Leesburg Area Historical Society

09/24/2026

1937 photo taken on the steps of Leesburg School and shared with us by Lola (Huff) Chaney. ❤ Left to right are first graders Dorothy Lieurance, Rebecca Larkin, Lola Huff, Shirley Surber, Betty Blanton, and Lawrence Lee Sifred.

07/16/2026

Open House at the depot this Saturday, July 18, from 9-12, with all sorts of other history events taking place in our county all day!

Highland County is celebrating 250 years of America in a big way, and you won't want to miss it! Join us July 17-18 for two days packed with history, community, and fun for all ages. Below is a tentative schedule of events.

Friday, July 17 The celebration kicks off at 7:00 PM at Southern State Community College Theatre with "Fire in the Night Season," a powerful theatrical reenactment of the 1954 Philip Partridge Trial, a pivotal moment in Highland County's civil rights history.

Saturday, July 18 The fun starts at 9:00 AM with the Ringing of the Bells across Highland County, followed by Opening Ceremonies at Courthouse Square. From there, the day is full:

- Farmers Market, Pioneer Day exhibits, and Courthouse Tours
- Kids' Zone at Colony Park in Hillsboro
- A variety of activities and tours in Leesburg, Greenfield, and Lynchburg
- Hillsboro Masonic Temple Tours
- Unveiling of the Highland County Revolutionary War Memorial
- Hillsboro Military Band Concert on the Courthouse Lawn

For more information, visit www.visithighlandcounty.com

06/27/2026

Last Friday was a gorgeous day for our annual cookout, and we had a great turnout! We're so thankful for all the donations and volunteers who made it possible for the depot's grounds and exterior to be restored/renovated to this point. And we are happy to report this year's cookout raised $2651, so we have qualified for the full matching contribution of $2500 from our local Modern Woodmen of America chapter! These funds will be put toward interior renovations.

06/08/2026

🚌 Explore Leesburg's Rich History During America 250! 🇺🇸

Did you know transportation shuttles will be available during Highland County's America 250 Celebration?

The Leesburg Heritage Loop will take visitors on a journey through some of Highland County's most historic sites, including:

📍 Leesburg Veterans Memorial
📍 Train Depot
📍 Old Quaker Meeting House

Departing from Hillsboro every 30 minutes from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, this route is the perfect way to experience the heritage and history of Leesburg.

Stay tuned as we highlight additional transportation routes and destinations in the coming weeks!

03/26/2026

Read about a pioneer woolen mill & this year's plans for the depot in our March update - https://mailchi.mp/eb43c9181bed/september-update-12873751

11/15/2025

We had a great crowd for our 4th Annual Heritage Breakfast! Over 100 people were served food and many stayed to hear from artist Bob Kroeger, who donated paintings for our silent auction. The auction raised $1120 - thank you Bob and bidders! We also thank Betty Ann Walker for appraising antiques for us, and Southern Hills Community Bank, Huhtamaki, Elaine Balsely, and Brad Williams for their donations to cover our expenses. And a big thank you to the Highland County North Joint Fire & Ambulance District for allowing us to use the community room. All together this event raised $6,842.90 that will be invested in renovating the interior of our depot. Thank you everyone!

11/07/2025

Meet the artist, Bob Kroeger, when you stop in for our Annual Heritage Breakfast! Event is tomorrow, Saturday, November 8, from 8-11 am at the Leesburg Fire Station. Bring a friend, an empty stomach, and an antique item you'd like appraised. Stay for the artist's barn stories at 9:30 & silent auction. See you soon!

For those of you in southern Ohio, on Saturday morning, November 8, I’ll be doing a fundraiser in Highland County for the Leesburg Area Historical Society - https://www.robertkroeger.com/event/197121/leesburg-area-historical-society
Though I won’t do a demo barn painting, I’ll tell barn stories and sign my barn books. I’ll also deliver paintings for a fundraiser-auction. This one will be featured. Hope you can come!

HIGHLAND COUNTY

“Four Vets”

From 1775, although the Revolutionary War had not ended until 1783, the fledgling government began to reserve several million acres of land in the Northwest Territory, mostly in the Ohio Country, for veterans to settle – via a bounty land warrant. Congress apparently viewed this land, where many Indian tribes lived, as free land, and issued these warrants to encourage voluntary enlistment in the military as well as to reward those who served. Though Congress continued this up to 1855, it authorized the warrants in 1788, 1803, and 1806, all prior to the War of 1812. After the Indians lost the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, they ceded lands in northwestern Ohio in a treaty the following year.
According to Charles Taylor, whom barn scout Raymond and I met on our tour in the autumn of 2023, four veterans of the Revolutionary War received a total of 8,000 acres of land where this barn sits today. Though not much is known about how the four vets divided the acreage, its possible that one of their descendants built this barn in the late 1890s. Even though the construction involves mostly sawn lumber, there are some hand-hewn beams, which may have been repurposed from a barn built earlier.
Charles acquired the 101-acre farm in 1968 and has established a living trust, which is administered by his three children, a way of ensuring that the farm and its attractive barn will continue to honor these four heroic soldiers of the Revolutionary War.