John Parker was an active participant in the Underground Railroad in Ohio and helped fugitive slaves escape to freedom in the years before the American Civil War.
MOUNT VERNON -- (Drags out soapbox.)
Before the American Civil War, a large number of fugitives from slavery passed through Ohio.
DANVILLE -- Part of the challenge of writing this column is knowing where to go for answers. Often, it is through newspaper archives, historical books, or local historians.
The Underground Railroad was a system of safe houses and hiding places that helped freedom seekers along their journey to freedom in Canada, Mexico, and elsewhere outside of the United States.
A society where everyone does exactly what is expected of them would be a grim place.
Jordan Anderson was a on a Tennessee plantation before he was freed by Union troops in 1864. He spent the remainder of his life in Ohio.
How did you find a mate before dating apps?
COLUMBUS -- Emily George was on a mission. She had heard about the Williams mastodon while growing up, and about how her grandfather Gus George had helped excavate the skeleton in Columbus in the mid-1950s.
FREDERICKTOWN -- My latest collectible discovery is what paper collectors call an RPPC: a real photo postcard.
The John and Annie Glenn Collection at the Ohio History Connection captures both the public and private sides of the Glenn family.
MOUNT VERNON -- On my way to cover a Cleveland Orchestra concert this week, I stopped to poke around in the Medina Antique Mall, just off the interstate.
This photograph is a black-and-white image of a colorful mural titled "Pioneers Crossing the Ohio River," painted in 1941 by artist Michael Loew (1907-1985).
MOUNT VERNON -- Sometimes I lose track of various planned History Knox columns, then rediscover them later when I’m tearing through my files searching for something to write about, usually only hours before my absolute drop-dead deadline (for all true journalists know that the editors don’t …
Even if you haven’t been to the Orton Geological Museum in Columbus (and shame on you for that!) it might still look familiar to some of you.
GAMBIER -- The students made their way through the chilly attic of Ascension Hall at Kenyon College, carrying the latest in modern technology.
Cold weather and shorter days often give me a case of cabin fever. My grandmother used to say that she was feeling shack wacky. Whatever you call it, it’s a common affliction in Ohio this time of year.
DANVILLE -- Sometimes a piece of paper provokes questions.
Under U.S. copyright law, works published in 1927 enter the public domain in the United States on Jan. 1, 2023, when they can be freely performed, adapted, and otherwise used without a license.
GEORGETOWN, Ohio -- If Ulysses S. Grant were alive today, he would be surprised to hear that the first school he attended as boy in Southwest Ohio is now named after him.
MIDDLEBURY TOWNSHIP -- New Year’s resolutions are like socks: You know you had some, but they keep disappearing.
World War I was one of the most destructive events in human history.
MOUNT VERNON -- The year 2022 has proven to be a tough one in many ways, but comfort can be found in exploring the stories of our area’s rich past.
DAYTON -- Christmas was so important to the Wright Brothers, the aerial pioneers from Dayton assured their family they would not miss the holiday at home, even in the process of inventing flight.
MOUNT VERNON -- As the temperatures plummet into winter, ‘tis the season for ice skating.
The Civil War began in April of 1861 when Confederate troops under the command of Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard fired on Fort Sumter, a Union fort in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina commanded by Major Robert Anderson.
William Edgar Sefton was born in Norwalk, Ohio, Feb. 11, 1841, to Thomas and Jane (nee Weible) Sefton.
For anyone fortunate enough to live during the age of Skyscraper Cones, just hearing the name Isaly’s evokes a very special corner of the memory bank -- where laughter and well-being are kept safe.
WATERFORD -- I’m always looking for places where I can find old photos for this column, and one such place I recently discovered was a Facebook group that specializes in old and forgotten Ohio photos.
Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman is well remembered in Ohio.
MOUNT VRNON -- Everything is connected. It’s a good thing to remember when life gets tough and you feel isolated by its difficulties. No matter how remote one may feel, there’s not that great a distance between any individual and everything else going on in the world.
COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State Penitentiary, also known as the Ohio Penitentiary, operated from 1834-1984 in downtown Columbus.
BRANDON -- A couple of weeks ago, we took a look at the history of the house in Brandon where William Chambers lived around the turn of the century. It turns out that this wasn’t the first time we’ve talked about the Chambers family in the History Knox column.
“In the annals of American crime there has never been a woman quite the equal of Mrs. Chadwick as an exponent of frenzied finance,” the Lima Times Democrat opined on June 1, 1906 about Cassie Chadwick, perhaps Ohio's most legendary female con artist.
MOUNT VERNON -- It’s great when I can throw things out there for History Knox readers to get involved.
COLUMBUS -- “It is impossible to imagine a world without flowers. The most arid of urban landscapes, the driest of deserts, the most frozen of Arctic tundra is brightened with some kind of blossom at some point during the year.”
LOUDONVILLE — The Cleo Redd Fisher Museum in Loudonville continues its Speaker Series on Monday, Nov. 21 with a retrospective look at Operation Torch, the 1942 allied invasion of North Africa during the second World War.
This week we are taking a look at a photograph of what was, presumably, a Mount Vernon theater production. That educated guess was made by noting the name of the photographer credited on the photo, and his identification as being in Mount Vernon.
COLUMBUS -- Women have played football in Ohio for decades.
BRANDON -- Whenever I drive around Knox County, I see buildings that catch my attention and make me want to know a little of the history of said structures.
In June and July of 1920, two Ohioans were nominated as the presidential candidates of America’s two leading political parties: James Cox, governor of Ohio, for the Democrats, and Warren G. Harding, senator from Ohio, by the Republicans.
Years ago I had a friend who was a Scoutmaster, and every year he took his Scouts on a camping trip to Wildcat Hollow.
We can’t let Halloween pass without a spooky story sent in by a reader who encountered something a little strange while out walking on the Heart of Ohio Trail.
We are now inching closer to Halloween, and as Ohioans around the state stock up on candy and finalize their costumes, we wanted to take a look at a few of the supposed haunted sites included on Ohio Memory.
Public opinion was split in the aftermath of the Knox County coroner W.W. Scarbrough’s ruling that Kenyon College student Stewart Lathrop Pierson died because he was restrained. Placed on a railroad trestle outside Gambier during a fraternity initiation ritual, Pierson was hit and killed by …
MOUNT VERNON – Benjamin Frayser, of Mentor, will portray James A. Garfield, the 20th United States President on Thursday, Oct. 27.
Masters of literature know exactly how to set a tone from the very first line of a piece.
Kenyon College president Rev. William Peirce immediately summoned Kenyon College’s physician, Dr. Irvin S. Workman, and an undertaker. Newspaper reports are vague, but somehow Newbold Pierson was informed of his son’s death.
How many of you call autumn your favorite time of year?
LOUDONVILLE — The Cleo Redd Fisher Museum in Loudonville kicks off their fall Speaker Series on Monday, Oct. 17 with a look at Cletus Reese, the former resident of Coshocton County who sparked headlines in the 1950s after a string of murders.
LOUDONVILLE — The Cleo Redd Fisher Museum in Loudonville kicks off their fall Speaker Series on Monday, Oct. 17 with a look at Cletus Reese, the former resident of Coshocton County who sparked headlines in the 1950s after a string of murders.
Just before 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, 1905, a contingent of Delta Kappa Epsilon (also known as “Dekes”) left the fraternity building and headed south through Gambier toward the railroad trestle.
When Ulysses S. Grant was born in 1822, photography was not invented yet. As a result, there are no photographs of him as a child. When he left his boyhood home in Ohio for West Point in 1839 the art of photography was in its infancy.
GAMBIER -- It should have been harmless.
MOUNT VERNON -- The Knox County Historical Society will host its next meeting on Wednesday Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Knox County Agricultural Museum.
John D. Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839, at Richford, New York. His father was a merchant who traveled across the Midwest and Northeastern portions of the United States. The family eventually moved to Ohio.
It’s amazing the stories that can be found when you dig deep into Knox County history.
Johnny Clem was a soldier in the service of the United States for most of his life. He was born on Aug. 13, 1851, in Newark, Ohio.
In 1945 the end of the World War II was in sight, and forward-looking folks were pondering the massive task before them of coming to terms with the tremendous burden of grief that overshadowed the country after 400,000 military deaths.
MOUNT VERNON -- I enjoy getting out and doing history talks for various groups because I’m a compulsive storyteller.
The Ohio Indian Wars were a series of struggles between settlers from the newly independent United States and American Indian residents of the Ohio Country in the years after the American Revolution.
ASHLAND -- The Ashland County Fair has begun utilizing the historic Buckeye Barn to be a historical center with a focus on the agricultural history of the county.
MOUNT VERNON -- Young people today would be surprised to go back in a time machine and discover just how much train traffic there used to be 50 years ago.
Ulysses S. Grant, commander of the Union Army in the Civil War and 18th president of the United States was born in this timber-frame home on April 27, 1822 to Jesse and Hannah Simpson Grant.
It’s fall, the time when the leaves autumn. Um, wait – let me try that again…
Philip Sheridan was a major figure in the military history of the United States in the latter half of the 19th century, particularly in the Civil War.
As the last days of summer shine down, some gardens may not be as green or lush as they were just last week, but there is one garden that has stood the test of time through the Great Depression, wars, and weather.
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 world.
During the final year of the Civil War, Ohio native William Tecumseh Sherman was given command of the Union’s Western Armies as well as a mission.
MOUNT VERNON -- Over the last few years, we’ve examined a number of images of South Main Street as it leaves public square in downtown Mount Vernon.
DAYTON -- Whether you’re traveling by plane for your summer vacation or just watching planes buzz by overhead, remember the two Ohio men who helped make flight possible for humanity.
July 29, 2022 marked the 249th anniversary of the first schoolhouse in the Ohio country.
A Navy program is bringing home an Ohio sailor who lost his life in the Pearl Harbor tragedy on Dec. 7, 1941.
MOUNT VERNON -- Vintage postcards can be rich hunting grounds for history buffs. They are occasionally, however, unintentionally hilarious.
At the Ohio History Connection, you will find items related to Paul Laurence Dunbar, a name you are likely familiar with.
FREDERICKTOWN -- This vintage postcard captures a great view of downtown Fredericktown, around 1908.
DAYTON -- Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of America’s greatest poets, spent almost his entire life in Ohio.
MOUNT VERNON -- If you — like me — have had to move recently, you know what an unholy nightmare housing is right now in this country.
“Tin Soldiers and Nixon’s Coming.
UTICA -- Have you ever noticed while driving through Utica, that a chunk of its downtown is missing?