A. S. Anderson, President
On December 4 officials of the society
met a group of representatives
from each of the thirteen townships in
the county called together by Mrs.
George Benzing, chairman of the county
organization committee. The
purpose of the meeting was to secure
county-wide participation in the work
of the society. Talks on the work and plans
of the organization were made
by Mrs. Paul Benninghofen, Gordon
Augspurger, Charles Brennan, Harry
Kessling, and Robert F. Crow. Much
interest was manifest, and cooperation
with the society was pledged by the
representatives of the townships and
several farm organizations.
CLINTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Wilmington
Robert P. Cotner, President
The December meeting of the society
comprised several talks on the
early history of the county by Howard
Collett, Miss Marshie Austin, Mrs.
Charles Starbuck, Mrs. H. N. Lazenby,
Mrs. Paul D. Watson, and Mrs. Louis
Lieurance.
The first annual meeting of the society
was held on January 23, when
three amendments to the constitution
were approved, one of which created
the offices of second vice president and
librarian. Officers elected at the
meeting were Robert P. Cotner,
president; Mrs. Harry Hague, Jr., first vice
president; Miss Dorothy Rogers, second
vice president; Mrs. Lowell Cowman,
secretary; Charles R. Starbuck,
treasurer (reelected); Mrs. Ethel H. Hayes,
historian (reelected); and Miss Claire
Hague, librarian. Mrs. Gurney Terrell
and H. N. Lazenby were elected to the
board of directors for one year;
Mrs. W. J. Galvin and Eldon L. Hayes for
two years; and H. H. Thorne
for three years.
CRESTLINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Crestline
Ernest G. Hesser, President
The society is actively promoting the
celebration of the Crestline Cen-
tennial, June 10-13, 1951. Open house
will be maintained at the museum
during the celebration. A four-page
illustrated centennial issue of the Crest-
line Historical Society Bulletin was
issued January 1, 1951. It contained
articles on Rensselaer Livingston, the
founder of Crestline, and on the
coming of the railroads to the town. It
also includes a list of the early
settlers (1820-50) in the Crestline
area.
Robert C. Wheeler, administrative
assistant of the Ohio Sesquicentennial
Commission, was guest speaker at a
meeting on January 30. He spoke on Ohio
newspapers and the Ohio
Sesquicentennial.
202 Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly
DARKE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Greenville
J. Lendall Williams, President
The annual business meeting of the
society was held on January 11,
when all incumbent officers were
reelected for another year. They are J.
Lendall Williams, president; J. W.
Flaig, vice president; Mrs. Ruth Meyers,
secretary-treasurer. Three members of
the board of trustees were also re-
elected: Fred D. Coppock, W. D. Brumbaugh,
Jr., and George Klipstine.
Mrs. Marguerite Stoltz was reappointed
museum curator.
EAST LIVERPOOL HISTORICAL SOCIETY, East
Liverpool
H. B. Barth, Secretary
Walter B. Hill, president of the
society, died on October 30. His suc-
cessor has not been elected.
The secretary of the society has in
recent months conducted numerous
groups through the exhibits maintained
by the society in the Carnegie
Library at East Liverpool.
FAIRPORT HARBOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Fairport Harbor
Carroll Mitchell, President
Acquisitions to the society's Marine
Museum within the past year in-
clude a United States flag of the Civil
War period containing twenty-four
stars; a painting of an iron-ore
carrier, the J. H. Wade; and a binnacle.
On June 30 the mast of the S. S. Michigan
was dedicated as a flagpole at
the museum. When the Michigan was
scrapped at Erie, Pennsylvania, Austin
Headland, former president, and other
members of the society secured and
reconditioned the mast. The Diamond
Alkali Company donated their crane
and the labor for erecting the pole at
the museum.
The present officers of the society are
as follows: Carroll Mitchell, presi-
dent; George Henry, first vice
president; Alma W. Saari, second vice presi-
dent; Mary M. Whitmore, secretary; Elma
Converse, treasurer; Pearl E.
Killinen, executive secretary; and
Lillian L. Robinson, John W. Laczko,
Mary A. Zimmy, Frank Converse, and
George I. Gedeon, trustees.
FRANKLIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Columbus
Charles A. Jones, President
The February issue of the society's Bulletin
features an article by Curator
Dan F. Prugh on "A History of the
Famous Columbus Metropolitan Opera
House," and another on
"Evolution of the Theater in Columbus."
Dr. Linden F. Edwards, professor of
anatomy at Ohio State University,
was speaker at the February meeting of
the society. His topic was "Body
Snatching in Franklin County."
Historical News 203
GEAUGA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Burton
B. J. Shanower, President
Changes in the offices of secretary and
treasurer have been made since
the last notice. Mrs. Hilda Hosmer is
now secretary of the society, and Mrs.
Anna Gaither is treasurer.
HAYES MEMORIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM,
Fremont
Watt P. Marchman, Director of
Research
The annual Christmas party for employees
and their families was held
on December 22, 1950.
The director of research, Watt P.
Marchman, gave a talk about the Hayes
Memorial Library and Museum and its
activities before the Waterville
Rotary Club on January 29.
Mrs. Ruth Ballenger, who was employed by
The Hayes Foundation as
associate librarian and secretary for
the past several years, has resigned.
Her resignation was effective February
1.
Exhibits have been arranged in the new
museum cases, and all exhibits
on display in the building have been
changed or replaced in an attempt
to make the museum a more effective
educational medium.
HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF
OHIO, Cincinnati
Virginius C. Hall, Director-Librarian
The society recently participated in
"The Cincinnati Biennial," cele-
brating the arts in the city from 1900
to 1925. As historical background
a window display of old prints was
shown. These included prints of the
Saengerfest Halle, Music Hall, and the
old Pike's Opera House.
The annual spring exhibition of the
society is scheduled to open for
members and guests of the society on the
evening of April 17 at the Taft
Museum. The subject of the exhibition
will be "Cincinnati in the '70's
and '80's."
In cooperation with the University of
Cincinnati the society will entertain
the Mississippi Valley Historical
Association at tea the afternoon of April
19. There will be at the time an
exhibition of books, maps, and manuscripts
in the reading room of the society.
LORAIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Elyria
Mrs. James B. Thomas, President
Wallace D. White of Milan addressed the
society at its regular meeting
on November 13 at the Oberlin Inn on the
topic "Nuggets of History in
Your Own Back Yard." Mr. White, who
is now writing a history of the
204 Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly
Firelands, discussed his methods of
research and sources of information.
It was suggested that the same sources
might be used by the society in its
work.
MAHONING VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Youngstown
Donald J. Lynn, President
At the annual meeting of the members of
the Mahoning Valley His-
torical Society held at the museum of
the society on February 7 the follow-
ing officers were elected: Donald J.
Lynn, president; Mrs. Henry A. Butler,
first vice president; Joseph G. Butler
III, second vice president and assistant
treasurer; Mrs. Franklin B. Powers,
third vice president; Mrs. Ernest A.
Goodman, recording secretary; Ada M.
Rogers, corresponding secretary;
and James L. Wick, Jr., treasurer.
Randall H. Anderson of Youngstown has
recently presented to the society
a harpsichord and a mahogany sideboard
belonging to the Boardman family,
four daguerreotypes, two blown vases, a
Guy Mannering platter containing
Scott's illustrations, a vanity box, a
candelabrum with crystal pendants, and
two fine early whale-oil lamps. These
items are a part of the collection of
Mr. Anderson's sister, Blanch Anderson,
and were given to the society as a
memorial to her. The Boardman family
were prominent in the history of
Boardman Township. Elijah Boardman, for
whom the township was named,
was a member of the Connecticut Land
Company and the owner of con-
siderable land in the Connecticut
Western Reserve. His son, Henry M.
Boardman, settled in Boardman in the
early part of the nineteenth century.
In 1819 or 1820 he helped organize St.
James Episcopal Church and served
for some years as a lay reader both here
and at Canfield. Miss Mabel
Boardman, former secretary of the
national Red Cross, was a granddaughter
of the founder.
Other gifts received by the society
during the past year include an 1834
map of the United States, a collection
of calligraphy belonging to Prof.
J. E. Campbell, a certificate of
register issued by the land office at Ft. Wayne,
Indiana, covering land sold to John
Shehy, old deeds from Charles R. Moses,
a history of Paradise Lutheran Church, a
copy of the anniversary edition
of the Mahoning Dispatch, and
portraits of James Ward, John D. Reese,
and Elisha Whittlesey.
The society is collecting many relics
and records of the early Mahoning
Valley including old church records,
diaries, journals, and portraits of early
settlers. Its museum is located on the
second floor of the Public Library
of Youngstown and Mahoning County.
Historical News 205
OHIO ACADEMY OF HISTORY, Columbus
William J. McNiff, President
A symposium on "American Foreign
Policy in Time of Crisis," spon-
sored by the Ohio Academy of History in
cooperation with Kent State
University was held on February 10.
Speakers at the morning sessions were
Alfred J. Hotz, associate professor of
political science at Western Reserve
University, and Spencer Irwin, foreign
news editor of the Cleveland Plain
Dealer. Dr. Hotz spoke on "The Struggle Between Power
Politics and
Morality," and Mr. Irwin on
"Israel in Time of Crisis." Dr. Lowell Ragatz,
chairman of the department of history at
Ohio State University and vice
president of the academy, addressed the
luncheon sesson on "Imperialism
Today." Three concurrent afternoon
sessions were devoted to round table
discussions on American foreign policy
as it relates to Europe, to the Far
East, and to the United Nations.
The annual meeting of the academy is
scheduled for April 7 at the
Deshler-Wallick Hotel, Columbus. Dr.
Carl Wittke, professor in the
department of history and dean of the
graduate school, Western Reserve
University, will be the principal
speaker.
OTTAWA COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM, Port
Clinton
May Hesselbart, Curator
The official count of visitors to the
museum for the calendar year 1950
was 1,301. Of these, 384 were first-time
callers. Ohio visitors came from
thirty-nine localities in addition to
Port Clinton and vicinity. Eighteen
other states and one foreign country (Germany)
were represented by the
visitors.
RADNOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Radnor
David H. Thomas, President
Officers elected at the last annual
meeting for the year were David H.
Thomas, president; Mrs. Lloyd Jones,
vice president; Mrs. Nora Rinehart,
secretary; and Mrs. James Thomas,
treasurer.
SHELBY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Sidney
George O. Harshburger, Secretary
The only remaining covered bridge in
Shelby County has recently been
repaired and strengthened and is now
open to traffic. The preservation of
this bridge has long been urged by the
society.
The death of Paul A. Sherman occurred on
February 4. Mr. Sherman
was a charter member of this society,
served for a number of years as
206
Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly
secretary, and was a director at the
time of his death. He was well known
as a historian of Shelby County.
STARK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Canton
Donald K. Merwin, President
The annual dinner meeting was held
January 25 at the American Legion
Hall with 175 in attendance. The speaker
was Robert Waldrop, narrator
of "The Ohio Story" radio
program, who gave an interesting talk on his
experiences with that program. An
ensemble of twenty-two voices of the
Lincoln High School under the direction
of Miss Ruth Cogan sang four
selections. A feature of the meeting was
a gift of 160 red carnations by the
Lamborn Floral Company of Alliance for
table decorations in recognition
of the fiftieth anniversary of President
McKinley's death.
The annual report of the society for
1950, published in January of this
year, shows the greatest activity and
largest revenues in the four and a half
years of the society's history. The
membership remained almost stable,
but publications, radio, cemetery, and
other projects equaled or exceeded
those of 1949. The acquisitions to the
society's collections totaled 1,205
historical items.
The historical committee has chosen the
restoration of the McKinley
Memorial Lagoon as the major project for
1951.
SUMMIT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Akron
Carl H. Pockrandt, President
The February meeting of the society
featured a display by Mrs. Lee Allen
Cole of rare and beautiful items from
her glass and china collection. Mrs.
Cole also narrated interesting stories
of farm life in Ohio in the early days.
UPPER OHIO VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Wheeling, W. Va.
Virginia Ebeling, President
The annual meeting of the society was
held at the Windsor Hotel in
Wheeling on January 17. The dinner
program included informal talks by
several members of the society followed
by group discussion.
WARREN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Lebanon
Harry C. Schwartz, President
At the reorganization meeting of the
society on January 8, Harry C.
Schwartz was reelected president. Other
officers renamed were Mrs. Edward
Herrick, vice president; Otto
Augspurger, treasurer; Mary R. Lincoln, secre-
tary; and Mrs. Lena Irons, historian.
Trustees reeelected were Seth Furnas,
John E. Holden, Miss Perle Riley, Frank
Anderson, and Mrs. Otto Augs-
purger. The speaker on this occasion was
the Rev. J. Taylor McHendry.
Historical News 207
WELLSVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Wellsville
Edwin V. Pugh, President
Present officers of the society are
Edwin V. Pugh, president; Edgar S.
Davidson, vice president; Thelma Baum,
secretary-treasurer; Arlene Scotton,
publications, and Clarence Nickels,
curator.
The society is making and preserving
wire recordings of the living heads
of pioneer families in the community.
These recordings are used on some
of the programs.
A new committee has been created which
calls members by telephone
to notify them of the day of each
meeting. This procedure has increased
the attendance and created good will for
the society.
WESTERVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Westerville
E. L. Weinland, President
The following officers were elected at
the last reorganization meeting:
president, E. L. Weinland; vice
president, Mrs. E. D. Needham; secretary,
ILa Grindell; and treasurer, H. B.
Sowers.
About Historians
Lawrence Kramer (A. B. Antioch, 1950) is
serving as instructor of
history at Antioch College.
Dominie de la Salandra, associate
professor of history at the University
of Dayton, is a contributor to the New
Century Encyclopedia of Names,
having written a brief article on
"Balboa."
Dr. William E. Smith, chairman of the
history department and dean
of the graduate school of Miami
University, has announced that the his-
tory department of the university will
offer an Institute of Russo-American
Affairs in the first summer session,
July 9-20, in cooperation with the state
department. The institute will consist
of conferences, lectures, and round
table discussions, in which top
authorities will take part. The sessions are
open to teachers for two hours of
graduate credit and to the public. Miss
Irene Meister has been appointed as
coordinator of the institute.
Recent articles by members of the
history department of Ohio State
University are as follows: Robert
Bremner, "Self-Government," published
in the American Journal of Economics
and Sociology; Charles Morley,
"Major Russian Collections in
American Libraries," in Slavonic and East
European Review; Paul Varg, "Maximilian Freiherr Schele De
Vere," in
the Swedish Pioneer Historical
Quarterly; and Lowell Ragatz, "Facilities for
Research in History in Washington,"
in the Historian.