Stepping into the past

We are nearly one month into the 2011 season.  Spring has sprung and moved on to summer.  The flowers are in bloom and both the staff and the visitors have enjoyed some lovely June weather.  We could go on and on about events and sunny days and fun, but you know the old saying - one picture is worth a thousand words.

So this batch must be worth a million!  Enjoy! And then come out to the site and see us.

All photos courtesy of Richard Smith

An Evening in Pickawillany recap

It's hard to believe over a month has passed since our 'Evening in Pickawillany'.  This year's season kick-off fundraiser held at the Fort Piqua Plaza was a rousing success with over 120 in attendance.  Everyone greatly enjoyed the great desserts by Coldwater Cafe, the exihibition of artifacts from the Pickawillany site, and William Hunt Jr.'s masterful performance as Andrew Montour. 

We hope you join us next year, and until them, enjoy these images from April's event.

An Evening in Pickawillany - April 7th, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

Join us on April 7th, 011 at 7:30 p.m. for our second annual fundraiser.  This year we kick off the new season with An Evening in Pickawillany featuing a Chautauqua Style History Alive! Presentation by William F Hunt Jr. as Sattelihu, Captain Andrew Montour.

In the early years of the 18th century, France and England began a series of savage and bloody French and Indian Wars to wrestle control of the North American continent. As both powers jockeyed for position again in the 1740’s, the focal point shifted towards the vast, fertile Ohio country. This untamed wilderness, rich in natural resources, and especially large populations of fur bearing animals, loomed west of the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains. Few Englishman had journeyed into this paradise. As French interests ebbed southward towards the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, the colonies of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland, became increasingly alarmed at this French expansion onto their western borders. Wedged in between these two European powers, were the various native woodland tribes of Iroquoian and Algonquin stock. One of the most dominant was the powerful Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Also present were mixed groups of Algonquin speaking Shawnees and Delawares. By 1754, war again began to boil over on to the Ohio. French and English envoys courted alliances with the Ohio Indians. The French were masters of Indian diplomacy. For the English, only a few men could counter the French.

Fortunately for the English, a man of mixed Franco-Iroquoian heritage emerged on the scene. Andrew Montour (Sattelihu), the eldest son of a French-Canadian mother, and an Oneida war chief, was born in an obscure Seneca village, and raised as an Iroquois. A gifted linguist, Montour could speak fluently at least 10 Indian languages, as well as French and English, and was a master of complex Indian diplomacy. A skilled warrior, guide and hunter, he knew the Ohio country better than most Anglo men. As early as the 1740’s Andrew Montour conducted diplomatic missions on the Ohio on behalf of Virginia and Pennsylvania. He accompanied a various number of English diplomats and traders into hostile and unknown Ohio villages, and served as a trusted interpreter at many important Indian councils. Montour, an enigma even in his own time, also understood the European cultures. A frequent guest to the royal governors of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, Andrew Montour often appeared dressed in an odd assortment of Euro-native attire. Well respected among the Ohio tribes and beloved by the Ohio Iroquois, the French quickly feared Montour as a threat to French supremacy.

Throughout the French and Indian War and later during Pontiac’s War in 1763, Montour continued to serve English interest through diplomacy and warfare. In the words of Conrad Weiser, a Pennsylvania trader, and a diplomat of Indian Affairs, gave Andrew Montour the highest accolades of being, “Knowing, Faithful, and Prudent”.

William Hunt brings to life once again the exploits of Andrew Montour and his contributions to the English cause during this bloody and turbulent period in Colonial American history. By so doing, Mr. Hunt pays tribute to his own mixed-blood native heritage. Mr. Hunt, the former Director of the Historical Craik-Patton House in Charleston, WV, is a devoted historian of the 18th Century Colonial Frontier, and is also a historical interpreter of the same period. He has been fascinated by Andrew Montour for many years and has extensively researched to bring him into a first person, historical perspective. William has traveled to many historical locations related with Andrew Montour as he is continually researching and studying the 1700’s.

The Piqua Friends Council & the Piqua Public Library present a virtuoso performance by this veteran historic interpreter at the Fort Piqua Plaza, on the Square, William McKinley Ballroom, 308 N. Main St. Piqua OH. Also on display that evening w...ill be never before seen objects unearthed on the Pickawillany site.

Tickets are $30 for the general public and $25 for members.  Call 1.800.752.2619 or email ahite@ohiohistory.org for more information.

HYPE seeks 365 Ways to Have Fun in Miami County

If your favorite activity in Miami County is visiting the Johnston Farm & Indian Agency, HYPE  (Helping Young Professionals Emerge) wants to know! Submit your suggestions for great activities by visiting the group's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hypenmv, where you will find a link to a Facebook event for 365 Things to do in Miami County. You may also link to the Facebook page by clicking on the rotating banner on www.hits1055.com Suggestions will be collected through March 26, after which members of HYPE will select their favorite 365 suggestions.

Not a fan of Facebook? You may email your ideas to hypenmvcochair@gmail.org. All submissions should be specific and include both an activity and a location, which must be in Miami County . Suggestions will be collected through March 26, after which members of HYPE will select their favorite 365 suggestions. A promotional e-flyer will be produced and made available to the public after that time, and the group will continue to promote the list through weekly blog posts on www.daytonmostmetro.com about HYPE members trying out the activities included on the list.

"So many times I've heard friends and colleagues ask what there is to do in this area," says Doug Eakin, HYPE Chair. "As a newcomer to the area three years ago, I was amazed at how much our county has to offer. It's time we talk up the great amenities we have available and start taking advantage of the ones that remain best-kept secrets."

HYPE is a group formed by young professionals for young professionals in the Northern Miami Valley . The group strives to achieve its vision through focused efforts to support social opportunity, professional development and community involvement for young professionals in the area. HYPE was established in collaboration with the Covington , Piqua , Tipp City and Troy Area Chambers of Commerce. To learn more about HYPE or to participate in this project, check out their website at www.hypenmv.org or visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hypenmv.

Johnston Farm and Indian Agency accredited by the American Association of Museums in Washington, D.C.,

COLUMBUS - The Ohio Historical Society announced Tuesday that the American Association of Museums in Washington, D.C., has accredited six OHS historic sites and museums for the first time - Johnston Farm & Indian Agency in Piqua, Adena Mansion & Gardens in Chillicothe; Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta; Campus Martius Museum in Marietta; Fort Ancient near Oregonia; and Fort Meigs in Perrysburg. In addition, the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus has earned reaccreditation, its fourth time to earn the designation.

Accreditation from the American Association of Museums is the highest national recognition achievable by an American museum since the program began in 1971. Currently, there are 780 accredited museums in the United States. That means that just 4.5 percent of the estimated 17,500 museums in the country are accredited. AAM accreditation is a widely recognized seal of approval.

Andy Hite, historic site manager at Johnston Farm & Indian Agency, was happy about the news of the accreditation. "We are very pleased to receive this recognition by the American Association of Museums. Accreditation reaffirms the quality of service that the Johnston Farm & Indian Agency, as well as the other Ohio Historical Society sites, brings to the visitors who come to our sites. This accreditation shows that the highest standards of our profession are being met by the staff and volunteers at each of our sites. Visitors to the Johnston Farm & Indian Agency will know that there is no other site in the US that offers any better visitor experience on a daily basis," Hite said.  "In many ways this just shows what we have felt here for a long time," he said. "Our staff and volunteers are as good, if not better, than at any other historical site in the nation."

"Since its founding in 1885, the Ohio Historical Society has been consistently recognized as one of the leading state historical organizations in the country," said Burt Logan, OHS executive director and CEO. "The Ohio Historical Center was among the first institutions to be accredited by the American Association of Museums when the program was established in 1971. This, the center's fourth subsequent accreditation, reaffirms that we continue to meet the most stringent professional standards in all areas of operation. It also is especially gratifying to have six of the Society's sites receive this coveted designation."

Developed and sustained by museum professionals for more than 39 years, AAM's museum accreditation program is the field's primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability. To best serve their communities, it is essential that museums be committed to institutional improvement, maintaining the highest standards in collections stewardship, governance, institutional planning, ethics, education and interpretation and risk management. AAM accreditation signifies excellence and accountability to the entire museum community, to governments and outside agencies and to the museum-going public.
"Accreditation is an entirely self-motivated process, and is no small task," said Ford W. Bell, AAM president. "Accreditation is clearly a significant achievement. But put simply, it means the citizens of the communities served by these museums have in their midst a truly outstanding museum."

The AAM Accreditation Program recognizes museums' commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards and continued institutional improvement. To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, then undergo a site visit by a two-person team of peers. The accreditation commission, an autonomous body of museum professionals appointed by the AAM board, considers the self-study and site visit report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation. While the time to complete the process varies by museum, it generally takes as much as three years. All accredited museums undergo a subsequent review within 10 years of their last accreditation award.

At each of the newly accredited historic sites, the Ohio Historical Society will be hosting a reception to recognize the achievements of the site's management and volunteers as well as to present the accreditation certificate. A reception has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 14, for Piqua's Johnston Farm & Indian Agency.

The Ohio Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that serves as the state's partner in preserving and interpreting Ohio's history, natural history, archaeology and historic places. For more information, visit http://www.ohiohistory.org/.

First published in the Daily Call, Piqua, OH 12/29/2010 7:40:00 AM   http://tinyurl.com/5uqj7y8

Support History Day

One of our goals at The Johnston Farm & Indian Agency is to make history come alive.  Another, is to KEEP it alive!  Many Ohio children have benefited from their participation in Ohio's History Day and yet, sadly, due to budget cuts, there are many who have not had a chance to do so.  History Day allows children not only to delve into a particular subject that interests them, but to learn analytical skills that are necessary in the history field, but in many others as well.  This month you can help support hisory just by clicking!  Please go to the link below and take a look.
http://www.refresheverything.com/ohiohistoryday

Johnston Farm Life on an Indian Agency

Our July event has come and gone.  Everyone attending seemed to have a great time, and with nearly twice as many visitors as last year, that was a lot of fun! 

Nearly two hundred years ago John Johnston's Ohio farm  became an Indian Agency for the Shawnee Indians.  It was unique in Ohio then and still is today.  John Johnston was known as a friend of Native Americans and spent his time and money supporting, supplying and providing a sancutary to Indians.

This years focus was on the early years of the agency, established in 1812. Grandma Johnston, John Johnston's mother, made an appearance, speaking about her life as a single mother on the frontier.

Jim Johnson was on hand representing Johnston's native friends, and he brought many a smile to both children and adults alike with his talents and generosity. 

As usual our talented volunteers were also on hand to show all of the various chores and tasks it took to keep such a busy, active and important agency working smoothly.

 In other words, a great time was had by all!