Rittman Historical Society

10/15/2026

The sun has continued to work its magic these last seven days. A short drive anywhere in Milton Township offers us vivid fall colors that fill our eyes with beauty and our hearts with a small pang, as we shuffle further from summer and closer to winter.

We're lucky to have both beautiful mature trees and the convenience of sidewalks and shops that make this small Ohio town beautiful most any day of the year.

We found ourselves wondering what it might have looked like all the way back in 1815, when William Doyle arrived in the wilderness that would eventually become our home.

According to a June 2, 1976, article in the Rittman Press, Doyle purchased 320 acres in what would become Milton Township, only to discover that a hunter and trapper named Isaac DeCourcey was already living on his land!

The two reached an agreement and became longtime friends. Doyle built his cabin nearby, helped establish the area's first school, and was instrumental in organizing Milton Township in 1818.

Interestingly, Doyle's ambitions didn't stop here. In 1827, he laid out a new village in neighboring Chippewa Township and named it Doylestown.

Progress would help us move the borders, raise houses, businesses, schools and churches. And while we were fortunate to become a city, we never lost our hometown feel.

History cannot, however, always predict the future.

In small towns across the country, we've watched villages and cities disappear from maps as communities combine, often driven by the need to share services and resources.

Lately, we saw a news story about Doylestown and Chippewa Township considering just such a change. This November, residents will vote on whether to establish a commission to study a possible merger.

Nearly 200 years after Doyle founded Doylestown, the boundaries of the community he helped create may once again be reconsidered.

And we wonder...

What would William Doyle think?

Would he see this as progress, much like the changes he helped bring to our little corner of Ohio? Or would he worry about losing the individual identities of the towns he worked so hard to establish?

Perhaps he'd remind us that a community is more than borders on a map. It's the neighbors, the familiar faces, the schools, churches, little shops and generations of families who proudly call it home.

As we enjoy another beautiful Ohio autumn, we're reminded that change is inevitable. Seasons change, trees grow older, and communities grow and evolve.

But some things are worth holding on to.

Because the greatest gift those early settlers left us wasn't simply the land. It was the roots they planted, the communities they built, and that wonderful feeling of belonging somewhere we call home.

10/09/2026

Thanks to everyone who came out for Haunted Rittman!

It was a spooky good time! Please come join us in November at the Rittman Library. We would love your help in planning the events for our coming 75th anniversary year!

10/08/2026

With the tap of a finger or the click of a mouse, we can find entertainment, conversation, and even something that feels a little like human companionship. In this age of artificial intelligence and social media, it's easy to feel connected to old friends and familiar faces from earlier chapters in the books of our lives.

But somewhere along the way, we've traded a little human familiarity for the bits and pieces we gather from the last few posts we've scrolled through.

And while it's a wonderful thing to keep up with friends who are no longer part of our everyday lives, the heart still has a way of longing for simpler times. Times when we noticed an empty pew at Sunday services and made a point to check on our neighbor. When friendships were tended with handwritten letters, greeting cards, front porch visits, and good old-fashioned get-togethers.

If you belong to a club these days, you probably know how difficult it can be to drum up membership or stir up interest in a community event. But once upon a time, little towns like ours were stitched together by clubs, churches, charities, and gatherings that gave folks a reason to put on their Sunday best and head out the door.

Back in the late 1930s, an interesting movement began out west, encouraging grandmothers to gather for friendship and fellowship through a newly formed organization called The Grandmothers Club.

By the early 1950s, the idea had made its way across the country, with several chapters right here in Wayne County, including one in our own little town of Rittman.

Their gatherings were filled with teas, light refreshments, crafts, charitable projects, and, one can imagine, a healthy helping of laughter and neighborhood news. Most importantly, they offered women who had spent years raising families a chance to fill their newly opened calendars with friendship, purpose, and a little fun of their own.

The Rittman Press documented the local club, including a bake sale the ladies were planning back in September of 1952. Oh, what I wouldn't give to peek into that kitchen and see what those grandmothers were whipping up!

There are certainly a few things about small-town life in days gone by that we're happy to leave in the past. But there are a million little things we wish we could tuck into our pockets and carry right back into the present.

And maybe this is one of them.

After all, what could be sweeter than a gathering of grandmothers, with a little extra time on their hands and a whole lot of love in their hearts, spreading their own special blend of sugar, spice, and everything nice throughout the community?

Sometimes, the best kind of social networking doesn't require a screen at all. Just a pot of coffee, an empty chair, and somebody glad to see you walk through the door.

10/04/2026

We're counting down the days! We hope you can join us for this free event!

No tickets or reservations needed!!!

Looking for a spoooooky goooood time??????

Join us next Thursday 10/08/26 for a free walk through Haunted Rittman!!!

No tickets or reservations required 🙂-we hope to see you there!

10/02/2026

Looking for a spoooooky goooood time??????

Join us next Thursday 10/08/26 for a free walk through Haunted Rittman!!!

No tickets or reservations required 🙂-we hope to see you there!

10/01/2026

It’s this time of year that you’ll probably hear the old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away….” After all, it is the season of yummy honey crisp apples, apple c***r, and all the spices that go with it.

That little rhyme has roots going back to the 1800s, when people relied much more on simple habits, common sense, and their community to help keep themselves healthy.

That’s what makes a small article in the October 1, 1925 Rittman Press so interesting.

The headline read, “Health Movies in Rittman Schools Friday Evening.”

Health Commissioner C. D. Barrett wrote to Superintendent V. A. Garver saying he would bring the movie machine, the films, and the operator. Rittman simply needed to provide the auditorium, “any white material” for a screen, and, as Barrett put it, “the crowd to fill it.”

The films covered public health, vaccination, and diphtheria, and Barrett planned to give short health talks between the pictures.

In the 1920s, these “health movies” were an important way to teach families how to prevent disease, long before television, the internet, or a quick search on your phone.

And back in the day, this need was very real. On that very same front page, the Rittman Press reported a case of infantile paralysis in nearby Chippewa Township, which Barrett personally investigated.

You can almost picture that October evening in Rittman: our families walking into the school, a white sheet stretched into a movie screen, the projector humming, clicking, and buzzing, and neighbors learning together how to keep their families healthy.

Maybe that’s the real lesson behind “an apple a day.”

Taking care of ourselves has always started with simple choices and of course and with communities, like this one, always willing to look out for one another.

09/27/2026

Seems like a great thing to do....

The Rittman schools are collecting donations to support our local veterans. All proceeds will be used to purchase gift cards for veterans in need for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are grateful for the opportunity to continue supporting our local veterans and their families during the holiday season. If you are able, please join in!

09/24/2026

Wow, the sleeping weather season is here as the crisp nights and humidity free blue sky days are upon us.

Soon we will hear the crunching of leaves under our feet as we tread the sidewalks and fill our lungs with the tasty fall air that is now settling here in our hometown.

We’ve talked before about how different life has become with the invention of things like the computer and the cell phone.

During the Pandemic, some of us leapt at the opportunity to have a “personal shopper” go to the grocery store, the pharmacy, and honestly just about anywhere, while we hunkered at home wondering about the coming days.

That trend is now part of our daily fashion, and it’s not unusual to see someone in our local store pushing around a giant cart filled with everything on the checklists of that now gainfully employed person running errands for others.

Here at the Rittman Historical Society, we work hard to try to remember everything. From a how things felt or smelled all the way to fashions and social trends that seem to resurface as the calendar looses its pages.

While having someone do your shopping feels like something new and helpful, the reality is that our local stores were always willing to help folks who can’t make it in by delivering items, and honestly, if we go back to the 1950’s the Rittman Press advertised for businesses in a way that made it easy for the busy housewife to dial three little numbers on their phones and schedule a delivery of groceries and other durable items.

We still use our phones for this, albeit in a different way.

But we argued then as we do now that having your things delivered, while convenient, doesn’t satisfy the warmth our hearts feels when we bump into you, our neighbor, at IGA, Bauman’s, or honestly anywhere around town.

It reminds us today that the only thing is constant in life, is change.

However, we’re glad to see, that while things may not be exactly the same, thankfully not everything changes in a small town.

Standing in line behind you, and talking with you about that four letter word s*n*o*w coming soon makes the world feel a little more comfortable and reminds us that we’re never in this alone.

And perhaps that’s what makes our little hometown so special.

No matter how much the world changes around us, there’s still something wonderful about living in a place where a quick trip to the store can turn into a visit with an old friend, and where a familiar smile can warm even the chilliest autumn day.”

09/20/2026

Soon we will celebrate our Diamond Jubilee Year!!

Are you looking for a great way to spend time with wonderful people & help preserve the past for decades to come?

Come see what we're all about and consider joining our society-the first year is free!