A LOVE FOR LOOKING BACKWARD FROM LEFT Dalton Rosa Ruggieri Kathy Blake and Shelby Tipping of the Swanton Historical Society pose with society mascot Maize a doll won as a prize at the 1952 Swanton Corn Festival and a copy of the 1976 Pictorial History of Swanton Ohio during a recent work session at the Swanton Public Library
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
The Swanton Ohio Historical Society may be a young organization, but its mission has already grown in significant ways.
Swanton Mayor Neil Toeppe was one of the main drivers of the group’s founding, working alongside Ohio genealogist Jana Broglin to write the by-laws and constitution for the nonprofit.
Organizing the group as a 501(c)(3) made sense, he said, in order to be both a repository and restorer of historical objects, documents, and the like.
“We needed to have a vehicle for collection of memorabilia as well as to be able to fund historical projects,” Toeppe said.
According to a society brochure, the purpose of the organization is “to spark discovery of Swanton’s rich history through the acquisition of books, documents, photographs, artifacts, and other material of historical significance,” “to promote an awareness of Swanton’s contribution to art, commercial, industrial, and transportation development through the years,” and to “gather, document and display artifacts, photographs, and stories from Swanton’s past so that it is not forgotten.”
And gather they have. From the village, the fire department, the board of education, individual families and the like. They’re handling more from the past than they know what to do with.
“We have got a lot of photos and a lot of them are not identified,” head researcher Kathy Blake said.
A large amount of their time is taken up by collecting information on the items they have and entering them into a records database.
Head archivist Shelby Tipping said the group had 790 records entered as of the end of 2021, and they had probably at least doubled that by now.
Researching and recording the items already in their collection is the most time-consuming work, Tipping said.
“First you have to identify the picture. You have to know who gave it to you. You must have a description of what it is.”
“To make it easy for people to find it if they’re looking for something in particular. You want to make it as easy for them as you can to find the item,” Tipping said.
The historical society currently has more than 30 members and is led by president Mona McNeill Dyke and vice president Emily Sgro.
Dyke is on the board of trustees and Sgro is a library assistant at the Swanton Public Library, where the society has a space for its collection and holds regular work sessions.
During one of those recent work sessions, Blake, Tipping, and Dalton Rosa-Ruggieri updated records while bonding over favorite topics in Swanton’s history – like the story of Centerville (or is it Centreville?) and the famed Beechwood Inn, now the Mail Pouch Saloon.
They were also happy to show off two of the group’s prized possessions. Maize (“may-zee”) is a doll originally given out as a prize at the 1952 Swanton Corn Festival and now lives a second life as the society’s official mascot.
The second item is prized not just for what it is but what it represents. The 1976 “Pictorial History of Swanton, Ohio” (made by the Village of Swanton in connection with the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission) not only encapsulates the town’s history and a moment in time, but also represents a future goal.
“We’re trying to redo that and bring it more up to date,” Blake said. That project pales in comparison to the much larger project that has been going on behind the scenes.
For several years, the historical society has been working on a railroad viewing station, to be located along the tracks behind Swan Coin Laundry.
“It would be a big draw, because there’s so many people who come to watch the trains and they put their cameras all right on the railroad tracks,” Blake said.
“This is a two-story viewing station where they could be right up on the same level as the engineer when they go by and get some really good pictures – and keep them off the tracks.”
According to Blake, most of the preparatory work is done. “We’ve got all the architectural plans all drawn up and a lot of stuff has been donated toward it, but we still need more funds to actually get it started,” she said. “A lot of people and civic groups around town have donated towards it, but we still need more.”
Among the donations was that of Swanton Welding, which donated most of the steel necessary for the project. The architectural firm that drew up the plans for the project donated their work as well.
“That’s a big project that we’d like to get off the ground and just bring more people to town and incorporate the history of the town with it also. Because the railroad is partially why we’re here where we are,” Blake said.
According to Blake, the project also includes a replica of the old Swanton train depot that would do double duty as a larger storage space than their current location in the library, where they are limited to a few shelves.
In the midst of recording its growing collection and pursuing the railroad facility, the historical society also helps with a rotating display at the Museum & Welcome Center of Fulton County, Ohio, and appears at local events like the Fulton County Fair and the Swanton Corn Festival.
Add in the pursuit of further grants and donations to finance their projects, and the society’s members have their hands full.
That’s what Blake said is the group’s highest need at the moment – volunteers. More specifically, volunteers to help do research and enter records.
“We would love to have some Pilliod boxes from the Pilliod Cabinet Company. We only own two, but we know there’s a lot more out there,” Blake said of her hopes for the continued growth of the collection.
“And we’d like to see some things like school jackets, varsity letters, that type of thing.”
Members of the society meet most Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon at the library for work sessions and every third Tuesday at Benfield Wines.
The cost to join the historical society depends on whether you are an individual, family, or business, as well as your age and the length of the membership, ranging from the standard $20 adult individual membership up to the $500 lifetime membership and $1,000 family legacy membership.
For more information on the Swanton Ohio Historical Society, visit them on Facebook, go to their website at swantonpubliclibrary.org/swanton-historical-society, call (419)826-2760, or send an email to swantonohhistory@gmail.com.
