About the Oral History Project Collection

The Oral History Project Collection includes oral history recordings, transcripts of the interviews, and photographs of those interviewed. The materials can be viewed through the use of RealPlayer for any of the audio recordings and Adobe Acrobat Reader for the transcriptions. If you do not have these free plug-ins, you may download them from RealNetworks or Adobe.

The original oral history project was funded through a revenue sharing budget approved by the Alliance City Council on September 4, 1973. Rodman Public Library was the city's agent in compiling a history of early Alliance as recalled by some of its oldest residents. N. Yost Osborne, librarian of Mount Union College coordinated the project and conducted many of the interviews. Lyle Crist and Harriet (Miller) Clem conducted many of the other interviews.

Topics include recollections of Mount Union professors, industrial leaders, local sports figures, business persons, and the life and times of an Alliance centenarian. Noteworthy is a letter written by William H. Morgan regarding the Olive Poisoning Tragedy of 1919 when seven Alliance residents including Col. Charles C. Weybrecht died from botulism.

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The Alliance Memory project is funded in part through an Institute of Museum and Library Services LSTA grant awarded by the State Library of Ohio.

For further information on reproduction of these images or the project in general, use our information request form.