Hicksville Historical Society Ohio

09/15/2026

09/15/2026

We have a limited number of Hicksville Historical Society t-shirts available for purchase, designed by Limitless Creations by Kim & Kate. $20 each. Who doesn’t need a shirt featuring town founder A.P. Edgerton?

09/09/2026

KNOW YOUR HOME’S HISTORY

Whether your home is 100 years old or of a more recent vintage, records and stories from past owners can add meaning and character to your house.

Research property records at the Courthouse or local library. Talk with previous owners and longtime residents of the neighborhood. Search for old photographs, maps, newspaper articles, and other records that may help tell the story of your home.

Not only is this process interesting, but it can also be valuable. The history of individual homes helps document the growth and development of our neighborhoods and is an asset to the entire community.

At some point, having these histories on file may be instrumental in the formation of historic districts, preservation efforts, or grant-writing projects for improvements throughout the area.

To this end, the Historical Society, in partnership with the Village of Hicksville, encourages homeowners to complete and return the accompanying House History Form.

Completed forms will be kept by the Historical Society and made accessible to interested parties and future researchers.

Please provide as much information as you are able and return the form as directed.

Thank you for helping preserve the history of Hicksville—one home at a time!

09/09/2026

A wonderful glimpse into Hicksville’s history!

Thanks to the generosity of a Civil War historian in DeKalb County, we recently had the opportunity to view these remarkable photographs of Dr. Thomas Kinmont, an early Hicksville physician who also served as the village’s first mayor.

Also pictured are Thomas’s brothers and his wife, a Hicksville resident who holds her own important place in local history as the first woman to serve as head of the post office in Hicksville.

Photographs such as these help put faces to the names and stories that shaped our community. We are grateful for the opportunity to see these pieces of local history and especially thankful to their owner for sharing them with us.

08/28/2026

The Hicksville Historical Society would like to thank all those that have contributed to the St. Paul's Episcopal Church window restoration project. As you can see, the project is underway and we look forward to the windows being replaced prior to our annual Advent service the first Sunday in December!

Several photos are attached of pre-restoration and work being done at the church.

We appreciate everyone who has supported our fundraiser dinner, shave auction and quilt raffle as we do our part to preserve Hicksville's History.

The following is a list of contributors to our fundraising efforts directed toward the church restoration and general needs of the society.

Anita Siebenaler
Carol Weidenhamer
Catherine Mack
Crall Insurance Services
Defiance Area Foundation
Defiance County Historical Society – Auglaize Village
Delores Michael
Denny & Sheryl Vetter
Ed & Linda Foster
Eric and Ruth Ann Pierman
Eunice Giffhorn
Guilford Ltd : Leonard & Susan, Bruce & Debbie, Greg & Diane, Bret & Evie, and Brad
Hal Osmun
Hicksville Community Fund
Hicksville Family Eye Care
Hicksville FOE #2556
Hicksville Pharmacy & Home Medical
Hicksville Rotary Club Foundation
Jack and Barb Donley
James Siler
Janet Killian
Janice Kline, in memory of Brad Kline
Jim Schmidt Family of Dealerships
Jo and Alan Pearson
Joanne Gardiner
John & Penny Battershell
John Davis
John & Kathleen Smith, in memory of Mary Smith
Judy McCalla
Kathy Stotler – The Lilly Pad
Kristine Miller
Larry W. Brown
Lawrence Culler & Cheryl Culler
Luci Hilbert
Mary F. Slattery
Mary Kay Shimko
Peggy Vaughn
Peter Kennerk
Phyllis Osmun
Rick and Linda Straley
Robert & Jamie Carpenter
Stan and Wanda Stuckey
The Country Petals
The Hicksville Bank
The Rowan Family Fund
The Wholesale House
Tom & Zonya Battershell
& also our anonymous donors!

08/28/2026

HEADS UP - The Historical Society is participating in Ohio Open Doors on Saturday, September 12th. Our buildings - the Land Office and historic St. Paul’s Church, will be open from 10am - 1pm that day. Brought to you by the Ohio History Connection, Ohio Open Doors is a statewide event when local sponsors open their buildings and landmarks to the public. Free, as always. Join us in honoring the history, design, and stories of our historic places!
Learn more about Ohio Open Doors at ohiohistory.org/ood

08/10/2026

The Hicksville Historical Society is working on cataloging our treasures. This is a page from a 1926 Sanborn Map, created for fire insurance companies and used by Fire and Water departments. Notice the detailed descriptions of the buildings!

09/18/2025

Our work continues on St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Two coats of paint have been completed on the entire exterior. We are profoundly thankful for all the help!

• James Speiser loaned painting equipment, plus gave good advice, and gave a discount at the paint store. His guidance has been priceless!
• Erin Wann provided the crew with lunch and has made a generous donation to the society.
• Jaden Yoder and Kenny Blair for their lifts.
• John Battershell for paint price, sander, and discs.
•our work crew: Tom, Luke, Eric, and Roger

We will contine with a window repair tomorrow on the front (the circular window needs to be temporarily stabilized until we raise the funds for complete window refurbishment) and some chimney repair as well.

09/12/2025

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Historical Society members have been working hard this week to get our treasured St. Paul’s church repainted. Tomorrow’s job will be scraping and sanding. Anyone willing to help out is welcome. Bring a scraper. Work begins around 7am and continues throughout the morning.

09/05/2025

A shoebox was recently delivered to the Historical Society - a gift from some area folks. What was inside was an incredible collection of Native American artifacts. There are arrowheads and several types of tools. Also included in the box
were some books that help in identifying the stones.
And the best part is, these were all found right here in Hicksville, most likely within a block or two of our museum. Here's the story:

John Darnall and his wife recently moved to Bryan, Ohio. The arrowheads came from Susan Goldman who resided in the state of Oregon and knew the Darnalls. She gave them to John, along with a letter telling the history of the artifacts.
Susan's great grandfather David Arthur James (born in 1863) was a jeweler and married his wife Georgia Greenwood, born in 1874 in Hicksville, Ohio. They built a house somewhere on Main near High Street in the late 1800s to early 1900s. While digging the foundation of this house, they found these arrowheads.

Hopefully, further research will show us exactly where these were found.

Please plan to view this collection at the Land Office. Remember,we are open the first Wednesday of each month from 3 to 5 pm or by appointment.