The Putnam County Pioneer Association was organized in Kalida, Ohio, on September 6, 1873, to perpetuate the early history of the county. Its members gathered oral histories from early residents and published two volumes of Pioneer Reminiscences in 1878 and 1887. Early gatherings were held in various villages, but the annual Kalida Pioneer Day was established in the by-laws as the first Saturday in September, drawing people from throughout the county for speakers, eulogies, and a community picnic. Over the years, amusements such as tightrope walkers, hot-air balloons, merry-go-round rides, and pageants were added, and during the 1934 Putnam County Centennial fireworks displays were held over two nights. In 1962, the Pioneer Association turned over sponsorship of the weekend to the Kalida Lions Club and Kalida Firemen's Association and changed its annual meeting date to the first Saturday after Labor Day in September. In 1970, the Kalida Lions Club used funds generated from the event to purchase the former Kalida Methodist Church at 201 E. Main Street and sold it for $10 to the Pioneer Association for use as a museum. The association adopted a revised constitution and changed its name to The Putnam County Historical Society in 1971, and Pioneer Days has grown into a four-day festival that continues to celebrate Putnam County and its residents while the society still holds its annual meeting during the weekend.