Author: Wendy Brisbine

The Ashland County Historical Society recently transferred the ownership of their 1946 Seagrave Firetruck to the Whitmore Car Museum in Ashland, Ohio.

The museum felt it was important to keep this piece of history in the Ashland Community where more people can see and enjoy it. The truck had been in an off-site storage area for more than six years because the museum did not have the facilities to store such a large item. They were thrilled when another museum in the same town expressed interest in restoring and maintaining the firetruck for the community.

Museums follow a protocol for deaccessioning artifacts. The first step involves contacting the original donor to see if they want the item back. The museum contacted the original private donor who permitted them to find a good home for the firetruck. The next step was to contact other museums where the firetruck would benefit their collection. The Whitmore Car Museum was the logical choice for housing this important Ashland artifact.

Meanwhile, the museum has just completed the Ashland County First Responders exhibit, and the restoration of the juvenile detention cells. These two important projects are a tribute to the brave people who have served Ashland County over the years.

The Ashland County Historical Society is a private 501 (c) (3) institution supported by memberships and donors. The museum had a small fund established for the care of the firetruck, that has been depleted due to maintenance, storage facility charges, and insurance coverages. The historical society has no plans to construct a building capable of storing the firetruck, and the ongoing costs do not support their current collection plans.

The decision to transfer the ownership of the firetruck was not taken lightly by the organization. The future costs of storage, maintenance, and insurance were considered and it was agreed that the Whitmore Car Museum was better equipped to handle the display of the artifact.

Did you know the museum is in possession of a very impressive paperweight collection? Many of our paperweights belonged to Helen Myers Miller (daughter of F.E. and Alavesta Myers, and wife of T.W. Miller), and were donated by her daughter, Mary Miller Johnson.

A paperweight is a small, solid object heavy enough to place on top of papers to keep them from blowing away.  They were first produced in about 1845 in France and were collected as works of fine art. The market developed because they were high quality, small, and moderately priced. They became a popular gift item to be given to family or loved ones. Paperweights became a vehicle for showcasing the cutting edge of glass working techniques. There are estimated to be only about 20,000 glass paperweights to survive to this day. A limited number of them are available for sale through specialty dealers. Due to their beauty and rarity, they are the most sought after works of 19^th century glass.

Of all the glass arts, paperweights are considered the most challenging, and they truly represent the highest achievement in this medium.  Their precision and grace are evident as you hold one in your hand and admire the changing magnification within the dome.

Over 500 items were donated to the ACHS over the past year. This requires a lot of time and work from our staff to make sure everything is documented and stored correctly. Our curator, Wendy Brisbine, has been diligently working through our collection to answer three basic questions: “What is it?”, “Where is it?”, and “Is it Safe?”. In addition, we are hard at work getting all of the items in our collection entered into our computer system with all the relevant details, including donor, description, and photos.

Recently, Wendy was visited by Steven and Ellen (Schlingman) Hughes. They had both been doing some cleaning out and wanted to donate things belonging to their respective fathers – both veterans and long-time residents of Ashland County. Steven’s father, Paul V. Hughes, was a bomber pilot based in England during WWII. Steven has in his possession a pocket bible his father carried during the war. In the margins of the pages, Paul wrote a detailed account of the days he spent during the war and the 30 missions he flew. The last entry is dated June 6, 1944, when he bombed the Normandy coast just 10 minutes before the D-Day invasion. His last comment was, “What a day to finish”. Steven is not quite ready to give this treasure to the museum, but has allowed us to scan and transcribe it for our veterans file in the research library. He has donated several of his father’s medals, including a WWII Victory Medal and the American Campaign Medal, as well as insignia and paperwork relating to his father’s time in the service.

Ellen Hughes comes from a military family as well. Her father was Thomas E. Schlingman and he fought in the Korean War with the USMC. Her donation includes several mementos of her father’s time in the service, including a photograph scrapbook of Thomas and his war buddies. Included in the documents donated is a cardstock letter of appreciation from the President of Korea that was sent on the 50th anniversary of the end of the war to all who served. It is quite impressive.

We hope to incorporate some of these new items into our Veterans Exhibit in the Noonan House. Be sure to stop by and take a look!

Armistice Day, now known as Veterans Day, was originally designated as a holiday in the United States to honor the end of WWI.  The armistice was signed between the allies of WWI and Germany in France on the eleventh month of 1918, at the eleventh hour of the day.  The armistice did not stop the shelling that day. The formal agreement that truly ended WWI was reached the following year, through the Treaty of Versailles.

On June 1, 1954, November 11th became the official date to honor not only the veterans of WWI, but all American veterans of all wars. Prior to this date, some local WWI veterans organized and started their own unique club to honor the armistice.

In 1947 or 1948, the Last Man Club was formed here in Ashland. The club began with 12 members, and was started by local members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars clubs who served in WWI.  The object of the club was “to foster and perpetuate an enduring comradeship among its members with a fellowship of mutual understanding.”

The charter members of The Last Man Club were J. Ed Arnold, Clifford M. Cothren, Leo C. Dessenberg, Glenn E. Falkner, Harry J. Fridline, R. Harley Hicks, Dorance R. Howell, Ralph L. Kestner, Albert M. McCracken, Glenn D. Morr, Elmer W. Stiffler, and G. Homer Weis. Additional members elected into membership were Lisle Gault, Marshall Morr, Roy E. Price, Stanton L. Rupert and Glenn E. Stentz.  From club records, it appears there were never more any more than 17 members in the club.

The Last Man Club got its name because the last surviving man would get the privilege of drinking a bottle of champagne that was purchased when it was formed.  The bottle was entrusted to the club president throughout the years. This bottle is now in the museum’s collection, along with other memorabilia from the club.

Club members met on the 3^rd Friday of every month and often proudly included their wives in their social activities.  Their first anniversary dinner was held at the old Ashland Airport on May 27, 1948.  G. Homer Weis was appointed their first president. By 1983, the club was down to five members.

The last surviving member of the club was past president, Stanton Rupert.  He served with Company E of the local 146^th Infantry, beginning in 1917 and served a total of 21 months – ten days of which were overseas.  Stanton shared the bottle of champagne with his family and friends, and toasted the memories of all of the fellows who went before him.

We honor the members of The First Man Club and all of our Ashland County Veterans for your service to our country.