Mantua – On Thursday, September 15th, the Mantua Historical Society will be hosting an Ohio History Connection/Open Doors program from 10 am until 4 pm. The event, billed as a, “Behind the Scenes Look at Small Town Ohio History,” takes place in the Mantua Historic District near the Mantua Township Hall (4122 State Route 82).
That day, visitors will be welcome to visit the Mantua Historical Society Museum, located on the second floor of the historic Township Hall. While there, they can learn how the museum’s collection of local objects is safely stored and identified. The MHS received a grant, courtesy of the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, National Archives and Records Administration. The funding was used to make preservation enhancements and help better organize the collection. The MHS plans to digitize materials, as well, to make the collection more readily accessible to researchers and the community.
The collections include records of Mantua Center School (on the National Register of Historic Places), and Mantua Township School from as early as 1888. Items also include the copies of The Mantua Record (later Record-News) and the Record-Courier (from 1913-1985); and materials related to former President James A. Garfield, who presided over the congregation at the Mantua Center Christian Church. In addition, a variety of records and memorabilia from prominent Mantua families and business owners has been preserved there, as well as other items significant locally and in the Northeast Ohio region.
Throughout the day, visitors can walk through the Mantua Center Historic District, East Lawn Cemetery, and the Mantua Center Christian Church, the oldest Disciples of Christ congregation in Ohio. Guests can enjoy live music by Moonshadow (featuring Skip Schweitzer, Sarah Harvey, and Cal Craig) from 10:30 am until 12:30 pm.
At 10:30 in the Civic Center, Dr. Robert Kroeger will present a barn talk and conduct an impasto palette knife painting demonstration. Kroeger was raised in a rural area near Youngstown and graduated from the Ohio State University’s College of Dentistry. The son of a commercial artist, Kroeger’s professional art career blossomed later in life when he felt drawn to paint a lovely, ramshackle barn during a trip to rural Licking County in 2012. That one painting set Kroeger on a mission.
“Barns represent the heart of America,” the artist explained. His goal is to record the likeness and history of as many of these unique structures while they’re still here. He began his goal to visit and paint a historic barn in each of Ohio’s 88 counties, a huge effort that culminated in a book entitled, “Historic Barns of Ohio,” produced by Arcadia Publishing in spring 2021. Signed copies of Robert Kroeger’s book, “Historic Barns of Ohio” (The History Press, 2021) will be available for purchase along with t-shirts, note card sets, and other items.
Mantua Historical Society merchandise will also be available for purchase that day. In addition, the event will feature a silent auction to benefit Mantua, Shalersville, and Freedom Historical Societies. Art auction bids to close at 3 pm; vendors and delicious food will be available for sale that day as well. A suggested donation of $5 per person is requested.
For more information, visit www.mantuahistoricalsociety.org or call (440) 567-1403.
