Award-Winning GSV Society Winter Lecture Series Begins February 5th
The Great Stone Viaduct Historical Education Society will inform and entertainment with its 8th Annual Winter Lecture Series, offering eight historical presentations that are free and open to the public. The series, which begins February 5th and concludes on March 25, has grown in popularity. The lecture series earned the Great Stone Viaduct Historical Education Society an Award for Education and Public Awareness in 2017 from the Ohio History Connection. This year’s topics will cover a wide range of historical subjects. All presentations are held in the community room at the Bellaire Public Library and begin promptly at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served after the presentation and the GSV Society will have items for sale, with proceeds benefiting the restoration of the viaduct. Click this link to download a lecture schedule.
February 5th – Chris Roddel will present“Growing Up in Mr.Rogers’ Neighborhood” In this kick-off to the winter lecture series, Mr. Roddel will be presenting his book “Growing up in Mister Rogers’ Real Neighborhood“. Rodell, a Latrobe, Pa. native, tells a heartwarming story of how Latrobe influenced Fred Rogers and how Fred Rogers influenced Latrobe.
February 12 – Judi Hendrickson and Jeanne Finstein “The Trial of Carrie Nation”, Hendrickson and Finstein, who have presented for the series since 2016, will bring history alive. The lecture will be a re-enactment of the trial of prohibitionist Carrie Nation. She was known as the “Hatchet Apostle” and was arrested in Wheeling in 1901.
February 19 – Marcia Hartman “Judge Isaac Parker-Judge of the Old West.” Writer Marcia Hartman brings local history to the pages of Crossroads Magazine. She will present the story of Judge Isaac Parker, collected from Barnesville native Bill Farson. Judge Parker was raised in Barnesville but followed the call of the west to Missouri where he was appointed by Ulysses S. Grant to be the judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Reportedly, the Clint Eastwood classic “Hang ‘Em High” was based on Judge Parker’s work.
February 26 – Judge Vavra “Proviano Homicide: Murder or Suicide. Judge Vavra will be presenting a case ripped right from our local headlines in 1997. The Proviano murder presentation will visit all the facts and unanswered questions of the infamous case.
March March 4 – Mike Corn “Collecting Antique Bricks made in Ohio”. Mike Corn will be bringing his knowledge of local brick making in our area. Mr. Corn has over 1,000 different bricks in his collection. He will present his adventures in collecting and “swapping” bricks. March 11 – Judge Edward A Sargus and Eric Wittenberg will present “Seceding from Secession”. US District Court Judge Edward Sargus and Mr. Eric Wittenberg will jointly present from their book “Seceding from Secession”. The lecture will focus on West Virginia statehood and the lawsuit filed by Virginia in the Supreme Court to challenge the formation of a new state. The lecture will detail the struggles of the civil war era.
March 18 – Robert Roman “Ohio State Football, the Forgotten Dawn”. O-H-I-O. Buckeye fans will be sure to enjoy this lecture on the history of Ohio State Football. Mr. Roman will present an incredible history of the team that will only increase that pride in Buckeye football for players, coaches, students, alumni, and any fans who love the team.
March 25 – Judge Frank Friegato “I Shot the Sheriff…..or Did I ? “ Judge Fregiato will present a local historical trial in which the defendant engaged in liquor sales and transportation. The defendant allegedly shot the sheriff who died from the injury. The defendant was found not guilty by claiming the projectile was not his that killed the sheriff.
