shanesville – Tuscarawas County Stories

Gunfire and Nitroglycerin: The Shanesville Bank Robbery

AI generated image depicting the Shanesville bank robbers outside the bank in December 1900, 2025. (Source: Google ImageFX)

Gunfire shattered the quiet of Shanesville in 1900, when burglars blew open the town bank and terrorized villagers. In the early morning hours of Thursday, December 13, 1900, the village of Shanesville was thrown into chaos when burglars attacked the private bank owned by John Doerschuk (1841-1916). Around 2 o’clock in the morning, neighbors wereContinue reading “Gunfire and Nitroglycerin: The Shanesville Bank Robbery”

Summer of 1842: The Circus Comes to Tuscarawas County

Image that appeared in the advertisement for the June, Titus & Angevine Circus that appeared in the June 1842 issue of New Philadelphia, Ohio's newspaper. (Source: newspaperarchive.com)

Tuscarawas County was visited by one of America’s first traveling circuses, bringing with it exotic animals, daring performances, and a touch of big-city spectacle. The residents of Tuscarawas County, numbering around 26,000 in 1842, were treated that summer to a visit by one of America’s first travelling circuses. The advertisement for the circus, including aContinue reading “Summer of 1842: The Circus Comes to Tuscarawas County”

“For Both White Men and Indians”: Tuscarawas County Gunsmith George Biddle

The discussion of the making of the uniquely American long rifle is a subject most often associated with Pennsylvania or Kentucky. There were, however, gunsmiths who produced these artistic and practical objects in other regions. Many of those gunsmiths, like the subject of this story, learned their trade in a gunsmith shop in Pennsylvania. TheyContinue reading ““For Both White Men and Indians”: Tuscarawas County Gunsmith George Biddle”