By Debra L. Mason, Annual Giving Officer  

With our recent celebration of Memorial Day, renewed memories of my family history, Midwestern roots and our collective history as a great nation still remain strong within me.  

My first recollection of Memorial Day is as a child in the 1960s, taking flowers to a cemetery where at least three generations of both my parents’ ancestors were laid to rest. I first inhaled the intoxicating scent of peonies and learned why some relatives had flags on their gravesite there.   

The 1970s are when I first began to understand my heritage as a Midwesterner with rural farming roots. My grandmother told stories of long-dead relatives and the challenges of survival through disease, poverty, war and social upheaval.   

When my grandmother died, those stories died with her.   

But I still remember visits with my grandmother to Ohio Village, when my three children were young. “We had a butter churn like that,” she would tell them about her rural farm life, where an indoor bathroom wasn’t built until 1945. Her stories, plus the hands-on artifacts at Ohio Village, made treasured memories I’ll never forget.  

The Ohio History Connection is all about the stories we share, whether we’re recent arrivals to the state or people whose ancestors built sacred mounds. 

This blog will share stories about the hundreds of individuals who commit their time, talents and treasures to make the Ohio History Connection. Each donor and volunteer has a unique story of why they give. These are the stories we’ll showcase here.  

 We’re grateful to you as a history lover who treasures the natural and human history of Ohio as much as we do.  If you are interested in telling your story, you can reach out to us at [email protected]. To donate, visit ohiohistory.org/give.