Holmes County creates Village Historical Marker project
The Village Historical Marker committee recently began exploration on a project that would post village signs describing the history of many of the county's villages.
Each village throughout Holmes County has its own flavor, its own historical data, and its own important dates and historical markers.
Recently, a push began to explore each county village and make note of the unique things that have helped define each.
The Village Historical Marker project has a committee that has begun that process.
“Sharon Strouse (executive director of National Scenic Byways Foundation) and I were talking about the idea and approached the Heritage Partnership leaders, and they were very supportive of the idea of acknowledging our villages in a special way,” said Chris Sieverdes, who will serve as the committee chair. “We thought this was a good way to mark these villages along the byways in concert with the historical society because they have the expertise.”
According to Sieverdes, funds have been collected by donation to the special category of the annual Heritage Partnership nonprofit organization’s membership campaign. Currently, approximately $6,000 in donations have been collected, spanning about four to five years.
The purpose of the fundraising is to install village historical markers displaying a brief historical summary of the village’s origins, significance and historical overview of the village. The model marker sign post is like the Opera House historical marker displayed on Jackson Street in Millersburg. The marker is aluminum rather than brass to keep the cost down.
The proposed goal of this project is to begin with two highly visible villages in Holmes County: Nashville and Killbuck.
“Those are two well-known villages we felt would be perfect to begin the process,” Sieverdes said. “As additional funds become available, our project committee will identify additional villages to continue the project. We do expect the participating villages to assist with cost-sharing. The greater the village’s financial support, the better we can reach additional villages to post their historical story.”
The signs are expected to cost approximately $1,350 to have made and installed.
Sieverdes said the committee will prepare the narrative in cooperation with the village for both sides of the marker.
“The story will begin on one side and continue on the reverse side so that more information about the village can be displayed,” he said.
The Village Historical Marker committee will have some of the members serving as on-call resource people and others working closely with Sieverdes.
The Village Historical Marker committee will consist of Sieverdes as chair; Mark Boley representing HCHS, close engagement and support; Candi Barnhart of HCHS as close engagement and support; and David Weiss and Rob Hovis, who will serve in reviewer and contributor roles.
Resource persons for the committee will include Tiffany Gerber, Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, supporter; Chris Young, county engineer, supporter; Sharon Strouse, Amish Country Byway, supporter; and Ohio Historical Society, Historical Markers Division, supporter.
“We’ve got a dedicated and very knowledgeable group involved who know a great deal about our county’s history,” Sieverdes said.
Sieverdes said the group will kick off its venture later this summer and into the fall as it explores its options. He said the initial goals include assembling the committee and setting a meeting date, contacting the appointed villages to gain approval and some funding support with the committee deciding the minimum amount, preparing the narrative for the markers, getting total acceptance by the village official or representative to the project and the state-level personnel, determining the location for the marker, determining the cost and method of installation of the post with marker in the village, and establishing a date for installation with an element of ceremony.
This project is a cooperative project involving the Holmes County Historical Society and Amish Country Byway through the support of the Heritage Partnership and the Heritage Leader Foundation.
Anyone who would like to donate to the effort may send a check to Holmes County Heritage Partnership, P.O. Box 212, Millersburg. Denote Village Historical Marker in the memo line.