GREENE COUNTY — Greene County is celebrating America’s 250th birthday with a unique adventure, the Greene County Heritage Trail.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The initiative encourages residents and visitors to explore the county’s history.
The Greene County Convention and Visitors Bureau teamed up with the Greene County Archives to create the trail. It features 50 historical sites for people to explore.
Individuals can use either a paper or digital passport to navigate the various locations and answer questions about each stop.
TRENDING STORIES:
- 86-year-old man dies after crash on I-75 in Shelby County
- Local village cancels fireworks ‘due to technicalities’
- Woman injured after being shot in Dayton neighborhood, police say
The Greene County Archives, located on Ledbetter Road in Xenia, Ohio, serves as a repository for significant county history, housing maps, diagrams and books.
Among its holdings, the archives contain documents about African American genealogy, including records of individuals freed legally from enslavement or those who purchased their freedom and moved to Greene County.
“This record is one of the most valuable records we have here at the archive,” McKinley said.
Additionally, there are land records dating back 250 years, some of which relate to the Revolutionary War.
“The promise is – if you serve in the Revolutionary War, you would be paid in land – in the Virginia Military Survey District,” McKinley said.
The archives also hold original paperwork for the courthouse, dated Oct. 11, 1989.
Jen Haney Conover, an organizer of the initiative, expressed enthusiasm for the project.
“We’re really excited about this initiative and getting people to learn about Greene County’s history,” Conover said.
To be eligible for prizes, participants must visit 25 of the historical sites.
“Once you’re done with the 25 sites, let us know you’re done, and you get a coin – and even when you’re done – and maybe you don’t get a coin, you’re eligible for a prize,” Conover said.
The deadline for completing the Greene County Heritage Trail for prizes is Sept. 30.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
