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OARDC celebrated their centennial in 1982 and the wheat and test tube on the front of the medal symbolizes their tradition of dealing with agricultural problems through the application of modern science.

Building on OAES’s new campus was held up by a court case, but construction began quickly in 1894 as contractors’ estimates came in.

OAES needed to make sure that they had enough money to buy equipment and pay travel expenses, so they needed to balance their budget, which can be seen in these pages from 1893-1894.

The original buildings of Wooster’s OARDC campus included laboratories, a creamery, a dairy barn, and greenhouses.

Charles E. Thorne became the first director of what eventually became OARDC from 1887-1921.

When OAES originally moved to Wooster none of the buildings were completed yet, but the campus eventually began to take shape in 1893.

Photo the Jacob's Lutheran Cemetery in Franklin Township.

Photo of the Jacob's Lutheran Cemetery and Foundation in Franklin Township.

Building a strong campus for the OARDC in Wooster took many years. The first building on campus is pictured here, erected in spring 1893.

Photo taken across the street from the remnants of Jacob's Lutheran Church, featuring the junction signs.

Photo of Jacob's Lutheran Cemetery.

Charles E. Thorne started working at the OAES as a foreman right after graduating college. When he noticed the station was not near as large or successful as it could have been (mostly due to its location in Columbus), the young man started sharing…

Photo of Jacob's Lutheran Cemetery

Photograph of August Imgard, the man credited with bringing the Christmas Tree to Wooster. For many years, Wooster legend persisted that he brought the Christmas tree to the United States.

Painting of August Imgard, the man credited with bringing the Christmas Tree to Wooster. For many years, local legend suggested that he was the first to bring the Christmas tree to America.

Photo of Dr. Scheiber, the German professor who first proved that Wooster was not the site of the first American Christmas tree by citing earlier instances in Cleveland and Buffalo, NY.

Modern photo of August Imgard's house, the man credited with bringing the Christmas tree to Wooster. The building is now the rectory of St. Mary's Church.

The Freedlander’s storefront changed around the 1960s and stayed in that style until its closing in 2009.

Stamps sold in Wooster in the late 19th century that continued the legend of Wooster as the "home of the first Christmas tree."

Wooster’s local newspaper, The Daily Record, documented the tearing down of the Freedlander storefront that had been a part of the town for more than 125 years.

Program from a religious celebration in Wooster's town square in 1947 to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the christmas tree in Wooster.

Residence of August Imgard, the man credited with bringing the Christmas tree to Wooster. This photo was taken before the house was moved to it's current located at St. Mary's Church.

Dollar Day sales were a chaotic and well remembered event in the store’s history.

Photo of the Wooster Christmas Tree, located in the Wooster Cemetery, lit-up for Christmas.

Herman Freedlander and his son, Harold, both ran the store before it was sold to investors in the late 80s.

Freedlander’s was a popular place during the Christmas shopping season, especially the Toyland Department and Santa.

Many Wooster residents still remember the distinctive hat boxes and bags from Freedlander’s Department Store before its closing in 2009.

Plaque outside of the Salem Lutheran Church stating that the congregation was founded in 1828 by Reverend Weygandt.

Freedlander’s customers often had charge cards, but eventually these gave way to credit cards around the 1970s.

Photo of the front of Salem Lutheran Church, one of the oldest German Lutheran congregations in Wooster.