Various people have documented historic sites around Wayne County, but the Wayne Historians’ Organization has pulled a lot of information together in one place for you to see and use. Town Historians and representatives of our local historical societies through a cooperative effort have developed an online database of historic sites which includes historic markers, unique architectural treasures, churches, schools, cemeteries, murals, organizations, and much more. Not all of these sites are real old, but they are part of the history of our county. It is important to remember that most of the sites of interest to historians and cultural heritage tourists are on private property and not open to the public. We list them because they are interesting and you can generally see them from public streets. Sometimes we have a considerable amount of history to share about them and sometimes we don’t. We have the ability to add photographs and written text as well as links to other websites. Whenever possible, we like to have both historic and modern photos of the site. The database is, and probably always will be, a work in progress. As we learn more about various sites we will add information and photos. If citizens have additional information or photos, or if they find errors, we hope that they will contact us via the WHO website. An interesting feature of the site is that you can search certain towns or topics. When you click on each site, a new page opens and you will get detailed information and pictures. Sometimes you will find links to more information on other sites. While you are on the specific site’s page, you will find a hot link to the GPS coordinates. If you click it, a map will appear. If you have searched for a topic, you have the option of doing a tour. For example, you could look for all of the historic markers in a certain town. Once you have done that search you can hit the “map it” button and each site will show up on a Google map. Then you can hit “tour” and Google will give you a route to get to each of those sites. The Wayne Historians’ Organization (WHO) is a loosely organized collaboration of municipal historians and historical society representatives. The group meets bi-monthly to discuss topics of interest to the participants and work to share best practices and important information. The County Historian’s Office assists in coordinating their activities. To visit the Wayne Historians’ Organization database, go to: http:// www.waynehistorians.org/
