The Watercolor Art Gallery at the Mary E. Babcock Library
In 1982 Ohio watercolor artist Robert Brubaker (1921 - 2011) of Granville was commissioned to create nine watercolor paintings for Bank Ohio that was located at 39 S. Main St. in Johnstown. Bank Ohio became the PNC Bank. When they sold their building on South Main Street in Johnstown the watercolor paintings were donated to the Mary E. Babcock Library and are on display throughout the library. The art gallery below shows images of all the Brubaker watercolors and a bit of history about each painting. |
The Town Hall or "Monroe Township Hall"
Architect Elijah Barton began the construction of the Monroe Township building in 1883 on the open green space that had been given to the community by Oliver Bigelow in 1817. Currently, the Johnstown Historical Society's museum is located on the 1st floor of the town hall. The Johnstown Opera House is located on the 2nd floor of the Town Hall. There are only a few Opera Houses still remaining in Ohio. |
The Babcock Library became the owners of valued antiques that were once located in the original Johnstown Bank that opened up for business in 1883 on S. Main Street. You can view these interesting artifacts behind the library's checkout counter.
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Upon entering the Babcock Library, look to your right and you will see the brick sculpture that was created by Allen L. Moran. Mr. Moran was employed by the Bowerston Shale Company for fifteen years as a shipping foreman, but after the company realized his talent, he was promoted to resident sculptor. His process includes taking unfired bricks and arranging them like a mural. The bricks are then numbered, carved, separated, fired, and pieced back together later on site.
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The Babcock Library is proud of the special touchscreen that can be found to the left of the library checkout counter. The touchscreen features Historic Johnstown Ohio.
It allows the viewers a glimpse into our town’s past through scanned photos and vintage postcards of the area. Captions for each image were added to give background information and historical context. The Historic Johnstown Ohio site can also be accessed online. |