Local History

Licking County and Ohio History

Explore our extensive collection of local history materials. Browse through over 500 files, uncover the history of your home using the Newark Historic Buildings Inventory or dig into the past with microfilm. Additional resources include yearbooks, veteran history, family histories, maps, Licking County Library’s Wiki, newspaper clippings, online research tools and books.

Local History Guide

Licking County Library has a plethora of resources on local history! Use this guide for direction in your research quest. If you are looking for more specific information, just send us an email at info@lickingcountylibrary.org.

Wiki Page

LCL maintains a Wiki page for local history information on Licking County.

Digital Collection Page

The Licking County Library has a number of digital images and files pertinent to local history available through both Internet Archive and Ohio Memory.

Historic Licking County Tours

We offer a variety of tours conducted both in-person and independently.

GPS-Guided Tours: We created FREE self-guided tours that are available to download on your phone through the app PocketSights. The tours are curated, with the Licking County community in mind, to showcase some of the important, unique and historical points of interest of our county. Our goal is to provide you with an authentic experience that gives you confidence and direction to explore and discover the places around you while learning about local history and culture.
Our Local History Coordinator is eager to set up a downtown Newark walking tour for you or your group. The guided historic tour begins at the Downtown Newark location and visits historically significant buildings and locations throughout downtown. The walk is approximately 1.5 miles. Call 740.349.5571 or email info@lickingcountylibrary.org to schedule.

Johnstown Independent Newspapers

The Mary E Babcock Foundation worked to digitize the Johnstown Independent newspaper.

The scope of the project includes the Johnstown Independent from June 14, 1884, through December 2007, with the exception of 1899 which has no known copies.

Historic Johnstown

The Johnstown (Mary E. Babcock) Library is proud to present a beautiful pictorial of historic Johnstown. The project’s glimpse into Johntown's past is placed into focus by way of scanned photos and vintage postcards. Captions for each image have been added to give background information and historical context. The site can be accessed through an interactive touch screen station located at the Mary E. Babcock location or through this website.

Publications

LCL is lucky to have access to rare historical books on the city of Newark. We have digitized them for you to browse.

A Pen Picture of Newark and Vicinity, As It Appeared In 1818 by "A Native of the City"
Famous and Infamous Citizens of Old Newark by Florence King

We've created several brochures for past history programs. Feel free to explore more about Licking County's historical significance.

Licking County Genealogical Society

The Licking County Genealogical Society is housed at the Downtown Newark location. They offer a plethora of information including family history, marriage, birth and death records. For additional information, call them directly at 740.349.5510 or visit their Facebook page.