Meeting Information and Programs

The Brownhelm Historical Association holds meetings the first Wednesday of each month beginning in February, March, April, May and June; off July and August; resume September, October, November, and December.
Meetings are held at the Historic Brownhelm School and Museum at 1950 North Ridge Road, Vermilion.
Note: the December Christmas Meeting is held at the Brownhelm Heritage Museum (formerly the German Evangelical and Reformed Church) at  1355 Claus Road, Vermilion.
Doors open at 6:15pm for those who wish to attend the business meeting from 6:30-6:45pm. Those wishing to only attend the program should arrive between 6:45-7:00pm for refreshments and socializing. Programs start at 7:00pm.

2026 Calendar

BHA April Membership Meeting & Program

Program: Along the Funeral Train Route: African Americans’ Reactions to Lincoln’s Assassination
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2025 
Times: Doors open 6:15 p.m. Business meeting 6:30-6:45 p.m. Refreshments & Program 7:00 p.m.
Location: Brownhelm School, 1950 North Ridge Road
Program Description: With the itinerary set, Lincoln’s funeral train began a circuitous trek of 1,700 miles from Washington to Springfield, Illinois. Before reaching its destination, the train stopped in several cities to allow mourners to view the body of the slain president. African Americans turned out at every stop to pay tribute to the man whom they regarded as their friend, emancipator, and benefactor. For an elderly black woman of Philadelphia, it was worth the wait to gaze for a moment at the body. As she approached the catafalque to say goodbye, tears covered “her withered cheeks.” She cried, “Oh, Abraham Lincoln; Oh! He is dead; he is dead.” Black people were convinced that the “Sage of Springfield” would have approved of their participation.
Join associate professor emeritus Leonne M. Hudson of Kent State University for this in depth look at Americans’ reactions to the death of our 16th President at the end of the Civil War in 1865.

BHA May Membership Meeting & Program

Program: The Story Of Ohio’s Canals: An Engineering Endeavor That Can Still Be Traced In Ohio’s Landscape
Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2025 
Times: Doors open 6:15 p.m. Business meeting 6:30-6:45 p.m. Refreshments & Program 7:00 p.m.
Location: Brownhelm School, 1950 North Ridge Road
Program Description: Beginning in 1825, Ohio began constructing its canal system that eventually included nearly a thousand miles of channel and towpaths laced with stone locks and culverts, aqueducts, feeder lakes and slack water ponds. These canals opened up Ohio to world commerce allowing the export of surplus grains and manufactured goods and the import of items made in New York, London and Paris. Ohio’s canals linked the Great Lakes with the Ohio River and Ohio towns with markets in Chicago, Buffalo, and New York City and Pittsburg, St, Louis and New Orleans. Canal builders negotiated Ohio’s diverse landscape as they traversed glacial moraines and the Allegheny Plateau. The ‘big ditch’ stitched the settlements of Ohio’s wilderness together and helped make it a player on the world’s stage.
Presented by Tom O’Grady, current professor of Astronomy at Ohio University and lifetime Ohio history student and guru on many subjects throughout our Buckeye State.

Past Programs  

Program: A Tale of Two Torpedoes: The Sinking of the German Battleship Bismarck (click here to watch presentation)
The German battleship Bismarck was one of the deadliest ships afloat at the beginning of World War II. The story of the nine-day chase and destruction of the Bismarck was full of so many twists and turns that it could have been written by Hollywood. Watch the presentation to hear the saga of the Bismarck and learn how the epic story hinged on two torpedoes, one British and one German.
About the Speaker: Eric Rivet is the Chief Curator at the Western Reserve Historical Society.

Program: 11th Hour, 11th Day, 11th Month: The Last Day of World War I (click here to watch presentation)
After four long years of bloodshed, World War I ground to a halt on the morning of November 11, 1918. Although both sides knew an armistice had been signed, the Allies continued their attacks right up to the last minute, wasting thousands of lives in the process. Join Eric Rivet for a discussion of the last day of “the War to End War” and learn about some of the men who gave their lives on the war’s last day.
About the Speaker: Eric Rivet is the Chief Curator at the Western Reserve Historical Society.

Program: Rutherford B. Hayes: Soldier-Statesman (click here to watch presentation)
Rutherford B. Hayes first rose to national prominence as the Colonel of the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which included Brownhelm natives Frederick Bacon, Thomas Wells, and Cyrus Whittlesey. He transitioned to politics after the war and rose quickly from Congressman to Ohio Governor to the 19th President of the United States after one of the most contentious elections in the country's history. Join Eric Rivet for a discussion about Hayes's life and accomplishments.
About the Speaker: Eric Rivet is the Chief Curator at the Western Reserve Historical Society.

Program: Shipwrecks of Lake Erie (click here to watch presentation)
Although Lake Erie’s shores are havens for beach goers and fishermen, Lake Erie has one of the highest concentrations of shipwrecks in the world. It is estimated that more than 2,000 vessels rest on the bottom of the lake. Join us for a program about the shipwrecks of Lake Erie, including some just off Vermilion’s shore!
About the Speaker: John May is the Executive Director of the Maritime Museum of Sandusky.

Program: Historical Program: The Curious Case of Dr. Sam Sheppard (click here to watch presentation)
In the summer of 1954, Dr. Sam Sheppard was arrested for the murder of his wife, but as the world would soon find out, there was much more to this case than met the eye. Did Dr. Sheppard murder his wife? If he didn’t, who did? Join Cleveland History Center Public Programs Manager Whitney Stalnaker for an overview of this perplexing unsolved mystery that has haunted Cleveland for 67 years.
About the Speaker: Whitney Stalnaker is the Public Programs Manager at the Cleveland History Center.

Program: Elijah Hayden and Ohio’s 8th Volunteer Infantry Regiment (click here to watch presentation)
On July 3rd, 1863, the fate of the United States hung in the balance at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia threw more than 12,000 men at the center of the Union
Army of the Potomac in a desperate assault that might force the North to sue for peace. Standing in their way were the 160 men of the 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and their actions that day were truly remarkable. Join Eric Rivet to learn about the 8th Ohio’s service at Gettysburg and the pivotal contributions of Elijah Hayden, a young lieutenant from Elyria.
About the Speaker: Eric Rivet is the Chief Curator at the Western Reserve Historical Society.