October 2025 – Tuscarawas County Stories

“You Want Your Divorce”: The 1949 Murder of Mary Covic, Part One

AI depiction of Andrew and Mary Covic arguing in their kitchen as their daughter watches, 2025. (Source: ImageFX)

In July 1949, Andrew Covic ended his troubled marriage to Mary Covic with a fatal gunshot. Content warning: The following story contains references to domestic violence. If you are experiencing domestic abuse or violence and need help, please visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Andrew Henry Covic (1884-1966) and Mary Elizabeth Getchey Covic (1888-1949) were aContinue reading ““You Want Your Divorce”: The 1949 Murder of Mary Covic, Part One”

One House’s Story: The Brucks Family

The Brucks Home on Walnut Street in Dover, Ohio, 2025. (Source: google.com)

Ferdinand Brucks (1830-1915) was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States when he was 22 years old. He arrived in Tuscarawas County shortly after his immigration and, in 1854, he married German-born Catherine Wegele (1837-1914). It is likely that Ferdinand chose Tuscarawas County as his home because of other family members who hadContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Brucks Family”

The Churchyard Ghost

AI generated image of a ruined church and graveyard in 1904 Ohio. (Source: ImageFX)

In November 1904 readers of the New Philadelphia, Ohio Daily Times were treated to a story about a haunted Tuscarawas County church and cemetery. While the newspaper story never mentioned the name of the community or the church itself, it did share some of the stories associated with the haunted location and the effort ofContinue reading “The Churchyard Ghost”

$100 for a Life: The Aul Case of 1930

AI generated image depicting the confrontation between Paul and John Aul in 1930, 2025. (Source: ImageFX)

A quarrel between cousins at an Tuscarawas County brickyard in 1930 ended with one cousin dead. John Christian Aul (1904-1930) was born in Franklin Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, the son of Conrad Henry (1866-1940) and Emma Margo Aul (1871-1952). He grew up in a large family that included several brothers and sisters and spent hisContinue reading “$100 for a Life: The Aul Case of 1930”

One House’s Story: The McGregor Apartment Building

The McGregor Apartment building as it appeared on Google Maps in 2019. (Source: google.com)

The construction of Jack’s House of Hope by the Friends of the Homeless of Tuscarawas County motivated me to take a look at the history of this building, discovering something innovative in its design was not expected. In June 1919, New Philadelphia became the site of an innovative construction experiment when the McGregor Apartment Building, thenContinue reading “One House’s Story: The McGregor Apartment Building”

One House’s Story: The McLean Family

The McLean House on East High Avenue in New Philadelphia, Ohio, 2025. (Source: google.com)

This house sits on a prominent corner in New Philadelphia, befitting the significance of the family that once lived in it. William McLean (1841-1922) was the son of a Maryland-born Methodist preacher named Edward A. McLean (1810-1876) and his Connecticut born wife Julia (1810-?). The couple arrived in Tuscarawas County sometime in the 1830s andContinue reading “One House’s Story: The McLean Family”

Murder or Misfortune? The Death of Katie Barnes

Ai generated image of shears on a kitchen table. (Source: ImageFX)

A servant’s tragic death in 1892 from a seemingly minor wound ignited scandal, sympathy, and controversy in New Philadelphia. There is not a lot of information on the short life of Katherine “Katie” Barnes (1873-1892) other than what was reported in the newspapers at the time of her death. She worked as a domestic servantContinue reading “Murder or Misfortune? The Death of Katie Barnes”