By Gary Budzak – The Delaware Gazette

Historic Preservation - Meeker Homestead - Delaware County Historical Society - Delaware Ohio

Donna Meyer and Brent Carson of the Delaware County Historical Society show a page from a 1921 edition of the Delaware Daily Journal-Herald. The paper was in existence from 1902 to 1929. The society is seeking county funding to digitally preserve old newspapers and other projects.

Thirteen local organizations asked Delaware County commissioners for Community Enhancement Grants at a work session on Wednesday.

Members of the organizations asked the three commissioners to provide funding for them to put on events and to buy equipment. After each 15-minute presentation, commissioners asked questions of the organizations.

Donna Meyer and Brent Carson made the presentation for the Delaware County Historical Society.  They brought an example of the historic materials the society wants to preserve.

The Delaware County Historical Society requested $29,238 to be used for:

Displays and benches for a proposed Meeker Homestead Museum

The Society seeks to create an interactive digital display that will engage visitors, especially children, in the early settlement of each Delaware County Township.  Interactive maps, biographies, pictures, charts, and video will bring early township life alive.

Digitizing old newspapers

The Society has original newspaper archives like The Delaware Daily Journal-Herald that contain a vital record of Delaware County history.  They need to be digitally preserved while the pages are still intact.  The process is done by specialty services and is expensive.

ELMO-brand document camera, projector and clipboards

The Society, as part of its mission to educate about county history, delivers dozens of classroom presentations to the schools of Delaware County. Each presentation brings historic documents, artifacts, and images to engage the students. Passing fragile materials around the room risks losing a piece of our history. A portable document camera/projector will enable everyone to see all the materials that have made these outreach programs so successful.

The Society is actively seeking resources fully restore and utilize the Meeker House and Garth Oberlander Barn, now The Barn at Stratford event venue. If you would like to learn more about this effort visit The Delaware Co. Historical Society website.

Full Original Story in The Delaware Gazette