The Bellaire Public Library and The Great Stone Viaduct Historical Education Society are partnering again this winter season to sponsor a Local History Winter Lecture Series. The topics covered this year will once again bring together lecturers who are knowledgeable about the topics they present, while providing visual aids that will bring these topics to life. Remaining speakers include Laura Cramblet, Bellaire Public Library Director, who will present on March 12 "Cultural Traditions of Early Coal, Glass and Steel Towns", Paul Cramer of Paul Jay Associates and Digital Solutions will present, "Archival Research, and Preservation of Historical Photographs and Documents"on March19th, John Kniesner, former Library Director will present, "Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry: The Hero of the Battle of Lake Erie" and then Dr. John Mattox, Director of the Underground Railroad Museum in Flushing, Ohio, will end the lecture series on April 2nd with a presentation entitled, "The Underground Railroad in Ohio".
Speakers who have already presented were Dr. David Castle, Assistant Professor of History at Ohio University Eastern, "Belmont County and the Northwest Territory", Fred Ottoson of the Imperial Glass Collector's Museum, "Imperial Glass-Gem of the Glass City", Attorney Daniel Frizzi, Jr. "The Methodist Episcopal Church in Bellaire, Ohio - Bellaire's First Church" and John Bowman, "Steamboats on the Ohio River at Wheeling and Bellaire".
Free and open to the public, those interested in these topics are encouraged to mark their calendars for Wednesday evening in March. All presentations begin at 6 o'clock p.m. Refreshments will be served at the conclusion of each lecture.