New Haven History League kicking off it 2025 membership campaign

NEW HAVEN - The New Haven Ohio History League is kicking off it 2025 membershipcampaign, seeking renewals and new members interested in Firelands history and anxious tobe involved in the League's activities. The League was established in 2019 for the purposes of collecting, interpreting, preserving, and sharing the rich history of the Village of New Haven and surrounding New Haven Township in southern Huron County. Its activities include headstone restorations at the Township's oldest cemeteries, displays of local artifacts, and soon will be introducing its museum and meeting spaces at the recently renovated Odd Fellows Lodge built in 1850. While today the Village is a small, close-knit, bedroom community, it was the very center ofcommercial activity in the decades following its establishment in the early years of the 19thcentury. Platted in 1815, New Haven was one of the first settlements on the newly created "FireLands" frontier and it's location on the main road leading to the shipping ports of Lake Eriemade it a thriving community of several hundreds catering to long wagon trains of grain andother goods streaming north through its main street. The Village had many mercantile establishments, a tannery, foundry, shoemakers, taverns and a whole host of economic activity catering to the flood of travelers and freight haulers. New Haven was the primary destination for goods and supplies for many miles around. Unfortunately, in 1844, it's citizens decided not to contribute funds to the construction of the new railroad and the Village was passed by. It had lost it's gateway to the future of America. Soon, as trains, the "iron horses" overtook the movement of freight, New Haven went into decline. New Haven's storied past is well documented in biographies and books telling of the settlementand growth of the Firelands region. Our goal is to bring that unique story to the world and sharethe life and times of its early settlers who braved a wild and difficult existence on the Americanfrontier. Swamps, impassible forests, rattle snakes, disease and hostile Native Americans werejust a few of the daily challenges for the brave men, women and children who dared venturewest. We are their descendants. The New Haven Ohio History League is a 501(c)(3) non-profitpublic charity, tax ID #99-0458742, and donations, either cash or in-kind, including yourmembership donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Individual membershipsare $30 and $45 for families. The League, with paid memberships of more than 70, is headed by New Haven's own BarbBabcock and Karen Coffey Wilson with the support of individuals with deep roots in theTownship's history. If you would like to join or have any questions about the Leagues activitiesyou are welcome to call Barb 567-224-4847 and visit them on Facebook, or by emailbbabcock@newhavenohiohistory.org.