Chautauqua Living History Series: Johnny Appleseed
January 13 @ 6:00 pm
History will step out of the textbooks and onto the stage in 2026 as Living History Productions launches an exciting Chautauqua Living History Series at Genesis Christian Academy (GCA), bringing iconic American figures to life for the Ashland, Wayne, and Richland County community.
The series will be held monthly at 6:00 p.m. at Genesis Christian Academy, 810 Katherine Avenue, located directly across from Ashland High School. Each program will feature immersive, first-person historical portrayals designed to educate, inspire, and connect audiences with the nation’s past.
The inaugural program is set for Tuesday, January 13, 2026, and will spotlight one of the region’s most beloved historical figures — Johnny Appleseed, known locally as John Chapman, who traveled throughout Ashland and Richland counties in the early 1800s.
Genesis Christian Academy is a comprehensive, non-traditional Christian school offering university-style courses, making it a fitting venue for a series rooted in education, history, and civic reflection.
While Johnny Appleseed opens the series, the lineup for 2026 will span the Revolutionary era and the birth of American democracy, including portrayals of:
- Benjamin Franklin
- Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence
- Paul Revere and his historic ride
- The Federalist Papers
- George Washington crossing the Delaware River on Christmas Day, 1776
- George Washington at Valley Forge during the brutal winter of 1777
📍 Chautauqua Living History Series 📅 Begins: January 13, 2026 🕕 Time: 6:00 p.m. 🏫 Location: Genesis Christian Academy, 810 Katherine Avenue, Ashland.
Ashland County is invited to come experience history — not as a lesson, but as a living, breathing story — as America prepares to celebrate 250 years of freedom
