“In memory of all Veterans of the Ostrander area who honorably served or paid the supreme sacrifice in defense of this country” is what the inscription reads on the Ostrander Veterans Memorial Marker.
This very special memorial is presently located on the grounds of the old Buckeye Valley West Elementary School building that closed in 2018. Soon, this marker will find a new temporary home at the Delaware County District Library Ostrander Branch, located at 75 N. Fourth St. in downtown Ostrander.
With the marker’s temporary placement in front of the library, it will allow the Village of Ostrander time to complete plans for a more permanent place to honor local veterans. The memorial was originally erected and dedicated on May 29, 1995, by Ostrander Senior Citizens.
The Delaware County District Library is pleased to partner with the Ostrander Civic Association, Ostrander Village Council, Fuller Monument Company of Delaware, C & S Restorations of Waldo, Delhi Landscape of Radnor, and Ostrander resident and veteran Marvin Graham in order to make this relocation happen.
Work on this project has already begun and should be completed in the coming weeks. We hope you’ll stop by to see the new location and, when you do, stop in to talk to Ostrander Branch Library Manager Harla Lawson and discover some fascinating history of the area.
This fall, the Ostrander Branch Library will have three separate events to celebrate SciotoFest – or the heritage of Scioto Township. On Oct. 2, enjoy a driving tour of the township or join us at 2 p.m. for a local history tour filled with stories and folklore. At 2 p.m. on Oct. 23, take a step into the past on the Mill Creek Cemetery Walk. All events will meet and depart from the Ostrander Branch Library.
Discover some stories from other historical eras in these recent releases in the historical fiction genre from this summer.
• “The Bridgetower Sonata: Sonata Mulattica” by Emmanuel Dongala; translated by Marjolijn de Jager. Enter the life and times of 18th century violin prodigy George Bridgetower, the mixed-race son of a Polish mother and a Barbadian father who captivated European high society in the days leading up to the French Revolution. Catch appearances by: the Marquis de Lafayette; then-ambassador Thomas Jefferson; and Ludwig von Beethoven, who dedicated a sonata to Bridgetower.
• “The Parted Earth” by Anjali Enjeti. This atmospheric and thought-provoking story of cultural and familial estrangement takes place in the shadow of the 1947 Partition of India. Read it for the parallel narratives, which offer an intergenerational perspective; the reflective tone and engaging writing style.
• “All the Children Are Home” by Patry Francis. In a small Massachusetts town in the late 1950s, a couple with three foster children take in a fourth – a young indigenous girl whose sudden arrival brings this chosen family closer together. The four foster children are survivors of traumatic abuse and neglect, and author Patry Francis does not shy away from the heartwrenching truth of their experiences.
• “The Paris Hours” by Alex George. Paris, 1927: During a single remarkable day in the City of Lights, 4 strangers with 4 separate struggles have experiences that will change their lives forever. Meet puppeteer Souren, a refugee from the Armenian Genocide; journalist Jean-Paul, who dreams of moving to America to escape his wartime memories; painter Guillaume, whose debt to a loan shark has come due; and maid Camille, who carries the only copy of a manuscript by her late employer, Marcel Proust.
• “When Stars Rain Down” by Angela Jackson-Brown. In 1930s Georgia during the hottest summer in living memory, this thought-provoking and richly detailed coming-of-age story follows Opal Pruitt, a Black girl on the cusp of adulthood, and the brutal acts of racist violence that will change her life and her community forever. Read it for the richly detailed writing and authentic, well-rendered characters.
• “The Light of the Midnight Stars” by Rena Rossner. A lyrical, genre-bending blend of Hungarian folk tales, Jewish mysticism, and historical fiction. Rabbi Isaac and his three gifted daughters live in a tiny village deep in the woods, where they guard and preserve knowledge handed down through descendants of King Solomon. When a tragedy strikes they are forced to flee, but leaving their old identities behind is going to be much harder than they anticipated.
