Then – A 1915 photo (CCHS #2001) of ten horse drawn school wagons in front of the Rosewood (Harrison-Adams Township) School in Adams Township, Champaign County, Ohio.  Based on other photos of horse drawn school wagons each wagon probably held 10-12 students.  Horse drawn school wagons were mostly superseded by gasoline powered buses by about 1920. The Champaign County Historical Society thanks Deb Lewis of the Rosewood Grocery for sharing this photo.

Now – 2018 photo school buses at Graham High School.  What a change in school transportation.  What changes will the next 100 years bring?
The Champaign County Historical Society strives to highlight historical people, places and events throughout Champaign County.  We therefore ask that if you have photos of historical significance that you believe would be of interest to Champaign Countians, please contact us at 937-653-6721.

Looking Back - Urbana Fly-in and Grace Fern Heck
This is a photo (#0100) taken on October 24, 1934 of World War I Aviator Jimmy Mattern and local Urbana civic group.  They are next to the airplane Mattern flew into Urbana, Ohio. He was touring under the sponsorship of the Pure Oil Co.  At that time, Urbana did not yet have an airport so he landed in a pasture field south of town. 

Grace Fern Heck represented county government as she was the prosecuting attorney of Champaign County.  She was the first women in the State of Ohio to serve as prosecuting attorney.  Also she was Ohio’s first female municipal court judge. On Grace’s right is W. W. Rock, the mayor of Urbana, and on her left is Jimmy Mattern.  Also in the photo is Warren Grimes (3rd from the left).  Perhaps this event prompted him to consider establishing an airport in Urbana.

Looking Back - Circa 1880 photo of Arrowsmith Mills located on the mill race east of the Mad River just north of the southern Concord Township line in Champaign County, Ohio. Note the covered-like wagon with Arrowsmith Mills, Gold Lace Flour, W. H. Adlard, Urbana, Ohio written on the side. Building was erected 1844 and remodeled in 1877, as noted on the side of the building. Currently, this site is near the Birch Bark Canoe Livery on the Mad River.

The Champaign County Historical Society is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization that preserves, protects, archives and displays the artifacts that tell Champaign County’s History. The Society operates on donations and dues and has a free public museum of history at East Lawn Avenue in Urbana.

Then – Circa 1900 (#A1326) photo of the Grace Methodist Church located on SW corner of South Main and West Market Streets, Urbana, Ohio. The Urbana Public Library on W. Market Street is visible on the right side of the photo. The church building was dedicated on June 22, 1879, by Bishop Bowman of St. Louis.  The bishop said he had dedicated 800 churches and that this was the first one to be free of debt: nor had any other equaled it in beauty, neatness, and convenience for worship. In 1854 it was decided to organize a second church in Urbana as the Methodist Church at the corner of N. Main and Church Streets had grown to a membership of 432 which was regarded as being the limit in size for any one church. Grace Methodist Church served as the Second Methodist Church in Urbana. It was razed in 1931 and U.S. Post was erected on the site in 1932. History of the Urbana Methodist Church from 1804 to 1981, by The History Committee, Carl R. Robinson, Minister, Marvin Humphrey, Margaret Beatty Brandeberry, and Frances Bancroft, Church Historian.
 
Now – 2017 photo of Urbana Post Office on the same site.

The Champaign County Historical Society is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization that preserves, protects, archives and displays the artifacts that tell Champaign County’s History. The Society operates on donations and dues and has a free public museum of history at East Lawn Avenue in Urbana

Then – 1932 photo of the Urbana Public Library located on the South side of West Market St. in Urbana. Currently this is the site of the U.S. Post Office alley parking lot.  Note ‘Clifford Theater’ and old City Building are in the background. Also note the construction site of the post office building east of the library.  In 1932 the Urbana Library Association acquired the building across the street at 160 W. Market Street (at the NE corner of W. Market & Walnut Streets) and moved the library there.  In 1996 the library moved to a remodeled building at 1060 Scioto Street (its current location).  (Historical Facts and Trivia of Champaign County, Ohio by Ed Ridder)
 
Now - 2017 photo of the same location.