Photo provided The area around the structure now known as the village-owned Bohandy Building is bustling in this early 20th century photo of downtown Barnesville.

BARNESVILLE — Area residents can learn what makes Barnesville “special and unique” when local historian Bruce Yarnall makes a presentation this week.

Yarnall will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Watt Center for History and the Arts. The Watt Center is located at 511 Watt Ave. in Barnesville. Doors will open at 6 p.m. to give attendees time to view the many displays in the center.

Yarnall is a Barnesville resident who works with the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office. He has worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Columbus Landmarks Foundation. He was also Barnesville’s Victorian Village project coordinator and has been a local historian since age 13.

According to the Watt Center’s Facebook page, Yarnall will give an overview of 215 years of Barnesville history through a presentation that will be an expanded version of Yarnall’s keynote at the April Barnesville Area Chamber of Commerce banquet.

“From 1808, when Quaker James Barnes selected the hilltop meadow on the high ground between the Ohio and Muskingum rivers watersheds for his new town, through the mid-20th century when the popular slogan was “Barnesville, the HI in OHIO,” a nod to the community as the highest incorporated town in the state, I will touch upon what makes Barnesville special and unique,” Yarnall said.

Yarnall will answer many questions about the history and development of Barnesville. He will provide information about the village’s historic businesses, railroads and connections to the Civil War and the Kennedy White House. Yarnall will also touch on the history of the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival.

According to the Watt Center’s Facebook page: “From the excitement of the long-running Barnesville Pumpkin Festival to the planned return of the State Theater to the downtown streetscape, this event is a must for anyone interested in local history.”

Yarnall described his keynote speech in April as a “CliffsNotes” history and hopes to expand more on Tuesday.

During his speech in April, Yarnall started off talking about James Barnes, who is considered to be the founder of Barnesville. He also described the early days of Barnesville’s founding, with its unique mix of Quakers and farmers, Irish Catholics and communities of free African Americans.

The presentation will last about an hour. Donations of $5 at the door will be appreciated. The center is handicap accessible.

For more information, call Mary Sidwell at 740-926-1547 or Beverly Hannahs at 740-425-1537.