Ross County Historical Society Director's 30th Anniversary

Chillicothe and Ross County are rich in heritage, and the Ross County Historical Society is an embodiment of that. They celebrated the 30th anniversary of their director Wednesday evening, and Kevin Coleman was there.

Tom Kuhn left the Ohio Historical Society to lead the county museum in 1993. He oversaw three major projects here: the addition between the houses, a modern archives, and the rebuilt carriage house museum storage.

Kuhn also dealt with the society's participation in three bicentennials: of the city, county, and state. He joked that, after that, he asked the mayor of Chillicothe to make the word "bicentennial" illegal. Kuhn didn't get that, but he did get a proclamation from the current mayor making May 24th "Ton Kuhn Day."

Kuhn said his wife asked him, on his first morning at work in Chillicothe, how long this job would last. He said he was happy that he was never more wrong when he said "three to five years."

He also shares 30 years with curator Jamie Bliven who says Kuhn coaxed him to join him a few months later from "Ohio Village" at the Ohio Historical Society.

Kuhn plans to retire soon, and the historical society has candidates for a new director from as far as Virginia.

Aside from tours at the Ross County Heritage Center, the Ross County Historical Society offers spring and fall speakers series, as well as various open houses and events...and has spent almost 120 years collecting thousands of years of local heritage. They make frequent postings of artifacts and photos on their Facebook page.

Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom or Kevin Coleman

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Chillicothe and Ross County are rich in heritage, and the Ross County Historical Society is an embodiment of that. Aside from tours, the Ross County Historical Society offers spring and fall speakers series, as well as various open houses and events...and has spent almost 120 years collecting thousands of years of local heritage.
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Tom Kuhn also shares 30 years with curator Jamie Bliven who says Kuhn coaxed him to join him a few months later from "Ohio Village" at the Ohio Historical Society. Kuhn surprised Bliven with recognition for his service before Kuhn got his own recognition.
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Chillicothe and Ross County are rich in heritage, and the Ross County Historical Society is an embodiment of that. They celebrated the 30th anniversary of their director Wednesday evening. Tom Kuhn left the Ohio Historical Society to lead the county museum in 1993.