At the Aug. 19 Mount Gilead Village Council meeting, Mayor Donna Carver reported she had received a letter from the Ohio History Connection accepting the village application into the historical marker program.

“For decades, residents have expressed their desire for a Victory Shaft Historical Marker,” said Carver. “We are thrilled we finally achieved it.”

The application is for an Ohio Historical Marker for the World War I Victory Shaft at the intersection of state Route 95 and state Route 61 on Mount Gilead’s public square. Not only was the application for the marker accepted, the request for a grant of $1,000 for the marker was awarded.

The letter states the staff of the Ohio History Connection will be working with the village to finalize the text on the marker sometime between November 2024 and November 2025.

Once completed, the historical marker will be placed in Mount Gilead’s Fountain Square near the Morrow County History Center, making it easily accessible to read. Carver said a dedication date will be announced once the marker has been received.

The marker application acceptance was the result of tireless effort by several people over a two-and-a-half-year period. Much research was done by Mount Gilead Councilman Mark Phillips as well as the late Stan Sipe who was part of the committee in the initial stages of the project.

Phillips acknowledged Sipe as well as Dan Rhodebeck who helped delve into research. In addition, he thanked the Mount Gilead Library, the Morrow County Historical Society, and Morrow County Genealogical Society for their contributions to the research.

Both Carver and Phillips talked about the many pages of detail and information required in the application process. Carver had much knowledge about the monument since she had worked to organize the centennial celebration for the Victory Shaft in 2019. Phillips said he had also done research on the Victory Shaft several years ago for articles in the Morrow County Sentinel. This was the second year the committee had applied for the historical marker. Last year, they received a letter asking or more details and information on the application.

Phillips described the two sides of the historical marker, which will have different information. One side will have the history of how the Victory Shaft was awarded to Morrow County and how the community rallied in a contest with help from children saving pennies to farmers who had a good crop that year. The Victory Shaft was awarded to Morrow County for purchasing the most World War I Saving Stamps per capita than any other county in the state during a summer campaign. The other side of the marker will be inscribed with the names of the 29 men in Morrow County who died during World War I.

“Significantly,” said Carver, “the monument was given after being awarded a plaque for purchasing the most saving stamps per capita in the United States in the previous campaign.”

This will be the fifth historical marker to be placed in Morrow County. Other markers are at the birthplace of Warren G. Harding in Blooming Grove; Ohio Central College in Iberia, which was attended by Harding; in Pagetown the birthplace of Myrtle Page Filmore who founded the Unity School of Christianity with her husband Charles; and Dawn Powell whose marker is beside the Mount Gilead Public Library.

Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent for The Morrow County Sentinel. She can be reached at [email protected].