Mark Sebastian Jordan, Knox Pages Correspondent

ANKENYTOWN — I had a great time Thursday night talking to folks at the Butler Historical Society. Their president, Lonnie Beveridge, invited me to come talk to them about Ankenytown, which I have written about here previously. This is part of the society’s effort to expand their scope and explore their neighborhood, a commendable idea. […]

Mount Vernon resident Frank B. Hanger went gray young. Aged only 42 at the time of his death, a photograph that appeared in local media showed him sporting white hair over brightly attentive eyes. During World War I, when Frank was working as a ranch hand at Summer Lake, Oregon, his draft card described him […]

MOUNT VERNON — The Kokosing River is never to be underestimated. The heartbreaking searches this week for a missing swimmer near Millwood serve as a reminder of the deceptive depths and currents of the river as it moves into the hilly terrain of eastern Knox County. An examination of news archives proves that the incident […]

CENTERBURG — The evening of Monday, Dec. 18, 1911, Hilliar Township constable Samuel Gould was upset about something at the Foster house in Centerburg, standing in front of the house making a scene. Neighbors called the police and Marshal L. B. Evans arrested the constable for the noisy fracas, despite the interference of Charles Foster, […]

BUCYRUS — I love writing historical columns. I get to play detective, trying to piece together forgotten stories and bring them once again to life. Often, I get tips or further insight from readers, which tells me others are also interested in delving into the forgotten past. But some stories refuse to resolve themselves, even […]

MOUNT VERNON — Even the greatest talents of the world need a break to get started, and the American icon we know as Mark Twain got his first big break courtesy of a man born in Knox County. Though this man still commands a modest measure of renown today, few remember him by his original […]

Not all crimes are created equal. Strange to say, some murders fade away into obscurity while others lodge in the collective memory of a community. Sometimes it’s the element of mystery in an unsolved crime that makes it linger. Other times it’s the titillation caused by coverage of the event. On some occasions, a tragedy […]

One of the most fascinating parts of historical research is that you start seeing the world around you in an almost four-dimensional way. In addition to the usual dimensions of length, width, and depth, you begin to see things in terms of time, the past and present coexisting simultaneously. Though the Indian Wars between settlers […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part II of a series that began last month in a story that can be found at this link. FREDERICKTOWN — The price of pioneer progress, in the eyes of the settlers of Knox County, was to remove anything that got in the way of what they wanted to build. It’s […]