XENIA — Greene County History Week will be celebrated at the next chamber Women in Business Luncheon.
Robin Heise, Greene County archivist, will be the guest speaker.
As the archivist for Greene County, Heise is responsible for preserving and making accessible Greene Counties’ public records. Old dusty records that many believe are not important really can have an impact on lives. These records include: early birth and death registers; marriages, wills, estates, land and tax records; commissioners’ journals; and criminal and civil court records. All of these documents record official Greene County business and some aspect of history. The county records that are preserved by the Greene County Archives document the legal rights of the people, provide for government accountability, tell the story of the community and provide all Greene County residents with a common sense of identity.
Each local historical society, organization, structure, and archival repository in Greene County preserves some piece of the county’s history. Greene County History Week provides an opportunity to bring together the diverse collections and records of the county to show a more complete history. Alone, these organizations hold the individual quilt squares of the collective county history, but by collaborating with each other, residents can see the entire historical quilt. Old places, buildings, and records contribute to people’s sense of who they are, where they came from and their current place in the world. These artifacts and records preserved throughout the county not only tell the story of Greene County residents who came before us, but also provide the public with a sense of continuity, identity and our cultural heritage.
Greene County History Week was established in 2016 to provide an opportunity for all of the area historical societies, organizations, and repositories to collaborate and share various collections and artifacts that illustrate the county’s rich and diverse history.
History week is June 16-22. The WIB lunch is 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, June 20 at the Carriage House, 74 W. Church Street. The cost is $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Tours will be given before and after Heise speaks.
