Historical Society awarded state research grant for Civil War commemoration

The Fulton County Historical Society has been awarded a research grant from the Ohio Humanities Council for its future contributions to the state's Ohio Civil War 150th Commemoration.

The $1,500 grant will fund a five-year project "Hell & Homefront: Civil War though Fulton County Eyes." The project, which runs from 2011 through 2015, will include exhibits, educational programs and publication on the history of Fulton County from the Underground Railroad movement in the 1830s through the Reconstruction era.

"This will not be a glorification of war or particular battles, but the viewpoints of Fulton County citizens, both on the battlefield and those left behind at home," explained Society vice president and project manager Marv Leatherman. "With the aid of project scholar, John Swearingen Jr., the group will present its findings in a series of free lectured at three area libraries this spring. The museum's extensive collection of Civil War artifacts will be the project's centerpiece.

Founded just 18 years after the end of the Civil War, the historical society has been collecting, preserving and interpreting county history in its permanent museum, historic railroad depot museum, three historic structures at the Fulton County Fairgrounds and in archives for 127 years.

The project committee is seeking "family stories, collectors, historians, veterans and anyone interested in becoming part of the planning process," Leathermen said. A blog will be set up through the society's Web site: www.fultoncountyhs.org. Here committee members and the public can exchange ideas on what can be done. For more information, Swearingen can be reached by e-mail at museum@fultoncountyhs.org or at the museum in Wauseon, where the research project is taking place.