Geauga County Public Library is commemorating America’s 250th anniversary by holding an interactive exhibit on the county’s history with artifacts from the 1800s to the 1950s.
Geauga County Public Library is commemorating America’s 250th anniversary by holding an interactive exhibit on the county’s history with artifacts from the 1800s to the 1950s.
The “Voices of Geauga” exhibit is sponsored by an America 250-Ohio Commission grant the library received. America 250 is a “nonpartisan initiative working to engage every American in the 250th anniversary of the United States,” according to its website.
“(This exhibit offers) an immersive look into Geauga County’s rich history through the voices and experiences of its residents,” GCPL said in a statement.
The records came from an oral history project that was done in the 1970s and 1980s with Kent State University, GCPL Assistant Director Katy Farrell said in a recent interview.
She started digitizing library records from oral history projects when she was head of adult services at the Chardon library branch, she said, adding there are interviews, photographs and newspaper articles on display.
“(They) were talking about their lives growing up and what it was like to go to school, then about World War II and what it was like to live through that,” GCPL Marketing & Communications Manager Denise Javins said. “It covers three topics — the history of Geauga County, the daily life in Geauga County and the Veterans of Geauga County.”
Farrell and Javins collaborated with the library’s genealogy experts for the exhibit.
“We are so lucky with the expertise in local history and genealogy that we have working at the Chardon branch now,” she said. “Lynn (Vandevort) and Melissa (Cole) work in the Anderson Allen room and they know our archives inside and out, so they did a lot of the research for the program or for the kiosk.”
Farrell said there are even more records than they included in the exhibit.
“The archives that we have presented is just the tip of the iceberg compared to what the library owned,” she said.
While people can view the exhibit in person, residents can also listen to interview recordings online.
“Even if you pop into the library and get interested and don’t have time because you’re just running to pick up a book, you can always dive into it a little bit more at home online,” Farrell said. “We’re just so proud of the project, so we just want everyone to interact with it and just have fun with it.”
“Voices of Geauga” will be held at the GCPL’s Chardon branch until Feb. 12 and then will travel to different GCPL locations until May.
On Feb. 15, at 2 p.m.,“Voices of Geauga” will feature another exhibit, “Pioneering Geauga County,” at the Thompson branch that will dive deeper into the area’s history.
