HOCKING COUNTY HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM

08/03/2026

Join us for the first in a series of videos from Stuart Brooks and ...

08/02/2026

OLD SHAMROCK TO COME DOWN
By Willa Walters of the Logan Daily News April 12, 2005

Logan’s 120-year-old building on the corner of Main and Mulberry Streets is soon to be a memory. What most Logan residents think of as the
old Shamrock Café’” is scheduled to be demolished within the next 30 to 45 days.
The property’s current owner, Roger Shaw, hasn’t yet decided what to do with the site.
Roger, and his aunt, Lucy Shaw, are hosting a program called “A Vision for the Shaw (“Shamrock”) block on April 28 from 5:30 to 6:30 at the Logan-Hocking County Library.
“Residents, visitors, and property and shop owners are encouraged and invited to attend the meeting,” Shaw said. “We want to get an idea of what other people in the community would like to see there.” The program leader is architect Scott Tedrick.
Built in 1884 by Phillipo Slisher, the corner lot first housed a grocery, bakery and saloon. Slisher was born in Bavaria and came to the United States with his parents when he was 4 years old. He was one of the first to enlist as a 3-mongh volunteer during the Civil War and served throughout the War Between the States.
The property’s ownership passed through many hands over the years, with the building, at one time or another, serving as a restaurant, meat market cracke5r factory, billiard parlor and cigar store.
In the early 1900s, its second floor was a hotel and boarding house, rented by men working on the railroad. Local historical society member Helen Mowrey researched the building’s past and chronicled its extensive record in a March 20, 1997, edition of the Logan Daily News. Mowrey counted the rooms upstairs and found 25 that could be rented and living quarters. “The other half of the upstairs was still vacant, where once dances had been held,” she said.
Previous property owners are names familiar to the city’s residents: Culver, Rempel, Price, Bell and Kallmerton.
The corner lot was purchased by Meade Bowen in 1818. Bowen built logan’s first hewed log house there; half was his carpenter shop and half was his residence. Five years later, he built the first frame house in Hocking County on the same lot.
Brothers Earl and Merl Bell purchased the business in 1950, changing the name to the Shamrock Café’. Earl’s son Bruce Bell became owner of the Shamrock Café’ in 1984.
He moved his business from the corner lot (104 E. Main St.) to its new location, 62 E. Main St. in February 2004. When Bell moved out of the old building, he took the backbar and booths with him.
“It took eight to 10 men to move the back bar down here,” he said.
Bell has childhood memories of his father taking him to the establishment on Sundays when the bar was closed. But he isn’t sorry to see the old structure razed.
Shaw has no mixed feeling about tearing the old building down either, “I’ll be happy to see it go.” He said.

08/01/2026

ROCK HOUSE HAS NEW PROPRIETOR.
September 7, 1889
Squire George Stoll, of South Perry has leased the Rock House Hotel from Col. Rempel for a period of three years and takes possession Sept. 1st. Mr. Stoll and his estimable lady, so well known, gives a guarantee that the hotel will be well kept and the changes moderate. The hotel will be largely improved.
It is on the highest point among the thickly wooded hills of Hocking, way up in the pure air where the morning sun first kisses and the evening lingers longest, where the forest, rocks and caves are the grandest, where the wildflowers and evergreen are the most beautiful and nature them most sublime, nestles the most delightful retreat in Ohio. Autumn is the time to visit most beautiful place and behold the wonderful works of nature.
The newspaper men of Ohio are invited to come here and spend a day. There is no place for such fellows as Sam Johnson, Bil Taylor, Eck Sands, Creelman, Charley Spendeer, the warriors of the front in the pencil brigade, to take a rest as here, before the pickets are called in.
The Rock House Summer Resort is not widely known. This because the newspaper men have not held convention here and saw the splendid beauties of the place. It has been for years a “light under the bushel.” The present management will invite McLean and Nash to come. Newspapermen will go. The Rock House will get to be known to a great world outside the limited line that runs from Logan.
Heretofore a kind of peanut, a catch as you can policy, has been running, rather has been haltering and curbing the management. The business was a kind of one cent deal and one cent custom ventured patronage.
Under the new management, we were told the gates are open to the world. The Governor, if he comes, will not be charged 5 cents to get his team to a stable or hitching post.
The new management, we are told, invites the general public, proposing to treat all fairly and when the candidates for governor, Nash and McLean want a day of quiet and rest they will find it here, and when democrats and republicans want to raise the natives by a red hot meeting, the grounds, the high hills that kill the morning sun and bed good night in the blush of parting beams, will have, all of them who are gentlemen, a hearty welcome and the best of entertainment.
Fifty years ago, Dr. Hildreth reported and Howe has preserved in his “Ohio History” the attractions of the place. Levering of Lancaster, wrote poetry in its behalf. Courts have held sessions there. Private interests, unfortunately trusted to cheap one cent men have given the place a kind of “CHEAP JOHN” character. Now, under the new management, we expect a kind of broader business. The one cent man doesn’t sustain summer resorts. The visitors of desirable character don’t haggle with the hostler. They get good treatment; they pay good prices. The newspapermen of repute, in any place they go, pay their bills in cash and if the public service is good, they say so.
The Rock House, if we mistake not, will be a conspicuous place in the Hocking Valley and Hills of Ohio within the next two months. WE have every reason to believe that the new management has sense enough to know a tramp from a governor and know how to entertain the poor fellow coming tired on foot, as well as the General racing in a carriage of four, or a Commodore sailing in a squadron of ships.
Let’s all go out and see Squire Stoll.

An Advertisement of the Rock House dated March 30, 1877, Proprietor Robert Good
The photo is of the Rock House Hotel

07/31/2026

HOFFNER RESTAURANT
LOCATED ON WEST HUNTER STREET.
Logan Daily News of March 4, 1949
The first commercial television set to be installed in a Logan café is now in operation at Hoffner’s Restauraqnt, West Hunter Street, Fritz Hoffner, owner, announced today.
The large set was installed by Carl Justice, operator of the Justice Radio and Television Service, next door to Hoffner’s Restaurant.
Mr. Hoffner said that the new video set is in operation from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily. The public is invited.

PINBALL ORDINANCE VIOLATOR IS FINED.
Logan Daily News of April 29, 1949
Fritz Hoffner, west side restaurant operator, was fined $50 and cost yesterday by Mayor Roger W. Friend when he pleaded quilty to a charge of operating a pinball machine without a city license.
Mayor Friend said that this made the first violator of the city ordinance licensing of pinball machines which was passed by the city council several months ago.

SOLD AT PUBLIC AUCTION
Logan Daily News of September 5, 1950
The Ferdinand Hoffner Restaurant on West Hunter St. was sold at Public Auction Saturday to T.J. O’Donnell for $5,000. The property was ordered sold by Judge Harley Meyer after a judgment in favor of O’Donnell was returned against Hoffner for $4,946.31. The property was appraised at $2,5000.

I did learn from the LDN that Mr. Hoffner had several run-ins with the police for drinking around the 1950s

NOTE: I found an advertisement for Justice Radio and Television at 823 West Hunter, it was posted in the first story to be next door to the Restaurant.

07/30/2026

RISCH DRUG STORE BEGINS ANNIVERSARY OBSERVANCE
Logan Daily News of July 12, 1939
PHARMACY 10 YEARS IN BUSINESS; SPECIAL SALE PLANNED
When Risch’s Drug Store began observing its tenth anniversary it marked the tenth year that the pharmacy has been located at the same site, 58 West Main Street.
The store, one of the most modern on Main Street, was founded in 1929 by Lester Risch, present proprietor. Although he had only graduated from college three years previously and had been employed during the interval at Case’s Drug Store where he learned the practical application of his schooling. Risch decided to open his own store even though the first rumblings of the depression were beginning to be heard in Ohio and Hocking County.
Even though the first few years after the depression set in were lean ones, Tisch progressed rapidly until he acquired a large business.
Today Risch employs four clerks to render the efficient service which always had been one of his business doctrines. They are Harold Cruise, Tommy Walsh, Eldon Carr and Sheila Graham.
The store is also the Walgreen agency for Logan and handles such famous and reputable products as Furnace ice Creams, Witman and Francis Willard candies, Max Factor, Rubenstein, Hudnut and Coty’s cosmetics and a complete line of sundries.
The fountain recently installed is one of the outstanding attractions of the pharmacy. With the latest design, it has a gaily colored back bar and mirror which provides an attractive atmosphere for Logan’s young people and adults.
A special sale commemorating the anniversary of the store started Wednesday morning. Articles from all departments will be sold at reduced prices.
Harold Sinnot’s photo 1957, Mary Huston working the counter, and an old yearbook photo

07/29/2026

FIRE HITS WRIGHT APTS. Logan Daily News – year unknown (photo by Julie Brandt)
BATTLE APARTMENT BUILDING FIRE – Logan firemen acted quickly to bring a fire under control this morning in the Wright Apts. Building, 32 E. Second St. Damage was confined primarily to apartments in the east half of the structure. Nineteen people reside in the seven apartments. Those at home were evacuated without mishap, fireman reported.
A fire of unknown origin broke out around 10 a.m. in the Wright Apts., 32 E. Second St., damaging rooms on the east side of the building.
The fire was brought under control within an hour, and firemen said no one was injured.
Carol Wisecarver, manager of the building, said the brick structure contains seven apartments, five of which were occupied. She said 19 persons lived there.
When firemen arrived, they found fire in the middle room of a first-floor apartment occupied by Mrs. Rhoda Johnson.
“I don’t know what happened,” Mrs. Johnson said. “When I came out of the bathroom, all I was smoke.”
She grabbed two of her five children – Joey, 3, and Floyd, 1 – and ran out of the building.
“I’m just thankful the other three were in school,” she said.
Mrs. Wisecarver verified that the fire did start in Mrs. Johnson’s apartment, she said when the fire broke out, she went through the building to help evacuate tenants.
Most damage apparently was confined to the east side of the building. At least two first floor and two second-floor rooms on that side were damaged, according to the firemen. The other rooms on that side suffered smoke and water damage.
Firemen said the west half of the building appeared undamaged.
The building is owned by Sam Belville, according to Mrs. Wisecarver.
Does anyone know any more about this apartment building? I was always fascinated by it as a kid.

07/27/2026

The original list of everyone that helped rebuild the Lutz Automobile. Our original handwritten list is starting to fade, so I wanted to make a copy for the museum records.
EVERY PERSON NAMED BELOW HELPED RESTORE THE 1898 LUTZ CAR
Glen Fetherolf – Steam Expert
Bill Nye – Upholsterer
Vern (red) Miller – Sand Blaster
Harbarger plumbing
Don Mahaffey – Inspection
Floyd Hiles
Dick Kunzman - Printer
Addison Frey
Robert Stivison
John Goodlive
James Frey
Harold Rheinscheld
Michael Scaparratti
Carl T. Johnson Co.
Amanda Bent Bolt
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTORS
Adcock, Avery E.
Alfater, Allen & Elizabeth
Allen, Mary Frances
Baker, Harley & Ruth
Billings, George & Edna
Blume, Frederick & Virginia
Braddock, Rhea
Brandt, Richard & Betty
Casner, Robert & Jean
Chilicote, C.B. & Zola
Citizens Bank of Logan
Davis, Mrs. Charles
Dollison, Dean & Ann
Dollison, Richard & Marjorie
Fickel, John and Lewis
Edwards Heating and Cooling
Finney, James, Mary & Cherie
Frey, Addison & Mary
Frey, James & Bernice
Gabriel, Robert & Roseanne
Galvin, Mrs. Paul
Goodlive, John & Betty
Grandy, Mrs. Clarence
Green, Frances E.
Harbarger, William & Alice
Heinlein, Jim & Betty
Hiles, Floyd & Sally
Hocking Hills Artists & Craftsmen
Hocking Valley Historic Vehicles
Hall, Barton & Jean
Hollowayt, Robert & Frances
Horwell, Eleanore
Sines, Marie
Slater, Donald E.
Snyder, C. Wayne
Smith, Karl & Lillian
Smith, Richard $ Robert
Spalsbury, Marge
Sparnon, Josephine
Spencer, Inez
Stivison, Robert & Freida
Kennard, James & Alice
Kline, Kensey
Lang, Edmund & Janet
Lanning, Gladys
Lanning, Wilbur & Judy
Davis, Don & Margie
Johnson, George & Martha
Leonard, Faith A.
Lightfoot, Katy Jo
Little, Hugh
Lowe, Earl & Marge
Matheny, Jud & Virginia
Moorehead, Jack & Inola
Morley, John
Mowery, Richard & Helen
Mutt & Jeffs Beauty Shop
Mutual Federal Savings & Loan
Myers, Francis (Scrappy) & Vi
Nelson, Donald & Susan
Ott, Mrs. Walter
Palmer, Stanton
Powell, Fred & Ethel
Price, Ernest & Margaret
Price, Richard & Helen
Redd, Norm & Shirley
Rheinscheld, Harold
Rheinscheld, Kenneth
Roberts Funeral Home
Rochester, Fred (Rusty)
Scaparrotti, Michael & Betty
Schultz, Dan
Shaw, George – Davidnson, Max, Inc.
Stump, Rondell & Jerry
Todd, Georgianna
Veidt, Chris
Walker, Jennie
Whitcraft, Mrs. Wayne
Woods, Berdina
Woolery, Ronald & Latha

07/27/2026

Harris Cousins

2 Local Men Graduate from OSP
The Logan Daily News of June 11, 1969

07/26/2026

2 Local Men Graduate from OSP
The Logan Daily News of June 11, 1969

07/25/2026

The LUTZ BUILDING
Why the Lutz Steam Car Matters
The Lutz Steam Car is the museum’s prized possession and the reason this museum exists. Built by Henry Lutz on West Second Street in Logan before 1897, it ran through the streets of Logan that year and remained the only car in town for about two years.
Lutz was inspired after seeing a steam car pass through Logan on its way to Athens. That moment sparked his dream to build one of his own—and this is the car he created.
Early Life and Training
Henry Lutz grew up near Ewing and had only 23 days of formal schooling. At age 16 or 17, he went to Lancaster to apprentice as a machinist, following a strong mechanical interest that ran in his family. His father was also very mechanically inclined. After about a year and a half, Lutz returned to Logan.
Lutz worked in a factory until he was 32, then became the engineer for the Fire Department, earning $300 per year. In that role, he operated the steam boiler mounted on a wagon. The fire had to be lit in advance to build enough pressure to pump water through the hose. Water used to fight fires came from the old canal or from cisterns.
BUSINESS AND AUTOMOBILE LEGACY
Lutz Sewing Machine Repairs was located on West Second Street, where Lutz sold and repaired sewing machines and handled small motor repairs. His steam automobile is believed to be the oldest steam automobile in Ohio. The license plate on display is from 1911; license plates began being sold in 1903.
This is believed to be the first car in the area involved in an accident. Lutz and his father-in-law were at his shop when they decided to take the car for a ride. As the story goes, Lutz stopped near the canal to talk with friends and neighbors and show off his car. While trying to impress the crowd, the car lurched forward and drove into the canal. Horses had to pull it out, and Lutz later rebuilt it.
DISPLAYS IN THE LUTZ BUILDING
The museum is fortunate to have Lutz’s tools and equipment on display, giving visitors a closer look at the materials he used in his work. Lutz made every part of the original car himself.
Lutz helped organize the Citizen’s Electric Company and played a role in bringing electricity to Logan in 1881.
Henry Lutz was born in 1841. His last name was originally spelled Lorz. He died in 1914 at the age of 73.

After Henry Lutz’s death, his daughter loaned the car—and many other items from his estate—to the Johnson Automobile Museum in Cleveland.
As she grew older, she decided the car should return to Hocking County. She arranged for the collection to come back if Hocking County established a museum within 10 years of her decision.

THIS WAS THE FORMATION OF THE HOCKING COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
In 1977, many influential people from Hocking County came together to organize a historical society. As a result, the car, Lutz’s tools, bicycles, and many other items were brought back to Logan.
Fundraisers were held to support construction of the building and to raise money for the Old Car Club volunteers, whose names are listed on the board by the window. Their work made it possible to restore the car to its current condition.
LUTZ INVENTIONS
Lutz held two patents for practical inventions. One was a step for a Pullman car that folded underneath when the door closed and extended outward when the door opened for loading and unloading. Another was a fire starter that allowed him to light the kitchen fire from his bed so the house would be warmer when he got up, though he did not sell many of them.
His steam-powered sewing machine is displayed by the window of the Lutz Building.
TOOLS
Displayed are the tools Henry Lutz used throughout the years in his inventions, creations, and repair work.
BIKES
Lutz made the velocipede, the wooden tricycle, and another tricycle displayed upstairs in the museum.
PROTECTIVE WEAR
These thin cotton coats, hanging on the coat rack, were used in the early days of travel to help keep people’s clothing clean.
Roads were often dusty or muddy, and early vehicles had no windows to protect passengers from rain, dirt, or road spray.

THE CONESTOGA WAGON
This Conestoga wagon belonged to the Stiers family. In 1837, it brought them from Pennsylvania, over the mountains, to the area just below Haydenville, where they settled and became successful farmers.
The wagon was later found in pieces in a barn on Campbell Road, near Laurel Run Road. It was given to the Historical Society and rebuilt by its members.
Pioneer families had to carry everything they needed with them, including tools, food for people and animals, clothing, and any furniture they hoped to bring. Because nearly all available space was needed for supplies, there was little room for family members to ride. Most had to walk alongside the wagon and often slept on the ground beneath it.
THE SMALL GARDEN WAGON - Is an old-fashioned wagon for the garden to use for planting and gathering their produce. (This was donated to the museum by Ginny Hamilton.)
THE WAGON WHEEL – This was found approx. 10 years ago in the Hocking River, just down from what is known as the “Death Hole” during the drought of 2012 summer when the water level was very low. No one knows if it was from the Bensonhaver’s wagon that went over the drop-off many years ago. That accident killed the husband, wife and horses.

The first photo is of Margaret Lutz in 1953 with the steam car. The next is the remodeled car, and the last is the Stier's covered wagon.