Worthington Historical Society

05/29/2026

Worthington has been celebrating the Fourth of July in style for generations — and we want to showcase YOUR memories!

Share your Fourth photos from past years to help create an America 250 in Worthington display for July 4 at the McConnell Arts Center.

Send submissions to [email protected].

05/27/2026

100 Years Ago Today....May 27, 1926

The cover of the Worthington News featured several pictures highlighting the Methodist Children's Home which opened in Worthington in 1912. The story included a history of the site as well as described the mission.

One of the photographs captured the 1895 Pinney home. Family history noted that James D. Pinney lent the Methodist Children's home $1000 for a down payment to buy the 144 acre Pinney farm in 1911. The Methodists moved into the Pinney's three story frame house with 14 children. This was their only home until 1919 when they build the first cottage. More than 700 children had passed through the home by 1926 with many more to follow.

To read the full article visit: https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll97/id/757/rec/2

05/26/2026

Join us!

Join the Society tomorrow, Wednesday May 27th at 10 am for a tour of the Orange Johnson House. To reserve your space, visit worthingtonhistory.org

05/26/2026

Then & Now - 1976 to 2026

Long before the current home stood here, this corner was the location of Worthington’s original Methodist Church, shown on the 1856 map when South Street was still called Olive Street. The congregation worshipped here until 1864, when the new church opened on High Street.

After the church moved, the lot sat vacant for several decades. In 1866, the Methodist trustees sold the land to John Hubbard for $100. By 1880, Hubbard sold the property — along with the rest of Lots 155 and 156 — to Virginia Strohm, again for $100.

The house we see today likely dates to the early 1900s. A 1976 Ohio Historic Inventory suggested a build date around 1910, possibly constructed during the ownership of Lucy Ault or Ervin Fitz, who acquired the property in 1915. A major rear addition in 1974 “handsomely rejuvenated” the home.

Throughout the 20th century, the house passed through many hands. Newspaper clippings show the home popping up in community life, from garden contests to local classifieds describing the property when it was up for sale.

In 1976, for the U.S. Bicentennial celebration, a series of photographs were taken around Worthington, including businesses and residences. Throughout 2026, this series will take a look at what has changed and what has stayed the same, as we celebrate America 250!

05/22/2026

For the next two weeks, the "Sheep Pastures to Progress" installation has made its way to the corner of High Street and Worthington Galena Road.

The land where the Worthington Fire Department now stands began not as a civic site, but as farmland. Originally part of the Scioto Company farm lots laid out in 1803, the area sat just beyond the early boundaries of Worthington, which ended at North Street. James Kilbourn was the initial owner of farm lots 30 and 31.

By the mid‑1800s, the property was owned and actively farmed by Jonas Harvey Hammond. Hammond’s farm was a classic example of a mixed agricultural operation of its era. According to agricultural census records, he kept 4 horses, 3 “milch” cows, 14 cattle, 12 sheep, and produced 35 pounds of wool, along with potatoes, maple sugar, butter, cheese, corn, oats and other agricultural goods.

In 1919–1920, the farm entered a new chapter when Charles and Myrtle Myers purchased six acres, including an old brick house they called “Point Comfy”. The Myers family farmed the land intensively, raising alfalfa, strawberries, hogs, cows, and nearly 1,000 chickens. Their daughter, Mary Myers Uncapher, later described long days of berry picking, butchering, butter churning, and tending livestock, painting a vivid picture of a working early‑20th‑century farm on what is now a busy civic corridor.

The property remained agricultural until the mid‑20th century, when Worthington began to expand. Beginning in the 1960s a Volkswagen dealership occupied the site. In 1989, the most recent transformation happened when Sharon Township Fire Department, outgrowing its High Street station just north of the Village Green, purchased the site. Construction began in 1991, and the new Worthington Fire Department opened in July 1992.

As part of America's 250th anniversary celebrations, 29 Worthington community organizations, artists, schools, and cultural groups each designed a painted sheep silhouette that reflects their own identity and spirit, turning Worthington into a walkable gallery that connects our agricultural roots to the vibrant community we are today.

05/20/2026

100 Years Ago Today....May 20th, 1926

Thursday, May 20th marked the final day of school for students at the original Slate Hill School one hundred years ago. The school, part of the Sharon Township Schools, once stood at 7861 Flint Road—now a private residence. The first building on the site was constructed sometime after 1839, later replaced in the late 1800s by a two-room schoolhouse. Portions of that structure were eventually incorporated into the home that stands there today.

Slate Hill School took its name from the gray shale common in the area. In 1992 it was recalled by Natalie Fenstermaker, "It had two rooms, with first through fourth grade on the right, fifth through eighth grade on the left and a large cloak room across the back of the building....There was a bucket at the front entrance way and we all drank out of the same dipper."

Its final year of operation was 1926–1927; the following year, Flint School opened just up the road to serve local students. Fenstermaker noted that the pupils helped with the move: "They loaded all our books in wheelbarrows, and the bigger kids pushed everything up the street and we all followed them. The Slate Hill School was in good condition but we had outgrown it, I guess."

Decades later, in 1991, Worthington Schools opened the modern Slate Hill Elementary School, carrying forward the name and honoring this early chapter of Worthington’s educational history.

05/18/2026

Lots of new antiques and consignment at the Shop at the Old Rectory. Stop in this week!

Shop & Doll Museum Hours:
Wednesday-Friday, 1-4 pm
Saturday, 10 am-2 pm

05/18/2026

Then & Now - 1976 to 2026

This home at 93 West Granville Road traces its origins to the late 1800s, when the original brick structure—likely a modest one‑and‑a‑half‑story dwelling—was built, possibly for widow Nancy Bishop.

By 1899, the property had been purchased by Harry Leasure, a trained pharmacist who studied at Ohio Northern University before settling in Worthington. Leasure owned and operated Leasure’s Drug Store for more than forty years, and he lived in the Granville Road home for much of that same period. During his ownership, the house underwent a major transformation: a full second story was added, and modern amenities such as indoor plumbing and a bathroom were likely introduced.

In the latter half of the 20th century, the home became part of the Heckendorn family’s story, remaining in their care for four decades, including when this 1976 photo was taken.

In 1976, for the U.S. Bicentennial celebration, a series of photographs were taken around Worthington, including businesses and residences. Throughout 2026, this series will take a look at what has changed and what has stayed the same, as we celebrate America 250!

05/14/2026

Your likes, comments, and shares spark conversations. Join the Worthington Historical Society and help keep this work going strong!

🔗worthingtonhistory.org/whs-membership

05/13/2026

100 Years Ago Today....May 13, 1926

A century ago, the Worthington News contained a front page story about neighboring Dublin's upcoming dedication of the O'Shaughnessy Dam. The article detailed that "A few brief facts, in regard to this gigantic structure, which stands as a silent memorial to the late Jerry O’Shaughnessy, former city superintendent of the Columbus waterworks, are given here: The contract for the building of the dam was let by city officials to Thompson-Starrett Co. June 6, 1922, and the work finished in June, 1925. The dam which was constructed to provide an adequate water supply for Columbus also provides ample flood protection.

Some of the statistics about the damn reported included
-The total length of the dam (concrete) is 1,505 feet;
-Total length of spillway 879 ft.;
-Maximum depth of water 69 ft.;
-Average depth of water 25 ft.
-Cost of road construction (mile) $27,700;
-Million gallons available storage 5,200
-Structural steel 500,000 lbs.
-Land 1170 acres
-Water surface 820 acres
-Length of reservoir 7.5 miles
-Contract price $2,200,000
-Cubic yards of concrete 82,030
-Cost per acre (land purchased) $237.00

The program details followed, including mention that the "Aero Club will fly in formation over the Dam and scatter flowers on the waters of the Scioto."

Overt 2000 people attended the dedication the following Saturday, May 15th, 1926. To read more visit: https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll97/id/535/rec/1