I stumbled across a runaway apprentice advertisement from 1842 and my curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to find out what happened to the apprentice whose master only offered one cent for his return. I was surprised by what I found. If we are to believe the 1842 advertisement for runaway saddler apprenticeContinue reading “Runaway to Hero: The Life of Henry T. Danforth”
Category Archives: Tuscarawas County Stories
The “One Dollar Ghost”
I stumbled across a letter written in 1819 from a Tuscarawas County resident in a Canton, Ohio newspaper that told a fantastical ghost story that I simply had to investigate further. A letter from New Philadelphia, Ohio appeared on the front page of a July 1819 edition of the Canton Ohio Repository newspaper describing aContinue reading “The “One Dollar Ghost””
Triumph to Tragedy: The Short Life of Dover Cyclist Henry Greb
When renowned Dover bicyclist and businessman Henry Greb died in November 1904 at the age of 34 his death was reported in newspapers as far away as Cincinnati. This is the story of his short life and tragic death. Content warning: This post contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know has aContinue reading “Triumph to Tragedy: The Short Life of Dover Cyclist Henry Greb”
The Hensel Skeletons and A Wife’s Revenge
A discovery in 1875 on land just south of New Philadelphia helped prove the veracity of a one-hundred year legend from the era of the American Revolution and the mission at Schoenbrunn. In the spring of 1875 Josiah Hensel (1825-1919) was busy trying to determine if there was any iron ore to be mined onContinue reading “The Hensel Skeletons and A Wife’s Revenge”
“Negligence Born of Familiarity”: Tragedy at the Penn Iron and Coal Company
I am often drawn to tragic stories because, in many cases, the individuals involved end up being lost to the historic record. This often happens because many tragedies occur when people are younger and have yet to establish themselves or create a family to carry on their names and stories. This is one such tragedy.Continue reading ““Negligence Born of Familiarity”: Tragedy at the Penn Iron and Coal Company”
The White Bridge Murder
It was 2 o’clock in the morning on Wednesday, February 8, 1928 when Blicktown farmer John Hinig heard knocking at his front door. Cautiously he opened the door and saw a man, soaking wet, freezing, and seemingly in distress standing in his doorway. The man, William Herron, told Mr. Hinig that while he was drivingContinue reading “The White Bridge Murder”
Who Was Alfonso Stewart?
If you’re like me you thumb through Fred Miller’s book Images of America: Tuscarawas County Ohio, published in 2000 by Arcadia Publishing, a lot. I love just spending some time seeing the county as it once was. On the last page of the book is an image of men who served as patrolmen in theContinue reading “Who Was Alfonso Stewart?”
Samuel F. Hensel and the Hensel Transfer and Storage Building
This large building has dominated the first block of South Broadway in New Philadelphia since its construction and, when it was built, was considered state-of-the-art. I thought I would explore its construction and tell the story of how it became the focal point of an early 20th century Ohio Supreme Court case. The Hensel familyContinue reading “Samuel F. Hensel and the Hensel Transfer and Storage Building”
The “Freak Animal Critter” Hoax of New Philadelphia
Since April Fools Day is coming up, I thought I would share a story of a time when someone tried to fool the entire Tuscarawas County community and beyond. As Oscar R. Long (1888-1960) told it, he was out hunting racoons in the Stonecreek Valley in early February 1930 when he caught the most unusualContinue reading “The “Freak Animal Critter” Hoax of New Philadelphia”
A Tuscarawas County Find: The Journal of George H. Zimmerman
The other day my wife came home from visiting local thrift stores with an interesting item. She purchased what appeared to be the journal of a person named George H. Zimmerman (1889-1946) and I, being me, needed to learn more. How George H. Zimmerman’s journal for the year 1912 ended up in a Tuscarawas CountyContinue reading “A Tuscarawas County Find: The Journal of George H. Zimmerman”
Tuscarawas County Stories 