COLOR GUARD Members of the Bryan American Legion and VFW Color Guard stand ready to post the colors for the Williams County 200th celebration in Bryan
By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
Events that have been 200 years in the making took place this past week to celebrate the accomplishment that is 200 years old.
While the county itself was created back in 1820, plans for celebration abruptly hit a wall known as COVID-19.
Without a celebration being had that year, and not wanting to miss out on such a momentous occasion, celebrations shifted to the creation of the Williams County government back in 1824.
Events to celebrate the bicentennial took place this past weekend. The first event took place in Bryan at the Arts and Education Auditorium.
It began at 1:00 p.m. with presentation of the colors and Pledge of Allegiance presented by the Bryan American Legion and VFW Color Guard.
Chairman Denver Henderson III introduced himself following the Color Guard rest and welcomed everyone to the celebration. In attendance were many people who put forth a lot of effort to make the celebrations happen, along with 36 students from the Bryan High School Government Class, and residents who wished to join in on the celebration.
Don Allison then spoke and presented a “highlight reel” of things that had taken place in the county throughout its 200 years.
Stories were explored like that of Williams County’s original size, early settlers navigating the Great Black Swamp, food struggles early settlers faced, and the role railroads and telegraph systems played after finally reaching our area.
Bryan Mayor Schlade followed after with a Proclamation in honor of Williams County’s 200th celebration. In that proclamation, she read off the names of many individuals who are from Williams County and have achieved something special and worthwhile during their lifetime.
Congressional Assistant Austin Serna from Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur’s office spoke next and read a Congressional Record that was entered in for the celebration.
A video greeting from Senator J.D. Vance was then played, along with a proclamation being presented from his office. Senator Vance had this to say in his video.
“Greetings to everybody in Williams County. I wish you the best on the celebration of the Bicentennial. I hope you have some fun, hope you have some good weather, and I’m sorry that I can’t be there with you in person.”
“But of course, I love the northwestern part of our state, I love Williams County. It was of course very good to be in the last election. But most importantly, it’s a good part of our state that does a lot that’s important from agriculture to a number of other things as well.”
“So, we’re grateful for Williams County for the role that you play in our state. And I would say as I understand that you’re celebrating the Bicentennial, which is 200 years, and I know the celebration maybe was supposed to happen in 2020, but the pandemic screwed things up.”
“I will say, on the celebration of your 200th year anniversary you guys don’t look a day over 199. So have fun, celebrate well and I will see you soon.”
Representative Jim Hoops presented a Resolution from the State House to commemorate Williams County’s 200th anniversary saying, “You know, as we celebrate the 200th birthday, congratulations to all of you. It has been such an honor to be able to represent a county like Williams County, the true Northwest Ohio.”
“I always have to laugh when there’s something in the news that talks about, you know, something in Northwest Ohio, and I’m thinking it’s up here and they said, well, it’s Findlay or Lima. Well, they’re part of it.”
“But this is the true Northwest Ohio. And I always tell people, that this county protects Ohio from Michigan and Indiana. So, continue to do that.”
“You know, when something like this occurs, what happens is I start looking at the history of what’s happened here in this county over the 200 years, and Don talked about.”
“I want to thank Don and Bill Priest, and Kevin Maynard, putting together a lot of the history, because you read it, and you’re just amazed of the things that have gone on here over the 200 years.”
It was at that time Governor DeWine was to be introduced. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Governor was unable to make it to the event.
Chairman Denver Henderson III then thanked everyone for coming and closed out the event with the Color Guard’s retiring of the colors. Guided and Self-Guided tours of the courthouse were then available from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
On Saturday, April 20th, a selfie bingo took place. Participants could take a selfie at twelve different designated areas in the county. The pictures would then be sent by email, with prizes being given away to those who completed the task.
On Sunday, April 21st, another gathering, and celebration took place. This time the event was held in Montpelier at the Veterans Memorial Building. Presentation of the Colors took place at 2:00 p.m. before Chairman Denver Henderson III welcomed everyone and made introductions for the day’s speakers.
Speakers for the event included Mayor Steve Yagelski, Commissioner Hilkert, Congresswoman Kaptur, and Historian Bill Priest.
Congresswoman Kaptur began by saying, “We just were over at the history museum here, and there’s a big sign out in the back that said history like charity begins at home, and the history of your family is very important.”
“I hope your children and grandchildren know it, and how that history connects to others because that is the history not just of Ohio, but of the United States of America. And as we celebrate today, we are all part of what is called the Great Lakes Kingdom.”
“Some people like to call it the Great Lakes Nation, and you live at the convergence of three states that were the most difficult to settle. So, the history here was more rugged perhaps than others, but it is a history that is not shared, typically, at the level that you have.”
“The beautiful beautiful, printed volume that was done that took a lot of work and is a credit to your community. Make sure you broadly share it with the Ohio Historical Association and other organizations that care about history.”
Closing remarks were then given by Chairman Denver Henderson III before everyone was free to enjoy ice cream and visit the Williams County Historical Society Museum at the fairgrounds.
During the events, Henderson informed those in attendance that future events would be planned throughout the remainder of the year, with events taking place in different communities throughout the county.
Also, at each of the events, this past week was a keepsake tribute created by The Village Reporter. These free keepsakes are 176 pages long and feature numerous columns from elected officials, local historians, and major employers from throughout the county.”
“These past several months have allowed for a wealth of historical knowledge to be placed into this keepsake and will in and of itself become a piece of history for the county.
