Our Shared History web site

The web site "Our Shared History: Delaware, Methodism, and Ohio Wesleyan University" is now live. The site is a collaborative project between Ohio Wesleyan University and the Delaware County Historical Society.

In October of 2008, an LSTA Grant (Library Services and Technology Act) was awarded to the Ohio Wesleyan University Libraries to tell the interrelated story of the city of Delaware, the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Ohio Wesleyan University. OWU librarians and volunteers from the Delaware County Historical Society selected, digitized, and described over 3,000 images. Items scanned include manuscripts, photographs, published and unpublished histories, letters, postcards, newspaper and periodical articles, artifacts, and scrapbooks. In January of 2010, the site was named by the State Library of Ohio as one of four LSTA "exemplary projects" for fiscal year 2009.

The Methodist Episcopal materials scanned for the project come from the Archives of Ohio United Methodism collection, housed in the Beeghly Library Special Collections Department. The Ohio Wesleyan materials come from the Ohio Wesleyan University Historical Collection, also housed in Special Collections. The Delaware materials come from the Delaware County Historical Society Library.

Included in the web site are the following overview histories of Methodist Episcopal history in Ohio:

Backgrounds of Methodism in Ohio, byThomas D. Graham
History of Ohio Methodism (chapter 3), by John Marshall Barker
One Hundred Years of Methodism in Ohio, by Richard Taylor Stevenson
Pictures of Early Methodism in Ohio (chapter 2), by Samuel Wesley Williams
Pictures of Early Methodism in Ohio (chapter 3) ,by Samuel Wesley Williams
"The Methodist Episcopal Church", article from Matthew Simpson's Cyclopaedia of Methodism
"First Centennial of Ohio Methodism"I, from Western Christian Advocate, 1898
"First Centennial of Ohio Methodism" II, from Western Christian Advocate, 1898

The following Methodist Episcopal materials can be found on the site:

Memoirs of more than 50 Methodist Episcopal clergy who served Ohio Wesleyan in some capacity -- professors, presidents, examiners, trustees -- e.g. Rev. Adam Poe, Rev. Charles Elliott, Rev. Edward Thomson, Rev. Frederick Merrick
Hand-written and published minutes of the Ohio and North Ohio Methodist Episcopal conferences -- sections pertaining to the founding and progress of OWU
Local church histories for current and historic Methodist churches in the city of Delaware -- William Street UMC, Grace UMC, Asbury UMC, St. Paul's Methodist, Stratford Methodist, Stratford St. Paul's UMC, Faith MEC, German MEC, and Zion A.M.E. (African Methodist Episcopal
Articles from the Western Christian Advocate, Methodist Episcopal newspaper of record for the Ohio geographic area during the 19th century -- Subjects include the Methodist Episcopal educational renaissance, Augusta College, the founding of OWU, faculty and presidents, fund raising for OWU endowments and buildings, commencement reports, etc.

Also of interest to UMHSO members:

"The Methodist Historical Society of Ohio: Sharing 150 years of history with Ohio Wesleyan", by Susan Cohen
"The Methodist historical collection", from OWU Magazine, 1936
"Methodist history reflected in relics at Ohio Wesleyan", from Columbus Dispatch, 1936
"A touch of UM history", from West Ohio News, 2003