Buckeye Lake Historical Society

02/22/2026

Hello History Friends and Followers
Looking at our page I see that it has been a while since I have posted. There are many reasons for that, and I will attempt to explain them all in the next few months. However, for this post I want to say goodbye to you all as your Director.
As of December 31, 2025, I have resigned my position. This is because of a lawsuit that the Ohio Attorney General and 5 groups in Buckeye Lake and the surrounding region began a hostile takeover of the Museum and to have me fired.
There was confusion that we closed but we never did. The Board and I hung (8 months of court, lawyers and lies) in there to fight the takeover and we succeeded in keeping this hostile group and the Ohio Attorney General from stealing the funds, artifacts and nonprofit status.
I was not so fortunate. The Ohio Attorney General required that I had to go, and I was no longer allowed to attend meetings, be near or in the Museum, be on the Board or anything associated with it. They also stripped me of my Life membership.
I want to thank everyone that supported me and the history of Buckeye Lake with years of volunteering, donations, and support of our unique history. My mother, Donna, began it all with a dream and love. She accomplished it and the doors opened in May of 1998. I carried it on for her till 2025.
The good news is that the Board has hired a new Director, Chad Doritan. Changes are being made, and the history of Buckeye Lake will continue. I hope you welcome Chad as he will bring fresh ideas and a new look. Your continued support is still very much needed.
Our precious sternwheeler, The Queen of the Lake III will be operating again as Board member and Buckeye Lake native Tom James takes over. It shall remain as a reminder of the glory days and new days to come.
I will always be a “Buckeye Lake gal” and remember all the wonderful years (70) of swimming, boating, playing at the park with friends. These things cannot be taken from me. My memories of my Mother and Father (Jim Braig) being community leaders their entire lives will always live on. My sister Beth and brother Robin made their mark as well. We were a Buckeye Lake Family. History will show that.
Your friend,
J-me

09/10/2025

Lots going on at the Buckeye Lake Musuem these days. We have added new members to our Board. Welcome to Monty Haynes, Tom James,Kitty Zwissler. Girard Besanceney & Laura Holtsberry. They join our current members of Luann Coperrider, Dani Nichols, Dave Lawerence and Marianne Perine. We are currently putting things in storage to be able to re-do our space in our building. Seaton Managment is renting us space in the back section. Lots of new and exciting ideas will be coming.
As always we need volunteers to help us. If you are interested please email J-me.
We are still in need of donations for many things so if you can go to our website and hit that donate button that would be wonderful. New members would be great as well.
Some area residents didn't like our new plans and have caused us several problems. However we are strong and have been for 27 years and will continue to do so.
Its going to be a wonderful change. After all that is what history is all about documenting changes in our lives and where we live.
Thanks to everyione that has supported us during these difficult times. Our future is with you. Ideas are welcome from all of you.

08/07/2025

History Followers and Friends, was thinking about our Amusement Park today and the rides.. They were so glorious and so much fun.
The Train ride at Kiddleland and look in the background it is our Fountain !! The Speedboat rides were the most popular. Everyone wanted to get on the water and feel the wind in their hair. Just like today. The Caterpiller Ride. So fast weavng it's way on the track. Share a memory or 2.

07/03/2025

Happy 4th History followers, I thought old memories of our past boat parades would be good. We had our boat parade was always on July 4th before the fireworks. It was nice as it was a build up before the fireworks. Lots of people watching.
We also had a night parade for a year or two. That was very cool.
For many years we had flares lite up completely around the lake. I thought made the lake look like it had a necklace around it.
That idea was the brain child of a lady from Harbor HIll name Leona Kerner in 1957. The Harbor HIlls Garden Club was formed and the lightening of the lake began. Local small groups sold the flares to put some money in their coffers. It was beautiful.
One year loyal member Frank Foster put our signature piece, the Rockership, on his barge. Wow! Mom Donna was the Grand Marshall in 2014.
Been doing the parade for many years wth many themes, boats and people. Always a good time but a heck of a long boat ride. LOL

06/11/2025

Hello History followers, With all the rain lately I found these 2 photos of our exit at I-70 with a condition that lastest many years. The Flooding of the interstae at Exit 129A, Buckeye Lake.
Wonder if the engineers of the interstate looked at their charts to see that they were running a new major highway through Swamp Land! Any way... probably some of us remember this or at least one of the floods.. Enjoy and how about your story or comment.

04/13/2025

Many of your know about how Monkey Island got it's name but some forget that there were many live animal exhibts at the Park. One season seals were brought in and you could feed them. Yes you guessed it. The seals all got loose ! Swam all over the lake, Boats trying to catch them. Quiet the scene. The story goes that the seals ate so many fish that they just floated on their backs waiting to be captured. No seals were harmed getting them all back. The Park never had the seal exhibit back again. 🦭

04/08/2025

Thanks-Thanks-Thanks to everyone that has shared their love and support these past trying weeks for the Historical Society and Musuem. Looking thru archives we found the orginal list of the founders, sponsers, and first Life Members in 1998 and those who donated time, materials money and just plain heart. So many names from our past.
We still need volunteers and donations and members even with our new look. Make history for you and others by contacting us to keep the love alive.

04/04/2025

April 4, 2025

Members, History Lovers and the Buckeye Lake Community:
It is with great happiness that I can announce that the Buckeye Lake Historical Society and Museum are not going to close.
The Board has been able to come up with a solution after many meetings, discussion and deliberation. We have listened to many of you, community stakeholders, and our members and have appreciated your input very much.
The Historical Society and Museum are going to downsize. We have sold our building to Seaton Properties, and they have offered to us to remain in the building, so we are not moving. We will continue to focus on our local history. The Board and Directors will be regrouping over the next few months to focus on how the museum can live on for years to come including modernizing the museum, bringing on additional Board members, and exploring alternative funding sources. We will also be assisting other area historical societies and museums in our region with some of their displays and artifacts spreading the history throughout so it will be available to many others.
This change will require help from volunteers both in the coming days and coming years. The museum began in 1994 run completely on volunteers. This path will continue in 2025. The effort to down size has already begun and we need your help to do so. If you would like to volunteer either in the immediate need or are interested in volunteering as a Board Member or ongoing volunteer please contact J-me. You can contact her at the museum at 740-929-1998 or email to [email protected]. to volunteer.

The Buckeye Lake Museum Board and your Director J-me

03/18/2025

History Followers and Friends, I was thinking about how news gets out. Like the game telephone, what starts out is completely different then what ends up. Here was "our " telephone" at the Park in the 1960's, Sue. She ran the Nickel Pitch. Her news was sometimes what we call today as fake news.
Updates soon on the transition of your Museum and Historical Society.
Oh yea the kid in the crate, recorded everything.

02/25/2025

Important message from Buckeye Lake Musuem!
To the wonderful members of the Buckeye Lake Museum.
Devoted Members, Faithful Volunteers and Friends, it is bittersweet to inform you that the Buckeye Lake Historical Society will be permanently closing effective February 28th, 2025. We sincerely appreciate your support for the past 26 years and the memories that we shared together.
The main reason we are closing is the active Volunteers and funding decreasing. We are completely funded by you the members, fundraisers, the tour boat and estate gifts left to the museum. Two thirds of US museums are underfunded, with most needing at least 10% more funding to stabilize. Even the Louvre in Paris has been scrambling for funds for years.
Over the 26 years the Buckeye Lake Museum has brought thousands of tourists to the Buckeye Lake area. We have organized numerous island tours, Cranberry bog tours and volunteer dinners and kept the museum doors open. Throughout the years the Museum has received very little support from the Buckeye Lake Village Administration, The Buckeye Lake Chamber of Commerce or Licking County Convention Bureau to name a few.
After much consideration, The Buckeye Lake Historical Society Board voted to close the museum at the February Board meeting. Currently the Board is following legal guidelines for the closing of a 501C3 non-profit.
There currently is a museum committee working to determine how to address the museum artifacts. If possible, they will be returned to the original donor or relocated to other museums in the Buckeye Lake region.
While we are working through this process, I highly recommend that you only follow the Museum website and Facebook posts. Do not listen to ideal gossip or untruths about the closing.
Please feel free to contact me by email, or any of the museum board members if you have any questions or concerns.
www.buckeyelakehistory.org
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Warmly, J-me
cc. Buckeye Lake Historical Society Museum Board

Devoted Members, Faithful Volunteers and Friends, it is bittersweet to inform you that the Buckeye Lake Historical Society will be permanently closing effective February 28th, 2025.  We sincerely appreciate your support for the past 26 years and the memories that we shared together.  The main reas...

11/03/2024

Hello History Followers and Friends,
Hate to do this but your Musuem has had to postpone the BINGO event at Eagles for Thursday November 7. It is rescheduled for a date in Jan of 2025. We had such great response to this fundraiser and hope that carries through until the new year.
Thanks to The Eagles for working with us to postone- special shout out to Steph and Diedra.-.
Peace out ....and don't forget to Vote.

10/18/2024

Followers, My tech savy ways have me stumped and I can't get the 7th Eposide of BodyTalk to load to my site, soooo here is the link to "Forest Rose, Local Legend and Life Saver" https://youtu.be/_kZ79q0Wd2w Just click on that. Hope you like it. For our other podcasts type in, -Museum.

We left Licking County to venture to Fairfield County to tell the famous story of Forest Rose and the Indian battle that took place on the top of Rising Park...