Clintonville and Beechwold (Images of America) (Images of America (Arcadia Publishing))
Title: Book shows photographic history of ClintonvilleAuthor: Jennifer NesbittPublisher: ThisWeekDate: 1/7/2009From wooden farmhouses built in the early 1800s to mom-and-pop stores in the 1940s and '50s, a new book compiled by Clintonville resident Shirley Hyatt chronicles the history of Clintonville and Beechwold through photographs.The book, part of Arcadia Publishing's "Images of America" series, will be released Jan. 12 and available at Walgreens in Clintonville, Colonial Candy Shoppe and through Borders and Amazon.To create "Images of America: Clintonville and Beechwold," Hyatt spent the last year sifting through more than 1,000 photographs given to her by community members.The final result features 200 photographs with captions of 75 words or less detailing the pictures' historical significance. The book features chapters on area homes, churches, schools, the communities, green spaces and more."It really helps you envision what it used to be like and what your parents and grandparents went through, how they lived," Hyatt said.The book outlines some of the area's well-known history, such as that of the Olentangy Park amusement park that existed in the first half of the 20th century and of the horse farm that later became Graceland shopping center, Hyatt said.But the book also includes the history of some of Clintonville's smaller communities, which Hyatt said she really enjoyed exploring."Specific little neighborhoods that were bright and vibrant and core to the whole area that I didn't know about and that I think others don't" were some of the most interesting stories to unfold, Hyatt said.The hardest part of crafting the book was taking the 1,000-plus photographs and stories people shared and narrowing them down to the space constraints set by the publisher, Hyatt said."I had to make a lot of sad decisions," she said. "I had all these anecdotes and pieces of information that I couldn't bear to throw away."That led Hyatt to take the leftover photographs and stories and create a Web site, ClintonvilleHistory.com.Hyatt said she hopes the Web site will help to supplement the work done by the Clintonville Historical Society, which doesn't have a Web site. The current plan, she said, is to keep collecting photographs and stories to weave into the timeline on the site.Crafting the book helped Hyatt realize how fragile local histories are. Too easily, she said, those oral histories and photographs disappear as residents pass away or move out of the area."Don't throw away photographs. If you have family albums, take them to the historical society. Have your parents name people in photographs," she said. "I've come out of this project feeling you cannot put that off."Now that Hyatt has finished this book, her first, she doesn't know which project she'll tackle next. But she said she doesn't think this book will be her last."The book comes out on Jan. 12, and I have not thought past that," Hyatt said. "I'm still in the Clintonville groove."In the meantime, Hyatt will attend book signings and presentations on Clintonville history, and will continue to write her regular column on Columbus' history for Angie's List magazine. She also has a piece in an upcoming issue of the Ohio Historical Society's magazine on Cleveland's gardens.<br /><br />Title: History of Clintonville, Beechwold was long labor of loveAuthor: Kathleen L. RadcliffPublisher: The Columbus Local NewsDate: 1/18/2009For Clintonv --This Week