Photos of Disasters Among Subjects Needed for Bicentennial Book

BICENTENNIAL PHOTO OF THE WEEK – Photos of fires, floods and other disasters are needed for the upcoming Paulding County bicentennial pictorial history book. This photo shows a factory fire in 1950. For a list of subjects of interest, see accompanying article. Photo courtesy Paulding County Bicentennial Committee.

Photos are needed for Paulding County, Ohio: A Pictorial History Volume III, which is planned for publication by the John Paulding Historical Society later this fall.

The book committee is asking for images – including photographs, snapshots, slides, drawings, maps, paintings and printed memorabilia – covering circa 1820 to 2020 from the public to help make this project a success.

With so many people currently staying home, it’s a perfect time to dig out your old photo albums and storage boxes and search for images that contribute to a comprehensive history of the county and the stories of its residents to commemorate the county’s 200th birthday.

Subject areas needed include:

• Disasters – Floods, tornadoes, train wrecks, fires, blizzards, storms, droughts, derecho and other calamities. 

• Organizations and clubs – Social clubs, 4-H, Scouts, youth ball teams, fraternal, volunteer, professional, veteran, community bands, Grange, alumni, etc. 

Other categories include agriculture, farming, businesses, churches, events and activities, military and veterans, families, schools and transportation. Images are needed from every area of the county and every decade up to the present time.

The book committee is looking for photos of several subjects. Do you have any of these: vanished towns (ghost towns), canals, Reservoir War, railroads, pre-1900 courthouse photos, covered bridges, building and store interiors, early industries, Paulding County Fair, people at work.

Images may be color or black-and-white. Individuals may scan their photos and email them as an attachment to Kim Sutton at dkmax@windstream.net, Bob Iler at ethanm@twc.com or Melinda Krick at tmekrick@yahoo.com. For details and guidelines about scanning ads, visit facebook.com/jphsmuseum or facebook.com/PauldingCounty200.