‘It was a random find’: 100-year-old document of Middletown club found during clean out

The document has caused a stir within the club.

“Our charter was sitting in a box in the basement ready to be thrown out,” said Locke. “We were pretty excited because we had no idea where it was. It was a random find.”

The Middletown Rotary Club was chartered on May 12, 1925, celebrating its centennial anniversary earlier in 2025. According to a newspaper account, the club held its inaugural dinner on June 9, 1925, at the Hotel Manchester with more than 300 Rotarians and guests from throughout southwest Ohio.

“Prominent people in Middletown were involved in the founding of our club,” Locke said.

The original charter document was delivered at that inaugural dinner. Over 100 years, the document was misplaced and disappeared…until a month ago.

At the club’s Dec. 16, 2025, meeting, the charter was donated to the Middletown Historical Society for display.

“These are great little hidden gems you hope to find by the public in an attic, basement or barn,” said Sam Ashworth, Middletown historian and member of the Middletown Historical Society’s board of directors.

Ashworth said the historical society plans to find a prominent place to display the framed charter document at the society’s Shartle House, 120 N. Verity Parkway in Middletown.

“It is in really good shape, no water damage, and nicely presented.”

In its 100-year history, the Middletown Rotary Club has undertaken countless efforts to improve the community and financially support local organizations, providing significant grants to Miami University Middletown and Cincinnati State.

“We are looking for service projects,” Locke said, adding that most recently the club volunteered for Hope House Rescue Mission and Salvation Army Middletown.

He said that while the club once had 162 members in 1990 when he joined the club, it has dwindled to 47, but it is growing again.

According to Rotary International’s website, “Rotary is a global network of more than 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

Founded in 1905, Rotary International was founded so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships.