Kim Jurkovic named the 2025 Hero of History
Kim Jurkovic was named 2025 Hero of History by the Tuscarawas County Heritage Home Association. This photo was taken at the Tusc/Kent Archives in New Philadelphia.
At its annual Heroes of Preservation and History awards ceremony, the Tuscarawas County Heritage Home Association presented its Hero of History Award to Kim Jurkovic.
Jurkovic is the go-to person for information on local history. She is the curator for the Tuscarawas County Historical Society, which operates the Tusc/Kent Archives at Kent State Tuscarawas in New Philadelphia. She also serves as the local history librarian at the Dover Public Library in its local history room two days per week.
Her work allows her to do what she enjoys most — research — and she’s always discovering something new.
“I love to do the research. Whether it's working on articles for the Chronicler newsletter or whether it's helping people, I like to find things,” Jurkovic said. “It's like detective work back in time.”
Jurkovic said her love of history developed through reading during elementary school, and by fifth grade it was her favorite subject in school.
Jurkovic attended Muskingum College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in history. She then earned a master’s degree in public history from Kent State University. At the time she was living in Wadsworth and took a job at a bank.
“When we moved back to Tuscarawas County, I had done an internship during grad school at the Reeves Home, and so I went there to see if there were any job opportunities,” Jurkovic said.
She was hired as a tour guide and gradually got more involved there.
She worked at the Reeves Home until 2012, then went to the Dennison Depot until 2015, when she began working for Tuscarawas County Historical Society. In a full circle move, Jurkovic later added the job at the Dover Public Library, which is affiliated with the Dover Historical Society, which operates the Reeves Home.
Jurkovic’s first love was the Civil War, after learning about it in high school. She wrote on the topic during college and then wrote her thesis on Tuscarawas County during the Civil War.
Her interests have changed over the years, some of it depending on her work.
“All local history is fascinating to me. Probably my favorite thing is the canal era for Tuscarawas County history,” Jurkovic said.
She’s excited to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026, noting Tuscarawas County has a longer period of American history than 250 years.
When it comes to growth in the county, it is because of the transportation systems.
“What started with the canal goes to the train, to our state routes and interstate system. We are an important industrial area because of that, and that's kind of something we don't really think about,” Jurkovic said.
Her family would say there is never a time when Jurkovic isn’t thinking about history.
“Because when we’re driving down the interstate and go past somewhere, I give them this fun fact about what happened there 100 years ago,” Jurkovic said. “They all roll their eyes at me.”
Jurkovic has worked in the history field for almost 30 years.
“I've been very lucky to be in the same area and worked in multiple local history places for my entire career,” Jurkovic said. “I love history. I love doing what I do.
In other awards Jacquline Lopez, a student at Buckeye Career Center through New Philadelphia High School, was presented with the Jeff Miller Memorial Tradesman Award.
The Heroes of Preservation Awards went to the following:
—Lawton and Kodi Brock for their restoration of the log cabin on Front Street Southeast in New Philadelphia.
—Jim and Debbie Knisely for their restoration of Alley Cats, Lacey Performing Arts Center and Fresh the Market in New Philadelphia.
—Don and Susan Wittingham for their restoration of The Delaware on Fair Avenue Northeast in New Philadelphia.
Plaques were awarded to two Heritage Homes, which are homes built prior to 1901 that maintain their original appearance and character. Those awarded plaques are as follows:
—Patrick and Kristin Eddy on East Third Street in Zoar. The home was built in the 1870s.
—Beth Catola’s home on North Broadway in New Philadelphia, which was built in the 1870s. Unfortunately, the home was damaged by a storm days before the awards, but Catola vowed to restore it once again.
A Twentieth Century Heritage Home plaque went to Mildred “Millie” Weston for the Miller family home on Miller Road Southwest in New Philadelphia, which was built in 1904.
The Gnadenhutten Historic Park and Museum, which was the site of the Gnadenhutten Massacre, was awarded a historic marker for its museum building.