Category: Bexley History

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Bexley History Programs

Bexley Day

by Community Outreach Librarian Leah

Did you know that Bexley was founded on August 10, 1908? For the past two years, BPL and Bexley Historical Society have partnered to present Bexley Day programs. Historical Society trustee, Larry Helman, has presented: Celebrate Together: Bexley Day with Larry Helman and Celebrating Bexley Day – The Development of Main Street. Former BPL Local History Librarian, David Distelhorst, also presented on Mapping Bexley from Wilderness to Village. These programs present a wide variety of historical information about the city of Bexley and its founding. 

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Bexley History

The Bexley Literary Trail

by Local History Librarian David

Sixty years ago on April 17, 1964, Jerrie Mock of Bexley, a self-described “housewife,” landed her single engine Cessna, the Spirit of Columbus, at Port Columbus International Airport. In that moment she became the first woman to fly solo around the world. That same year, Bexley High School student Bob Greene was keeping a diary. For him, April 17 was a day to leave school early, make his way to downtown Columbus, and have a doctor “drill a filling.”

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Bexley History Programs

Celebrate Bexley’s 115th Birthday at the Library!

By Local History Librarian David

August 10 is Bexley Day, the day Bexley was established as an incorporated village with its first charter in 1908. For the second year, the Bexley Public Library, in partnership with the Bexley Historical Society, are celebrating Bexley’s birthday with an honorary program and cake. This year, Historical Society Trustee, Larry Helman, will present on how the community developed over time. Join us for the event at 7 PM on Thursday, August 10 in the library auditorium. It will also be an opportunity to learn about a new effort to mark and recognize those houses of 100+ years in age. 

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Bexley History BPL News & Information Programs

Let’s Celebrate Family History Month!

by Public Service Associate Juliana

The U.S. has commemorated Family History Month every October since 2001 when Congress passed a resolution for its annual observance. Did you know that here at the Bexley Public Library we have our very own Memory Lab for preserving photos, documents, and audiovisuals into a digital format? The lab features a photo scanner, VHS converter, slide/negative scanner, and more. Come cross something off your to-do list this October and preserve your family’s history for future generations. 

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Bexley History BPL News & Information Online Resources

The Torch – Newly Digitized

by Public Service Associate Owen

Bexley Public Library is happy to announce that The Torch digital collection is now live and accessible to the public! The Torch, Bexley High School’s student newspaper, has been a fixture of the high school and of the greater Bexley community for nearly a century. First published in October of 1925, The Torch has since received multiple awards for its excellence in student journalism. And now, thanks to the digitization efforts led by our Local History Librarian David Distelhorst, there are hundreds of early edition copies of The Torch, now accessible to the public, that contain a bounty of fascinating insights into Bexley and its history. I hope to feature some of my personal favorite editions of The Torch from this collection, as well as share a little bit about how The Torch works and how it has affected me in a positive way.

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Bexley History Programs

Celebrate Bexley Day

by Local History Librarian David

Bexley, 1872

Bexley Day, which falls on August 10, 2022, marks the 114th anniversary of the first council meeting of the Village of Bexley. This year Bexley Public Library, in partnership with the Bexley Historical Society, is celebrating Bexley Day with the program, Mapping Bexley From Wilderness to Village.

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Bexley History

C. C. Crabbe and Bexley’s First Patriotic Parade

by Local History Librarian David

Bexley’s “Uncle Sam,” Charles Carl “C. C.” Crabbe (1878-1969) held the first of his annual Flag Day Celebrations, “by accident.” It was Flag Day, June 14, 1953, when Crabbe, chatting with six neighborhood kids, realized they were unaware of the holiday. He gave each a miniature American Flag and taught them about Flag Day, established by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, to celebrate the birthday of the American Flag.

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Bexley History BPL News & Information

Tree Themed Reads for Arbor Day!

by Public Service Associate Juliana

This Friday, April 29th, marks the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day! The tree planter’s holiday is celebrated nationally and internationally and is particularly grand to us here locally. Bexley is a city that loves its trees. Among the 14,000 trees here, you’ll see various types including white oaks, scarlet oaks, shingle oaks, bur oaks, sugar maples, and red maples to name a few. The tree lined streets define this city. In fact, in 2013 Bexley was accredited as an arboretum, the first city in the U.S. to do so.

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Bexley History

Locating African Americans in Early Records

by Local History Librarian David

During Bexley Public Library’s March program, “Stories of African Americans in 19th Century Bexley,” I learned how different records identify African Americans. Then, while digging deeper into the life of Thomas Payton, discovered some of those records.

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Bexley History Programs

Celebrating 50 Years With Bexley’s Own Miss America 1972

by Local History Librarian David

Thousands lined the streets of Bexley for a 68-unit parade of marching bands, floats, bagpipes, and drill teams, reminiscent of the city’s annual Independence Day celebration. However, on this day, in mid October, royalty was celebrated. On the last float, cradling a bouquet of red roses in one arm and waving to the crowd with the other, sat Laurel “Laurie” Lea Schaefer, Bexley’s own Miss America 1972.

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