Vermilion Historical Society

10/14/2025

03/20/2025

Vermilion Views Part 3- by George Wakefield
The Vermilion Historical Society in partnership with the Vermilion History Museum and the Ritter Public Library will present “Vermilion Views - Part 3” a collection of photos and articles written by award winning author and historian George Wakefield (1910-2001). The first two parts of the series dealt with the lake and river. Part 3 moves inland exploring former and present day landmarks of the village from the 1890s – 1930s. It was the era of horses, wagons and the advent of electricity coming to town. Some of the topics included are: Henry Walper delivering oil to his customers by wagon pulled by horses. Firemen, their steam-engine fire truck and the large fires they put out in the downtown area. The 1905 cheese factory located in Axtel. The photo narratives of Wakefield’s writings were compiled by Glen Cutcher. The presentation will be held on Wednesday, March 26th in the Ritter Public Library, 5680 Liberty Avenue, lower level at 7:00 PM. Admittance is free and open to the public. For more information email: [email protected]

03/20/2025

The 1917 Vermilion Volunteer Fire Department crew is shown with their Model T fire engine.

03/20/2025

The Diamond Cheese Company manufactured fancy Swiss cheese in their factory located in Axtel, corner of State and Mason Roads. Photo c.1905

03/20/2025

John Walper with his team of horses (Bill & Bob) and wagon delivered oil for the Standard Oil Company in the 1920s.

02/10/2025

Quilt Reveals Names from Vermilion’s Past

The Vermilion Historical Society has received a rare quilt with hand-stitched names of 600 people who lived in Vermilion and the surrounding townships. The quilt was made by the “Axtel M.E. Ladies Ade Society Nov. 1916”.

The quilt was owned by Elsie Trinter Risdon and was given to Michael Legnon who lived with one of Risdon’s sons. Legnon then donated the quilt to the Vermilion Historical Society. Robert A. (Bob) Risdon, another son of Elsie and Clyde Risdon, still lives in Vermilion.

The textile is made of white cotton in a Dresden pattern stitched with turkey red thread. The stitching is done in differing handwriting per block and has the names of the women who made them. There are 30 blocks with 20 names each.

Many of the names are well-known to the Vermilion area. Some of the names included are: Baumhart, Mayer, Buell, Rumsey, Pelton, Trinter, Risden, Nieding, Bauman and Kropf.

The Vermilion Historical Society will have a showing of the quilt on Tuesday, February 11th from 10 am to 4 pm in the Community Room of the Ritter Public Library for the public to enjoy.

The organization is also having a showing of their calendars from the past 19 years. The calendars are their annual fundraising project. Funds are used to purchase archival supplies to protect their collection of Vermilion memorabilia. The Society is requesting ideas from visitors for a topic for their 20th edition.

For more information email: [email protected].

10/24/2024

The Vermilion Historical Society’s 2025 Calendar featuring the history of our lighthouse is now available for purchase for $5.00 at the Vermilion History Museum and Brummers Chocolates. Calendars are available by mail for $8.00 to cover mailing costs. Send a check payable to Vermilion Historical Society, 5680 Liberty Avenue, Vermilion, OH 44089.