John Paulding Historical Society in Paulding has announced it is changing its name to Paulding County History Museum.
The State of Ohio granted the trademark or “doing business as” name this spring.
For legal purposes, the name John Paulding Historical Society Inc. will be retained, as it was the name under which the organization incorporated in 1977.
Why the change?
“The new name reinforces our identity as being located in Paulding County,” said museum president Melinda Krick.
Hopefully it will eliminate confusion over the association with John Paulding, the Revolutionary War hero for whom the county was named. “He died in New York two years before our county was organized – he never set foot in Ohio, he never owned land here and he didn’t donate any land here,” Krick said.
Also, museum volunteers hope the new name better conveys the organization’s purpose. While “society” can imply a social group or club, the museum is an important community resource whose mission is “Preserving the Past For Future Generations.”
“Although our organization is nearly 50 years old and our museum celebrated its 40th birthday this year, we continue to grow and improve, thanks to our amazing volunteers and public support,” Krick added. “We are excited about becoming the Paulding County History Museum as we look to the future.”
The name change is an important first before launching new initiatives, such as a logo, branded merchandise and a website.
The logo, which Krick designed with board approval, is a circular design of dark green and cream. The center contains four icons:
• A tree, representing the timber that had to be cleared from the Black Swamp, and the source of the county’s first industries.
• An arrowhead for the Native Americans who hunted, fished and lived here.
• A canal boat for the two canals that helped open up the county for settlement and export of timber products and commodities.
• An old windmill, representing the county’s enduring agricultural heritage that emerged after the Black Swamp was drained.
Behind the icons, the background is tree rings, again representing the trees as well as the passage of time.
An arrowhead from the museum’s collection was used for the emblem in the logo. The tree is based on one growing at New Rochester Park, site of our first county seat.
The museum currently has some dark green T-shirts with the logo printed in white. Orders are being taken for other sizes and styles (long-sleeve Tees, sweatshirts and hoodies).
Similarly styled tote bags are for sale, along with new 2.5-inch square stickers and a Paulding postcard, commemorating designation of the Downtown Paulding Historic District, with the new logo on the back. They are available in the museum’s Country Store! Proceeds will benefit museum operations and programs.
Volunteers currently are gearing up for the museum’s Festival of Trees, Nov. 8-16. For more information about the museum and its events, see its Facebook page at facebook.com/jphsmuseum.
