In this issue:
Mansfield/Richland County Public Library Sherman Room
Richland County Genealogical Society
Richland Preservation Action Group
Oak Hill Cottage
Mansfield/Richland County Public Library Sherman Room
Sherman Room Family History Digitization Workshop
Join us in the Sherman Room during one of three dates for a workshop to learn about digitizing family history materials and the resources available at the library. Workshops are limited to 10 attendees, and while there is no cost to attend, registration is required. Register here for the first workshop on December 5th at 6 p.m. in the Sherman Room at the Main Library: https://mrcpl.libnet.info/event/7511539
While this workshop is aimed at family history, it would also apply well to local history organizations.
Mansfield Senior High School Yearbooks Digitized
The Sherman Room has been working on digitizing the Mansfield Senior High School yearbooks in good condition from our collection from 1907 to 2000, and we have finished the project! Find more info here and explore the collection here: shermanroom.omeka.net/yearbooks
We are still missing yearbooks from 1975, 1976, and 1991. We also need Mansfield Senior yearbooks from 1973, 1982, 1984, 1985, and 1986 to scan. If you have a yearbook from this year that you would be willing to donate or loan to us to scan, please contact the Sherman Room at 419-521-3115 or genealogy@mrcpl.org.
Blog Post: Behind the Camera: Burkholder Photography
J. H. Burkholder was a very successful Mansfield photographer with a studio on Main Street. Learn more about him and explore some of his photos in this blog post.
Richland County Genealogical Society
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~ohrichgs/
The Richland County Genealogical Society volunteers have been working on several projects. For twelve years chapter members, along with DAR and Daughters of 1812 members, have been unfolding estate packets from Richland County Probate Court and removing all metal so that they could be scanned. The first group of files, 1813 through 1935, were scanned by the LDS Church for preservation and use on the familysearch.org website. They are available on the website, but not yet indexed for easy accessibility. The second group, 1936 through 1966, have been processed and are now being scanned by an independent company for use in the courthouse and for online availability in the future. We are now searching for a building in which to house the scanned file boxes, since the court will no longer have room for them when work beings on the new courtroom. If you have any suggestions, please email Sunda Peters, Sunda1960@yahoo.com.
The second project has been to scan the Works Progress Administration Civilian grave registration cards, indexing them, and making the index available to schools and libraries in Richland County. There would also be access to viewing the originals through The Ohio Genealogical Society website. This project is funded by the Harry and Lois McCullough Fund through the Richland County Foundation.
Membership for individuals is $15.00 per year, based on the calendar year. Consider joining our chapter.
Richland Preservation Action Group
http://www.richlandpreservation.org/
For those of you who are not familiar with the Richland Preservation Action Group, we are an organization with a mission to provide positive advocacy for and educational opportunities towards helping to restore and maintain our built historic environment.
Our current project and focus has been the restoration of the windows at the Dayspring Boiler and Laundry House, which is part of a larger effort to bring the 1890’s building back to life. In the last year we held two workshops and an installation day resulting in four lovely and functional double hung wood windows.
Next year we plan to continue our work through to completion with the sashes we have in-process and hope to grow in our outreach and community involvement.
If you are interested in attending a workshop, becoming involved, or are even just curious and would like to meet fellow restoration enthusiasts, RPA group meetings are every last Tuesday of the month at 6pm in the Oak Hill Cottage Carriage House except for December..
Oak Hill Cottage
https://oakhillcottage.org/
Buggy: Another Harring buggy was donated to the Historical Society in October. We retrieved it from a barn up at Vanlue, OH. The owner was moving away from the farm and saw on the nameplate it was a Mansfield buggy, so contacted us. Our only plans for the buggy were to get it back to Mansfield. The Harring buggy we already display in the Carriage House is the identical model, fully restored.
Christmas: Our biggest season at the Cottage is under way with Sunday tours as usual, two evening gaslight tours scheduled, and Ghosts of Christmas Past coming up this Saturday (the 3rd). Also reservations for weekday and Saturday tours will be taken up to the end of the month when we put the Cottage to sleep until April.
