“This project was very important to me and to the city of Lancaster. It may seem hard to believe that a sign can help bring a community together, but, in our case, it did. Residents have been reaching out wanting to know more about our city’s black history and have even discussed placing a statue in our downtown for one of our first black settlers. It has been an amazing experience.” —Michael Johnson, Marketing Director, Fairfield County Heritage Association
The Fairfield County Heritage Association has been actively preserving local buildings and county history since 1968. Lancaster, Ohio, is located in Fairfield County. Lancaster is a predominately white community, and many residents were unaware of the contributions and stories of the community’s black pioneers. The purpose of this educational signage was to educate the community about the history of Lancaster’s black community.
“I chose Pannier after researching sign companies and saw that they were a trusted organization with a solid reputation. Seeing other historical societies have success working with Pannier made me feel comfortable choosing them. As a non-profit organization, we can’t afford to replace signage and/or markers constantly. Pannier seemed to have a history of producing quality materials that would last. This was the first historical sign that I had ever created and installed, so I was concerned about how it would go. Pannier worked with me every step of the way, from the design phase to installation. I will be using them again in the near future.” —Michael Johnson, Marketing Director, Fairfield County Heritage Association
