history – Page 10 – Tuscarawas County Stories

Gut-shot and Crawling: The 1932 Murder of a Tuscarawas County Farmer

AI prompt: Photograph taken at 9:00 pm on December 1933 of a fifty-year-old man crawling through the snow from his farm house, seen in the far background of the photograph, to a neighbor's farm house. (Source: Microsoft Designer)

A group of young men embarked on a crime spree that tragically culminated in the murder of local farmer, shot during a robbery at his rural Tuscarawas County home for a mere $15. During the summer and fall of 1932 a gang of young men, who had met one another in Canton, Ohio, went onContinue reading “Gut-shot and Crawling: The 1932 Murder of a Tuscarawas County Farmer”

A Quiet Life Broken: The 1909 Murder of Alice Parsons

AI generated image of a quiet residential street in a medium sized Ohio city, 2024. (Source: Microsoft Designer)

The seemingly idyllic life of Alice and Lewis Parsons in New Philadelphia, Ohio was shattered by gunshots on a fall morning in 1909. Content warning: This post contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to getContinue reading “A Quiet Life Broken: The 1909 Murder of Alice Parsons”

Shot in a Dover Coffeehouse: The 1921 Murder of Mike Lambros

AI generated image depicting Steve Manos waiting to kill Mike Lambros in a Dover, Ohio coffee house in March 1921. (Source: Microsoft Designer)

A confrontation between Greek immigrants in Dover, Ohio, over an alleged insult toward one the men’s wife resulted in a murder. Michael (1894-1921) and Alec (1896-1985) Lambros immigrated from Greece in 1914 and, by 1920, owned and operated their own barber shop on the 300 block of West 3rd Street in Dover, Ohio. The brothers’Continue reading “Shot in a Dover Coffeehouse: The 1921 Murder of Mike Lambros”

“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″

The 1903 Battle for Dover’s Wooster Avenue Crossing

AI image depicting a confrontation of competing railroad employees at a railroad crossing in Dover, Ohio in 1903. (Source: Microsoft CoPilot)

The Canton-New Philadelphia Street Railway Company prepared to lay tracks down Wooster Avenue in Dover, Ohio, amidst a heated dispute with the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad. The conflict escalated into a dramatic standoff between railroad workers from both sides. It was January 1903 by the time the interurban Canton-New Philadelphia Street Railway Company was readyContinue reading “The 1903 Battle for Dover’s Wooster Avenue Crossing”

George J. Edwards and New Philadelphia’s First Automobile

George J. Edwards made New Philadelphia history in 1902 by becoming the town’s first automobile owner, a milestone that drew significant public interest and marked the beginning of a new era in local transportation. George J. Edwards (1866-1937) was the son of Joshua Edwards (1815-c. 1890) and his wife Maria Johnson (1829-1915). It is notContinue reading “George J. Edwards and New Philadelphia’s First Automobile”

Rails to Riches: The Journey of James Carlile from Tuscarawas County to Colorado

1880s view of Pueblo, Colorado. (Source: Denver Public Library via https://dp.la).

New Philadelphia carpenter William Carlile laid the foundation for his family’s future. Little did he know, his son James N. Carlile would carve a path far beyond the realm of sawdust and nails. William Carlile (1806-1887) was a Pennsylvania born carpenter who migrated to Tuscarawas County, Ohio in the 1830s with his family. He originallyContinue reading “Rails to Riches: The Journey of James Carlile from Tuscarawas County to Colorado”

Seances and Slates: W.A Mansfield Visits New Philadelphia

AI generated image of a slate writer holding a seance at a home in the 1890s, 2024. (Source: Microsoft CoPilot)

During the last half of the 19th century, the spiritualism movement garnered a great deal of attention and followers. Oftentimes those interested in spiritualism attempted to contact those who had passed away through seances and people known as mediums. Tuscarawas County was not immune to the attraction of spiritualism. Content warning: This post contains aContinue reading “Seances and Slates: W.A Mansfield Visits New Philadelphia”