Learn about Vermilion's early history

VERMILION — The Vermilion Historical Society, the Vermilion History Museum and the Ritter Public Library will present "Oulanie Thepy — The Golden Years of Vermillion – Part 1." It's a video narrative of the beginning of the village in 1809 through the golden age of shipbuilding, ending in 1879. "Oulanie Thepy" is translated from the native American Indian phrase as "Vermillion Creek." The spelling of "Vermilion" was changed from "Vermillion," with two Ls, to "Vermilion," with one L, to avoid confusion with another township in Ohio named "Vermillion." The change was officially made by the U.S. Postal Service on March 2, 1894, dropping the second "L" from the local city, river and township names. Glen Cutcher, a society member, has adapted "Oulanie Thepy" from the book written by Thomas A. Smith into a video narrative, adding early photos of the village from the collections of the Vermilion Historical Society and Vermilion History Museum. The video will be shown at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Ritter Public Library, 5680 Liberty Ave. (U.S. 6), Vermilion. It'll occur in the library's lower level. The program is free and open to the public to enjoy. People can contact vermilionhistoricalsociety@gmail.com for more information.