Finding aid for the Athens County Pioneer Association Collection

History of Pioneer Association of Athens County

The Pioneer Association of Athens County was formed in Athens, Ohio on December 26, 1868. The object of this association was to "gather together and preserve reminiscences, statistics, or other information connected with the settlements and history of our town, (Athens) county, and the southern part of Ohio previous to the year 1820." The Pioneer Association maintained a policy of preserving and recollecting special historical events in Ohio and surrounding areas. The association served the purpose of recording a large part of the history of Athens and Athens County. (See Box 1, Folder 17) Among the association's members were prominent merchants, lawyers, and/or political figures in the Athens area during the latter half of the 19th century. A list of members can be obtained by referring to either the Centennial Contribution of the Pioneer Association (Folder 2) or the History of Hocking Valley, Ohio pages 210-219. It's not exactly clear when the association disbanded, however, 1886 has been proposed as a possibility. The History of Hocking Valley, Ohio provides, perhaps, the most comprehensive, detailed sketch of the association's activities.

Scope and Content

This collection contains materials covering a 42 year period (1841-1883). The majority of the contents are correspondence and/or letters written to or by Archibald B. Walker. Walker was the recording secretary for the association from its organization in 1868 until his death in 1886. The correspondence deals mainly with the dispute over the location of the first public library in the Northwest Territory, activities of the association, and information regarding the formation of the association. Mr. Walker prepared biographical sketches of several Athenians that are also contained in the collection. "In Memoriam," contains a chronological account of the deaths of 23 association members. This ledger contains biographical information on most of these individuals. Also authored by Walker is the "Centennial Contribution of the Pioneer Association of Athens County," which contains various types of historical information. Included in this ledger is information concerning Athens County and the surrounding areas, historical information on other states of the Union, and information that would be pertinent to colonial and/or pioneer days in the United States. A table of contents is located in the index of the ledger; there is a copy of this table in Folder 2. Other items contained in the collection are a facsimile of the Ulster County Gazette (New York), January 4, 1800; newspaper articles concerning the first public library in the Northwest Territory, 1875-1879 (all articles from the Cincinnati Gazette); a letter regarding the first books purchased for the Ames Library (1879); and other historical/social information concerning Athens.

Statement of Arrangement

Subject Terms

The following terms have been used to describe this collection.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

Researchers are requested to cite collection name, collection number, and Ohio University, Athens, Ohio in all footnotes and bibliographical references.

Other Finding Aid

A paper copy of the folder list is available.