GALION, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—The Galion History Center is gearing up for a summer full of events, kicking off with a 1970s-themed murder mystery, “Clue,” at the end of May, according to Executive Director Tanisha Pickering and Curator Kylie Cunningham.
In a special preview on the podcast, Pickering and Cunningham announced the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Galion History Center will be celebrated with a block party on Saturday, June 21, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is still in the planning stages but is expected to feature a food truck, a bounce house for children, tours of the historic Brownella Cottage, and music by DJ Marsha Younker. Birthday cake will also be served.
Adding to the excitement of the anniversary year, Pickering and Cunningham revealed their upcoming research trip to the Episcopal National Archives in Austin, Texas, during the first full week of May. The archives hold a diary belonging to Ella Brown, the wife of Bishop William Montgomery Brown, a prominent figure in Galion’s history.
“If you’ve ever visited Brownella Cottage, you’ve heard us talk about Bishop and you’ve heard us talk about all of the paperwork and letters. And I mean, we have tons of Bishop things and and nothing really of Ella’s,” Cunningham said. “No letters, no diaries. We now know she was a diary keeper.”
The diary, dating back to 1874, chronicles Ella Brown’s travels to the United Kingdom with Mary Brown, Bishop Brown’s sister. The discovery of the diary came from a footnote in a biography of Bishop Brown, leading Cunningham to investigate the holdings of the Episcopal National Archives.
Pickering and Cunningham expressed their eagerness to examine the diary and potentially solve mysteries surrounding Ella Brown, about whom little primary source material exists. They also hope to learn how the diary ended up in the Texas archives, theorizing it may have been acquired by researchers Omar and Dorothy Ranney, who were hired to write a biography of Bishop Brown in the mid-20th century.
The executive director and curator shared a curious anecdote about a paranormal app seemingly responding to their plans to travel to Texas to read Ella’s diary, adding an element of intrigue to their upcoming research.
In addition to the anniversary block party, the Galion History Center will host its 1970s murder mystery “Clue” on Friday, May 30, with games at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Tickets will be $20 per player and available for purchase on the center’s website, gallionhistory.com, starting Friday, May 2 at 10 a.m. Dressing in 70s attire is encouraged but not required.
The center also plans a donors-only preview anniversary party on a Friday evening in June, offering a sneak peek of new tours focusing on Ella’s diary and local architecture.
The Galion History Center encourages the public to visit gallionhistory.com for more information on events, donations, and their summer opening hours for Brownella Cottage and the annex.