Hill to speak in Bucyrus

Tom Hill

BUCYRUS — This year, 2012, marks the bicentennial of the War of 1812. To help commemorate that occasion, the Bucyrus Historical Society is bringing Tom Hill Sr. to be the featured speaker at this year’s open meeting, which will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Parish Hall of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 130 S. Walnut St., Bucyrus. Hill has chosen as his topic “Fort Ferree and William Henry Harrison in the War of 1812.”
Although he is a native of Upper Sandusky and a graduate of Upper Sandusky High School, Hill actually was born in the old Bucyrus City Hospital in 1949. He has had a lifelong interest in local history, especially that of Wyandot County, and is a former board member of the Wyandot County Historical Society. His interest in military history subjects may have something to do with the fact that he served as a U.S. Marine in Vietnam during 1968 and 1969, being a member of the Second Battalion Fourth Marines and First Combined Action Group, team 127 Combined Action Program.
Hill’s historical interests extend also into the field of sport and he served as a member or the Society of American Baseball Researchers for several years and collects 19th century baseball memorabilia. He also is a builder of dioramas, most with historical connections. Those interests in local history have led Hill to co-author two books in Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series — one on Upper Sandusky, together with Ashlie Payton, and the other on Wyandot County, together with his wife Marnie. His literary endeavors also include several military histories for The Trader/Gazette paper covering the 1782 Col. William Crawford campaign Battle of Sandusky Plains, Fort Ferree during the War of 1812 and Wyandot County soldiers of the Civil War.
Retired from the Ohio Department of Transportation, for which he served as assistant county manager for Wyandot County from 1970 to 1999, Hill and his wife now spend their time doing what they love most — those things related to history and historical events. The Hills have two adult sons — Steve, also a military veteran and now director of the WIC program for the Ohio Health Department in Columbus, and Tom Jr., an Ontario, Ohio police sergeant and hostage negotiator. In addition, there are two granddaughters, Bailey and Brooke.
The Bucyrus Historical Society welcomes all area residents to come and learn more about “that other war,” the one about which most have heard but know little. Tom Hill’s presentation on the War of 1812 should help add to that knowledge. There will be time for questions following the formal part of the talk.
Light refreshments will also be provided.
For additional information on this meeting or the speaker, contact the Bucyrus Historical Society at 419-562-6386.

Posted by Daily Chief on April 21, 2012. Filed under LifeStyles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry