Upcoming Events

Hallmarks

Get Involved!

New Exhibit Opening
and Book Signing at Heritage Hall

On Saturday, December 10, from 1-4 PM, the Wyandot Popcorn Museum and the Marion County Historical Society are pleased to present the opening of a new exhibit and Ohio authors book signing in one exciting event!  For the first time, visitors will be able to view the all-new exhibit on the Brown family and their contributions to the snack food industry as it is unveiled and enjoy visiting with  authors from the central Ohio area. Museum admission is free for the afternoon, there will be close-up magic performed in the museum by Dick Haines of the Haines Family Circus and Cathy Brake will be serving up delicious pies and cookies in the auditorium.

  Authors from Northern and Central Ohio will be featured at the book signing including but not limited to the following:

Frank Kuron, author of Thus Fell Tecumseh, about the death of Tecumseh  and asking the reader to help deduce how this great Shawnee Chief fell at the Battle of the Thames in 1813 and by whose hand?

David Bush, professor of anthropology at Heidelberg University, author of I Fear I Shall Never Get Off This Island, a fascinating study uncovering the prisoner of war experience at Johnson's Island, a Civil War Era prison which housed Confederate officers.

Kim Mohr, author of Echoes along the Sandusky; which features more than 2000 names and places from Seneca, Wyandot and Crawford County. 

Two Images of America authors; Tom Hill, author of the Wyandot County and Upper Sandusky books; and Stuart Koblentz author of OSU Neighborhoods, Marion and Marion County.

Scott Fields, formerly of La Rue, author of fiction novels, The Road Back Home and The last Days of Summer.

Other authors present to autograph their books include Willis Thomas, The Schools of Marion County, Archeological History of Marion County, Indian Heritage of Marion County; The Pool of Maheetah, Indian Trails, Marion County, Ohio, by Kensel Clutter – Willis C Thomas; Kensel Clutter author of Map of the Sandusky Plains and Owl Creek Trail; Randy Winland editor of Marion Activity book and Timeline of Marion City Schools; Trella Romine, editor of many MCHS publications and author of Day Before Yesterday; Carroll Neidhardt author of several books on local folklore; Gary Gandee  author of Gandee Family History and Gandee Bakery;  Maxine Marshall author and editor of a multitude of Marion County genealogical publications; Betty Bennington, author of Doors, A Collection of Poems; Victoria Endicott author of On River Road and Marilyn Schraff, Growing Up In Appalachia.

Many more books are also available for purchase such as Haunted Marion by Josh Simpkins; Tales from the Sage of Salt Rock by the late Judge Charlton Myers; The Life and Loves of Catherine Loudenslager by the late Catherine Loudenslager; Jim Thorpe and the Oorang Indians by Robert Whitman; There’s No School Like and Old School by Donna Lawrence and many more.   All for sale at Heritage Hall, at 169 East Church Street, Marion during the Book Signing event December 10 from 1-4 PM and in the Museum Gift Shop.    

“Haunted Marion” Author
Book Signing a Huge Success!

The author of a recent book on Marion’s spookier side was at Heritage Hall for a book signing on Saturday, September 17.  The book sold out in the first hour, and more are on the way.

 Joshua Simpkins, a Marion native now living in Germany, is the author of “Haunted Marion,Ohio”  Some of the tales are expanded versions of stories that originally appeared on  his website www.Spooky Marion.com, but many others are completely new. The book contains over 35 photos and illustrations and sells for $19.99.

Rich in history and steeped in blue-collar values, Marion, Ohio, is much like any midwestern city, aside from its abundance of ghouls and unexplained phenomena. From well-known landmarks like the mysterious Merchant Ball to largely forgotten locales like the Quarry Street Cemetery, Josh Simpkins takes readers on a delightful journey through Marion's bizarre history and hauntings. Was President Harding's death forecast by the First Lady's squawking finch--its feathered form now stuffed and encased in the Harding Home--on the eve of the president's ill-fated trip to Alaska? Dare to visit the Mongoloid House or see what goes bump at the empty downtown YMCA. Revisit Marion's urban legends and discover little-known ghouls that deserve to be heard.

Another new book available for purchase is “Ghosts, Grave Walking & Mysteries” by local artist and historian Carroll Neidhardt. Full of great original drawings and local history as well as Carroll’s observations on growing up in a family rich in German tradition and folklore this book is a great addition to any library at $11.00. Carroll was unable to attend the event but has signed his books as well.

Many other books are also available in the Heritage hall gift shop. One of which is “Tales from the Sage of Salt Rock” by the late Judge Charlton Myers. His book of 300 pages is a treasure of forgotten Marion County history and trivia based on this WMRN Radio programs in 1960.  “The Life and Loves of Catherine Loudenslager” are the reminiscences of a farm wife in the mid twentieth century. Also available are “Jim Thorpe and the Oorang Indians,” “Schools of Marion County” and “There’s No School Like and Old School.”

      All of the listed books and more are for sale at Heritage Hall, at 169 East Church Street, Marion, or on our online store.   

At Home and Abroad; Life in the 1940’s    

During the early months of World War II, ordinary citizens as well as soldiers made enormous sacrifices for the war effort. In Marion, Ohio, the start of WW II thrust the community into an emergency civilian defense mode and in many aspects life was turned upside down.

            By the end of December 1941, Marion had a Red Cross Canteen.  During January 1942, 375 women between the ages of twenty-one and eighty volunteered to work at the canteen established at the Marion Union Station and offered fresh-popped corn, fresh fruit, candy, cigarettes, magazines, newspapers, drinks and uniquely, razor blades. Collection jars on the counters of many local businesses and stores helped support the canteen. 

            Camp Marion, located at the Marion Engineer Depot, housed World War II Prisoners of War from 1944-1946. The Depot was a major supply and logistics site of the U.S. Army Engineers during World War II. Some POWs worked at construction, others cooked, cleaned, and performed maintenance and office tasks around the depot, while others worked on local farms, where farmers provided food to supplement their sometimes inadequate rations.

            In 1942 the War Department used the power of eminent domain to purchase the homes and farms of 126 families in the Likens Chapel community. The Scioto Ordnance Plant, a 13,000-acre munitions manufacturing complex, began assembling bombs, shells and fuses in late fall 1942.

            To learn about Marion County’s incredible sacrifices during WWII and more, visit the new At Home and Abroad; Life in the 1940’s exhibit opening March 6, 1-4 PM at the Heritage Hall Museum. Grand opening will be May 7 from 1-5 PM.

This exhibit will be on display through December 18, 2011.>

The Jan-March 2011

HallMarks

is now available to read online.

Click Here

Trella's Tattles

Trella Romine's wanderings about Marion County

  | Sites & Services | What's Happening | Things To Do | Links | Help | Contact Us |
| Collections & Exhibitions | Join Us | Home |