Upcoming Talk Tells Story of Airship Crash 50 Miles Southeast of Newark
NEWARK – The Licking County Historical Society will host an illustrated talk by local author and historian, Aaron Keirns, on Tuesday, September 16th at 7:00 p.m. The talk, titled “America’s Forgotten Airship Disaster,” will be held at the Buckingham House in Veterans Park on N. Sixth St. in Newark. The event is free and open to the public.
Keirns’ presentation tells the story of the 682-ft. Navy airship USS Shenandoah, which crashed in a violent storm about 50 miles southeast of Newark near the village of Ava. September 3rd marked the 100th anniversary of the crash. Fourteen crewmen were killed, including the airship’s captain.
“It’s a tragic but fascinating story,” Keirns said. “It happened during the early days of flight when airplanes and airships were evolving at the same time. Everything was experimental. It was a time of great accomplishments and terrible disasters.”
The Shenandoah was America’s first rigid dirigible and the first in the world to be filled with helium instead of hydrogen. Unlike the more well-known Hindenburg airship, which burst into flames in 1937, the Shenandoah did not catch fire because helium is not flammable.
“The crash made headlines around the world when it happened,” said Howard Long, Executive Director of the Licking County Historical Society. “But today, this important historic event is not well known even by Ohioans. It’s an example of how quickly history can fade from our collective memory.”
Keirns, who was named Licking County’s Historian of the Year for 2025, is the author of an illustrated book about the Shenandoah, as well as several other books. His books will be available for purchase at the event.
The talk is part of the historical society’s Katzenjammers History Club series, which features talks on local and regional history topics.
For more information, visit the Licking County Historical Society website at www.lchsohio.org, or contact Howard Long, Executive Director, at 740-345-4898,
or by email at hlong@lchsohio.org.