[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17372]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO THE VAN WERT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY ON THE 
                    OCCASION OF ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. PAUL E. GILLMOR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 2004

  Mr. GILLMOR. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay special 
tribute to the Van Wert County Historical Society on the occasion of 
its fiftieth anniversary.
  The Van Wert County Historical Society was born of the desire to 
preserve the history of a great county within the Fifth Congressional 
District of Ohio. The idea for a historical society first surfaced 
during Ohio's sesquicentennial in 1953. From overwhelming requests, 
members of the Van Wert Sesquicentennial Committee founded the 
Historical Society in 1954. While the Society was slow to start, a 
meeting on September 18, 1955, changed the course of history for the 
group. William Fosnaught, a local attorney and schoolteacher, presented 
the deed to a mansion which was donated to house the museum.
  Since the 1955 donation of a mansion to the Historical Society, the 
group has expanded its grounds by adding a gazebo, barn, and log house, 
one-room schoolhouse, Conrail caboose and the annex building. In 
addition, the Historical Society boasts the only gazebo to be listed on 
the National Register of Historical Sites.
  Mr. Speaker, what makes the Van Wert County Historical Society unique 
is that the mansion holds artifacts that represent the vast history of 
Van Wert County.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying special tribute 
to the Van Wert County Historical Society. Our communities are served 
well by having these societies to narrate history to future 
generations. However, it is the generous donations of artifacts and the 
volunteering of time by the people of Van Wert County which make the 
Historical Society a success. On behalf of the people of the Fifth 
District of Ohio, I am proud to recognize this great achievement.

                          ____________________