The Portage County Historical Society held a day of celebration as they were recognized for their 75th anniversary last Saturday at 6549 North Chestnut Street in Ravenna.
“It is very meaningful because our history is ongoing,” PCHS President Debbie Sunderland said. “It is strong, and we need to let other people know, a lot of people don’t even know that we exist so the more things we do with events and getting the word out, the more history we can share with people.”
The PCHS’ historic day was layered with the attendance of several prominent Portage County representatives and included activities such as historical society tours, a presentation of the Seth Thomas Clock, an American Revolution Liberty Camp for children and Civil War re-enactors.
The American Legion Post 331 presented the colors of the American Flag then raised the flag as part of the day’s festivities.
“It was an honor to be invited and we are glad to have this opportunity to raise the flag and show our support for the Historical Society here in Portage County,” Senior Chief Travis Campbell told The Weekly Villager.
In addition to the American Legion Post 331’s attendance, the PCHS received several proclamations from high-ranking officials including Portage County Commissioner Sabrina Christian Bennett and River Kale, a District Outreach Representative from the office of Congressman David Joyce
Christian Bennett presented the PCHS with proclamations from the office of Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jim Tressel.
She lauded Sunderland for her ongoing dedication to bettering the PCHS.
“I want everyone to know that she is hard to say no to,” Christian-Bennett added. “You can’t say no to Debbie. We are thankful to have her.”
Kale presented the PCHS with a proclamation from the office of Congressman Joyce.
“Without our history and story, who are we?” Kale asked the audience. “Without the history that we have obtained, what would we be fighting for?”
Ravenna Township Trustee Vince Coia made some brief remarks as well.
“We appreciate the great job Debbie has done with her staff, celebrating this anniversary for our county,” he noted.
Sunderland said that the 75th anniversary not only celebrates the PCHS’ history but also the history of Portage County as a whole.
The PCHS was created in 1951 thanks to the collaboration of John Carson and Cy Plough, who were told that if they could recruit 100 members initially, they would receive funding to officially start the PCHS.
Sunderland said that Carson and Plough did better than that, exceeding the initial benchmark of 100 members and ultimately signed 600 members at the start.
The first site of the PCHS was on Main Street, which is now a Dairy Queen.
Soon after, the PCHS moved its headquarters to the current site now, which was formerly the site of a dairy farm and was purchased from Charlotte Strickland.
“We purchased the Strickland House and because of Charlotte Strickland, that is why we are here today,” Sunderland added.
In the PCHS’ 75th year of existence, Sunderland called the last year one of the busiest years that they had, as the PCHS hosted several tours by welcoming home school organizations to its campus.
“When the home schoolers got word of us, it just blossomed so we are thankful for the home school organization to allow us to give tours to them. We totally believe in preserving and protecting the archives of Portage County,” Sunderland noted.
In addition to being the first Historical Society created in Portage County, Sunderland said that the PCHS has grown to several branches, spawning the birth of several historical societies located throughout Portage County.
As the PCHS has worked to preserve the history of Portage County, Sunderland added that it has also ensured preserving the rural nature of its campus and the memories of the dairy farm that existed before the PCHS purchased the property from Charlotte Strickland.
As much as the PCHS has strived for preservation, Sunderland said that the PCHS has also worked to stay current, recently completing renovations of the property after receiving a grant of $625,000.
“We are located in Ravenna Township, and we are surrounded by cities, so it is a good thing to be able to work with the City and the Township,” she noted. “We have barns here, but we also added some other buildings to the property.”
