The mission of the Delhi Historical Society is to
discover, preserve, and share
the history of Delhi Township and its NEIGHBORING areas.
SUCCESS STORIES-
"I Found My Grandmother"
Connie called Delhi Historical Society seeking information about two families that have been in Delhi Township for generations. Her daughter was turning fifty in a couple of weeks and she wanted to give her daughter a family history as a gift. We invited her to visit our Research Center.
Connie arrived with papers, pencils, and questions. A volunteer briefly explained our holdings and resources. Then, they starting finding answers to Connie's questions. The volunteer produced two large folders from our Family Files. Moments later, while sitting at a table perusing the contents of one folder, Connie said softly, "I've been here two minutes and I've already found my grandmother."
At that moment, the mission of the Delhi Historical Society was accomplished.
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“Unknown Heroes”
A Delhi Historical Society researcher noticed a Facebook posting by the Delhi Township Veteran’s Association announcing their upcoming event to honor Delhi residents who had been Killed in Action (KIA) while serving in the military. The Veteran's Association maintains a file of biographies of all Delhi veterans who died in military service to our country. In one of those remarkable coincidences of life, she recognized one of the veteran’s names from her father’s WWII letters to home. When she shared her father's letters with the Delhi Veteran’s Association she learned that four of the Delhi’s KIA's to be honored had no biography in the Delhi Veterans archives. The only thing known about each was their name and that they once lived in Delhi.
Our researcher got to work using resources available at the DHS research center and the skills she learned there. Over the next few days she was able to provide a detailed biography of each of those four men whose stories had been lost. Those stories include their military records, dates of birth and death, their Delhi address, the schools they attended, and even photos of three of these previously “unknown” heroes.
The story of a fifth man was so compelling it was shared by the Delhi Township Veteran's Association at their Memorial Day remembrance service. One of the four KIA service members had a brother who was taken prisoner by the Japanese in 1942. That imprisoned brother survived two years in Japanese POW camps only to be killed when the Japanese prisoner transport ship he was on was torpedoed by the US Navy who mistook it for a Japanese war ship. The researcher learned the tragic truth that the two brothers died just five days apart on December 15th and 20th, 1944.
Due to the efforts of the DHS researcher all five men, including the previously unknown brother, were honored at the Delhi Veteran’s Association Memorial Day service. A new engraved memorial brick was installed to honor the previously "unknown hero," at the Delhi Township Wall of Honor Monument on Neeb Road. The story of the lives, and sacrifices, of each of these heroes is available to all through the Delhi Township Veterans Association.
Thanks to the Delhi Historical Society, these men who died in service to our nation are now remembered and honored.
Read the full story here: Unknown Heroes.
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We Serve Our Community This short video shows how we serve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI6R4ZU2hYw
The Delhi Historical Society museum has exhibits and displays which tell the story of Delhi and its neighboring areas in an engaging way. Alex, a ten year old boy, visited our Farmhouse Museum with his aunt. In her words, he was “gobsmacked” when he discovered in our kitchen exhibit a 1920s toaster which uses no electricity. Learning how life was different a century ago connected Alex to his past in a real, tangible way.
The Society’s Research Center is a community resource where people can discover their ancestors and heritage. Connie found that out when she learned her family’s history (see “I Found My Grandmother,” above).
The Society sponsors programs which make history come alive. Just one example is “A Night With Cincinnati Chili Royalty,” program. Cincinnati style chili, the beloved comfort food of our home town, was invented in 1922. To celebrate that momentous event, the Delhi Historical Society hosted members of the three families who created, popularized, and continue to serve the chili we love. Held in the beautiful auditorium of the Mount Saint Joseph University, this informal panel of Johnny Karadjieff (Empress Chili); Joseph Lambrinides, II (Skyline Chili); and Roger Daoud (Gold Star Chili); share family stories, photos, and their insights into Cincinnati Chili. More than 350 people attended this free, once-in-a-lifetime event. You can witness the event today by watching this video which preserves it for posterity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njfRVEl0L-0&t=690s.
When a community understands its roots, where it comes from, it will have a solid understanding of how to build its future. When members of a community know their history, their own story, it builds a strong, thriving community. Our common histories connect us to each other, tying us all together. Successful historical societies are a vital part of a healthy, stable community. The Delhi Historical Society succeeds in its mission when you support us!
The DHS is a guardian of local history, preserving the stories from the past for the future. We do this when we accept artifacts and photographs into our collections. We protect and preserve the collections adhering to professional standards of the museum field. Research and organization of the collections allows us to understand where we all fit in the story. We share the past with our neighbors and friends through our quarterly newsletter, public programs, and when we simply answer questions posed to us via email or telephone.
You can keep this important work alive. Your support will help to maintain our historic Farmhouse Museum & Research Center. Your support can provide the proper supplies to protect, preserve, and store the treasures entrusted to us by members of the community. When you give to the Delhi Historical Society, you are opening doors to the past for family members, neighbors, and our entire community.
Please START YOUR SUPPORT NOW with a generous donation. The Delhi Historical Society is a 501-(c)3 non-profit organization, as approved by the IRS since 1977.
We have a number of specific projects which you may be interested in supporting, from replacing old fluorescent lights with energy-saving and archivally-safe LED lights to restoring our historic greenhouse. Contact Alan March at amarch@delhihistoricalsociety.org to learn about these and many other projects, and how you can help with them.
Support for the Delhi Historical Society in 2021-2022 was provided, in part, by Ohio Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Federal American Rescue Plan of 2021.
