1900s – Noel B. Poirier

A Tuscarawas County Find: The Journal of George H. Zimmerman

Journal entry from the George H. Zimmerman journal found at a New Philadelphia thrift store, 1912.

The other day my wife came home from visiting local thrift stores with an interesting item. She purchased what appeared to be the journal of a person named George H. Zimmerman (1889-1946) and I, being me, needed to learn more. How George H. Zimmerman’s journal for the year 1912 ended up in a Tuscarawas CountyContinue reading “A Tuscarawas County Find: The Journal of George H. Zimmerman”

Ruffled Feathers: A Gunfight at the County Jail

Aerial view of the Tuscarawas County Jail and grounds, c. 1930. (Source: ohiomemory.org)

Early in the evening on a cold February night in 1912 neighbors of the Tuscarawas County Jail on East Fair Street in New Philadelphia heard the sounds of gunfire ring out. It was the exclamation point on a busy and successful weekend by local law enforcement, having broken up a large gambling event two daysContinue reading “Ruffled Feathers: A Gunfight at the County Jail”

Decapitated and Burned: Explosion at the Stone House Mine

Two miners digging coal in a coal mine in North Dakota, c. 1925. (Source: dp.la)

Recently I posted an image of a Bureau of Mines Mine Rescue Car that visited the mining town of Roswell in 1923. That image, and a comment from someone who saw it, led me to examine a tragic incident from 1927 that occurred at a local Tuscarawas County coal mine outside of Mineral City. TwoContinue reading “Decapitated and Burned: Explosion at the Stone House Mine”

Mine Rescue Car Visits Roswell

Detail from a larger image of the men who attended the Mine Rescue Car during its visit to Roswell, Tuscarawas County, January 1923.

My neighbor gave me a panoramic image taken in December 1923 titled “Department of Interior, Bureau of Mines, Car #5, at Roswell, Ohio, December 1923” that shows the miners of that community and even lists some of their names. Recognize anyone? During the first few decades of the 20th century nearly a million people workedContinue reading “Mine Rescue Car Visits Roswell”

One House’s Story: The McCullough Family

The McCullough House on Tuscarawas Avenue, New Philadelphia, 2019. (Source: google.com)

When this house was built by a prominent New Philadelphia attorney, it was considered by one newspaper writer to be one of the “prettiest cottage homes in the city.” A note about addresses: House numbers and street names often change over time. Relatively speaking, the McCullough family were recent arrivals to Tuscarawas County. Pennsylvania-born CharlesContinue reading “One House’s Story: The McCullough Family”

One House’s Story: The Schlup Family

The Samuel and Emma Schlup House on West High Street, New Philadelphia, Ohio, 2019. (Source: google.com)

There is a house that now stands as the only remaining residential building on the north side of the 500 block of West High Street in New Philadelphia. Its story is tied to that of a successful New Philadelphia merchant who lived during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A note about addresses: HouseContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Schlup Family”

One House’s Story: The Hartman Family

The Hartman House, Ray Avenue NW, New Philadelphia, 2022.

There is a row of homes along Ray Avenue that, without a doubt, have seen better days. Built in the latest fashion of their day, hosts to many parties and gatherings on their well manicured grounds, they expressed their owners’ pride and success. Today they pale in comparison to their glory days, but they haveContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Hartman Family”

One House’s Story: Joseph Axx

There is a house on the west end of New Philadelphia that, every time I passed it, I was intrigued by how it got there and who may have lived in it. Perhaps you’ve driven past it as well and wondered the same. This is one story from that house’s history. When one drives westContinue reading “One House’s Story: Joseph Axx”