For more than forty years, the Beauty Bower welcomed generations of clients to its downtown Bellefontaine salon. Founded by the Cowan sisters and located at 124½ S. Main St., the salon occupied space above Powell Pharmacy and later, Insley’s Pharmacy and Family Pharmacy, becoming a familiar part of the community. Helen Cowan Elliott’s career in the beauty profession began in 1938, when she commuted by train from West Mansfield to attend beauty school in Columbus. Her first jo

Roy W. Howard spent part of his childhood in Rushsylvania before rising to national prominence as president of the E.W. Scripps Company and chairman of Scripps-Howard Newspapers. In 1912, he became chairman of the United Press board and later served as its president. Howard was born in 1883 in Butler County, Ohio. While he was still a young boy, his family moved to his father’s hometown of Rushsylvania. His father, William, a former Big Four Railroad employee, left that wor

Part 2 For more than a century, the A.J. Miller Co. helped shape Bellefontaine’s industrial story. Founded as a family carriage shop, the company grew into a leading manufacturer of hearses, ambulances, and specialty vehicle bodies, earning a reputation for craftsmanship and adaptability. After a devastating fire in April 1900, A.J. Miller quickly rebuilt. By November, a new factory was in operation, allowing the company to continue carriage and buggy production while expandi

Part 1 For more than a century, the A.J. Miller Company helped shape Bellefontaine’s industrial identity, growing from a family carriage shop into a manufacturer known for craftsmanship, adaptability, and specialized vehicles. In 1853, 25-year-old Amos Miller, along with his younger brothers David, Jacob, and Samuel, established the Miller Brothers Carriage Company in Bellefontaine. Amos had apprenticed in a cabinet shop and worked in coach and carriage-making establishments

Guy Ellsworth Mathews, a gifted artist and interior decorator from West Liberty, was born in 1874 to Edgar and Rosalie Raff Mathews. From an early age, he worked alongside his father, learning to paint and mix colors from natural ingredients. He later recalled the process simply as mixing “oil and dirt” to make paint. Guy attended school until age 10 and later decided to run away from home with 50 cents in his pocket. He boarded a train and sat beside an elderly woman who bef

For generations of Indian Lake visitors, White Cottage Park at Russells Point offered the simple pleasures of lakeside summers: fresh air, fishing, boating, and rows of bright white cottages near the water. Salathiel and Keturah Prater opened White Cottage Resort on their farm at Russells Point in the spring of 1898 with six cottages. By August 1904, the Praters advertised that “the summer houses at White Cottage Resort, Lewistown Reservoir, are engaged until fall. The rush t

For nearly half a century, the Sparks family operated an automobile dealership from its location in the former JoHantgen Carriage Co. building at 132 S. Detroit St. The Sparks Motor Co. was established there in 1915 by French Sparks and his son, Ruric Sparks. French had owned a nearby livery business since 1901. The new venture secured an agency for Wescott automobiles, which were manufactured in Richmond, Indiana, and later in Springfield, Ohio. Soon afterward, Gail Hamilton

When Winfield Scott established Scott’s Santal Pepsin Co. in Bellefontaine in 1897, he entered the thriving late nineteenth-century world of mail-order patent medicines and bold advertising claims. From his Bellefontaine business, Scott promoted his “miracle pills” as cures for kidney, bladder, and other diseases. Scott was born in Zanesfield in 1848, the only son of James K. and Wilhelmina Scott. As a young adult, he entered the sewing machine and musical instrument business

Architect William Kauffman designed some of Logan County’s most remarkable buildings. His work reached well beyond the county, leaving a legacy of architectural beauty and distinctive design. James and Elizabeth Kauffman moved to a large farm in Harrison Township, Logan County, in the1830s. The youngest of their eight children, William, was born in 1857. When he was eleven years old, the family moved to Bellefontaine. His father was director of the County Infirmary. After gr

Dick and Pat Stanford fulfilled their dream of owning a family campground in August 1973 when they purchased 50 acres on County Road 111 in Rushcreek Township. Their vision included not only an RV park, but also a venue for western square dancing. As they traveled down the narrow half-mile lane in their little Volkswagen, anticipation grew about their new purchase. When they reached the end of the lane and saw how beautiful the land was, they knew they had made the right choi

Governor’s Island at Indian Lake was named for Ohio Governor Alvin Victor “Vic” Donahey, who built a house on the island in 1929. Vic Donahey was the first governor of Ohio to serve three consecutive terms. He was a candidate for elective office eleven times and was defeated only once. Vic Donahey was born on a farm between Cadwallader and West Chester in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, on July 7, 1873. He left school during his junior year to learn the printing trade. In addition t

Born in 1884 at Pottersburg in Union County, Ohio, Clarence H. Gibson built a remarkable career out of moving what most people would have considered impossible. Beginning at just 14 years old, he spent more than five decades razing and relocating buildings, retiring in 1956 at the age of 73. Among the many jobs that made him locally known, none was more memorable than his 1914 move of a 60-ton boulder from the J.B. Adams farm on Bristle Ridge to Zanesfield for the Zane Kenton

Starting in the early 1860s, a variety of performances including theatrical troupes, musical groups, lecturers, and local school and church productions were held at Melodeon Hall on South Main Street. In 1879, a group of investors including Gen. Robert P. Kennedy, W.V. Marquis, Capt. T.L. Hutchins and James Cowman, decided that Bellefontaine could attract some of the best performers from all over the country. The railroad had opened the town, and what was needed was a larger

In 1938, there was a sesquicentennial celebration to commemorate the Ordinance of 1797 that opened the Northwest Territory for settlement. As part of the celebration, O.K. Reames, historian from Zanesfield, Ohio, wrote and directed a pageant called “Freedom on the March”. This was produced in conjunction with the “Northwest Territory Expedition”, which re-enacted the trek of the original pioneers from Massachusetts to settle the new territory. According to Reames, “The essen

For six decades, the Our Lady of Fatima statue at Indian Lake stood as a religious shrine, a local landmark, and a lasting reminder of George B. Quatman’s faith and vision. Destroyed by the March 2024 tornado, the statue’s recovered fragments tell a story of devotion, loss, preservation, and renewal. In 1924, George B. Quatman founded the Ohio Telephone Service Co. It provided service to local areas such as Botkins, Jackson Center, Greenville and Sidney. Quatman organized t

The village of West Mansfield was laid out in 1848 by Levi Southard, who owned a farm on the site. Southard began selling lots almost immediately and named the new village in honor of his one-year-old son, Mansfield. In November 1861, he enlisted in the 13th Independent Battery, Ohio Volunteer Artillery. He rose to the rank of sergeant and died in June 1863 in a hospital in Savannah, Tennessee. According to the History of Logan County, published in 1880 by O.L. Baskin, West M

Founded in 1913 by Ernest H. Harding in East Liberty, the Harding Machine Screw Company supported U.S. efforts during both World Wars, weathered the Great Depression, and employed hundreds throughout its operation. Ernest H. Harding was born in 1869 on a farm in Perry Township. After completing his studies at the local school, he continued his education at Central Ohio College in East Liberty. To afford his tuition, Harding taught mathematics at the college. H

Russells Point grew from the home and farmland of John and Mary Russell into one of Indian Lake’s best-known destinations. Its early history reflects both the quiet rural character of the area and the beginnings of tourism and recreation that would later define the community. John Russell was born in 1847 to James and Amanda Russell. The family lived near the original spring-fed area of Indian Lake known as Lake Ridge. John spent much of his early life on the family farm alon

Charles L. Robb was born on December 24, 1853, in Zanesfield, Ohio, to Dr. James S. and Elmyra Robb. He spent his childhood in Zanesfield and attended the small brick schoolhouse that once stood on the site of the present Dr. Earl Sloan Library. After completing his early education, he studied for three years at Geneva College in Northwood. Following his college years, Robb traveled through a number of western states and worked as a salesman for a shoe company. Shortly aft

DeGraff was surveyed and platted by Col. Andrew DeGraff and William Boggs in 1850, and the village was incorporated in 1864. One hundred years later, in May 1950, the village marked that milestone with a grand four-day celebration. Thousands came, filling the streets and turning front porches into natural meeting places where friends and relatives could visit, reminisce, and renew old ties. Residents entered into the spirit of the occasion by dressing in 1850s clothing, and m