September 2024 – Tuscarawas County Stories

“A Bad Man”: The Killing of Henry Bushman

AI image of a sepia-toned photograph set inside a small, rustic bakery in rural Ohio, 1883. The interior is filled with wooden shelves stacked with freshly baked bread, pies, and pastries, with a large stone oven in the background. In the center of the scene, a young 20-year-old baker, wearing a flour-dusted apron and suspenders, is locked in a heated struggle with a rugged, 40-year-old railroad worker who appears visibly drunk, with a bottle in his hand and disheveled clothing. The baker, fists raised, shows determination and anger, while the older man stumbles, trying to regain his balance. The lighting is dim, and the atmosphere is tense, with flour kicked up in the air during the scuffle, 2024. (Source: Microsoft Designer)

German immigrant Henry Bushman led a troubled and short life, marred by frequent run-ins with the law and fueled by alcohol, which eventually led to a fatal encounter with his nephew in Uhrichsville, Ohio. When someone lived as short a life as German immigrant Henry Bushman (1852-1883) did in the 19th century, it is oftenContinue reading ““A Bad Man”: The Killing of Henry Bushman”

A Life for Two Dollars: The 1907 Murder of Joseph Yerian

AI generated image depicting Shedrick Penn and Joseph Yerian playing cards in J.B. Ewing's saloon in Bolivar Ohio in 1907, 2024. (Source: Microsoft Designer)

A deadly altercation over a $2 bet between two transient railroad workers in Bolivar, Ohio led to the town’s first murder. The Yerian family arrived in Ohio from western Pennsylvania in the early nineteenth-century and, by the time Joseph A. Yerian (1883-1907) was born, a branch of that family lived in Washington County, Ohio. JosephContinue reading “A Life for Two Dollars: The 1907 Murder of Joseph Yerian”

Mystery in the Woods: The “UFO” Incident of 1966

AI generated image depicting Max Pritchard viewing a bright light emanating from the forest floor near his farm in Dover Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, 2024. (Source: Microsoft Designer)

In the spring of 1966, as UFO sightings gripped Ohio with intrigue and fear, a strange light near a Tuscarawas County farm sparked an investigation. For several weeks in early 1966 there had been numerous reports in the local newspapers of unidentified flying objects (UFO), including one case in April 1966 where two sheriff deputiesContinue reading “Mystery in the Woods: The “UFO” Incident of 1966″