“We have the whole month of April to dive deep into Greene County history, so when the county’s birthday rolls around on May 1, we’ll have a lot of info behind that celebration,” McKinley said.
Local organizations participating in history month include the Greene County Historical Society, the library, the county’s Records Center & Archives, and the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center.
New this year is the Beavercreek Historical Society’s open house at Wartinger Park, from 1-4 p.m. this Sunday, April 6.
Families can experience pioneer life that day, while visiting the historic cabins at Wartinger, which were built in the 1800s.
“The timbers for the cabins were actually cut before Ohio became a state,” said Mark Wiley, president of the Beavercreek Historical Society.
Over the course of the year, the Beavercreek Historical Society hosts about 700 third-graders annually in an event called Living History.
“We have demonstrations and instruction on the different types of things that people did as early settlers, how they had to live and what they had to do,” Wiley said. “How they had to make toys, we have a section on gardening, the kids plant potatoes in the spring.”
On Monday, April 7, county residents can learn how to use historic records to research the history of their property and home. Events are at 1 p.m. at the Jamestown library and 5:30 p.m. at the Cedarville library.
Additionally, the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center will be presenting the life of Hallie Q. Brown, a suffragist and civil rights leader at the Yellow Springs Public Library on Tuesday, April 8. This event is interactive and for ages 7 to 12.
During all of April, families can participate in the architectural scavenger hunt of the Xenia Downtown Historic District, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. Scavenger hunt copies can be picked up from the Greene County Historical Society during office hours.
Other events later in the month include Cemetery Bingo at Woodland Cemetery in Xenia, National Park Service Week at Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers Monument, and a History and Genealogy Open House on the second floor of the Xenia Community Library.
The full list of events can be found on the Greene County library website.
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