The Butler County Historical Society will begin 2018 with a new slate of officers when the Board of Trustees meets on Thursday, January 18.

The board’s new president is Brian Smith, a Ross School District English teacher who is entering his fourth year as a board member. The new vice-president is Greg Young, retired superintendent of the Ross School District. Young served as board president three years when he was on the board from 2007 through 2012.

William Groth continues as board treasurer for a third year and Richard O Jones returns as the society’s secretary for a fourth year. Returning board members are Jack Armstrong, Chris Carroll, Richard Piland, and Katie Wright. Kathy Creighton remains the society’s Executive Director, a position she has occupied since 2010.

Two new members of the board of trustees will be Liesl Bauer, a communication strategist for the Hamilton Vision Commission, and B. Gayle Niehaus, a retired school building principal for the Fairfield City School District.

Leaving the board is Jack Whalen, who served on the board for seven years including two years as treasurer and two years as president. Also leaving the board is Sara Butler, a six year board member who was vice-president of the society for four years.

The society’s Board of Trustees oversees the BCHS programs, exhibits, operations, and efforts to preserve and interpret Butler County’s rich heritage. More than 6000 people visited the society to conduct research, tour the house museum, or attend a lecture series program during 2017 and another 3500 attended a Speaker’s Bureau presentation.

As a non-profit organization with no routine government support of any kind, the BCHS relies on generous volunteer and community support and financial gifts to help it continue the society’s increasingly important civic contributions to increase public awareness of the county’s past.

The Butler County Historical Society, located at 327 North Second Street, Hamilton, is a private non-profit formed in 1934 to preserve and promote the history of Butler County through the collection and conservation of artifacts and the sharing of knowledge through education and community engagement. It owns and operates the Benninghofen House museum, a high-Italian style home built in 1863 that is filled with the furnishings of a wealthy family during the Victorian Era. It is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Group tours of the Benninghofen House Museum can be arranged by calling 896-9930.