There is not a facet of Ohio’s history that Priscilla Hewetson has not touched upon in her many years at the Ohio Historical Society. Originally a teacher in public and private schools, Priscilla gave up teaching to devote her time to the research, interpretation, and performance of eighteenth and nineteenth-century American music, theater, and dance. In 1974, she founded and continues to direct the Ohio Village Singers, a musical troupe that performs American songs from the past 200 years, and together with them, she has recorded Ohio Revisited: A Choice Collection of Nineteenth Century Music and Christmas at Ohio Village.

Her work and interests led her to join the staff of the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) in 1976.As an educational specialist, she has developed distance learning programs for elementary and secondary schools; directed numerous concerts and theatrical productions that feature historical themes; conducted interviews with World War II veterans in conjunction with the recent Kilroy Was Here exhibit at the OHS; and researched and written scripts and other educational materials for use in the classroom. Though she recently retired from her full-time position at OHS, she continues to work part-time as a researcher, interpreter, and performer of American historic music and as a trainer/coordinator for the society’s living history programs.

Thousands of Ohio’s children have been touched by Priscilla’s special gifts, and many of us remember special holidays at the Ohio Village where Priscilla and the Ohio Village Singers serenaded us with songs of the season even in the most brittle weather. In gratitude for her service, the Ohioana Library honors her with the 2003 Ohioana Citation in the field of historic interpretation.