Gene Smith of the local area, is the curator of the Clyde Museum and McPherson House.
He holds degrees from Terra State Community College, Boyce College and Liberty University. In 2012, he received his bachelor of history degree from Tiffin University. Smith did an internship in museum studies for TU at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums under the leadership of Mary Lou Rendon, former collections manager.
During Smith’s childhood, his family lived in Green Springs and Clyde for about ten years. While other kids went to play in the creek, he played in the McPherson Cemetery, conducting battles and skirmishes on the hill where McPherson’s statue stands. This is where his love of history began.
Smith is a Civil War enthusiast. He has ancestors who have fought for both the North and South during the Civil War. He is especially interested in Civil War history, General McPherson and Charles H. McCleary, a Civil War, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient from Clyde, Ohio.
Smith is also the archivist and museum registrar at the Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton, Ohio.
Clyde Heritage League Board of Trustees
Justin LaBenne, CHL Trustee, President
Patti Burroughs-Saam, CHL Trustee, Vice President
Mimi Fintel, CHL Trustee, Secretary
Karen Langley, CHL Trustee, Treasurer
Frank Weasner, CHL Trustee at Large
Larry Michaels, CHL Trustee at Large
Carolyn Hollingsworth-Pofok, CHL Trustee at Large
The Clyde Heritage was formed in 1975 by Thaddeus B. Hurd and other members of the Clyde community to set in motion an organization that would acquire, preserve, and promote the history and heritage of Clyde, Ohio. Since that time, it has acquired the former Episcopal Church building that is now the Clyde Museum, Heritage Hall, the McPherson House, and multitudes of objects that relate to the rich history and heritage of this famous small town.