ALICE | InfoTree | FAQ | home
  ASK A LIBRARIAN im | chat | phone |e-mail

Athens County, Ohio turned 200 in 2005—and the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections observed the occasion with an exhibit. The exhibit was in place from early July until late December, 2005. The following statement spelled out the theme and scope of the exhibit:

Athens County, Ohio was established on March 1, 1805 following legislation enacted on February 20 of that year. The new county, carved out of Washington County, had approximately 1,000 square miles divided into only four original townships. Today the county has fourteen townships in its approximately 500 square miles.

In commemorating Athens County’s bicentennial this exhibit utilizes a number and variety of resources--primary materials, publications, government records, maps, photographs and illustrations--to explore the county’s history. The exhibit emphasizes the land and people of the county—this place and the people who have made the county community their home. Through vignettes that will provide glimpses into these records, books, letters, photographs, maps and more, it is to be hoped viewers will learn about some of the county’s land and people from both earlier times and more recent times, and gain a sense of changes and continuities in life and living that carry through the two centuries and more covered. This version of the exhibit includes, in a selective fashion, some of the items that were a part of the exhibit. They show, each in its own way, changes and continuities over time in Athens County. The initial exhibit featured original county government records volumes, Ohio U. master’s theses that focused on the county, and news articles that on people and places in the county.

Please note that this version of the exhibit includes a greater percentage of images from the photographic record made by William E. Peters in the early to mid-20th century. But the selected written materials show as well how activities and events such as agriculture, education, the Civil War, and coal mining reflect different and changing times.
OHIO University Libraries
Athens, OH 45701-2978
Phone: (740) 593-2699		 Last updated:
This page is maintained by George Bain.
Please use our Feedback Form for your questions, comments, and suggestions.
OHIO University © 2005 All Rights Reserved