James L. Blount (June 4, 1935 – August 22, 2017), known as “The Mayor of Little Chicago,” was an accomplished historian, author, educator, and newspaper editor. His prolific writings and numerous speeches furthered the understanding of the history of Butler County and secured the cultural memory of his community. In addition to his work as a historian, he also served as the Chairman of the Butler County Transportation Improvement District, leading to the “Jim Blount South Hamilton Crossing Overpass” being named in his honor. Following his career with the Hamilton Journal-News, the Lane Libraries started exclusively publishing his articles.
Upon his death in 2017, the Blount Family donated the majority of his personal papers to the Smith Library of Regional History. These papers are in the process of being digitized, but cannot be made available on our website due to copyright concerns.
Please contact us for access to this archive, and please see below for digitally available articles, books, and manuscripts by Jim Blount.
