Poland celebrates its sesquicentennial

By Bob Jackson | June 26, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

Poland marks 150th birthday

POLAND

The guest of honor looked pretty good for being 150 years old. Really good, as a matter of fact.

Founded in 1866, the village of Poland celebrated its 150th birthday this weekend with a slate of activities, including the unveiling and dedication of an Ohio historical marker that honors the village’s milestone as well as the significance of its Town Hall.

The village’s sesquicentennial celebration was rolled into the 10th annual Celebrate Poland weekend.

Dave Smith, secretary of the Poland Historical Society, said it has been an ongoing, community effort to maintain the historical charm for which the village is known.

Many of the village’s 19th-century homes bear plaques promoted by the Poland Village Gardeners, and a portion of South Main Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“It takes a lot of people with a lot of effort to make Poland have this historical heritage,” Smith said. “We have conscientious homeowners who keep their homes in good shape.”

Besides honoring the village’s 150th anniversary, the marker dedicated Saturday also recognizes the historical significance of the village’s Town Hall. The marker, posted along South Main Street in front of the Town Hall, is the seventh such marker in the village, and the 42nd in Mahoning County, Smith said.

The village was incorporated in August 1866, a year after the end of the Civil War.

The Town Hall, 308 S. Main St., is thought to have been built about 1845 by William Little, in Greek Revival/Gothic style. For years, it was used as a residence by several families, most recently by Judge James Kennedy and his family.

In 1960, the village bought the building, with the support of the Poland Forest Foundation, for use as the Town Hall. Besides government offices, it also originally housed the local library branch and a jail cell.

Besides dedication of the historical marker, weekend events also included a strawberry festival, a Poland Idol singing contest, a Civil War encampment, historical walking tours of the village, and a Chalk the Walks for Poland sidewalk art exhibition, during which youngsters were encouraged to create chalk drawings on the sidewalks around the Town Hall.

Colorful drawings of butterflies, Batman, Tweety Bird, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, flowers, popsicles, trees, local buildings and Elmo from Sesame Street adorned the walkways.

Ten-year-old Isabella Ghinda of Poland opted to put her artistic talents to use by drawing an American flag, flanked by the words, “thank you,” on a section of sidewalk.

Her work drew the attention and admiration of Irvine Phillips, who traveled across the country from his home near Reno, Nev., to attend the festivities.

“Not only is it pretty and very well-done, but it’s patriotic,” said Phillips, 84, who was in town to visit his grandchildren for the weekend. “I think most of us are patriots, but when I see a flag, it makes me feel good.”

As a military veteran, Phillips said seeing artwork such as Isabella’s always pulls out his patriotic pride. He served in the Army during the Korean War, from 1951 to 1957.

His wife of nearly 60 years died about four months ago, so being a part of the sesquicentennial events while visiting his family was a “nice diversion,” Phillips said.

Isabella said she drew a flag to “represent my state,” but the message of thanks she included had a dual meaning.

The obvious message was thanks to veterans who have served our country, but there was also a simpler, more childlike thought behind her words.

“It’s for the people who gave us chalk,” she said softly. “They gave me extra.”

John Hammer came from his home in Manassas, Va., to be a part of the festivities. He and his wife, Patricia, who grew up in the area, left Virginia shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday to be here. His father-in-law, Ted Heineman, is a trustee with the Poland Historical Society and was among the speakers during the dedication ceremony for the historical marker.

“I think [Poland] is a great little community. A lot of really civic-minded people live here,” said Hammer. “I’ve been coming here for 24 years for different events and celebrations and family get-togethers.”

He stood in the shade of a tree during the dedication ceremony, holding the family dog, Sherman. He laughed at the irony of the dog’s name.

“He’s a Southern dog with a Northern general’s name,” he said, referrring to Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. “My son named him.”