Echoes Magazine January/February 2020

MAGAZINE

JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2020 CRUSADING TO OUTLAW ALCOHOL

SHARE. DISCOVER. CONNECT.

NAZI SCIENTISTS IN DAYTON

MAKE IT SNOW!

The Campaign for Prohibition

Ohio Memory

Operation Paperclip

Skiing in Ohio

Page 38

Page 42

Page 26

Page 32

MAGA ZINE

Cover: Jan. 17 marks the 100th anniversary of the day Prohibition took effect. Ohio played an outsized role in the crusade to outlaw alcohol. This illustration is part of an Ohio Dry Federation ad of the time. See page 26.

Ohio History Connection Archival Collections

Vol. 59, No. 1 EDITORS

Bill Eichenberger

Contents J A N U A R Y & F E B RU A R Y 2020

26

The Campaign for Prohibition— Crusading to Outlaw Alcohol

32

Ohio Memory— Share. Discover. Connect.

38

Operation Paperclip— Nazi Scientists in Dayton

42

Skiing in Ohio— Make It Snow, Make It Snow, Make It Snow!

Tom Wolf CONTRIBUTORS

Chris Buchanan Devin Corrington Erin Esmont Katherine Jellison Emily Rebmann Jenni Salamon David A . Simmons Parker Williams ADVISORY BOARD

Donna DeBlasio Youn gstown St ate Unive r sit y

Nishani Frazier Miami Unive r sit y

Rober t G enheimer Cin cinn ati Muse um Ce nte r

Stephen G eorge O hio Histor y Conne c tion

Alex Hastie O hio v. the World

G eorge Ironstrack Miami Unive r sit y

Chester Pach O hio Unive r sit y

Roger Pickenpaugh

I N E AC H I S S U E

2 4 4 6 13 14 19 46 48 50

Contents From Our Editors What’s Your Story?

In the News Historic Sites & Museums At the Ohio History Center & Ohio Village Featured Events & Exhibits I Wish I’d Been There Young Eyes on the Past Reviews

Historian an d Auth or

Daniel Rivers T he O hio St ate Unive r sit y

Erin Wingfield O hio Histor y Conne c tion

THANKS TO OUR OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION STRATEGIC PARTNERS:

Echoes Magazine (ISSN 0012-933X) is published bimonthly and distributed by the Ohio History Connection as a benefit of Ohio History Connection membership.

Editorial Offices: Ohio History Connection, Ohio History Center, 800 E. 17th Ave., Columbus, OH 43211-2474 Phone 844.836.0012 • Email echoes@ohiohistory.org Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Echoes Magazine, Ohio History Connection, Ohio History Center, 800 E. 17th Ave., Columbus, OH 43211-2474 Entire contents © 2020 by the Ohio History Connection.

All rights reserved. Nothing may be reprinted or electronically reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. The Ohio History Connection accepts no responsibility for facts and opinions expressed by the authors.

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Contact us at membership@ohiohistory.org or 800.686.1545 to share your new address.

The Ohio History Connection is a

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @OhioHistory

The Campaign for Prohibition CRUSADING TO OUTLAW ALCOHOL

26

Jan. 17 marks the 100th anniversary of the day in 1920 when Prohibition took effect. Ohio played an outsized role in the long crusade to outlaw alcohol. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was founded in Cleveland in 1874. The Anti-Saloon League, “the first modern political pressure group,” was formed in Oberlin in 1893 and moved from Washington, DC, to Westerville in 1909, where it churned out 40 tons of printed materials a month urging voters to favor Prohibition as a cure for social ills.

Ohio Memory SHARE. DISCOVER. CONNECT.

32

The website Ohio Memory shares many of the things that Ohio’s historical societies, museums, archives and similar organizations have collected. In one convenient place online, you’ll discover more than a million images of Ohio history-related photos, maps, drawings, paintings, letters, diaries, journals, newspapers, books, videos and more—all yours to connect with anytime at ohiomemory.org.

Operation Paperclip NAZI SCIENTISTS IN DAYTON

38

In the waning days of the Third Reich, Col. Donald L. Putt—a native of Sugarcreek, Ohio—received orders to head to Germany to take over Hermann Goering’s secret aeronautical lab. Under Putt’s supervision, more than 200 of Nazi Germany’s best scientific minds were rounded up and taken to Dayton, where they were put to work at Wright Field under the code name “Operation Paperclip.”

Skiing in Ohio MAKE IT SNOW, MAKE IT SNOW, MAKE IT SNOW!

42

In 1960, Michigan had 12 ski resorts. Ohio had zero. But new technology was about to cause a flurry of interest in this winter sport in the Buckeye State. Ohio’s first ski resort, Snow Trails, opened in 1961 near Mansfield, followed by Mad River Mountain—then called Valley High—near Zanesfield in 1962 and five more by 1965. It’s been downhill ever since.

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FROM OUR EDITORS Since 2013, contributions from Ohioans choosing the “Ohio History Fund” check-off on state individual income tax returns have helped fund grants for history-and-preservation projects across the Buckeye State.

They’ve aided history-related projects by local historical societies, museums, public libraries, historic preservation groups, genealogical societies, university archives and special collections, archaeological societies, county records-management offices and other nonprofits and public entities in Ohio.

To date, grants totaling $694,569 have helped fund 73 projects in 37 counties.

Projects have ranged from collecting oral histories, creating traveling exhibits and preserving historic newspapers to mundane but essential work like roof, gutter and window repairs that keep Ohio’s museums and other historic places standing in good repair and open to visitors.

You can benefit more projects like these in communities across Ohio with a gift to the Ohio History Fund. Just check, or have your tax preparer check, “Ohio History Fund” on your 2019 Ohio individual income tax return, then specify the amount of your refund you’d like to contribute.

Nearly all the revenue that makes these grants possible comes from voluntary contributions by Ohioans like you. When you make a voluntary gift to the History Fund through your Ohio individual income tax return, you help make grants for more history-and-preservation projects throughout Ohio.

The History Fund grants were created by the state through the collective efforts of the Ohio History Connection and 10 partner organizations: Heritage Ohio, the Ohio Academy of History, Ohio Archaeological Council, Ohio Council for Social Studies, Ohio Genealogical Society, Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board, Ohio Local History Alliance, Ohio Travel Association, Preservation Ohio and the Society of Ohio Archivists.

Here’s how the Ohio History Fund tax “check-off” works: 3 Although we call it a “check-off,” you won’t find a box to check on your tax form.

3 Toward the end of your 2019 Ohio individual income tax return, after you’ve calculated the amount of your refund (if you’re receiving a refund), you’ll find line 26, which asks “Amount of line 24 to be donated.”

3 One of the six options (Line 26-f) is “Ohio History Fund.”

3 Under “Ohio History Fund,” just fill in the amount you’d like to contribute.

Even a small donation can make a big difference.

3 The amount you contribute through your Ohio individual income tax return goes to support the Ohio History Fund, which aids local historyand-preservation projects in communities throughout Ohio, all because of donations from generous history-and-preservation-minded Ohioans like you. From where we sit, we know how much they are valued and appreciated by those who receive them, and how much they are helping to preserve our state’s heritage. Please consider a gift to the Ohio History Fund from your state tax refund this year. Thank you!

See all 73 projects that have benefited from Ohio History Fund grants since 2013 and learn more about the fund at ohiohistory.org/historyfund.

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What’s In every issue of Echoes Magazine, we feature the stories of Ohio History Connection members and other Ohioans to stoke memories and shed light on our shared past.

For this issue, we asked,

“ Do the women in your family have any stories or traditions about their own voting? What has the right to vote meant to you?”

Here are some of your responses: CONNECT ACROSS GENERATIONS When I was little, my parents and I would walk down to the VFW to vote. Our polling location had a voting booth for kids, and every year I carefully considered my options before marking the ballot. My vote for U.S. president was almost always for Sitting Bull, the Hunkpapa Lakota leader. As a grown-up, I look forward to Election Day just as much, and it’s particularly special when I get to share it with my daughter. Now that she is old enough, I love to go vote together and then go out to eat afterward. For me, voting is a sacred responsibility as a citizen, but also a beautiful way to connect across generations while honoring those who fought and died for our democracy. I encourage everyone to take the young ones in their lives to the voting booth.

—Jen Miller, Columbus

VOTES FOR WOMEN

WANTED TO VOTE

ALF LANDON BUTTON

I don’t remember voting until I moved to Worthington with my husband and young daughter in 1958. We voted in the shelter house in Selby Park, where people in my neighborhood still vote. I remember that sometimes it was very crowded with long lines outside, and then once you were inside, you had to be shown how to work the voting machines. They always asked for name and address, but as I never got a driver’s license, I don’t recall that I showed them an ID card. But I was always able to vote. In fact, we always felt that we wanted to vote, that that’s what we should do regardless of how we felt about the candidates who were running. I have voted absentee for many years now.

My mother emancipated herself in 1918 when she left home to teach in Alabama. She was the eldest of seven children and taught youngsters in a coal-mining community. It was hard, and they sent her back home on a train. I’m not sure what year she first voted, but I know that my father and mother did vote. They were good, solid Republicans. I remember when I was seven or eight wearing a button at school for Alf Landon, I think it was. We all had different candidates on our buttons. I’ve always felt that voting was the most important thing you could do as a citizen. I voted for Wendell Willkie, for Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford and on down the line.

I’ve been called Lucy a long, long time, but when I vote I’m always Mary R. Porter, because that’s the name on my driver’s license.

—Mary Finney, Worthington

HAS NEVER MISSED VOTING My first memory about voting was in 1960 when my dad and I went into downtown Buffalo to hear Sen. John Kennedy speak, which was a wonderful experience. I was 16, wishing so much that I could vote and upset that I couldn’t yet. But I made sure that my parents voted that year—also my aunts, uncles and anyone else I could find. I missed the 1962 midterms because I wasn’t 18 yet, so my first election voting was the presidential election of 1964.

From the beginning, voting has been very important to me and I have never missed voting in an election. I hope I never do. I still try to get other people to vote, too.

—Marcia Austin, Chillicothe

—Lucy Porter, Columbus

VOTED FOR HARDING My grandmother, Ada Goodman, was born in 1898 and died in 1996.

We were discussing the upcoming presidential election in 1992 during a visit to her small house in the village of Adelphi in Ross County. I asked her for whom she cast her first presidential vote. Grandma answered quickly, “I voted for Warren G. Harding.” “Why did you vote for Harding, Grandma?” I asked.

Her eyes twinkled, and a smile crossed her face. “Because,” she said, “HE was a good-looking man!”

—Linda Herrnstein, Chillicothe

Library of Congress

Your Story?

Postcard published about 1913 with a verse that refers to women’s right to vote.

WHAT’S YOUR STORY? We want to know your stories, so in every issue of Echoes Magazine we ask you a question, then run selected answers in the following issue. Here’s the question for March & April: What is the one thing that you think has changed the most in your community over the years?

Email your story responses (50 to 150 words) by Jan. 10 to echoes@ohiohistory.org or, if you follow us on Facebook, send us a Facebook message.

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In the News HARDING HOME

Careful Research Guiding Restoration From July to November 1920, Warren and Florence Harding’s home in Marion, Ohio, became the center of Warren Harding’s famous front porch campaign for president of the United States. A century later, the Ohio History Connection is preparing to unveil the restored home, which is being returned to its appearance during the 1920 campaign based on thorough physical and documentary research. The Harding Home and new Warren G. Harding Presidential Center are expected to open this summer.

For several years, Ohio History Connection architect and Restoration Project Coordinator Chris Buchanan and Site Historian Emily Rebmann have been working with Marion-based Harding sites Manager Sherry Hall on the restoration.

WALLPAPER & LINOLEUM FRAGMENTS

Since the restoration is targeted at a specific year, one of the biggest challenges has been identifying the correct layer of wallpaper for 1920, the campaign year.

“One of the most exciting discoveries has been fragments of early wallpapers in almost every room, generally in hard-to-reach places like behind radiators or under later woodwork,” Buchanan says.

The campaign-era wallpapers have been reproduced by Wolff House Wallpapers of Mount Vernon, Ohio.

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Buchanan says that other exciting finds have included fragments of the kitchen linoleum and shadowy-black “ghost” marks on the kitchen walls.

Discovered under a layer of drywall, the marks indicate the exact location of the original kitchen sink and other features.

JUST FOUR INTERIOR PHOTOS

“With significant press coverage of the campaign and the huge amount of archival material related to it, we’re often asked about interior photos that we’ve used as a resource for the restoration,” Rebmann says. “When we began our research for the project, we were surprised to discover only four interior photos of the Harding Home from the 1920 campaign.”

Those photos, showing the dining room and library, have been extremely helpful. For a previous library restoration in the mid-2000s, Ohio History Connection Restoration Coordinator Neal Hitch and History Curator Cheryl Lugg Straker had used the photos to identify a deteriorating leather-upholstered Turkish rocker in the basement as a prime candidate for conservation.

In 2018, Rebmann used the same photos to select the books that should go into the library’s cherry bookcase and to pursue necessary conservation for Warren Harding’s library table.

Using the photos, Rebmann and Buchanan were able to identify the dining room wallpaper of 1920. They

Harding home in Marion, site of Warren G. Harding’s 1920 front porch campaign for president of the United States.

also used them to figure out the height of a missing chair rail, based on the dimensions of a chair still in Ohio History Connection collections that appears in a corner of one photograph.

The photos also show that the dining room’s Mission-style light fixture had been altered and moved to the library. “We’re using the photos together with a surviving receipt for the fixture to guide us in restoring it to its original appearance,” Buchanan says.

SIFTING THROUGH THE EVIDENCE

Through letters, receipts, campaign photos and a set of diagrams drawn in 1927 by Warren Harding’s sister, Abigail Harding Lewis, Rebmann has been able to confirm the provenance of Harding objects and curate the home to look as much as possible as it did in 1920.

Campaign-era newspaper articles and pre-campaign receipts have also helped shed light on changes made as the Hardings’ home temporarily became a more public place in 1920.

Harding neighbor Eleanor Freeland wrote about changes that Florence Harding made in the parlor. So did St. Louis Star and Times journalist Constance Drexel, in the Nov. 8,

Restoration Project Coordinator Chris Buchanan (right) in the parlor of the Harding Home.

1920, story “An Intimate Glimpse of Mrs. Harding in Her Marion Home”:

almost every one. (Cretonne is a type of printed fabric popular at the time.)

making it easier to connect with the famous couple.”

The front part was cleared for action, so to speak. Evidently the usual furniture and draperies had been removed, there being only a sparse collection of wicker chairs, grass rugs, and a bit of creton [sic] here and there. This left plenty of room for the throngs of people bound to come into the house, because the Harding latch-key has been out for

EYE-OPENING PROCESS

Learn more about the upcoming opening of the newly restored Harding Home and Warren G. Harding Presidential Center in future issues of Echoes Magazine.

“The restoration process has been eye-opening for all of us,” Harding sites Manager Sherry Hall says.

“Tediously sifting through the layers of evidence and using great care in making restoration decisions has paid off. Visitors will see the most accurate representation possible of the Hardings’ environment in 1920,

Ohio History Connection Archival Collections

Left: Warren G. Harding in his library, October 1920. This photo helped researchers make decisions about the restoration. Right: The 1920 dining room and washroom wallpaper, which can also be seen in a 1920 dining room photo. This fragment was preserved under a later piece of woodwork in the washroom.

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Cincinnati Union Terminal

HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Ohio History Connection Honors Preservationists Outstanding historic preservation achievements in communities across Ohio were honored with the Ohio History Connection’s annual State Historic Preservation Office Awards on Sat., Oct. 19, 2019. State Historic Preservation Officer Burt Logan presented awards in two categories— Public Education and Awareness and Preservation Merit—to the following recipients: PUBLIC EDUCATION AND AWARENESS AWARD

The Public Education and Awareness Award is for increasing interest in historic preservation. Eligible activities include, but are not limited to, media, newsletters, publications, interpretation, original research, educational programs and special events that have substantially increased public understanding and awareness of historic preservation at the local, regional or state level.

Bowling Green: Wood County Historical Center & Museum and Jeffrey Hall Photography for the exhibit For Comfort and Convenience: Public Charity by Way of the Poor Farm.

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Board of Mahoning County Commissioners

Cincinnati Museum Center

Restored Mahoning County Courthouse statues, Youngstown

Fairfield, Franklin, Pickaway and Scioto Counties: Cathy Nelson, Fairfield County Park District, Village of Lockbourne, City of Groveport, Pickaway County Historical Society, Pickaway County Park District, Scenic Scioto Heritage Trail, Village of Baltimore, Benjamin D. Rickey & Co. and David Meyer for nomination of the Ohio & Erie Canal Southern Descent Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places.

R.W. Clark Co. for the rehabilitation and restoration of the 1926 Highland Park Mausoleum at 21400 Chagrin Blvd. in Highland Hills.

PRESERVATION MERIT AWARD

Port Clinton: Ohio Army National Guard for rehabilitation of the 1908 Hough Auditorium at the Camp Perry Joint Training Center in Port Clinton.

The Preservation Merit Award is for preserving Ohio’s prehistory, history, architecture or culture.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to, restoring, rehabilitating or otherwise preserving an important building or site, longtime stewardship of a property, promoting protective legislation, funding preservation projects, offering leadership, support or service and furthering preservation at the local, regional or state level.

Cincinnati: Cincinnati Museum Center, Turner Construction Co., GBBN Architects, John G. Waite Associates, Architects, and Facility Management & Planning Services for the rehabilitation and restoration of the 1933 Cincinnati Union Terminal.

Cleveland and Highland Hills: City of Cleveland, Ziska Architecture and

Mount Vernon: Woodward Development Corporation, City of Mount Vernon, Korda/Nemeth Engineering Inc., Modern Builders and Hardlines Design Co. for the rehabilitation of the 1851 Woodward Opera House at 107 S. Main St. in Mount Vernon.

Youngstown: Board of Mahoning County Commissioners, McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory and Perspectus Historic Architecture for restoration of the Mahoning County Courthouse statues at 120 Market St. in Youngstown.

The Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office is Ohio’s official historic preservation agency. It identifies historic places in Ohio; nominates properties to the National Register of Historic Places; reviews federally assisted projects for effects on historic, architectural and archaeological resources in Ohio; certifies local government historic preservation programs and

administers grants to them; consults on conservation of older buildings and sites; and offers educational programs and publications.

Learn more and explore past award recipients at ohiohistory.org/shpo.

Recent Ohio Additions to the National Register of Historic Places AKRON • SUMMIT COUNT Y KENMORE BOULEVARD HISTORIC DISTRICT 872–1030 & 873–1017 Kenmore Blvd.; 2181 14th St. S.W.; 2200 15th St. S.W.; 940 Florida Ave.

Kenmore Boulevard Historic District is the commercial core of Kenmore, a streetcar suburb platted near booming local industries of the 1910s like Akron’s Firestone factories and Barberton’s Diamond Match Co. In 1910, Firestone and Diamond Match had about 2,500 employees combined. By 1920, Firestone alone had 19,800. This remarkable growth is reflected in the number

of homes and businesses built in Kenmore from the 1910s to 1940s.

Northern Ohio Traction & Light Co. streetcars once ran down the center of Kenmore Boulevard, taking those who lived in Kenmore to and from work.

All photos on pages 9 and 10 courtesy State Historic Preservation Office

Ohio & Erie Canal Southern Descent Historic District

1926 Highland Park Mausoleum, Highland Hills

War I and World War II; and was the world’s top producer of turret lathes for making machine tools.

DAY TON • MONTGOMERY COUNT Y WRIGHT CO. FACTORY 2701 Home Ave., Dayton Heritage Aviation National Historical Park

CLEVELAND • CUYAHOGA COUNT Y WARNER & SWASEY CO. BUILDING 5701 Carnegie Ave.

Built from 1905 to 1916, 5701 Carnegie Ave. was once home of Warner & Swasey, a world leader in machine tools, telescopes and

precision instruments. Founded in Cleveland in 1880, Warner & Swasey gained fame in 1886 by building the largest and most advanced telescope of the time for California’s Lick Observatory. Later, Warner & Swasey made large telescopes for the U.S. Naval Observatory and Yerkes Observatory; military precision instruments and weaponry for the Spanish-American War, World

Built in 1910 and 1911 for Wilbur and Orville Wright and their investors, the Wright Co. factory was the first building designed specifically for manufacture of airplanes. From 1910 to 1922, it played a significant role in transforming the airplane from a curiosity into a serious and commercially viable means of transportation.

DEFIANCE • DEFIANCE COUNT Y DEFIANCE HIGH SCHOOL 629 Arabella St.

Defiance High School is associated with the city’s educational history from 1918, when it was completed, to 1969, when a new school opened. The building illustrates the local response to new ideas about schools in the early-20th-century Progressive Era, and its parklike

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Defiance High School

setting reflects the interest of the time in beautifying public places. The Community Auditorium, added in 1929, served school and community, and post-World War II additions show the local impact of the Baby Boom.

HAMILTON • BUTLER COUNT Y CHAMPION COATED PAPER CO. 601 N. B St.

city’s population by the late 1920s.

A decline reduced Champion’s presence in Hamilton starting in 1961, though the papermaker continued operating at its original site and remained the city’s largest employer as recently as 1994. The National Register listing includes the Champion plant, closed in 2000, and a related office building.

SUFFRAGE CENTENNIAL

100 Years of Ohio Women’s Activism By the time Champion Coated Paper Co. was established in 1893, the Hamilton region was already home to several papermaking plants. By producing coated papers then made only on the East Coast, Champion earned the distinction of world’s largest coated-paper producer by 1900. Expanding to include uncoated

papers solidified its role in the industry and Hamilton’s economy in the decades that followed. Champion grew to a peak of 4,000 employees, providing jobs for 20 percent of the

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One hundred years ago, most Ohio women were about to vote for the first time. That’s when the 19th Amendment, passed in 1919 and ratified in August 1920, gave women the right to vote. The Ohio History Connection’s yearlong commemoration of the campaign to “Let Ohio Women Vote” is getting underway with a special event Sat., March 14, at the Ohio History Center in Columbus. “The 19th Amendment wasn’t the beginning or end of women’s activism, so we’re celebrating the whole story of it in Ohio,” says Curator Karen Robertson. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visit the museum to learn about the early 1900s campaign to “Let Ohio Women Vote” through a day of programming for all ages. Talk with representatives of the League

of Women Voters and other groups, meet and learn from women’shistory reenactors, make your own suffrage banner or sash and tour the museum to learn about women’s activism over the years through suffrage- and activismrelated artifacts on display. At 2 p.m., hear a panel of women activists profiled in the special traveling exhibit, Ohio Women Vote: 100 Years of Change (see below), share their own experiences.

NOWHERE NEAR THE MUSEUM?

Watch for Ohio Women Vote: 100 Years of Change. This special exhibit and curriculum developed by the Ohio History Connection with support from Ohio Humanities is traveling to many places in Ohio. And follow our blog series, Ohio Women’s Activism, online at ohiohistory.org, featuring a special guest blogger once a month to commemorate the women’s suffrage anniversary.

The Ohio History Connection is represented on the Ohio Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, which is overseeing the statewide commemoration. Learn more at ohiosos.gov or ohiohistory.org/ votesforwomen and watch for details in the March & April Echoes Magazine.

OCTAGON EARTHWORKS

Panel Hears Octagon Earthworks Appeal In June 2019, Newark’s Moundbuilders Country Club appealed Licking County Common Pleas Judge W. David Branstool’s May 2019 decision that the Ohio History Connection has the authority to acquire the lease at the Octagon Earthworks. In that decision, Judge Branstool said, “(the) Ohio History Connection has a public duty to operate, protect, and maintain the Octagon Earthworks and promote the state memorial for public use.”

For more information, visit ohiohistory.org/octagon. Learn more about the nomination of Ohio’s Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, including Octagon Earthworks, for designation as a World Heritage Site at worldheritageohio.org.

Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums

On Nov. 14, 2019, Ohio’s Fifth District Court of Appeals heard arguments for the Ohio History Connection to acquire the lease at Octagon Earthworks. The panel, Judges Patricia A. Delaney, William B. Hoffman and John W. Wise, is expected to provide a written decision no later than fall 2020.

The Ohio History Connection has owned Octagon Earthworks since 1933. Moundbuilders Country Club holds a long-term lease that would not expire until 2078. The Ohio History Connection is seeking to acquire the lease in order to make the Octagon Earthworks—a National Historic Landmark and Ohio’s official prehistoric monument— fully accessible to the public in association with the nomination of Ohio’s ancient Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

History Day

STATEWIDE

History Day Contests Get Underway Feb. 29 Ohio History Day contests in 10 regions across the state start Sat., Feb. 29, continuing through Sat., April 4. Students in grades 4–12 will be competing for the chance to move on to the state contest Sat., April 25, at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware.

This year’s theme is Breaking Barriers in History. Students do historical researchOHC_Echoes_Holiday-Hours_Ad_190829.pdf related to the theme, then share what they’ve learned through exhibits, documentaries, performances, websites and papers.

Organized by the Ohio History Connection and local hosts for each contest, Ohio History Day is made possible through the support of CollegeAdvantage, Ohio’s 529 Savings Plan, collegeadvantage.com.

Learn more and find the full contest schedule at ohiohistoryday.org/ historyday.

HOLIDAY HOURS

The Ohio History Connection’s Hayes Presidential Library & Museums in Fremont recently welcomed former first lady Laura Bush. Mrs. Bush, who was in the area for a speaking engagement at Heidelberg University, met with Curator Dustin McLochlin and Executive Director Christie Weininger to tour the Hayes home and museum.

Ohio History Center Museum 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

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1

Left: Glenda S. Greenwood. Right: On Sat., Nov. 2, many family members and friends, pictured here, along with Ohio History Connection trustees and staff, gathered in Ohio Village to dedicate a bench in Glenda’s memory.

IN MEMORY OF

Glenda S. Greenwood, President, Board of Trustees, 2012–2016 On March 18, Ohio History lost one of its most beloved champions with the passing of Glenda S. Greenwood of Springfield. She was a woman of many talents: inspirational leader, tireless ambassador and financial expert, all wrapped up in a genuine warmth for everyone she knew.

Glenda could light up any room within 30 seconds. She had a natural gift for connecting with people, whether she had just met them or had known them for years.

And more often than not, she would shortly have everyone in stitches without diverting attention from the issue at hand.

Glenda never met a financial statement she didn’t understand.

In less than a minute, she would absorb all the numbers, recognize their implications and begin laying out what actions, if any, were needed. As treasurer, vicepresident and then president of the Ohio History Connection Board of Trustees, she kept a watchful eye on our finances and always offered sound guidance and advice.

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She was a devoted ambassador for the Ohio History Connection, as she was for her church and many other causes. She literally drove thousands of miles across Ohio—to Marietta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo and Youngstown, and even into Michigan—to attend receptions, dedicate historical markers, meet with donors and generally support the cause. If her calendar was open and we asked her to help, she never said no.

Glenda’s sincerity and her ability to inspire were nothing short of amazing. People rallied around her because they believed in her and because her actions supported her words. She once shared with me that as much as she valued all of Ohio’s history, what gave her the most fulfillment was helping the organization become stronger—and because of her leadership, we did indeed become stronger. Under her guidance, the Ohio History Fund was launched, we rebranded as the Ohio History Connection, and planning commenced for a new collections storage facility.

Of all the projects Glenda and I worked on side-by-side, I believe the one she enjoyed most was helping the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks move forward toward

World Heritage inscription. It took a considerable amount of her time and energy, but she often shared that it brought her the greatest feeling of accomplishment. There is no doubt she would be thrilled with the continuing progress toward World Heritage inscription.

Glenda left a legacy within her church, her community, the Ohio History Connection and across Ohio that will glow and grow for many, many years. We are all fortunate to have shared a portion of life with her.

–Burt Logan Executive Director and CEO Ohio History Connection

We are all fortunate to have shared a portion of life with her.

O HI O HIS TO RY CO NNEC T I O N

Historic Sites & Museums NORTHWEST OHIO 1. Armstrong Air & Space Museum 2. Cedar Bog Nature Preserve 3. Cooke-Dorn House 4. Fallen Timbers Battlefield Memorial Park 5. Fort Amanda Memorial Park 6. Fort Jefferson Memorial Park 7. Fort Meigs 8. Fort Recovery Museum & Monument 9. Glacial Grooves Geological Preserve 10. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums 11. Indian Mill 12. Inscription Rock Petroglyphs 13. Johnston Farm & Indian Agency 14. Lockington Locks

NORTHEAST OHIO 15. Custer Monument 16. Fort Laurens 17. McCook House 18. Museum of Ceramics 19. Quaker Yearly Meeting House 20. Schoenbrunn Village 21. Shaker Historical Museum 22. Tallmadge Church 23. Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor 24. Zoar Village

SOUTHWEST OHIO 33. Adena Mansion & Gardens 34. Davis Memorial Nature Preserve 35. Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve 36. Fort Hill Earthworks & Nature Preserve

CENTRAL OHIO

SOUTHEAST OHIO

37. Harriet Beecher Stowe House 38. John Rankin House 39. Miamisburg Mound

47. Big Bottom Memorial Park 48. Buckeye Furnace

26. Hanby House

40. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center

27. Logan Elm

41. Paul Laurence Dunbar House

50. Campus Martius Museum

28. Newark Earthworks

42. Serpent Mound

51. John & Annie Glenn Museum

29. Ohio History Center & Ohio Village

43. Story Mound

52. Leo Petroglyphs & Nature Preserve

30. Shrum Mound

44. U.S. Grant Birthplace

53. National Road & Zane Grey Museum

31. Wahkeena Nature Preserve

45. U.S. Grant Boyhood Home & Schoolhouse

54. Ohio River Museum

32. Warren G. Harding Home & Memorial

46. William Henry Harrison Tomb

55. Our House Tavern

25. Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries & Nature Preserve

49. Buffington Island Battlefield Memorial Park

Ohio History Connection members enjoy free regular admission to these museums and attractions.

Find locations, hours and more at ohiohistory.org/places.

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P R O G R A M S & E X H I B I T S AT T H E

Ohio History Center & Ohio Village

Enjoy the following programs free with museum admission.*

Bird Feeding 101 WILD OHIO WEEKEND, JAN. 4

Questions? Call 800.686.6124.

MUSEUM OPEN DAILY

BIRD CONSERVATION AT THE FLIP OF A SWITCH? F 2–2:30 P.M. Matthew Shumar of the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative will highlight efforts that can make our cities safer for migratory birds.

School’s Out—Museum’s Open!

THURS., DEC. 26 THROUGH SUN., JAN. 5 From Dec. 26 through Jan. 5, the Ohio History Center museum is open 10 a.m.– 5 p.m. seven days a week. That’s extra time just when you’re ready to get out of the house and are looking for something to do. Visit the museum to check out the special exhibit Ohio—Champion of Sports, snoop in the closets and peek in the drawers of our 1950s Lustron house, see the holiday train display and enjoy lunch from our Plaza Cafe.

1950S— BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM

Lustron House Decorated for the Holidays + Holiday Train Display THROUGH SUN., JAN. 5 DAILY 10 A.M.–5 P.M. It’s Christmas 1950s-style in our real, fully furnished Lustron house! Drop by to see how Dotty and Bob have decorated and check out little Jimmy’s model train display, courtesy of the Central Ohio Model Railroad Club.

Members are admitted E ARLY to some of our most p opular Ohio History Center & Ohio Village events!

NATURAL HISTORY

Wild Ohio Weekend SAT., JAN. 4 & SUN. JAN. 5 Join us for a weekend of natural history programs! Learn about the creatures that call Ohio home.

Sat., Jan. 4 • • • BIRDING, NATIVE PLANTS & CONSERVATION F 11–11:30 A.M. Hear Michael “Frogman” Goldman of Grange Insurance Audubon Center discuss birding, native plants, local conservation efforts and more.

SAVING THE RAINFOREST WITH COFFEE NOON–12:30 P.M. Did you know that helping to save the rainforest can be as simple as changing the coffee you buy? Hear Natural History Curator Erin Cashion of the Ohio History Connection explain how Smithsonian Certified Bird-Friendly coffee farms preserve biodiversity, support local communities, promote scientific research and fight climate change. You’ll have a chance to sample Bird-Friendly coffee, so bring a reusable cup!

HOW CLIMATE HAS SHAPED OHIO’S NATURAL ENVIRONMENT F 12:30–1 P.M. Join Aaron Wilson, Byrd Center research scientist, to learn how Ohio’s climate has changed over time.

14 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2020

BIRD FEEDING 101 F 2:30–3 P.M. Want to do some bird watching at home?

Tom Sheley from Wild Birds Unlimited will guide you through getting started or improving your existing setup.

EXPLORING ICE—BYRD POLAR & CLIMATE RESEARCH CENTER F ONGOING THROUGHOUT THE DAY There’s so much to explore in the world of ice! Stop by and experience a variety of polar-research methods. Put on a virtual reality headset to walk on ice caps, overlook glaciers and explore research sites. Study a model ice core to discover the crucial information cores carry, or take a selfie in real polar gear at our Antarctic selfie station.

Sun., Jan. 5 • • • KIDS’ SING-ALONG WITH MICHAEL FROGMAN F 11–11:30 A.M. Sing along to fun nature songs with Michael Frogman and his guitar.

GLACIERS, ROCKS & LIFE DURING OHIO’S ICE AGE F 11:30 A.M.–NOON Join Ohio Geological Survey’s Tyler Norris to learn how Ohio’s landscape differed during the Ice Age. Examine fossils of extinct beasts and geologic materials from the frigid environment, and learn how glaciers shaped the landscape of today.

*Museum admission through May 22, 2020, includes Ohio History Center and is $13; $11/ages 60+; $7/ages 4–12. Ohio History Connection members and ages 3 & under enjoy free admission.

Wikimedia Commons

Natural Hisss-tory

Ohio’s Fossil Treasures

WILD OHIO WEEKEND, JAN. 5

WILD OHIO WEEKEND, JAN. 5

OHIO’S FOSSIL TREASURES NOON–12:30 P.M. At various times, Ohio’s been under a tropical sea, covered by steamy swamps or cloaked in ice a mile thick— environments that hosted a wide variety of living things whose buried remains have turned into fossils. Learn about common Ohio fossils and where you can find them, with Dale Gnidovec of Orton Geological Museum. Have a fossil you can’t identify? Bring it along!

CLUES FROM THE BONES—WILDLIFE FORENSICS F 12:30–1 P.M. Forensics isn’t just for people anymore!

Join Natural History Curator Dave Dyer of the Ohio History Connection to learn about forensics as applied to wildlife.

Learn to look at bones for clues to health and cause of death. After a brief presentation, examine actual specimens from the museum’s collections.

NATURAL HISSS-TORY F 1 P.M. Join naturalist Jenny Richards of Shawnee State Park and a few of her snake friends for a hands-on, familyfriendly experience.

WILD CANIDS OF NORTH AMERICA 2 P.M. Ironwood Wolves will teach you about wolves, coyotes and foxes. We’ll separate fact from fiction, plus you can see a live fox!

WORMS! WITH FRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORY F ONGOING THROUGHOUT THE DAY Learn about Mother Nature’s best recyclers—worms! Meet these amazing creatures firsthand and learn how they affect your garden and our world for the better.

SAT., FEB. 29 • 7–9 P.M. Members enjoy early admission at 6 p.m.

SHAWNEE STATE PARK SNAKE TABLE F ONGOING THROUGHOUT THE DAY Stop by to meet naturalist Jenny Richards from Shawnee State Park and a few of her slithering friends.

Ongoing Both Days • • • OHIO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES FOSSIL TABLE Learn about some interesting fossils of Ohio and try your hand at related activities.

See whether our exhibits really do come to life!

GRANGE INSURANCE AUDUBON CENTER TABLE Learn about this multi-habitat park and nature center that attracts 200 species of birds every year. Complete our bird challenge to win a prize!

OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION HANDS-ON TABLES Learn about some of the fascinating animals that live or once lived in Ohio.

CRAFT TABLE—CREATE AN ANIMAL Using craft materials (provided), create your own fun and unique animal!

February is Black History Month.

Follow the Star J to Black History Month programs in this issue of Echoes Magazine.

Advance registration required.

ohiohistory.org/nightatmuseum v

Memberships make terrific retirement gifts, since many people have “travel more” on their wish lists!

OHIOHIS TORY.ORG

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Society of Architectural Historians Archipedia—Ohio's Classic Buildings JAN. 23

ECHOES IN TIME THEATRE

OSU Football—Masculine Virtue or Murderous Mayhem?

SAT., JAN. 4 & 18 PERFORMANCES AT 1 & 3 P.M. In 1901, all of The Ohio State University was mourning the death of football captain John Sigrist from injuries sustained during a game. Because of this tragedy, the board of trustees put forth a resolution to suspend the sport. Listen to a trustee who’s torn on how to vote, portrayed by Harding Kirchoff. Hear all sides of this issue and help decide the proper course of action. Echoes in Time Theatre lasts about 30–45 minutes and includes a post-performance Q&A.

Museum, Archives & Library Closed MON., JAN. 6–TUES., JAN. 14 The Ohio History Center museum, thirdfloor archives and library research room, Ohio History Store and Plaza Cafe will be closed for cleaning and maintenance Jan. 6–14. Offices and the State Historic Preservation Office will remain open.

Questions? Call 800.686.6124.

EXHIBIT TOUR

Pop Culture SAT., JAN. 18 • NOON–12:30 P.M. Ohioans have always been on the cutting edge of popular culture. On this guided tour, see items that reflect pop culture through the ages, like a

16 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2020

Library of Congress

Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad Station, Columbus, by Richard W. Burry

““

“““

Courage in the Skies— The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen JAN. 20

Nancy Drew board game and glass flasks made in the 1800s that picture popular Americans of the time.

TALK

Nancy Drew— Ohio’s Girl Detective SAT., JAN. 18 F 2–2:30 P.M. From books, movies and TV shows to computer games and more, Nancy Drew is a timeless icon with more than 200 titles to her name. But who’s Carolyn Keene, and how is Nancy’s mysterious author connected to Toledo?

STAFF PICK

Josephine Klippart SUN., JAN. 19 F NOON–12:30 P.M. A painter and illustrator known for her scientific illustrations of Ohio’s fish and birds, Ohioan Josephine Klippart (1848–1936) is featured in the exhibit Creative Ohio. (See page 20.) Learn about Klippart, her work and her inspiration in this staff-led talk.

EXHIBIT TOUR

Following in Ancient Footsteps SUN., JAN. 19 F 2–2:30 P.M. See remarkable archaeological artifacts found in Ohio and learn about the first Ohioans. Marvel at the artistry of our state’s ancient inhabitants and learn how partnerships with present-day tribes are enriching our knowledge of the first Ohioans.

SPECIAL HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING

Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Ohio History Center J MON., JAN. 20 MUSEUM OPEN 10 A.M.–5 P.M. For complete schedule, visit ohiohistory.org/mlk Observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a visit to the museum during special Monday holiday hours.

Enjoy themed programming in the museum, including timed programs listed below.

Fighting for Union & Freedom J 11 A.M. & 2 P.M. Join History Curator Cliff Eckle for a talk about Ohio’s first African American fighting unit, the 5th United States Colored Troops, who served in the Civil War.

Courage in the Skies— The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen J 1 P.M. Hear the inspiring story of the famed Tuskegee Airmen—African American military pilots who served country and comrades in World War II.

*Museum admission through May 22, 2020, includes Ohio History Center and is $13; $11/ages 60+; $7/ages 4–12. Ohio History Connection members and ages 3 & under enjoy free admission.

CONVERSATIONS ON OHIO ARCHITECTURE

Society of Architectural Historians Archipedia— Ohio’s Classic Buildings THURS., JAN. 23 F 6–9 P.M. Join Barbara Powers of the Ohio History Connection, Kevin Rose of Springfield’s Turner Foundation and Columbus historic preservation consultants Jeff Darbee of Benjamin D. Rickey & Co. and Nathalie Wright for a discussion of Ohio’s architectural history—what makes it special and what it tells us about Ohio history and culture. Learn more about Ohio’s Archipedia project, too (See Echoes Magazine, May & June 2019, page 6, or visit sah.org/sah-archipedia).

Free with advance registration. Seating is limited. 800.686.1541 or ohiohistory. org/ohioarchitecture

EXHIBIT TOUR

Weird History SAT., JAN. 25 & FEB. 29 NOON–12:30 P.M. Explore the museum with a guide who’ll point out some of the weirder things on exhibit and talk about why we collect things whose value may not be apparent until you know the story behind them.

EXHIBIT TOUR

The Nature of Skulls SUN., JAN. 26 F NOON–12:30 P.M. Get hands-on with real skulls of Ohio animals in this interactive guided tour.

Animals of War SUN., JAN. 26 F 2–2:30 P.M. During World War I, millions of animals were mobilized to help with the war effort. Learn more about horses, pigeons and dogs who took part in the Great War.

OHIO–CHAMPION OF SPORTS

Strange Sports Stories SAT., FEB. 1 F NOON–12:30 P.M. Sometimes sports history is stranger than fiction. On this guided tour, hear stories from Ohio’s sporting past, including how one early football team served as a marketing tool to sell dogs and how a turtle inspired a trophy.

ECHOES IN TIME THEATRE

STAFF PICK

African American Women and the Vote J

African American Soldiers in World War I J

SAT., FEB. 1 & 15 PERFORMANCES AT 1 & 3 P.M. Even after the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, giving women the right to vote, not all women felt included.

African American women in some Southern states couldn’t freely vote until the 1960s. Join a young woman, portrayed by Krysteen Hammond, as she fights for her right to vote.

SUN., FEB. 9 F NOON–12:30 Learn about the struggles and triumphs of African American soldiers who fought on the front lines of World War I.

OHIO–CHAMPION OF SPORTS

Players, Teams & Stadium Ghosts, with Bob Hunter SAT., FEB. 1 F 2–3 P.M. Hear from Bob Hunter, who covered sports for the Columbus Dispatch for four decades. His book, Players, Teams and Stadium Ghosts: Bob Hunter on Sports (available in the Ohio History Center’s Ohio History Store) includes many of his most memorable stories and columns. Hear the stories behind them and get his perspective on some key sports figures he profiled.

EXHIBIT TOUR

Civil War Battle Flags SUN., FEB. 2 F 2–2:30 P.M. Visit the exhibit Follow the Flag with a museum staff guide. Learn about efforts to conserve our Civil War battle flag collection and get special access to a case where flags not on display are stored.

OHIO–CHAMPION OF SPORTS

Breaking Barriers & Changing the Game

SUN., FEB. 9 F 2–2:30 P.M. Join us to learn how breaking the color barrier in baseball had everything to do with some Ohio legends. In this talk, we’ll look at the careers of Larry Doby and Branch Rickey.

OHIO–CHAMPION OF SPORTS

Presidential First Pitches SAT., FEB. 15 & SUN., FEB. 16 NOON–12:30 P.M. Did you know that the first president to throw out the first pitch at a professional baseball game was from Ohio? Learn about the surprising history behind this tradition.

PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY TOUR SAT., FEB. 15 & SUN., FEB. 16 F 2–2:30 P.M. On this guided tour, explore Ohio’s presidential heritage through related objects on display.

TALK

The Kahiki SAT., FEB. 8 F NOON–12:30 P.M. One of Ohio’s most beloved restaurants, The Kahiki in Columbus, offered a lavish Tahitian-themed dining experience that made it a tiki icon. Learn about the rise and fall of The Kahiki in this staff-led talk.

OHIO–CHAMPION OF SPORTS EXHIBIT TOUR

African American Sports Heroes J SAT., FEB. 8 & 22 F 2–2:30 P.M. From Larry Doby to Jesse Owens, learn about sports stars featured in the exhibit Ohio—Champion of Sports who broke barriers while overcoming prejudice and other challenges.

February is Black History Month.

Follow the Star J to Black History Month programs in this issue of Echoes Magazine.

GENEALOGY WORKSHOPS OHIO HISTORY CENTER Find our full 2020 schedule and register online at ohiohistory.org/genealogy

OHIOHIS TORY.ORG

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their display case and share stories of 19th-century young women learning the practical art of needlework.

STAFF PICK

Mae Takasugi’s Parasol SAT., MARCH 7 F NOON–12:30 P.M. Mae and Kingo Takasugi of Alliance, Ohio, were among more than 100,000 Japanese American citizens forced to leave their homes and relocate to government-run internment camps during World War II. Learn about the internment and see a parasol Mae Takasugi owned before she left Ohio.

Night at the Museum FEB. 29

SPECIAL HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING

Presidents Day at the Ohio History Center MON., FEB. 17 MUSEUM OPEN 10 A.M.–5 P.M. For complete schedule, visit ohiohistory. org/presidentsday Explore Ohio’s presidential heritage through special programs in celebration of Presidents Day! Timed programs include: THE HARDING ART COLLECTION 10:30 A.M.–12:30 P.M. Visit our collections table for an upclose look at some of the art President and Mrs. Harding chose for their private homes, including two pieces found in the Hardings’ attic and recently conserved, sculptures they bought on a European vacation and a portrait of their beloved dog, Hub. THE 23RD OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY— REGIMENT OF PRESIDENTS F 11:30 A.M. & 1:30 P.M. Join History Curator Cliff Eckle for a presentation about the Ohio Civil War unit in which future presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley served.

WARREN G. HARDING REVISITED 1 P.M. Harding Presidential Sites Manager Sherry Hall previews how the newly restored Harding Home and the new Warren G. Harding Presidential Center in Marion will offer exciting opportunities for examining the stories of President and Mrs. Harding. The enhanced site opens to visitors this summer.

F

18 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2020

Ohio Gamers SAT., FEB. 22 F NOON–12:30 P.M. From Fortnite to Five Nights at Freddy’s and more, playing video games online is big business! Learn about famous gamers from Ohio and their rise to fame in this staff-led talk.

STAFF PICK

Crash of the USS Shenandoah SUN., FEB. 23 F NOON–12:30 P.M. In September 1925, the Navy rigid airship USS Shenandoah broke up over eastern Ohio during a storm. Learn more about the Shenandoah and see pieces collected from the wreckage.

ECHOES IN TIME THEATRE

Exercise Machines or Instruments of Torture?

SAT., MARCH 7 & 21 PERFORMANCES AT 1 & 3 P.M. While today’s exercise machines can be difficult to figure out, they’re easy compared to those of the Victorian era. In the late 19th century, Swedish physician Gustav Zander introduced the idea of improving health by using machinery. Hear a Victorian “mechanotherapy” machine salesman, portrayed by Dave Hatfield, introduce some of the newest contraptions to improve your health.

EXHIBIT TOUR

Dangerous Collections

Becoming the Anthropologist

SUN., FEB. 23 F 2–2:30 P.M. From arsenic to asbestos, collecting the stuff of history can be dangerous.

Explore the museum with a staff guide who’ll show you all the hazardous substances on display. Leave your gas mask at home—everything is safely behind glass!

SAT., MARCH 7 • 2–2:30 P.M. Erika Eichhorn Bourguignon dedicated her life to studying and teaching anthropology at The Ohio State University. Join us for a family-friendly activity as we take a look into what it takes to be an anthropologist.

EXHIBIT TOUR

Ice Age Mammals SAT., FEB. 29 F 2–2:30 P.M. On this guided tour in the exhibit The Nature of Ohio, learn about some of the giant mammals who roamed what’s now Ohio during the Ice Age, which ended about 10,000 years ago.

STAFF PICK

Inside the Sampler Case SUN., MARCH 1 F 2–2:30 P.M. Meet us in Gallery Two, where we’ll take some handcrafted samplers out of

Ancient Fossils Tour SUN., MARCH 8 F NOON–12:30 P.M. From shallow sea to massive glacier, learn about animals and plants that lived in ancient Ohio and get hands-on with their fossils.

Cleveland Rocks!

SUN., MARCH 8 F 2–2:30 P.M. Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame opened in 1995. Learn about people and events of the 1950s–1970s that made Cleveland a worthy home for “the house that Rock built.”

*Museum admission through May 22, 2020, includes Ohio History Center and is $13; $11/ages 60+; $7/ages 4–12. Ohio History Connection members and ages 3 & under enjoy free admission.

Spring Checklist— Waking Up the Garden SUN., MARCH 8 F 1–2:30 P.M. Join Tisa Watts, founder of Columbus Garden School, to learn how experienced gardeners anticipate seasonal change and simplify gardening tasks. Learn how to make good plant choices based on your needs (low-maintenance, edible garden, kids’ play area, etc.) and complete a gardening checklist so you have a customized action plan for spring. Bring questions—new gardeners welcome!

Free with required advance registration.

800.686.1541

MORE FEATURED EVENTS • • • GENEALOGY WEBINAR

Family History Sources at the Ohio History Center THURS., JAN. 16 F 6:30–8:30 P.M. Online—Attend from Anywhere!

Join Outreach Reference Archivist Liz Plummer to learn about resources available at the Ohio History Center to help with your family history search.

Topics include Ohio public records, historical manuscript and audiovisual sources, books and newspapers. $20, $15/Ohio History Connection member. Advance registration required.

800.686.1541 or ohiohistory.org/ genealogy GENEALOGY WORKSHOP

Bolstering Your Genealogical Research with Ohio Memory & Chronicling America SAT., FEB. 15 • 10:30 A.M.–12:30 P.M. Have the bones of your family story and want to fill in the gaps? Learn about Ohio Memory and Chronicling America, two websites that can help you understand your family’s history in the bigger picture of what was going on at a particular point in time. Join us at the Ohio History Center for this in-person workshop and learn how to browse and search both sites for the types of materials most useful to family historians. $20, $15/Ohio History Connection member. Advance registration required. 800.686.1541 or ohiohistory.org/genealogy.

FAMILY FUN!

Night at the Museum SAT., FEB. 29 F 7–9 P.M. MEMBERS ENJOY EARLY ACCESS AT 6 P.M. Here's your chance to explore the Ohio History Center museum after hours and see whether our exhibits really do come to life! This family event promises to entertain children and adults alike.

You’ll find dozens of figures from history roaming the museum. Grab a (provided) autograph book, collect signatures from your favorites and learn all about their roles in Ohio history!

Snacks and beverages available for purchase. Advance tickets required.

Ohio History Connection member tickets available starting Mon., Dec. 30: $11/adult member, $7/youth member, Free/ages 3 & under. Non-member tickets go on sale Mon., Jan. 6: $16/ adult, $12/ages 4–12, Free/age 3 & under. 800.686.1541 or ohiohistory. org/nightatmuseum. The Ohio History Center will close at 4 p.m. Sat., Feb. 29, to prepare for this special event.

Ohio–Champion of Sports THROUGH SUN., SEPT. 6 Ohio—Champion of Sports features more than 70 stories and 35 oral histories covering more than 25 sports ranging from baseball, football and basketball to roller derby, skateboarding and e-gaming. The exhibit showcases the Ohio athletes, coaches, owners and fans at the center of the action and explores sports through the themes of Character, Adversity, Innovation, Identity, Tradition and Victory—values that relate to the human condition—to connect a broad audience to Ohio’s national sports history. You can test your basketball skills at the Wall of Hoops, record a “victory dance” to share with family and friends, run an obstacle course and record your own “One Minute Legends” sports story. Follow Ohio’s great sports stories on our blog at ohiohistory.org/ champion. RELATED PROGRAMS: See bold headings on pages 14–18.

800.686.6124 or ohiohistory.org/ sports

Blacksmithing—Bottle Opener SAT., MARCH 7 F 10 A.M.–3 P.M. Strike while the iron’s hot—work with educator Andrew Hall to learn the basics of forge safety and beginner’s techniques while creating your own bottle opener. This class is ideal for those with little to no blacksmithing experience. Requires sustained standing and physical activity. Advance registration required. $85, $70/Ohio History Connection member. Includes lunch. 800.686.1541

FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •

1950s—Building the American Dream ONGOING Get a look at life in the 1950s. Peek in the closets and snoop in the drawers of a real, fully furnished Lustron steel house made right here in Ohio. From the contents of the cupboards to the news on TV and the toys in the yard, this hands-on exhibit is a fascinating journey back in time.

February is Black History Month.

Follow the Star J to Black History Month programs in this issue of Echoes Magazine.

NOW OPEN

Open 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Seven days a week SERVING:

• Soups • Salads • Sandwiches • Sides

• Desserts • Coffee • Pepsi products

Ohio History Connection

MEMBERS SAVE 10% at the Plaza Cafe!

OHIOHIS TORY.ORG

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Ohio History Center COLUMBUS

World War I Display ONGOING See equipment, weapons, uniforms and memorabilia commemorating the centennial of World War I. RELATED PROGRAMS: Animals of War—See Sun., Jan. 26. African American Soldiers in World War I—See Sun., Feb. 9.

Creative Ohio—Artists, Artwork & Their Inspiration ONGOING Through pieces from Ohio History Connection collections, explore the artwork, inspiration and creative processes of four Ohio artists—PaulHenri Bourguignon (1906–1988), Emerson Burkhart (1905–1969), William Hawkins (1895–1990) and Josephine Klippart (1848–1936)—and create your own artistic masterpiece!

RELATED PROGRAMS: Josephine Klippart—See Sun., Jan. 19.

WEDS.–SUN. 10 A.M.–5 P.M.

Ohio History Center Hours Museum, Archives & Library CLOSED JAN. 6–14 The Ohio History Center museum, third-floor archives and library research room, Ohio History Store and Plaza Cafe will be closed for cleaning and maintenance Mon., Jan. 6, through Tues., Jan. 14. Offices and the State Historic Preservation Office will remain open.

Questions? Call 800.686.6124.

Museum

Visit the Ohio History Center museum and enjoy special themed programming on two Monday holidays: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Mon., Jan. 20, and Presidents Day, Mon., Feb. 17. See pages 16 and 18 for details.

VISIT 10 A.M.–5 P.M. DAILY DEC. 26–JAN. 5

OHIO HISTORY CENTER COLUMBUS

Third Floor Research Room WEDS.–SAT. 10 A.M.–5 P.M. CLOSED SUN.–TUES. CLOSED MON., JAN. 6–TUES., JAN. 14

WEDS.–SUN. 10 A.M.–5 P.M.

Plaza Cafe

CLOSED MON.–TUES.

MON.–SUN. 11 A.M.–2 P.M.

CLOSED MON., JAN. 6–TUES., JAN. 14

CLOSED MON., JAN. 6–TUES., JAN. 14

Enjoy special holiday hours at the Ohio History Center Thurs., Dec. 26, through Sun., Jan. 5, when the museum will be open daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m., including New Year’s Day, Weds., Jan. 1.

The Plaza Cafe is (ordinarily) open 11 a.m.–2 p.m. seven days a week and serves soups, salads, sandwiches, a variety of sides and desserts, coffee and Pepsi products. Ohio History Connection members save 10% at the Plaza Cafe.

20 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2020

ON EXHIBIT

Explore the compelling human story of sports.

ohiohistory.org/sports Book group tours now: 800.686.1541 or reservations@ohiohistory.org

*Museum admission through May 22, 2020, includes Ohio History Center and is $13; $11/ages 60+; $7/ages 4–12. Ohio History Connection members and ages 3 & under enjoy free admission.

F E AT U R E D O H I O H I S T O R Y C O N N E C T I O N

Events & Exhibits

STATEWIDE

Statehood Day WEDS., FEB. 26 F 9 A.M.–1:30 P.M. Ohio Statehouse, Columbus 4 Join advocates for preserving Ohio’s history and heritage for our annual Statehood Day advocacy event. Meet with your state legislators, network with others from across the state and be on hand when recipients of this year’s Ohio History Fund grants are announced.

Statehood Day is sponsored by the Ohio History Connection, Heritage Ohio, the Ohio Academy of History, Ohio Archaeological Council, Ohio Council for Social Studies, Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board, Ohio Humanities, the Ohio Local History Alliance, Ohio Museums Association, Ohio Travel Association, Preservation Ohio and the Society of Ohio Archivists. $40 includes lunch and keynote speaker. Register online by Feb. 19 at ohiohistory.org/ statehoodday. Questions? 877.393.4369 or tkleismit@ohiohistory.org.

start Sat., March 7. This year’s theme is History is Happening Now. Each meeting includes a session related to the theme, plus additional skill-building sessions; reports from the Ohio Local History Alliance and the Ohio History Connection; an opportunity to share what your organization is doing; and a tour of a nearby museum or site.

Advance registration required. MARCH 7: Southwest (Region 8) in Loveland & Southeast (Region 10) in Coshocton.

Register by Feb. 28. MARCH 14: West Central (Region 7) in Wapakoneta & Southeast (Region 9) in Logan. Register

by March 6. MARCH 21: East (Region 5) in Steubenville & Central (Region 6) in Columbus. Register by March 13.

MARCH 28: North Central (Region 2) in Mount Gilead & Northeast (Region 4) in Sebring. Register by March 20. APRIL 4: West Central (Region 1) in Defiance & Northeast (Region 3) in Westlake.

Register by March 27. Get full details and register at 614.297.2538 or ohiolha.org

CENTRAL OHIO

Regional History Day Contests

CENTRAL OHIO

SAT., FEB. 29, MARCH 7, 14 & 21 & APRIL 4 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. See 4th- through 12th-graders present their history projects, competing for a chance to move on to our April 25 statewide History Day competition.

FEB. 29: Columbus. MARCH 7: Cleveland, Fremont, Piqua & Rio Grande.

MARCH 14: Bowling Green, Canton & Zanesville. MARCH 21: Cincinnati.

APRIL 4: Youngstown. Get details at 800.686.6124, 614.297.2526 or ohiohistoryday.org

Ohio Diaspora— Art from the Collection of the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center and Ohio Artists J

Ohio Local History Alliance Regional Meetings SAT., MARCH 7, 14, 21, 28 & APRIL 4 F 9 A.M.–4 P.M. Active in local history? Register now for the Ohio Local History Alliance Regional Meeting in your vicinity. These annual gatherings of local historians and others active in local historical societies, museums and related organizations

SAT., FEB. 1–SAT., APRIL 11 Riffe Gallery, 77 S. High St., Columbus The Riffe Gallery, in collaboration with the Ohio History Connection’s National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center in Wilberforce, Ohio, will highlight the work of 12 Ohio visual artists. The artwork is a selection from living Ohio artists represented in the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center’s permanent art collection.

Region 6 History Day Contest SAT., FEB. 29 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. Ohio Statehouse, Columbus Registration Deadline: Feb. 7 Papers, Documentaries & Websites Deadline: Feb. 17

February is Black History Month.

Follow the Star J to Black History Month programs in this issue of Echoes Magazine.

Counties: Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Madison, Perry, Pickaway, Union 800.686.6124, 614.466.9335 or ohiohistoryday.org NORTHEAST OHIO

NORTHEAST OHIO

Trivia Night MON., JAN. 13, FEB. 10 & MARCH 9 6:30 P.M. Museum of Ceramics, East Liverpool Teams of one to four players compete for half the night’s take in a general trivia contest on the second Monday of every month. $10. Bring your own beverage.

Snacks provided. 330.386.6001 or themuseumofceramics.com/trivia ART@THEMUSEUM

Paint a Still Life of Ceramics MON., JAN. 6, 13, 20 & 27 10 A.M.–NOON Museum of Ceramics, East Liverpool In this four-week course with local artist Sheri Liebschner, learn to paint a still life with locally made ceramics as the subject matter, using watercolors or acrylics. $50.

Advance registration required by Jan. 3.

330.386.6001 or themuseumofceramics. com/calendar

Shaker Historical Society Annual Meeting SUN., JAN. 26 F 3–5 P.M. Shaker Historical Museum, Shaker Heights 4 Learn about Shaker Historical Society’s goals and plans for 2020 and hear about accomplishments from 2019. Free. 800.860.6078 or shakerhistoricalsociety.org

Debbie Weinkamer as Lucretia Garfield THURS., FEB. 13 F 6–8 P.M. Shaker Historical Museum, Shaker Heights 4 Debbie Weinkamer, lead volunteer at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, will portray first lady Lucretia Garfield, transporting you back to life in 19thcentury Cleveland. $10. Advance registration required. 800.860.6078 or shakerhistoricalsociety.org OHIOHIS TORY.ORG

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FREE SPEAKER SERIES

How Do Zoar’s Separatists Compare to the Amish & Mennonites?

SAT., MARCH 7 11 A.M.–NOON Zoar Village, Zoar 4 Hear experienced volunteer docent and tour guide Craig Stambaugh compare religious beliefs and practices of Zoar’s Separatists with those of local Amish and Mennonite sects. Free.

800.262.6195 or historiczoarvillage.com F

Region 3 History Day Contest SAT., MARCH 7 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland 4 Registration Deadline: Feb. 14 Papers, Documentaries & Websites Deadline: March 2 Counties: Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit. 800.686.6124, 216.721.5722 ext. 1503 or ohiohistoryday. org

Region 5 History Day Contest SAT., MARCH 14 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. McKinley Museum & Presidential Library, Canton 4 Registration Deadline: Feb. 21 Papers, Documentaries & Websites Deadline: March 7 Counties: Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Stark, Tuscarawas, Wayne. 800.686.6124, 330.455.7043 or ohiohistoryday.org

Region 4 History Day Contest SAT., APRIL 4 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. Youngstown State University Registration Deadline: March 13 Papers, Documentaries & Websites Deadline: March 20 Counties: Ashtabula, Geauga, Mahoning, Portage, Trumbull. 800.686.6124, 330.941.1601 or ohiohistoryday.org FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •

Exclusion & Inclusion— The African American Story of Shaker Heights J FRI., FEB. 28–THURS., JULY 2 F WEDS.– FRI. 11 A.M.–5 P.M., SUN. 2–5 P.M. EXHIBIT OPENING FRI., FEB. 28 F 6–8 P.M. Shaker Historical Museum, Shaker Heights 4 Join Shaker Historical Society for this new exhibit exploring the African American story in Shaker Heights. $10, $5/Ohio History Connection member.

800.860.6078 or shakerhistoricalsociety. org

22 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2020

NORTHWEST OHIO

NORTHWEST OHIO

“Hayes Train Special” Model Train Display THROUGH SUN., JAN. 5 F MON.–SAT. 9 A.M.–5 P.M., SUN. NOON–5 P.M. CLOSED CHRISTMAS DAY & NEW YEAR’S DAY Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 See model trains running through a Victorian holiday scene. Use interactive buttons to control aspects of their movement along the winding, multi-tiered, 12x24-foot layout. Included with museum admission: $13, $10/ages 13–18, $5/ages 6–12, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under.

800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org

Model Train Clinic SAT., JAN. 4 F 1–4 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 As the holiday season nears its end, your cherished model train deserves a little special attention. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums can help ensure that your train is in tip-top shape for next year and beyond. Veteran model train hobbyists will be on hand to lead the clinic. They’ll assist you with advice related to model train maintenance and repair, as well as estimating the value of older model trains. Clinic will be canceled in the event of inclement weather. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org

Tea & Historic Craft SUN., JAN. 12, FEB. 9 & MARCH 15 2–4 P.M. Fort Meigs Museum & Visitor Center, Perrysburg 4 Enjoy a cup of tea! Join us for a special Sunday afternoon of fun and learn a new craft inspired by the skills of yesteryear. Activities run from 2 to 4 p.m. and are included with general admission to the museum. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. 800.283.8916

“Finding Her Voice” Book Club WEDS., JAN. 29 F NOON–2 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Read and discuss books about women’s history at this free book club. JAN. 29: The Women’s Suffrage Movement, edited by Sally Roesch Wagner. Free. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org

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Statehood Day OHIO STATEHOUSE, FEB. 26

Presidential History Book Club WEDS., JAN. 29 & FEB. 26 F NOON–1 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Read biographies of U.S. presidents and enjoy lunch-hour discussions at this free book club. Bring your lunch if you like. JAN. 29: The Women’s Suffrage Movement, edited by Sally Roesch Wagner. FEB. 26: Truman, by David McCullough. Free. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org

The History of Cedar Bog SAT., FEB. 8, 10 A.M.–NOON Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, near Urbana Learn about the history of Cedar Bog and how local citizens advocated for its protection and eventual inclusion in the statewide system of historic sites managed by the Ohio History Connection. $10, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.860.0147 or cedarbognp.org

Presidents Day Celebration MON., FEB. 17 F NOON–5 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Celebrate Presidents Day with activities and fun at America’s first presidential library. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org

Skunk Cabbage Walk SUN., FEB. 23 F 2–4 P.M. Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, near Urbana Join us on a search for one of spring’s earliest-blooming and most pungent wildflowers. Skunk cabbage has the unique ability to produce its own heat, allowing it to emerge and bloom even

Frederick Douglass, by Jimi Jones, courtesy National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center

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Regional History Day Contests

Ohio Diaspora

STATEWIDE, FEB. 29–APRIL 4

RIFFE GALLERY, COLUMBUS, JAN. 30–APRIL 11

when the ground’s still frozen, making it one of the first signs that spring is just around the corner. $5, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.860.0147 or cedarbognp.org

Region 2 History Day Contest SAT., MARCH 7 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. Terra State Community College, Fremont Registration Deadline: Feb. 15 Papers, Documentaries & Websites Deadline: Feb. 22 Counties: Ashland, Crawford, Erie, Huron, Marion, Morrow, Ottawa, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Wyandot. 800.686.6124, 419.332.2081 ext. 246 or ohiohistoryday. org

Region 7 History Day Contest SAT., MARCH 7 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. Piqua Junior High School, Piqua Registration Deadline: Feb. 2 Papers, Documentaries & Websites Deadline: Feb. 14 Counties: Auglaize, Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Shelby.

800.686.6124, 800.752.2619, 937.773.2522 or ohiohistoryday.org

Region 1 History Day Contest SAT., MARCH 14 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. Bowling Green State University Registration Deadline: Feb. 21 Papers, Documentaries & Websites Deadline: March 1 Counties: Allen, Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Lucas, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, Williams, Wood. 800.686.6124, 419.372.7916 or ohiohistoryday.org

FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •

Women of Spiegel Grove THROUGH SUN., MARCH 29 F MON.– SAT. 9 A.M.–5 P.M. & SUN. NOON–5 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 See a special exhibit about the many women who played important roles at Spiegel Grove, estate of 19th president Rutherford B. Hayes and first lady Lucy Webb Hayes. Also shared is the national story of women in America, from the suffrage movement, to the pursuit of social and workplace equality, to the #MeToo movement.

This exhibit is part of Finding Her Voice, a program honoring the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Included with museum admission: $13, $10/ages 13–18, $5/ages 6–12, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under.

800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org Finding Her Voice is made possible in part by Ohio Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Myths & Urban Legends FRI., FEB. 28–SAT. OCT. 31 Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Explore legendary creatures and spooky tales from across Ohio and get a look at the role of folklore in our culture. Included with Hayes Museum admission. $13, Free/Ohio History Connection member or age 5 & under.

800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org

February is Black History Month.

Follow the Star J to Black History Month programs in this issue of Echoes Magazine.

SOUTHEAST OHIO

SOUTHEAST OHIO DIGGING THE PAST

Archaeology Day SAT., JAN. 18 F 9:30 A.M.–4 P.M. Campus Martius Museum, Marietta See original artifacts displayed by local collectors and bring your own finds for identification. Enjoy a Young Archaeologist area featuring fossils and other rarities. Included with museum admission: $7, $4/student, Free/ Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.860.0145 or mariettamuseums.org BROWN BAGGIN’ THROUGH HISTORY

The Henderson Women FRI., FEB. 7 F NOON–1 P.M. Campus Martius Museum, Marietta Learn about five generations of the women who lived at Henderson Hall in Wood County, WV, with Randy Modesitt, director of Historic Henderson Hall.

Free. Optional museum admission: $7, $4/student, Free/Ohio History Connection member or age 5 & under.

800.860.0145 or mariettamuseums.org

Contemporary Gunmakers & Allied Artists Show SAT., FEB. 8 F 9:30 A.M.–4 P.M. Campus Martius Museum, Marietta See work by several dozen traditional gunmakers from around the Ohio Valley as well as other craftspeople who work in the manner of the 18th and 19th centuries. Many are nationally

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recognized for their work, found in museums and private collections around the country. Also featured are horn makers, hunting bag makers, leather workers, tinsmiths, cabinet makers and other allied craftspeople. Included with museum admission: $7, $4/student, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.860.0145, 740.373.3750 or mariettamuseums.org MYSTERY DINNER THEATRE

A Dance with Death— A 1950s Sock Hop Gone Sour SAT., MARCH 7 F DOORS OPEN 5:30 P.M. SHOW 6–8 P.M. Campus Martius Museum, Marietta This 1950s prom is a doo-wop disaster!

When a death on the dance floor makes this prom night a party foul, it’s up to you to figure out whodunit and get this dance back on track. $60/person. Ticket includes dinner, dessert, drinks and show.

Advance registration required by Feb. 28.

800.860.0145 or mariettamuseums.org/ events/mystery-dinner-theatre

Region 10 History Day Contest SAT., MARCH 14 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. Ohio University Zanesville Registration Deadline: Feb. 21.

Papers, Documentaries & Websites Deadline: March 6.

Counties: Belmont, Coshocton, Guernsey, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Washington. 800.686.6124, 740.453.0391 or ohiohistoryday.org FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •

Celebrating the Pioneers THROUGH SUN., NOV. 1 MON.–SAT. 9:30 A.M.–5 P.M., SUN. NOON–5 P.M. Campus Martius Museum, Marietta See the museum’s newest exhibit, based on the new book The Pioneers by David McCullough. The Ordinance of 1787 opened a vast wilderness west of the Ohio River for settlement, spurring “Ohio fever.” Members of the Ohio Company of Associates, a real estate company formed in Massachusetts in 1786, led the way. Get a look at the lives and personalities of some of the people mentioned in the book, and see personal objects associated with them. Included with museum admission: $7, $4/ages 6–college with ID, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under.

800.860.0145 or mariettamuseums.org

24 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2020

SOUTHWEST OHIO

SOUTHWEST OHIO BLACK HISTORY MATTERS FILM SERIES

I Am Not Your Negro J SAT., FEB. 1 F 1 P.M. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce I Am Not Your Negro is an examination of racism in America through the lens of James Baldwin’s unfinished book, Remember This House, intended as an account of the lives of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., each of whom Baldwin personally knew (PG13, 93 minutes). Included with museum admission: $6, $5/senior, $3/ages 6–17, Free/Ohio History Connection member.

800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/naamcc YEAR OF THE WOMAN

Abolitionist Lovebirds WEDS., FEB. 5 F HOUSE OPENS FOR TOURS 6 P.M F DISCUSSION BEGINS 7 P.M. Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Cincinnati Get into the Valentine’s Day spirit by studying selections from the works of abolitionist couple Theodore Dwight Weld (1803–1895) of Lane Seminary and former Southerner Angelina Grimké (1805–1879).

Suggested donation $5, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.847.6507 or stowehousecincy.org BLACK HISTORY MATTERS FILM SERIES

Rigged—The Voter Suppression Playbook J SAT., FEB. 8 F 1 P.M. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce What would happen if political operatives tried to subvert the sacred American principle of “one person, one vote”? What if they hatched and pursued that plan for years before anyone noticed what they were doing? That’s the frightening tale told in this new documentary, narrated

by Jeffrey Wright and shot during the 2016 election (PG, 79 minutes). After the film, hear representatives of nonpartisan election-protection advocacy groups such as the NAACP, League of Women Voters and Common Cause in a panel discussion.

Included with museum admission: $6, $5/ senior, $3/ages 6–17, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/naamcc

BLACK HISTORY MATTERS FILM SERIES

Tell Them We Are Rising— Historically Black Colleges & Universities J SAT., FEB. 15 F 1 P.M. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce A haven for black intellectuals, artists and revolutionaries—and path of promise toward the American dream—black colleges and universities have educated the architects of freedom movements and cultivated leaders in every field. They have been unapologetically black for 150 years.

For the first time ever, their story is told.

(PG, 82 minutes). Included with museum admission: $6, $5/senior, $3/ages 6–17, Free/Ohio History Connection member.

800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/naamcc YEAR OF THE WOMAN

Ida B. Wells— A Passion for Justice J SAT., FEB. 22 F NOON Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Cincinnati See and discuss the award-winning documentary Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice, about the dramatic life and turbulent times of Ida B. Wells (1862–1931), pioneering African American journalist, activist, suffragist and anti-lynching crusader. $5 suggested donation. Free/ Ohio History Connection member.

800.847.6507 or stowehousecincy.org BLACK HISTORY MATTERS FILM SERIES

Jubilee Singers J SAT., FEB. 22 F 1 P.M. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce After the Civil War, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, a group of formerly enslaved blacks from Nashville's Fisk University, set out to save their financially troubled school by giving concerts. They widened the popularity of African American spiritual music, broke racial barriers and entertained kings and queens in Europe. (Not rated, 51 minutes).

Included with museum admission: $6, $5/ senior, $3/ages 6–17, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/naamcc

The History of Maple Syrup SAT., FEB. 29 F NOON–4 P.M. RAIN DATE SAT., MARCH 7 F NOON–4 P.M. Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve, near Oregonia & Lebanon In this four-hour, hands-on outdoor class, learn about Native, colonial, traditional and modern techniques of making maple

Courtesy National Archives

Bob Glotzhober

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African Americans Fighting for a Double Victory

Skunk Cabbage Walk CEDAR BOG NATURE PRESERVE, NEAR URBANA, FEB. 23

syrup. Sample maple products, learn to tap a tree and compare old and new methods as we boil down sap in a cast-iron kettle and stainless-steel evaporator. Open to all, this program is best for older teens and adults. Please dress for the weather. $7, $6/ages 60+ or 6–17. Advance registration required.

800.283.8904 or fortancient.org

Region 8 History Day Contest SAT., MARCH 21 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. University of Cincinnati Registration Deadline: March 2 Papers, Documentaries & Websites Deadline: March 9 Counties: Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland, Warren. 800.686.6124, 513.763.2316 or ohiohistoryday.org FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •

African Americans Fighting for a Double Victory J ONGOING F WEDS.–SAT. 9 A.M.–4 P.M. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce Explore the many ways African Americans served our country during World War II, and get a look at the impact black veterans had on postwar advances in civil rights. Included with museum admission: $6, $5/senior, $3/ages 6–17, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/naamcc

NATIONAL AFRO-AMERICAN MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER, WILBERFORCE, ONGOING

What’s in Your Attic?

Selections from the Permanent Collection J ONGOING F WEDS.–SAT. 9 A.M.–4 P.M. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce Opened in 1988, the Ohio History Connection’s National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center pioneered in preserving and presenting African American history and culture. See milestones of museum history and get a look at some of the fascinating history, art and pop culture items in our collection. Included with museum admission: $6, $5/senior, $3/ages 6–17, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/naamcc

Art of Soul!

Juried Art Show J THROUGH SAT., FEB. 29 WEDS.–SAT. 9 A.M.–4 P.M. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce See a juried show of works by artists from across the U.S. that depict three themes related to the African diaspora and African American culture: Social Justice, Identity and Surroundings.

Included with museum admission: $6, $5/senior, $3/ages 6–17, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/ naamcc

February is Black History Month.

Follow the Star J to Black History Month programs in this issue of Echoes Magazine.

Behind the Mask— Black Power in Comics J ONGOING F WEDS.–SAT. 9 A.M.–4 P.M. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce Interest in black comic book characters is exploding, thanks to the hugely successful Marvel film Black Panther.

In this exhibit, explore the painful and triumphant history of African Americans in comic books. Included with museum admission: $6, $5/senior, $3/ages 6–17, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/naamcc

CABIN FEVER? Many Ohio History Connection museums and attractions are open year ‘round!

Find more than 30 Ohio History Connection attractions open this winter at ohiohistory.org/winter

SNOWED IN? Explore Ohio history from the warmth of your cabin 24/7 at ohiohistory.org.

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26 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2020

Westerville Public Library

The Campaign for Prohibition CRUSADING TO OUTLAW ALCOHOL

J

an. 17 of this year marks the 100th anniversary of the day when the 18th Amendment went into effect, banning the manufacture, sale and transportation of intoxicating liquors.

But the road to Prohibition was a long one, beginning as far back as the 1820s with the publication of Lyman Beecher’s Six Sermons on Intemperance. The American Temperance Society was formed in Boston that same year and boasted 8,000 groups across the country with a total membership of 1.5 million within a decade.

The movement took a back seat to abolition through the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. It rebounded during Reconstruction, when former abolitionists turned their attention away from slavery, which had been abolished, and toward other social issues.

In the second half of the 19th century, Ohio played an outsized role in the Temperance movement and the push for Prohibition. After a series of nonviolent protests outside saloons in Ohio communities such as Mount Vernon and Hillsboro in the winter of 1873–1874, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was founded in Cleveland in 1874 to promote social reform that “linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far-reaching reform strategies based on applied Christianity.” Annie Wittenmyer of Adams County was the union’s first president.

Twenty years later, the Anti-Saloon League was formed in Oberlin in 1893.

The league’s national headquarters were in Washington, DC, from its inception until 1909, when they were moved to Westerville. The 1908 National Prohibition Convention, held by the Prohibition Party, took place at Memorial Hall in Columbus.

Left: The Anti-Saloon League built and opened its Westerville printing press in 1909. In June of that year, the league incorporated The American Issue Publishing Co. to further its ideals. The press operated 24 hours a day from its opening through passage of the 18th Amendment. Westerville became the nation’s smallest community with a First Class post office.

Page 28: The Ohio Dry Federation condemned the liquor traffic for fighting “against laws regarding sales to minors, sales to women at bars, sales on Sunday, sales after midnight, sales on election days, sales to drunken men, sales to soldiers, sales during the war."

Page 29: American manufacturers made more than 830,000 automobiles in 1918. More than 10,000 fatalities were recorded that year. The Ohio Dry Federation proclaimed, “The man who says: ‘Booze will never harm me,’—may be notified the next minute that BOOZE-CRAZED joy-riders have crippled or killed his own mother, his father, son, daughter or a friend."

All Prohibition images from Ohio History Connection Archival Collections except as otherwise noted.

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28 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2020

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“What have we learned from Prohibition? Those are the sorts of questions that we address in the exhibit.”

It may be difficult for contemporary students of history to fathom a time when the country voted to outlaw the manufacture, sale and distribution of alcohol. Society was markedly different prior to Prohibition than it is today, according to Kerr.

The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union grew out of the Woman’s Crusades, nonviolent anti-alcohol protests held in the winter of 1873–1874 in Ohio towns such as Hillsboro, Mount Vernon, Xenia, South Charleston and Berea. This photo was taken outside a saloon in Bucyrus.

OHIO AT THE CENTER OF PROHIBITION Austin Kerr is a professor emeritus of History at The Ohio State University and the author of two landmark books on Prohibition, The Politics of Moral Behavior: Prohibition and Drug Abuse and Organized for Prohibition: A New History of the Anti-Saloon League.

“Ohio did play an important role in the Prohibition movement,” Kerr says. “The Anti-Saloon League was born in Oberlin, the nursery of abolitionism. Oberlin was at the center of this kind of moral crusade. It made sense for the Prohibition Party to announce they were going for a national amendment since, much as today, Ohio was a swing state politically.”

Beth Weinhart was the Local History manager at Westerville Public Library for 25 years before retiring in January 2019.

“The Westerville piece of the Prohibition story is remarkable,” she says. “After the Anti-Saloon League moved to Westerville, its American Issue Publishing Company published 40 tons of printed material a month, which was amazing propaganda for its cause. They had an in-house cartoonist, they had people who were devoted solely to writing stories for youths.”

“There were legitimate and profound problems with drunkenness and alcohol abuse through the history of the country,” he says. “It’s hard for people of our time to understand the impulse to prohibit alcohol.

We’re a self-centered culture now. But the attitude among a significant portion of the population then was, ‘I’ll give up drinking if it makes things better for the country.’”

The ill-effects of alcohol were blamed for domestic violence, crime, accidents, poverty, poor health and more, a point the Anti-Saloon League drove home again and again in the tons of printed material shipped out of Westerville on a monthly basis.

FIRST MODERN POLITICAL PRESSURE GROUP “The Anti-Saloon League was the first modern political pressure group,” Kerr says. “It concentrated on a single issue, which, through ‘local option’ voting, was to make most or all of America dry.

“The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, on the other hand, had a ‘do everything’ policy, seeking prison reform, women’s suffrage and child labor laws.”

The Anti-Saloon League focused its attention at first on “local option” votes at the city and municipal levels. Through its efforts, much of Ohio was dry by the mid-1910s.

“Geographically, most of Ohio was dry by 1913 with the exception of Cleveland, Youngstown, Cincinnati,

EXPECTATION VERSUS REALITY Weinhart was succeeded at Westerville Public Library

by Nina Thomas, who helped create the main library’s exhibit, Prohibition! Expectation vs Reality, which is scheduled to run through the end of 2020.

“Did Anti-Saloon League supporters vote for something they came to regret?” Thomas asks.

30 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2020

“The Liquor Traffic Must Go” was the motto of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, which was founded in Cleveland in 1874.

portions of Columbus and other urban areas.

These areas weren’t going to vote themselves dry,” Weinhart says.

Thomas says the “drinking problem” had been with America for nearly a century before Prohibition was finally passed.

“Proponents of Prohibition were right about how much people were drinking,” she says. “In 1830, Americans on average drank 90 bottles of 80-proof liquor per person. That’s two drinks a day for each person.”

Women were particularly vulnerable to the deleterious effects of alcohol abuse.

“Women didn’t have voting rights, and not many worked outside the home, so if a husband spent the family’s paycheck on alcohol, that made Prohibition a family issue. Supporters of the 18th Amendment thought it would help society, felt that all the social evils could be linked to alcohol.”

LEARN MORE LEARN MORE

The exhibit Prohibition! Expectations vs Reality will be on display at The Westerville Public Library through the end of this year. For more information, visit westervillelibrary.org/exhibitions.

Ohio State University history professor emeritus Austin Kerr left a gift behind when he retired: an extensive website on Prohibition, which can be viewed at prohibition.osu.edu. It includes links such as “Why Prohibition?,” “The Brewing Industry” and “Richmond P. Hobson Argues for Prohibition.”

Prohibition is a three-part, five-and-a-half-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that tells the story of the rise, rule and fall of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

It is available for streaming on Netflix.

Supporters of the 18th Amendment thought it would help society, felt that all the social evils could be linked to alcohol.

Top: In 1917, the Anti-Saloon League organized the Ohio Dry Federation to push for Prohibition. The federation’s budget was $450,000 in 1917 and $500,000 in 1918— equivalent to more than $8.5 million today. “Proponents of Prohibition used logic, facts and emotional appeals to persuade Ohioans to support the 18th Amendment,” says Westerville Public Library’s Nina Thomas. In this cartoon, the federation told parents that the “Liquor Traffic” “asks you to vote to MAKE DRUNKARDS out of thousands of Ohio’s boys.” Bottom: The Ohio Dry Federation made a moral appeal to voters in this cartoon, outlining the evils of alcohol and asking, “Can you look your child in the face knowing you have, by your (No) vote, placed in its path the deadliest menace to its future?”

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Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Albert J. Ewing Collection

Baby on chair with dog, about 1896–1912 32 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2020

SHARE. DISCOVER. CONNECT.

BY JENNI SALAMON

Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Ohio History Connection Selections

Ohio Memory D

id you know that you can view more than 1 million Ohio history-related items from the collections of history-and-heritage organizations across the Buckeye State on one free website?

Ohio Memory—ohiomemory.org—is the collaborative digital library of the Ohio History Connection and the State Library of Ohio. Photographs, objects, government records, books and other materials all come together in this one easy-to-access place to share stories of Ohio people, places and events.

Ohio Memory lets you examine materials almost as if they were in your hands.

Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Ohio History Connection Selections

Following industry standards and using the latest technologies, Ohio Memory lets you examine materials almost as if they were in your hands—sometimes in ways impossible with the originals.

Zoom and pan features let you examine details you might miss otherwise, like faces in a crowd or patterns in the fabric of a dress.

Full-text transcripts help you decipher old handwritten materials, and find your search terms more quickly in printed documents such as newspapers. Detailed descriptions including title, subject headings, location, background, date and creator accompany photographs, objects, maps and other non-text materials so that you can easily find them on the website and understand them when you do.

Portrait of an older man seated on a chair about 1972–1973 Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Gay Ohio History Initiative Collection

From hyper-local happenings to those of national or even international significance, you’ll find firsthand accounts of Ohio history at your fingertips thanks to contributions from the collections of hundreds of archives, historical societies, libraries and other cultural heritage institutions. Whether your interests lie in agriculture, architecture, arts and entertainment, business and labor, cultural groups, nature, politics, religion, science and technology, social movements, sports or weather, Ohio Memory has something for you.

Water parsnip photo, Aug. 3, 1997

Rainbow banners at the Ohio Statehouse about 1995

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Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Delaware County Historical Society Digital Collection

Delaware City Directory, 1905–1906

FROM ONLINE SCRAPBOOK TO

OHIO MEMORY

BY THE NUMBERS Over 390 contributing cultural heritage institutions Over

1 million images, including:

+ Photographs, maps, drawings and

paintings

A DYNAMIC DIGITAL COLLECTION Ohio Memory began in 2000 as a state bicentennial project. The goal was to allow the global community to discover and explore our state’s rich past by building a searchable database of images celebrating Ohio and local history.

Between 2000 and 2004, more than 330 historical societies, public libraries, museums, government agencies and archives from all over Ohio contributed more than 27,000 images to the project.

Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Ohio History Connection Selections

+ Manuscripts, letters, diaries and

journals + Archaeological artifacts, natural

history specimens and historical objects + Newspapers, yearbooks, city

directories, books and e-publications + Audio/video footage, including

oral histories Represents all

88 counties

Covers ancient history to present day Ripley, Ohio, engraving, about 1840

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Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Zoar Collection

Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Ohio History Connection Selections

Left: Shenandoah airship clock fragment, 1925 Right: Catharina Laessing membership contract, Society of Separatists of Zoar, Oct. 10, 1831

Since then, even more images have been added from the collections of the Ohio History Connection, the State Library of Ohio and 60+ cultural heritage institutions around the state. Now totaling more than 1 million images and counting, Ohio Memory has become a premier online resource where you can find primary and secondary source materials on Ohio history, from ancient times to the present day.

Collectively they preserve and share stories of local, state and national importance.

The Ohio History Connection has been committed to ensuring that Ohio Memory is rich in content and reflects a balanced, comprehensive history from its inception. To aid in this, we have developed the following selection criteria: • Historical Significance—Does the material represent either an experience common to all Ohioans or one that’s unique to a specific local community? Does it reflect one of Ohio Memory’s target subject categories?

• Complementary Value—Does the material help Ohio Memory represent various geographical areas, time periods, cultural groups and facets of life in Ohio?

• Scanning Potential—Is the item suitable for scanning based on its physical condition and likely image quality?

• Ownership and Copyright—Does the submitting institution own the material? Is the material protected by copyright? If so, has permission been granted to make it available through Ohio Memory?

Frequently requested materials and items considered to be treasures of a participating institution’s collection are also often included. Though not every part of Ohio history is covered on Ohio Memory yet, our contributors add content each year that makes the collection more inclusive. We aim to share Ohio’s diverse history as accurately, sensitively and completely as possible by working with internal and external stakeholders to help guide our selection, description and promotional efforts.

PARTNERS MAKE IT POSSIBLE One aim of Ohio Memory is to encourage cooperation among archives, historical societies, libraries, museums and similar institutions with Ohio history holdings. While the Ohio History Connection is the lead institution for this program, it wouldn’t be possible or sustainable without many partners.

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Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Ohio Guide Collection

The initial phases were supported by the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN), OhioLINK, Ohio Library Council, INFOhio, the State Library of Ohio and the Ohio Bicentennial Commission.

Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor

Over the past 20 years, dozens of dedicated library, archival, history and information professionals have also been instrumental to its ongoing success.

Ohio Memory continues as an ongoing partnership between the Ohio History Connection and the State Library of Ohio.

Today, nearly 400 heritage institutions have contributed to Ohio Memory, and nearly 40 still actively add content, truly making it a statewide, collaborative effort. Cultural heritage institutions from urban, suburban and rural communities have all chosen to make some of their collections available through Ohio Memory. Their contributions have increased access to materials in their collections tremendously.

Ohio’s more than the mother of eight presidents, the birthplace of aviation and the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Our history comprises countless stories, some famous and some little-known. Through Ohio Memory, these stories are interwoven to offer a more complete picture of our state’s history.

No matter where you’re from or where you are, we invite you to explore Ohio Memory and find your own Ohio memories there. You never know when you might learn something new about your hometown or even one of your family members, recognize connections that you may not have discovered in any other way or just become engrossed in exploring some of the remarkable photos and other reminders of Ohio’s past that Ohio Memory offers. (We’ve shared just a sampling on these pages.) Explore Ohio Memory free 24/7 at ohiomemory.org.

Jenni Salamon is unit manager, digitization,

Top: Lake Erie harbor and docks about 1935–1943 Bottom: Walking picketer during the Little Steel Strike of 1937

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Try browsing ohiomemory.org by: + Contributor + Place + Subject + Time period + Collection

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for the Ohio History Connection at the Ohio History Center in Columbus.

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Want other ways to explore Ohio Memory? Check out our blog or our interactive maps and timelines! Visit ohiomemory.org to learn more.

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full-text sources + Try the advanced search to search

multiple terms in combination and limit by date and/or collection name

Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, World War I in Ohio Collection

“Teufel Hunden“ armed forces recruiting station poster, about 1917–1918 OHIOHIS TORY.ORG

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Inventor Orville Wright (third from left) joined Col. Putt (left) when an exhibit opened at Wright Field relating to the famed brothers’ role in the origins of flight.

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Operation Paperclip NAZI SCIENTISTS AT DAYTON’S WRIGHT FIELD

BY ERIN ESMONT

L

t. Gen. Donald L. Putt possessed an engineer’s curiosity and calculation, a test pilot’s grit and daring and an entrepreneur’s vision and affinity for risk.

His name may be little remembered now, but stroll through downtown Sugarcreek in Tuscarawas County and there, across from the World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock, is a sizable brick memorial built by the townspeople for the community’s most famous resident.

A bronze plaque summarizes his career accomplishments: “Aviation Pioneer, Test Pilot, Engineer, Rocket Scientist. Born: Sugarcreek, 1905. Died: California, 1988. At Rest—Arlington National Cemetery.”

Three stars signify his rank as an Air Force general. A rocket-booster replica, one-tenth in size, attests to his post-military career powering vehicles for space exploration.

Across Main Street at the Alpine Hills Museum, encased in glass, is a large guest book filled with signatures from top Nazi and Japanese scientists during WWII. It’s an artifact from Putt’s role in “Operation Paperclip,” the controversial project that brought Nazi scientists to America—and Wright Field near Dayton.

Wright State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives

CLAIMING GERMAN TREASURES In the waning days of the Third Reich, Col. Putt of Wright Field (now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base) had become one of the nation’s foremost test pilots, well-versed on the inner workings of the latest planes and bombers, gaining experience and responsibility with each assignment. His specialized aeronautical knowledge was essential for assessing Luftwaffe air power.

Putt, accompanied by a German-speaking sergeant, arrived at the Hermann Goering Aeronautical Research Center in Volkenrode, Germany, 75 years ago this April and beheld the future of flight: supersonic wind tunnels, jet planes, jet propulsion engines and swept-back wings—technological advances beyond anything the Americans had.

The Brits and Soviets sought the same planes, equipment, documents and scientists. The lab and its contents would soon come under British control. In the Pacific, the Japanese continued

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“One thing Donald Putt realized at the time,” he said in an August 2019 interview. “It’s one thing to bring back the hardware; it was really much more important to bring back the brains behind it. He was a very innovative guy.”

CONTROVERSY ENSUES

Donald L. Putt, a native of Sugarcreek, Ohio, graduated from the California Institute of Technology with an advanced degree in aeronautical engineering in 1938.

As a colonel in the Army Air Forces, he became a leading test pilot and remained at the center of experiments in aircraft production conducted at Wright Field near Dayton during World War II.

their fierce fighting and the Allies could only guess at how much technology the Germans had shared with the Japanese.

Putt and others set to work.

“It was a real cloak-and-dagger job because we had to round up the scientists that had scattered all over the place,” Putt said in an Air Force oral history recorded in 1974. “They had buried documents and lab equipment in the forests, and we had to dig up that stuff.”

He tapped an advisory group of specialized scientists, notably his mentor from California Institute of Technology, Dr. Theodore von Karman, to help interrogate the Nazis, “de-Nazify them” according to one document, assess their expertise and persuade them to sign voluntary contracts with the U.S. government. Von Karman, a famous astrophysicist and Hungarian Jew, had fled Europe for America.

Putt set up a clandestine operation at night using trucks and two planes to ferry the spoils of war back to Wright Field while his British counterparts slept.

Wolfgang W.E. Samuel, a German-born author and retired U.S. Air Force colonel, has written about Putt’s wartime service in two books.

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If Putt thought getting the enemy booty out of Germany was tricky, that was nothing compared to getting scientists over to America and settled at Wright Field. A handful would come at first, all experts in aeronautics. Over time, more than 200 would follow—their families, too, despite immigration quotas. However, bureaucratic logjams, inter-governmental squabbles, immigration issues and protests by American scientists and Jewish groups soon beset the project.

Putt was clear-eyed about the need for Germany’s intellectual capital. He envisioned the scientists helping the military, business, industry and academia, all of which became eager partners.

“The German scientific brain is no better than ours,” he told the Dayton Journal on Sept. 1, 1945.

“However, it is a question of quantity with this type of brain. Looking at it in a hard-hearted manner, it would be beneficial to bring men to the U.S. and put their minds to work for us.” Top Army Air Forces brass told reporters in 1946 the scientists were already fixing “mistakes” or “clarifying many problems” in U.S. projects.

Back at Wright Field, Putt was put in charge of “mothering” the Germans, and tackled logistical issues of housing, food, morale and money. Older barracks in the Hilltop section became housing units. For a time, German POWs at the base cooked for the scientists. Part of the scientists’ pay covered living expenses—they earned, on average, $11 a day.

They were met with welcome, wariness and outright hostility. A guard was posted in their compound for their protection. Their movements were restricted at first, but later they could move more freely on base and in Dayton, with an escort, to the YMCA or for shopping.

Americans learned about Operation Paperclip in September 1946, when the War Department announced that German scientists were living here. It emphasized that none were Nazis, war criminals or suspected war criminals. That would be proven untrue.

HANDLING SENSITIVE ISSUES

PUTT’S LEGACY

On Nov. 17 and 18, 1946, Wright Field introduced a few hand-picked scientists to reporters and photographers. The Dayton Daily News had frontpage stories and photographs on Dec. 4, 1946.

The Germans included an authority on supersonic aircraft designs, a specialist in supersonic wind tunnels, a leader in high-speed aerodynamics, the designer of a jet-propelled helicopter, several jet engine designers and a specialist in ribbonparachute research.

Donald Putt would rise in rank at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, gaining the first of three stars in 1946 as chief of engineering. He would lead Air Technical Intelligence, monitoring other countries’ technology; serve at the Pentagon; head up research and development for NACA, forerunner to NASA; and receive a presidential citation in 1958 for his service. He retired from the Air Force in 1958 after 30 years, most spent at Wright-Patterson. He moved to California and launched a second career, in private industry, advancing space flight.

Later arrivals would include Rudi Berndt, an expert in parachute development and, at 25, one of the youngest Operation Paperclip recruits. He would spend over 40 years working at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. His research and personal papers are now in the library at Wright State University.

Erin Esmont is a freelance writer and editor.

An Ohio native, she worked at newspapers in Ohio and Pennsylvania. She lives in Columbus with her family.

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center History Office

Dr. Theodor Benzinger, inventor of the ear thermometer, among other things, was a physicianpilot who conducted medical experiments in Germany. He came to America in 1947, after initially being rejected for strong Nazi ideology. He was among doctors charged with war crimes, but he was released before trial at Nuremberg, according to Annie Jacobsen’s book, Operation Paperclip. He worked for the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. Some of his papers are also at Wright State.

“His life was much broader than Operation Paperclip,” Bill Putt says. “My father was incredibly low-key, a very congenial person. He could talk to anybody. He was very much a risk-taker.”

After the initial publicity about Operation Paperclip, Wright Field received crank calls and mail that it deemed unsuitable to share with the scientists, according to Air Force memos from the time. In a letter to President Truman, the American Federation of Scientists objected to former war enemies working here and asked that they be sent back.

Jewish groups protested the presence of men who’d advanced science through slave labor and murder.

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES Son Bill Putt remembers those years as a boy of eight. When his father left for Europe in 1944, he and his mother, Margaret, had to move off base. The mail kept his parents connected, with letters making no mention of his dad’s work. He saw the results when his father returned after more than a year. His dad took him to the base to look at the German aircraft.

Soon, his school bus to Oakwood Elementary was filled with children with German accents.

“They were all really nice kids,” he says. “I never met their parents.”

Late in 1946, the State Department coordinated publicity on the sensitive moral and political issues surrounding the German scientists brought to the United States through Putt’s efforts. An article appeared in Life magazine that featured, among others, Theodor Knacke. While at the University of Stuttgart, Knacke had helped develop parachutes suitable for slowing aircraft. In the U.S., he eventually oversaw design of the parachute landing systems for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft.

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Able to create its own snow, Snow Trails opened near Mansfield in 1961.

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Skiing Comes to Ohio MAKE IT SNOW, MAKE IT SNOW, MAKE IT SNOW!

I

n 1960, Michigan had 12 ski resorts, according to the National Ski Areas Association. Ohio had zero.

The Buckeye State had always been one state too far south—too warm and too little snow.

But that was all about to change, thanks to a technology that took Ohio by storm: the making of artificial snow shot out of a “gun” or “cannon.”

Able to create its own snow, Snow Trails opened near Mansfield in 1961. By 1965, Ohio was home to seven ski resorts, including Mad River Mountain (originally named Valley High), Alpine Valley Ski Area, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Clear Fork and Sugarcreek Ski Hills.

SKIERS WITHOUT A HOME Dave Carto was the first president of Snow Trails and has been with the resort since its opening. He says Ohio always had skiers, they just didn’t have slopes.

“There have always been Ohioans who skied out East or even out West,” he said during a short oral history recorded last year

by Snow Trails. “They loved the idea there was a place close to home so they could practice their skills. Many of the experienced skiers became our ski instructors and ski patrol and so forth.”

Ralph Shoots wrote a remembrance of Mad River Mountain in 2002, on the occasion of the resort’s 40th anniversary.

“Through a miracle of nature we were able to open on time, December 15, 1962,” Shoots wrote. “We had a huge snowstorm three or four days prior to the opening day and were able to open without having to make snow. This was a blessing because the snow-making equipment was a few days away from being completed and ready to run. Even the chair lift lacked a few days from being in full operation.”

That opening was memorable, according to Shoots.

“We knew that besides the skiers we would have numerous spectators,” he recalled. “We decided to charge $1 per car for spectators just to come and observe. There was a solid line of Left: 1967 Ski Carnival Queen at Snow Trails near Mansfield All images are from Ohio History Connection Archival Collections

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cars all day long in both directions. Traffic was backed up at times on County Road 5 for miles in either direction.”

MAKING SNOW The pursuit of artificial snow began as early as 1934, when warm weather threatened to derail a major competition at the Toronto Ski Club’s new ski jump.

The club arranged to shave ice off the University of Toronto’s hockey rink and have it hauled by truck seven miles to the jump landing area.

The pursuit of artificial snow began as early as 1934.

Writing at the time in the Canadian Ski Year Book, Fred Hall recounted, “(The shaved ice) was from ten to twenty percent faster than dry snow, as jumps made on that day were comparatively longer ... the total cost of ‘manufacturing’ the snow was about $80, or approximately $1 per ton. This was for trucking alone as the cutting was done for free.”

Fifteen years later, in 1949, Tey Manufacturing Co. brought an early version of its snow cannon to Mohawk Mountain in Connecticut. In the May 1980 issue of Ski Area Management, Nils Erickson wrote, “Under a shroud of secrecy, during December 1949, Tey brought one of their original snow-making prototypes to Mohawk Mountain and actually produced the first documented machine-made snow for skiing.”

Michigan might have had more snow and steeper hills, but there was one thing central Ohio had that northern Michigan didn’t: proximity to lots of people.

A GRAND OPENING Before it opened in 1962, the owners of what would become Mad River Mountain paid for a study that concluded “a ski resort developed here (in Zanesfield) would be within two hours of 8 million people.”

Shoots wrote, “We anticipated that a high percentage (of our patrons) would be daily commuters from the major cities around—Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Indianapolis. I believe that this is still an accurate assessment today.”

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In the Jan. 16, 1963, issue of the Daily Kent Stater, an ad for the now-defunct Mont Chalet Ski Slopes in Chesterland boasted the following prices: “Ski tickets, $2.50 daily; weekends and holidays, $4 all day, $2.75 half-day. Try night skiing, 6:30–10:30 P.M. daily, $2.75.”

Though Snow Trails, Mad River Mountain and several other ski resorts have stood the test of time, others have not. In addition to Mont Chalet, several resorts have been shuttered over the years, including Echo Hills near Lancaster, Spicy Run in southern Ohio and Sugar Creek Ski Hills in Bellbrook. (A snow-tubing facility may be coming to Bellbrook as soon as 2022.)

Five resorts currently serve the skiing community in Ohio: Snow Trails, Mad River Mountain, Alpine Valley (Chesterland) and sister resorts Brandywine and Boston Mills (near Cleveland).

Since its inception, Snow Trails has held an annual end-of-year “ski carnival.” (Mad River holds one, too.) Carto says the carnival—which features bikini and Chippendale slalom races, a ski/snowboard cross race and a “slush” competition where snowboarders end their runs by attempting to glide across a pool of green water—was an instant success when introduced 58 years ago.

“It was so successful that we were a part of one of (American ski and snowboarding filmmaker) Warren Miller’s ski films,” Carto recalls. “He came and recorded our bikini race, which became more famous, or infamous, as a result. … We have a lot of people who are not on skis at the carnival, who come out just to see what these crazy people are doing.”

Though ski resorts in Ohio have been able to survive and even thrive, Shoots said it’s always tough sledding in the ski business.

Several of Ohio’s resorts were once farms, which is fitting.

“Skiing is like farming—we are at the mercy of the weather,” he said. –EM

LEARN MORE

Find more information on Ohio’s ski resorts: skicentral.com/ohio.html See a short promotional video from the 57th annual ski carnival at Snow Trails: youtube. com/watch?v=jDRxvAS-Zq0 Watch a short video of skiing at Mad River Mountain: youtube.com/ watch?v=s0obGntFmJE View snowboard jumps at Brandywine: youtube.com/watch?v=B46i1Dbc2_E

Ski class at Snow Trails in the 1960s

Catch a Go-Pro video of snowboarders at Alpine Valley Ski Resort: youtube.com/ watch?v=U3gejigreIg

Skiing is like farming—we are at the mercy of the weather.

On the slopes at Snow Trails, 1960s

Swiss Barn Lodge at Snow Trails, 1960s

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I Wish I’d Been There

W H E N S O J O U R N E R T R U T H D E L I V E R E D H E R “AR’N’T I A WO M A N ? ” S P E E C H I N A K R O N BY K AT H E R I N E J E L L I S O N

On May 29, 1851, abolitionist and women’s rights advocate Sojourner Truth stood in the Universalist Old Stone Church in Akron, Ohio, to deliver her historic “Ar’n’t I a Woman?” speech. But did she really say those famous four words?

A WELL-KNOWN SPEAKER By the time Sojourner Truth made her appearance at the Akron women’s rights meeting that day, she was already a well-known speaker on behalf of abolition, women’s equality and the Christian gospel.

Born in New York state as a slave named Isabella in 1797, Truth had changed her name and launched her career as a reformer several years after the Empire State abolished slavery in 1827. Truth could neither read nor write, but while living in Northampton, Massachusetts, she dictated her life story to a white neighbor, and abolitionist leader William Lloyd Garrison published it as The Narrative of Sojourner Truth in 1850. In fact, one reason for Truth’s appearance at the Akron meeting the following year was to sell copies of her book to the antislavery and women’s rights reformers in attendance.

While visiting Ohio that spring, Truth stayed in the home of abolitionist Marcus Robinson of Salem, who served as secretary for the Akron women’s rights meeting. The account of Truth’s speech that Robinson published three weeks later in his newspaper,

46 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2020

the Anti-Slavery Bugle, provides us with the earliest in-depth description of what occurred when Truth rose to speak at the Old Stone Church.

According to Robinson, Truth made one of “the most unique and interesting speeches of the convention.” Nearly 6 feet tall and with a deep, booming voice, Truth immediately grabbed the audience’s attention as she mounted the speaking platform and began to recount her experiences as a hardworking farm laborer who could perform as much work as a man, eat as much as a man and fill her woman-sized brain with as many ideas as it could hold. She then ended her speech with reference to the power and influence of prominent women in the Bible.

Nowhere in Robinson’s account of his friend’s speech did he say that Truth uttered the words, “Ar’n’t I a Woman?”

PHRASE FIRST APPEARED IN 1863 The first time those four words appeared in print was in 1863, when Frances Dana Gage belatedly published her version of Truth’s speech in the New York Independent.

A long-time antislavery, women’s rights and temperance activist from McConnelsville, Ohio, Gage had chaired the 1851 Akron meeting.

Her leadership of that meeting and her reputation as a tireless advocate for racial and gender equality lent immediate authority to Gage’s rendition of the speech. In Gage’s version, Truth, whose first language was Dutch, improbably

spoke in an exaggerated Southern slave dialect and repeatedly asked a dramatic rhetorical question: “Ar’n’t I a Woman?” Although Gage’s description of the Akron speech appeared a dozen years after the fact and contained obvious inaccuracies, her colorful account captured the public imagination and became the most widely reproduced telling of the event. When Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony published the first volume of their History of Woman Suffrage in 1881, they chose to include Gage’s recounting of the speech. Thus, by the time Sojourner Truth died in Battle Creek, Michigan, two years later, she had become famous for four words she likely never said.

But why did Gage elaborate on the story of Truth’s Akron speech in the first place? Truth biographer Nell Irvin Painter argues that Gage wrote her 1863 account to compete with another fictionalized profile of Truth that Uncle Tom’s Cabin author Harriet Beecher Stowe had recently published in the Atlantic Monthly. Historian Jeffrey E. Smith notes that Gage’s characterization of Truth and her speech served Gage’s own reform agenda. At the time she wrote her account, Gage was doing relief work among the newly freed people of Union-occupied South Carolina. Her strong commitment to interracial cooperation and belief that the rights of women and blacks were firmly intertwined motivated Gage to create a version of Truth’s speech that both emphasized her blackness through use of dialect and her womanhood through use of the “Ar’n’t I a Woman?” refrain. Gage’s account also highlighted racial inclusivity in the women’s movement, which was a goal that not all white participants shared. As Painter notes, the ultimate popularity of Gage’s version did important symbolic work.

In the latter decades of the 20th century, its frequent reproduction in textbooks, dramatic performances and other venues undoubtedly

Library of Congress

furthered both the feminist and black civil rights agendas.

Nevertheless, this white-constructed version of Truth’s speech, with its problematic racial dialect and invented refrain, distances us from the real Sojourner Truth.

MY TH ECLIPSES THE WOMAN As we approach the centennial of the women’s suffrage amendment, Gage’s version of Sojourner Truth continues to dominate popular treatments of the women’s movement and even some scholarly accounts. The mythic Sojourner Truth has seemingly eclipsed the real woman. That is why I wish I’d been there at Akron’s Old Stone Church on May 29, 1851. To be able to hear Truth’s powerful arguments for women’s equality in her own unmediated words would have been a thrilling experience. But having the opportunity to talk to Truth after she delivered her address would have been equally significant. At the risk of annoying her other fans, I probably would have monopolized her time by asking a dozen followup questions. In particular, I would have wanted to know more about how her experiences as a black woman and former slave specifically informed her embrace of women’s rights. And at the end of our conversation, I am sure that I would have bought a copy of The Narrative of Sojourner Truth in order to learn even more about this remarkable woman who probably never said “Ar’n’t I a Woman?”

Katherine Jellison chairs Ohio University’s Department of History and is director of the Master’s Degree in Social Science program. She is an active member of the Athens County League of Women Voters. Jellison is an expert in first ladies, gender in politics and women’s studies.

It's improbable that Sojourner Truth, a native New Yorker whose first language was Dutch, would have spoken in the exaggerated dialect attributed to her here.

The mythic Sojourner Truth has seemingly eclipsed the real woman.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Sojourner Truth, Frances Dana Gage and the 1851 Akron women’s rights meeting, read Nell Irvin Painter, Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol (1996) and Jeffrey E. Smith, “’Turning the World Upside Down’: The Life and Words of Frances Dana Gage,” in Yvonne J. Johnson, ed., Feminist Frontiers: Women Who Shaped the Midwest (2010).

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Vietnam’s Historic War Dogs YO U N G E Y E S O N T H E PA S T

BY PA R K E R W I L L I A M S A N D D E V I N CO R R I N G T O N , O H I O H I S T O RY DAY S T U D E N T S

Did you know that dogs have been an essential part of the military since 600 B.C., yet they do not get the same treatment as other members of the armed forces?

Throughout history, military working dogs have taken on many of the same roles as soldiers during warfare, including being actively involved in combat. During the Vietnam War, dogs fought fiercely alongside and protected U.S. soldiers. The dogs saved thousands of lives, yet were tragically abandoned by their country at the war’s end when they were deemed “military surplus.” As a result, traumatized handlers campaigned for the rights of their beloved dogs.

During the Cold War, the United States feared Soviet influence would cause communism to spread. This “domino theory” led to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. President Johnson requested congressional approval to increase troops in Vietnam after the Aug. 2, 1964, Gulf of Tonkin incident. With this troop escalation came the need for military working dogs.

Throughout history, military working dogs have taken on many of the same roles as soldiers during warfare.

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INTERVIEWED KEY FIGURES

CANINES SAVED LIVES

As part of our research, we interviewed Ron Aiello, president of the United States War Dogs Association, as well as Vietnam working dog handlers Bill Cummings, Ernie Ayala, Vernon Anderson and John Dulpa.

The United States War Dogs Association estimates that canines saved more than 10,000 lives during their service in Vietnam.

The valiant service and immense loyalty of the dogs made them unparalleled partners to the soldiers. Their heightened senses contributed to their success in detecting ambushes, finding wounded soldiers and uncovering booby traps. Dogs also provided invaluable emotional support to the troops. Although the dogs helped American soldiers tremendously, things ended badly for these canine soldiers.

We also interviewed author John Burnam, who served in Vietnam and funded the National War Dog Monument in Texas. Finally, we interviewed John Meeks in person at our school. He came to present the history of war dogs to our entire middle school as a thank you to us for sharing the story of the working dogs.

There were many instances during the war when, due to the actions of the dogs, a soldier’s life was saved. In the Discovery Channel documentary War Dogs: America’s Forgotten Heroes, dog handler John Flannelly recalls: “My whole side was blown open. I could actually watch my left lung filling up and down and then I just watched it deflate. I didn’t want him to see me die. I told him, Bruiser go, go! He wouldn’t leave. He dragged me back. I’m not sure how far it was, it seemed like forever. I don’t know where he got the strength to pull me. While he was dragging me, he was hit. But he was determined to get me out of there.”

FEW DOGS CAME HOME Classified as equipment at the end of the Vietnam War, the canine heroes were euthanized or turned over to the South Vietnamese military. Of the 4,000 dogs who fought in Vietnam, only 204 returned home. Though the devastated handlers pleaded with military leaders to bring their dogs home, even offering to pay for the trip, they were denied and forced to say goodbye to their best friends at the end of the war.

Even though this was a tragic event, the government had its reasons for leaving the dogs behind. Under the Federal Property Act of 1949, military working dogs were no different than a tank.

Stacy Williams

Last November, the 2019 Ohio History Day project by students Devin Corrington and Parker Williams was placed on display at the Veterans National Shrine and Memorial in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where it will remain through February. Corrington (left) and Williams (right) pose with John Meeks and Brutuz, a retired military dog that he adopted.

Of the 4,000 dogs who fought in Vietnam, only 204 returned home.

The government couldn’t chance the dogs bringing diseases home.

Plus, some dogs were trained to kill—they were too aggressive to acclimate back into society, yet the handlers desperately wanted them home.

TREATMENT IMPROVES The story of Vietnam War dogs is significant in history because, while the dogs triumphantly saved lives, their tragic treatment after the war led to many changes brought about by the handlers’ activism. The handlers helped enact laws that would allow war

dogs to return to the U.S. and be adopted. These laws continue to have a positive impact on military working dogs today. Furthermore, the handlers founded a national monument and created the Guardians of Freedom medal to recognize war dogs and bring about public awareness of their sacrifices.

The crucial role dogs played in Vietnam shows that military working dogs made many of the same sacrifices as soldiers. Dogs still play a vital role in the military today.

We feel the government was wrong to abandon its canine heroes in Vietnam. It euthanized healthy animals and left their handlers with deep-rooted emotional scars, according to John Meeks. The dogs truly are “America’s forgotten heroes.”

Parker Williams and Devin Corrington are students at Tri-County North High School in Lewisburg, Ohio. They competed in the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland—College Park in June 2019 and won the Ohio Outstanding Entry award and an honorable mention. It was their third year taking part in History Day. Their 2017 History Day project, Piecing Together a Hero’s Story, about Vietnam War hero William H. Pittsenbarger of Piqua, was featured in the May & June 2018 issue of Echoes Magazine.

LEARN MORE MORE LEARN

In the Fort Wayne, Indiana, vicinity?

See the History Day display Parker and Devin created at the Veterans National Shrine and Memorial in Fort Wayne through the end of February.

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Reviews BOOK

Love Letters from the Marine Wolf:

A US Hospital and Transport Ship, an Army Medic Afloat, and a War Bride in World War II by Michele Makros

At first blush, a book centered on the WWII love letters between an Army medic and his war bride living and working on the Akron, Ohio, homefront may seem rather bland.

Such correspondence, after all, had to pass through an official censor, so what new revelations about the war could possibly be in store? In reality, that would be a vast underestimation of this well-crafted volume, assembled by the daughter of the couple.

Michele Makros has a degree in graphic design and has experience working as the art director for an ad agency. Her knowledge of design is apparent immediately upon opening the book. Every page is filled with historic images, documents and military memorabilia that bring her stories to life and offer readers a genuine sense of reliving the war.

In part, this stemmed from her father’s personnel military records being lost in a 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. She was forced to reconstruct his service record the hard way by tracking down living

50 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2020

shipmates and their families. And then she creatively incorporated all the information, images and artifacts they provided.

Still, Makros has accomplished much more than just gathering material and creating a visually appealing product. She has exhaustively researched virtually every element of the military routine and war events experienced by her father, allowing readers a true appreciation for what life in the war involved. Through the use of recreated dialogue based on her archival research and the testimonials of those she interviewed, the author aimed to accurately reflect the circumstances, personalities and emotions of all the characters in her story, including her parents. While not Makros’s strongest element, it certainly advances her storylines and is, overall, a positive addition to the narrative. Of course for her mother and father, she had the letters themselves, often incorporating both a handwritten manuscript and a transcription, with loving phrases pulled out as subtitles.

As a hospital and transport ship, the Marine Wolf made seven transAtlantic voyages, transporting troops to English and French ports and returning with either prisoners of war, seriously injured or troops being rotated out of the service. Following the final transport voyage from New York harbor to Southampton, England, at the end of March 1945, the vessel and its crew engaged in six months of shuttle service across the English Channel, facilitating troop furloughs, evacuating seriously injured or feeding troops to higher-capacity vessels shipping GIs homeward bound.

Makros concludes her volume by briefly discussing her parents’ postwar careers and lives in Akron, including her own upbringing.

What could have been another mundane story of wartime lives has been transformed into an engaging and entertaining narrative from which we can learn much.

—David A. Simmons, Echoes Magazine

Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Ohio History Connection Selections

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Commodore Oliver Perry featured in Perry’s Victory, painted by William Powell of Cincinnati