FREDERICKTOWN — You’ve got to hand it to independent entrepreneurs. This vintage postcard image of downtown Fredericktown around 1908 features the signs of a number of the town’s thriving businesses. […]
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Posted inArea history
Hail as big as a hen’s egg: the wild storm of 1858
After a dry May with very little lively weather, June has arrived across the region with some much-needed rain. It kicked up another notch or three Thursday evening, when fierce […]
Posted inArea history
Johnny Appleseed was north central Ohio’s first salesman
I’ve been buried in the books lately. (Yeah, as if I ever step out of the books for long!) The recent large project, which I’ve just put to bed, is […]
Posted inArea history
The not-so-impressive Steltz Run gold rush: “A half thimble full of gold flakes”
BELLVILLE — History is full of dramatic, historic gold rushes that drew participants from all over the world, resulting in hard work, occasional sudden riches, claim jumping, and much more. […]
Posted inArea history
From Lebanon to Ye Olde Mill: Utica’s Velvet Ice Cream
UTICA — In 1903, Joseph Dager decided to leave his hometown of Marooge, Lebanon, near Beirut, and voyage to America, in hopes of making a good living in the United […]
Posted inArea history
Part V: The botched execution of Knox County killer Will Bergin by his friend, the sheriff
Author’s Note This is Part V in a five-part series. The earlier parts of this series can be seen here: Part I (the shooting), Part II (Bergin’s disastrous Civil War years), Part […]
Posted inArea history
Old Pharris played on, even after brutal attack in Granville
A society where everyone does exactly what is expected of them would be a grim place. Although the world often doesn’t know what to do with those who choose the […]
Posted inArea history
Name that Fredericktown farm from 1909
FREDERICKTOWN — My latest collectible discovery is what paper collectors call an RPPC: a real photo postcard. Unlike mass-production postcards, RPPCs were typically made locally by a photographer who would […]
Posted inArea history
Knox County’s McClelland offers 1st-person account of serving under George Washington
It’s amazing the stories that can be found when you dig deep into Knox County history. While I knew the county had a number of Revolutionary War veterans, it was […]
Posted inArea history
Mount Vernon street-scene unites friends in Licking & Crawford County in 1908
It’s easy to forget how hard it was to casually communicate in the past. With social media and instant electronic communication at our fingertips, we are living in a different […]