Echoes Magazine | May & June 2023

Cover:

“I dreamt it, man. I dreamt last night that I won it,” yelled Bob Baker of Parma, referring to the first Ohio Lottery drawing, held on Aug. 22, 1974. See page 40.

Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University Vol.

EDITORS

Bill Eichenberger

Tom Wolf

CONTRIBUTORS

Julia M. Applegate

Deborah Connolly

Erin Esmont

Tim Feran

John Kiesewetter

Oliver Sekorky

Gary S. Williams

ADVISORY BOARD

Donna DeBlasio Youngstown State University

Nishani Frazier

Miami University

Robert Genheimer Cincinnati Museum Center

Stephen George

History Connection

Alex Hastie

v. the World George Ironstrack Miami University Chester Pach

Rivers

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

Pioneer of Daytime TV Talk

BEFORE THERE WAS OPRAH, THE VIEW OR ELLEN, THERE WAS PHIL DONAHUE

A former news anchor and talk radio host, Phil Donahue pioneered the modern daytime TV talk show in 1967 on WLWD in Dayton. The Phil Donahue Show, later simply Donahue, was unlike any other talk show. There was no couch, opening monologue, band or sidekick, and Donahue interviewed experts on everything from abortion, drug abuse, suicide, impotence and incest to alcoholism, feminism, racism, consumerism, pacifism, Nazism and nudism.

Journalist, Author, Catalyst, Lecturer, Traveler

THE MANY TALENTS OF KAY HALLE

Kay Halle (1903-1997) was a child of privilege. Her father and uncle had founded The Halle Brothers Co., one of Cleveland’s premier department stores. Turning down a 1931 marriage proposal by Randolph Churchill, son of Sir Winston, she chose to keep her freedom, becoming a journalist, author, lecturer and traveler, serving as an OSS intelligence operative in World War II and hosting a parade of 20th-century luminaries in her New York and D.C. homes.

Ladies’ Night, Every Night SUMMIT STATION

In 1970, trumpeter, pianist and classically trained musician Petie Brown got a bartending job at Jack’s A-Go-Go, an unassuming neighborhood bar near Ohio State’s Columbus campus. Word spread fast that a lesbian was behind the bar. Soon Jack’s began attracting lesbian women customers in scores. Renamed Summit Station, it became a safe space for many, and Ohio’s longest-running lesbian bar. Closed in 2008, it’s soon to be the subject of a new brown-and-gold Ohio Historical Marker.

A Dollar and a Dream

THE BIRTH OF THE OHIO LOTTERY

In 1971, Ohio Senator Ron Mottl Sr. was an up-and-coming Democratic lawmaker from Parma intent on making sure the state didn’t miss out on what he thought was a golden opportunity. Lottery fever was sweeping the country, and states all around Ohio were catching it. “I wanted to keep Ohio’s money in Ohio,” Mottl says. In 1973, voters made their wishes known, and in May 2023, the Ohio Lottery turns 50.

FROM OUR EDITORS

We recently moved from our pre-pandemic office into new digs at the Ohio History Center. Though moving isn’t our idea of fun, we’re glass-half-full kinda people, and this move had a definite bright side: Mainly, the opportunity to put our hands on all of the books in the Echoes Magazine library and find out just what we have on our shelves. Books are like friends: If you never see them, do they really exist? In 2017, we received one that got shelved haphazardly and hence had been unseen for six years. That’s way too long to go without seeing a good friend. (See page 50.)

An Odd Book: How the First Modern Pop Culture Reporter Conquered New York, by R. Scott Williams, is a wonderful biography of O.O. “Odd” McIntyre of Gallipolis, a small-town kid who made it in the big city as a journalist and friend to celebrities, becoming one of the highest-paid reporters of the 1920s and 1930s.

McIntyre may have lived much of his adult life in New York’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel, but to paraphrase his contemporary, James Thurber, the clocks that rang in his dreams were, no doubt, the clocks of Gallipolis.

Now that we’re back in touch, let’s let Odd tell us in his own words:

“I know that as I sat in the very heartbeat of the greatest city in the world, the years rolled suddenly back and I was a boy … I heard again the melancholy drone of the honeybees and that dolorous ring of the blacksmith’s anvil back of McCormack’s livery stable. I heard old Mr. Kraus from his seat on the huckster wagon intone, ‘Ask your ma does she want any strawberries, bub.’

“I heard the clatter of the Ohio River Railroad hack moving toward the depot to meet what we knew as ‘the noon train.’ I heard the flying hoofs of Aaron Frank’s black stallion, ‘Flaming Arrow,’ beat against the walls of his stable stall … I saw the cobblestone gutters painted with fresh spring rain, I saw wisps of smoke haze from scattered chimney tops. I saw the West Virginia hills over yonder cowling in dusk and a faint prick of stars in the plush night.”

We feature a couple of remarkable Ohioans in this issue, namely talk show pioneer Phil Donahue (page 24) and journalist Kay Halle (page 30). We wonder what TV would look like today had Donahue not led the way. Oprah has always said that it was Donahue who made her show (and career) possible. We had a lot of fun reading through Halle’s FBI file. (It’s declassified—you can find it online.) Nothing scandalous, though she rubbed shoulders with so many VIPs that she raised J. Edgar Hoover’s eyebrows.

In June, the Ohio History Connection unveils its third brown-and-gold Ohio Historical Marker recognizing LGBTQ+ history in our state, on the site of Summit Station, a neighborhood landmark associated with lesbian history in Columbus from 1970 to 2008. Learn more on page 36.

Fifty years ago, Ohioans voted for a statewide lottery. (See page 40.) Though many opposed a lottery, the General Assembly recognized that Ohioans were traveling across state lines to bet on the numbers, spending money it figured should stay in Ohio.

Finally, thanks to Shem Schutte, who took the photos of Springfield's Hattie Moseley mural that appeared on the cover and pages 24–25 of our March & April 2023 issue, which were miscredited.

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, What are your memories of attending horse races in Ohio, Thoroughbred or Standardbred?”

Here are some of your responses:

BACKSTRETCH DREAMS

The Wingfield family is passionate about horse racing. Oldest brother Charlie started attending the Delaware County Fair, host to the Little Brown Jug, after high school graduation in 1964, and hasn’t missed a year since. He never dreamed that 50 years later, he’d be running from the backstretch to be in the 2014 winner’s circle with Limelight Beach. In summer 2014, Limelight Beach wasn’t looking like a winner to anyone. He hadn’t won one race, though the four Wingfield brothers hung on to their dream. Our group of lawn chairs on the backstretch was full of excited family members and friends on Sept. 18 as the long day of racing began. With 40,000 fans crowded around the oval, Limelight

Your Story?

Beach came onto the track a decided underdog. Then one of those movie moments happened, and Limelight Beach claimed the title of 69th winner of the Little Brown Jug. Tears of joy streamed down the faces of friends and family members as they ran from the backstretch to the winner’s circle. The traditional blanket of yellow roses that adorned the horse was passed from person to person and we held tight to the coveted jug trophy.

—Barb Wingfield, Kenton

LESSONS FROM DAD

We grew up in Youngstown, and I have fond memories of going to the Northfield trotters with my dad. A hard worker, Dad traveled quite a bit for work, but truly enjoyed time with his family and friends on the weekends. He also loved games of chance and a good wager. Taking his kids to the horse track as they got old enough was a great Friday or Saturday adventure. We’d jump into the station wagon and make the one-hour drive to Northfield. When we got to the track, Dad would always take us to the paddock area and point out the muscles and strength of those “majestic animals” as he called them. We’d walk around, taking in the sights and sounds of the foreign world of horses, trainers and drivers. Dad would buy a couple of daily racing programs and start to teach us how to read the key components in the racing form to help educate us on some things to look for. Then, with some “math lessons” on how odds work, he’d let us give him a bet we wanted to make, and he would make it on our behalf. How exciting it was to win, and how disappointing to lose with our $2 bets! I wasn’t always the smartest in choosing the right horse—sometimes it was the one that sported the prettiest colors. There were a lot of lessons in heading to the track, from appreciation of the horses to the science of the wager and, finally, to accepting winning and losing in stride. Thank you for those fun lessons and memories, Dad!

—Patrick Reardon, Woodbury, MN

FOND MEMORIES

OFF TO THE RACES

My best memories of harness racing in Ohio are of Toledo’s Raceway Park. When I first started attending in the early 1980s, the five-eighths of a mile track located only a few miles from the Michigan border hosted harness racing three days a week, eight to nine months a year. The facility was wonderful in its heyday, with a nice clubhouse, good food and a track kitchen that many still talk about to this day. In 1986, using money I received for my high school graduation, I bought my first horse. My parents weren’t exactly impressed with this decision. Despite that, I still don’t regret the decision to buy the horse, named Forceps. Raceway Park had some things other tracks in Ohio didn’t. One was its paddock, where horses were harnessed and prepared to race. Attached to the grandstand, it could be viewed through glass, offering an up-closeand-personal look at behind-the-scenes activities before the race. Another unique thing Raceway Park did was play the theme song from the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai just prior to the horses going to post, essentially giving bettors a two-minute warning. Sadly, Raceway Park closed in 2013. I sure miss that place.

—Steve Bateson, Rudolph (Bateson is president of the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association.)

AVOCATION TO VOCATION

I began a fascination with horse racing as a kid. Friends of ours had harness horses, and we’d follow their exploits at fair tracks in northwestern Ohio with an occasional trip to pari-mutuel tracks such as Lebanon or Scioto Downs. What I didn’t know then was that horse racing would become a huge part of my professional life. I covered both Thoroughbred and harness racing for more than 30 years. I had the good fortune of covering the Kentucky Derby for more than 20 years, several Breeders’ Cups, more than 30 Little Brown Jugs and numerous races at Beulah Park and Scioto Downs. I even learned how to drive harness horses and competed in five celebrity-media

races with three wins, a second … and a last. I always relished my visits, whether to a dusty fair track or one of the pillars of the sport such as Churchill Downs. Throughout my career, I was impressed by the equine athletes and those who dedicated their lives to the sport.

—Brad Schmaltz, Kansas City, MO

A DAY OUT WITH GRANDMA

When I was a child, the main pari-mutuel harness track my family raced at was Raceway Park in Toledo. Before I was old enough to help in the barn area, I would sit in the grandstand with my Grandma Harvey and watch the races—some of the best memories I have with her. I can still taste the ice cream cones she got me. The theme music to the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai played between races. To this day, every member of my family can still whistle along to the tune. My husband and I were married in the winner’s circle at Raceway Park on Sept. 26, 1992, with 150 guests in attendance, and our reception during the races— wonderful memories I cherish.

—Amy Hollar, Cuyahoga Falls

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 July & August:

You can’t tell Ohio’s story without acknowledging the stories of our state’s hardworking men and women. Did you, your parents or grandparents ever work in, say, a steel mill or some other tough job? What job and for how long? What was it like?

Email your story responses (50 to 150 words) by May 12 to echoes@ohiohistory.org or, if you follow us on Facebook, send us a Facebook message.

In the News

ON EXHIBIT Resolute—The Spirit of Arctic Exploration

For centuries, the Arctic was the ultimate unexplored frontier. Beginning with ancient quests for ultima Thule, the “farthest unknown,” explorers tried to chart the shifting, icy landscape at the top of the world. Several expeditions set sail during the 19th century in search of the elusive Northwest Passage, some fated never to return. The Resolute Desk given to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880 was built from the timbers of just such a ship and is still used in the Oval Office today.

The latest special exhibit at Hayes Presidential Library & Museums in Fremont, Resolute—The Spirit of Arctic Exploration, examines the Arctic’s strange, treacherous

environment and profiles the adventurers who tried to tame it.

FINAL FRONTIER

“In Hayes’s era, Arctic exploration was the final frontier, and people were fascinated by it in much the same way we are fascinated by the latest images from the James Webb Space Telescope or everything going on with SpaceX,” says Kevin Moore, curator of artifacts.

“As a melting Arctic becomes a key arena for geopolitics and international trade in the 21st century, I hope that visitors will leave with a greater understanding of how this part of our planet was explored, as well as the people who call it home,” he shares. In the exhibit, visitors will discover several attempts to explore the subzero temperatures and icy terrain of

the Arctic. The goal was to discover the fabled Northwest Passage over Canada, which would connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and create a shorter shipping route.

The Franklin Expedition of 1845 was one of the lost voyages searching for this passage. British Royal Navy officer Sir John Franklin and his group of ships disappeared, and the ships remained missing until finally being found in the 2010s.

While searching for Franklin’s expedition in 1855, the British HMS Resolute became stuck in the Arctic ice, and sailors abandoned it. The following year, the ship finally broke free and floated on its own.

RESOLUTE DESK

An American whaling captain corralled the Resolute , and it was

Hayes Presidential Library & Museums

Resolute—The Spirit of Arctic Exploration, on exhibit at the Hayes Museum in Fremont.

HMS Resolute (left) and Intrepid in the Arctic in 1852–1853.

repaired and returned to England. To show the country’s thanks, Queen Victoria had the Resolute Desk created from the ship’s wood for President Hayes. A replica of the Resolute Desk is on display in the Hayes Museum.

The exhibit examines these stories and the harrowing accounts. Navigational tools, some of President Hayes’s books on the Arctic and a model of the Gjøa, the first ship to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage, are on display. In an interactive component, you can map your own Arctic expedition.

Resolute is sponsored by the Randolph J. & Estelle M. Dorn Foundation, with additional funding by Willis & Sons, Inc. Access to the exhibit is included with regular admission to Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. The exhibit continues through June 30, 2024.

Hayes Presidential Library & Museums is at the corner of Hayes and Buckland avenues in Fremont. For hours or more information, call 800.998.7737 or visit rbhayes.org.

FROM OUR DIRECTOR

Necklace of walrus teeth and blue glass beads from President Hayes’s collection, believed to be from an Inuit tribe in the Arctic.

part of my duties as executive director and CEO, I visit communities around Ohio. Whenever I’m in a place, I love to engage with as many local businesses, organizations, museums, parks and eating establishments as possible. A few weeks ago, I was able to complete a multi-day visit to Lima in beautiful Allen County.

As

A little bit about Lima—Lima is in the homelands of the Shawnee, who had to leave the area in 1831 as part of the federal Indian removal policy. It was established as the county seat in 1831, and still serves in that capacity. There was an early oil boom in Lima, and John D. Rockefeller had his first oil well there in 1885. Lima has been home to an Army tank manufacturing plant since 1941.

I started my visit with the team at the Allen County Museum, an amazing place that covers the broad history of the region. An expansive facility, it also includes a log cabin and the Victorian McDonald House. Executive Director Amy Craft Klassen gave me a behind-the-scenes look at its archival collection and its vast railroad collection that rivals any other in the world. Lima was home of the Lima Locomotive Works, and the museum has a Shay locomotive prominently displayed.

I was blown away by the rock and mineral collection with beautiful geodes and mineral specimens. Recently the museum unveiled two incredible works of art—one of 19th-century U.S. Senator Calvin Brice of Ohio, painted by John Singer Sargent, and a painting of Brice’s wife and daughters by Sargent’s teacher, Carolus Duran. The Sargent painting had been in storage and was being conserved when the staff were surprised with the Duran painting from Miami University. The two hang together in a new exhibit.

My trip also included a few great meals—Lulu’s Diner with delicious breakfast, The Met for dinner downtown and a frosted malt at Kewpee Hamburgers. It also included a cold visit to Lincoln Park, where the last locomotive to roll off the line at the Lima Locomotive Works, the 779, is on permanent display—an amazing sight, both for its significance and its sheer size.

Other recommendations: At the Lima Fire Fighters Memorial Museum, you can see photos, newspaper accounts and even the original equipment used to fight some of Lima’s most devastating fires over the last 150 years. At Schoonover Observatory in Schoonover Park, you can look through the 14-inch Celestron telescope, with members of the Lima Astronomical Society on hand to operate it and answer questions. (I always recommend checking on hours before visiting anywhere!)

I had a wonderful time learning about Lima. My thanks to The Lima News, the Allen County commissioners, Visit Greater Lima Convention & Visitors Bureau and all who welcomed me and spent time sharing more about the city and region.

Megan Wood | Executive Director & CEO, Ohio History Connection

Hayes Presidential Library & Museums

HISTORY FUND Twelve Grants

Total $185,624

The Ohio History Connection has awarded 12 Ohio History Fund grants totaling $185,624 to community history and preservation organizations across the state, an amount second only to last year’s total of $207,100.

“The Ohio History Fund allows us to provide tangible support for history and preservation projects all over the state,” says Megan Wood, executive director and CEO of the Ohio History Connection. “These efforts help us understand where we came from and give us a sense of identity and place, reinforcing the importance of every community in our state.”

2023 OHIO HISTORY FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS

This year’s recipients are:

ARCHBOLD • SAUDER VILLAGE

$15,650 to upgrade textile storage. Sauder Village has a new climatecontrolled and secure storage space for its collection of about 7,000 textiles. The grant will enable it to buy archives-safe storage boxes, shelves and other storage furnishings, and will cover the cost of moving the collection and reinventorying some pieces. The end

result will be to keep the collections safer and make objects more accessible for exhibits and programs.

CINCINNATI • OVER-THE-RHINE MUSEUM

$14,850 for window restoration at the museum’s new home, a circa-1870 building at 3 W. McMicken Ave. The museum’s 2022 Historic Site Report indicated that the windows are a priority for restoration, to make the building weathertight as its transformation into a museum begins. The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Overthe-Rhine Historic District.

CLEVELAND • CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

$17,000 for preserving an irreplaceable Native American archaeological collection. The grant will help buy museum-quality storage cabinets, shelving and map cases for significant archaeological collections that reveal how Native peoples lived in what became Ohio before European contact.

CLEVELAND • EAST MOUNT ZION BAPTIST CHURCH

$19,000 to aid in stabilizing and repairing the building’s greencolored serpentine stone. Built in 1908 as Euclid Avenue Christian Church, the landmark Romanesque

Revival-style building has been the home of East Mount Zion Baptist Church since 1955. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2022 for its local architectural significance and its association with Cleveland’s civil rights history. (See Echoes Magazine, May & June 2022.)

COLUMBUS • GREEN LAWN ABBEY PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION

$9,000 to remove rusted, nonoriginal security grills covering five original stained-glass windows and replace them with new, custommade storm windows to protect the stained glass from weather and vandalism. The project is part of a larger effort to restore and protect 60 stained-glass windows. Built in 1927, the Neoclassicalstyle mausoleum was added to the National Register in 2007.

2023 Ohio History Fund Grant Recipients

East Mount Zion Baptist Church

COLUMBUS • WEXNER CENTER FOR THE ARTS

$18,000 to collect oral histories from curators, artists, staff and others from the Wexner Center’s first decades. The goal is to collect and archive up to 25 interviews and produce videos to share them. The History Fund review panel sees the project as a model for others to follow on a local, state and national level.

LORAIN • LORAIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY

$5,000 for new shelving for textile collections stored in the 1906 Moore House Museum. Overburdened shelves now holding the collections are undermining the floor joists that support them. The grant will aid in buying movable shelving that the structure can better support (thereby preserving the historic house) and pay an intern trained and supervised by the curator to assemble the shelving and rehouse the textiles.

OBERLIN • WILSON BRUCE EVANS HOME HISTORICAL SOCIETY

$18,000 for an accessible restroom for visitors to the 1856 Wilson Bruce Evans Home. A cabinetmaker, Evans was a Black abolitionist and Underground Railroad operative. His house, a National Historic Landmark, is becoming a museum. The society plans to install the restroom in a recent, historically appropriate addition at the rear of the house.

TOLEDO • GREAT LAKES HISTORICAL SOCIETY

$18,000 for a collectionsimprovement project. When the society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes relocated from Vermilion to Toledo in 2014, it lacked the means to move its entire collection of 2,000 artifacts or conclusively determine the scope of its collection. The project resulting from this grant will remedy that, enabling the society to establish firm control over its holdings and be better stewards of the regional history entrusted to it.

WATERVILLE • WATERVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

$18,000 for the Sargent House Museum foundation-and-sill-beam project. Edward Sargent completed his Waterville house between 1839 and 1847. Thanks to the society, the house—one of the community’s early residences—has been preserved and is now a museum. As called for in a structural engineer’s report, the project will repair the original sill beams and dry-laid stone foundation.

WELLINGTON • SOUTHERN LORAIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

$17,419 to continue a project to conserve and exhibit large (11' x 13') Masonic-themed murals that Wellington resident Archibald Willard—best known for the iconic 1876 painting Spirit of ’76 —painted in the 1870s. The grant will let the society hire professional conservators to restore a second mural for display at Wellington’s Spirit of ’76 Museum along with one restored in 2019.

WILMINGTON • MURPHY THEATRE

$15,705 to repair and replicate original decorative plaster moldings in this 1918 theatre’s lobby and auditorium that had been damaged by water leaks, and replace a modern door in the concession area with one that matches an existing historic example. The Murphy is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Wilmington Commercial Historic District.

ABOUT THE OHIO HISTORY FUND

The Ohio History Fund is a competitive matching grants program funded by Ohio taxpayers’ voluntary contributions through the “check-off” on state income tax forms. In 2006, creation of a tax check-off to fund a statewide grants program for history- and preservation-related projects

was identified as a priority by participants in the annual Statehood Day legislative advocacy event sponsored by the Ohio History Connection and nine 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, Preservation Ohio and the Society of Ohio Archivists.

It became a reality in 2011 when Gov. John R. Kasich signed Ohio’s two-year state budget into law. The tax check-off first appeared on state income tax forms in 2012 for tax year 2011, and the first grants were awarded to 11 recipients across the state in 2012. Since 2013, the Ohio History Fund has made 122 grants totaling more than $1.2 million in 41 counties.

YOU HELP MAKE GRANTS POSSIBLE

When you make a voluntary gift to the History Fund through the check-off on your Ohio personal income tax form, you help make grants like these possible. The History Fund is also aided by sales of Ohio History “mastodon” license plates and direct contributions to the Ohio History Connection for the Ohio History Fund.

Know of a worthy history- or preservation-related project that could benefit from an Ohio History Fund grant? Applications for 2024 Ohio History Fund grants are due Sept. 12, 2023. Find application forms and more information at ohiohistory.org/historyfund starting in mid-June 2023 or call 800.686.6124 or 614.298.2000

Questions? Contact Ohio History Fund Manager Andy Verhoff at 614.562.4490 or averhoff@ ohiohistory.org

MAY IS HISTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH

Recent Ohio Additions to the National Register of Historic Places

CINCINNATI

• HAMILTON COUNTY

➊ ST. MARK CHURCH AND RECTORY

3500 Montgomery Rd.

Cincinnati’s growing Catholic population at the turn of the 20th century necessitated a new Roman Catholic church, leading the diocese to commission St. Mark’s, the only Ohio church known to have been designed by Chicago-based architect Henry John Schlacks (1867–1938). Founder of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, Schlacks designed churches throughout the Midwest and was instrumental in the master plan for Cincinnati’s Xavier University. As models, the diocese chose two Italian Renaissance churches for Schlacks to base St. Mark’s on, both in Rome: the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere and Santa Maria in Cosmedin. (Intrigued? Google both to see the similarities.) The design influences are evident in the plan, massing and details of St. Mark’s, including the tan brick, portico, campanile, terra cotta roof tiles, stained-glass windows and interior plaster and marblework. Construction of the church began in 1914, and the rectory was finished and dedicated in 1950.

CINCINNATI • HAMILTON COUNTY

➋ WINTON TERRACE HISTORIC DISTRICT

4848, 4802–5070 and 4803–5089 Winneste Ave., 402–512 Kings Run Dr., 4703–4861 Este Ave., 1–293 Craft St., 3–59 Kings Run Ct. and 3–110 Topridge Pl.

Added to the National Register for its local historical and architectural significance, Winton Terrace was built in 1940 and 1941 by the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority. A district of 93 uniform buildings, it was planned to house families and was funded through the Public Works Administration. Winton Terrace was Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority’s first foray into designing housing complexes rather than high-rises and drastically lowered the cost of construction, allowing for more affordable rents. The Colonial Revival-style buildings have matching materials and features, including red brick exteriors, brick quoins, varying gabled and hipped roofs and cast stone entrance ornamentation. Frederick W. Garber, who designed the complex, was then chief architect of Allied Architects for Cincinnati Housing, a group of architects, engineers and landscape architects who advised Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority in the design and development of housing.

COLUMBUS • FRANKLIN COUNTY

➌ BEATTY-MOORE HOUSE

41 N. Monroe Ave.

Located in the King-Lincoln/ Bronzeville neighborhood of Columbus, the Beatty-Moore House is locally significant in the areas of ethnic heritage and civil rights for its association with Otto Beatty Sr. (1909–1991), his wife, Myrna Beatty (1911–2004), and her mother, Mayme Williams Moore (1894–1978)—business, social and civil rights leaders in Columbus during the mid-20th century. The Beattys bought the house, built in 1903, in 1943. An entrepreneur, Otto Beatty Sr. owned a restaurant, hotel and newspaper, the Ohio Sentinel, catering to the local African American community. The Beatty-Moore family used their large home to host notables in the African American community and support many social, educational and civil rights causes. Mayme Moore died in 1978, and Otto Beatty Sr. died in 1991. Myrna Beatty sold 41 N. Monroe in 1994.

COLUMBUS • FRANKLIN COUNTY

➍ COLUMBUS CENTER

100 E. Broad St.

This 25-story International Style office building has been added to the National Register for its local significance as a catalytic project redefining the downtown Columbus skyline and reflecting the city’s shift in architectural and commercial values during the 1960s. Built between 1963 and 1965, it’s an example of the work of renowned New York City architects Harrison & Abramovitz and was the first large-scale project

in downtown Columbus associated with developer John W. Galbreath, a notable real estate developer, and his primary partner, Peter B. Ruffin. Turner Construction Company, also based in New York City, served as general contractor. Columbus architects Granzow, Guss & Harder designed the first-floor banking hall. Upon its completion, Columbus Center served as headquarters for City National Bank & Trust Co., later Bank One and Chase Bank, with additional floors housing speculative office space. The 24th floor featured Stouffer’s Top of the Center restaurant.

COLUMBUS • FRANKLIN COUNTY ➎ VINCENT WALTERS HOUSE–WALTERS MUSIC

ACADEMY

225 N. Monroe Ave.

Vincent Walters (1916–1980)

established the Walters Music Academy in his home, where he gave piano lessons and music theory and appreciation classes to several hundred neighborhood students over 37 years. Many of his former students, now in their 60s, 70s and 80s, fondly remember the Walters house as a second home. Walters graduated from Central High School in Columbus, attended The Ohio State University and finished his education at Virginia State University. In addition to the impact he had on his students and their families, he was active as a member and officer of the Merry Makers Club, an African American men’s club that raised money for college scholarships; Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity; and local sports and social clubs, among them tennis and bridge clubs that included a number of local Black leaders. He produced

musical events, concerts and theatrical performances in churches, clubs and other venues throughout the African American community and at other area venues such as Valley Dale Ballroom. Walters lived in this house with his mother, Bertha, from 1950 until he died in 1980, operating his music academy there during that entire time.

LOGAN • HOCKING COUNTY

➏ RILEY SPECIALTY SHOE CO. 14 Gallagher Ave.

This substantial 1914 building represents the whole history of one of Logan’s most important 20th-century industries, shoemaking. Although Logan had a well-established industrial base by the early 20th century, civic leaders made a concerted effort to attract a shoe manufacturer. They succeeded in 1913, when the Board of Trade secured the Riley Specialty Shoe Co. for Logan after, according to the Logan Daily News, “a strenuous struggle with Columbus, Lancaster, and other cities.” Riley made children’s shoes here and the building continued in use by successive shoemakers including McGovern Shoe Co. (1920–1927), Bringardner Shoe Co. (1927–1931), Cincinnati Shoe Co. (1931–1932) and H.C. Godman Shoe Co. (1932–1962). Under the Godman name, it was the home of Logan’s largest industrial employer, with nearly 400 employees. One of only two Columbus-based shoe manufacturers to survive into the 1950s, H.C. Godman ceased all operations in 1962. After shoemaking ended, a variety of other industries occupied this building, including Coffman Stair Co. and Bent Bolt Co. Today it houses the Columbus Washboard Co.

MINERAL RIDGE • TRUMBULL COUNTY

➐ DUNLAP-BURNETT-MOSS HOUSE

1499 Burnett St. (Twp. Hwy. 158)

Ohio’s position as the gateway to the West resulted in a variety of settlers who brought distinctive building techniques and stylistic preferences with them. The Dunlap-Burnett-Moss House was built in 1830 and reflects the influence of Pennsylvania-German migration into the Mahoning Valley in the first decades of the 19th century. Well-preserved, it’s been added to the National Register for its local architectural significance as an example of a Germaninfluenced bank house, a house built into a hillside that capitalizes on its sloped site to protect it from winter cold and summer heat and make full use of the lower level. The saltbox shape and decorative brickwork at the cornice are characteristic of this distinctive building type associated with Pennsylvania-German Ohioans.

ROAD TRIPPIN’ WITH TRUDA Chillicothe’s Adena Mansion & Gardens

Join me as I visit the sites in the Ohio History Connection network! This road trip took me to Adena Mansion & Gardens in Chillicothe.

Whether you’re an Ohio history buff, an architecture fan or just love to explore beautiful homes, you’ll find something to love at Adena Mansion & Gardens.

The estate was the home of Thomas and Eleanor Swearingen Worthington, and the 1807 mansion is one of just three remaining houses designed by “America’s first architect,” Benjamin Henry Latrobe. Thomas Worthington, who’s considered the father of Ohio statehood, served as governor, U.S. senator and state representative in the early 19th century. The couple raised their 10 children on the estate and entertained many important figures from American history there. I would highly recommend making a day of visiting Adena Mansion & Gardens by adding in a trip to Chillicothe to explore its vibrant downtown. And if you’re feeling really ambitious, you could include visits to Logan Elm (an Ohio History Connection site) and Hopewell Culture National Historical Park (run by the National Park Service). Logan Elm is a peaceful place to learn about Chief Logan and relations between American Indians and settlers during the 18th century. (See page 46.) Hopewell Culture is a spectacular example of American Indian mound-building and part

of Ohio’s first UNESCO World Heritage site nomination.

Address: Adena Mansion & Gardens is located at 847 Adena Rd. in Chillicothe.

How much time: If you just want to go on the tour of the mansion and explore the excellent museum, I would allow two hours. However, if you plan to walk to the outbuildings on the property, I would plan to spend three hours at the site. Adena offers a self-guided audio tour of the grounds. Just use your smartphone to scan the QR codes around the property and you can access more information about the estate. There’s a lot to see, so give yourself plenty of time. And definitely wear comfortable shoes!

My favorites: I thoroughly enjoyed the tour of Adena Mansion. Our guide was Mary, a retired history teacher who really knew her stuff and was passionate about Ohio and Adena Mansion. Thanks to the foresight of some of Thomas Worthington’s descendants, much of the furniture in the mansion is original to the house. You really get a feel for what life was like when Thomas and Eleanor were living and working there.

Truda’s Tips: Start your day at Adena Mansion & Gardens by parking at the Education Center. You can use the restrooms, get your Ohio History Connection passport stamped, explore the museum, poke around the gift shop and get signed up for the next tour of the mansion. Mansion tours leave every hour on the half hour.

The mansion is a short, easy walk from the Education Center. Also, keep in mind that you aren’t allowed to take photographs inside the mansion. However, there are a lot of beautiful photo ops outside, so you can definitely capture some images of your day.

Adena Mansion & Gardens is open through Oct. 28. Check the site’s website at adenamansion.com or call 800.319.7248 for days and hours of operation.

Don’t Miss: Great Seal Overlook is not to be missed! You can definitely walk there from the mansion, but you can also drive there and park in the pull-off area on the side of the road, which is what we did. You’ll be rewarded with a gorgeous view of Mount Logan, which inspired the design of Ohio’s official state seal. Be sure to read the marker there. I was very amused to learn the circumstances of the idea for the state seal!

I would be sure to make time to explore the museum in the Education Center. It has some great interactive exhibits that give you an insight into the Worthington family, as well as their times. You can also see an amazing collection of objects, like a tomahawk that Tecumseh gifted to Thomas Worthington. And there’s a huge diorama of the estate that gave me a good overview of the layout. I love a good diorama!

Lunch: No road trip is complete without some local food! Chillicothe offers everything from fast food to fine dining. We decided to go ‘old school’ and have lunch at a Chillicothe mainstay, Sumburger, located at 20 Executive Center Dr. And when you’re at Sumburger, you have to order the Sumburger platter, which includes a burger, fries and coleslaw. The burgers were great—juicy, cheesy and slathered in secret Sumburger sauce. The restaurant is very familyand budget-friendly with a large menu and helpful staff.

Another great meal option would be to park in downtown Chillicothe and eat at one of the many restaurants located in this very walkable city. We got coffee at Paper City Coffee and took a leisurely stroll. I definitely plan to go back to Chillicothe when I have more time to explore. There are a ton of cute shops and historic buildings to see.

The Chillicothe Business District, roughly bounded by Water, 4th, Walnut and Hickory streets, and Chillicothe’s Old Residential District, roughly bounded by 4th, South Mulberry, South Walnut and 7th streets, are both listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

There are also covered picnic tables located at the Education Center at Adena, which would be perfect if you wanted to bring your own lunch.

Ohio History Connection members enjoy free regular admission to Adena Mansion & Gardens. To learn more about Adena Mansion & Gardens, you can visit ohiohistory.org/adena or adenamansion.com

Learn more about visiting Chillicothe at visitchillicotheohio.com

—Truda Shinker is the Ohio History Connection’s department manager for membership

If you really love an Ohio History Connection site near your home, consider becoming a volunteer! Call the site or email volunteer@ohiohistory.org to get started.

Above: Adena Mansion from the restored gardens. Below: Cooking fireplace in the kitchen wing at Adena Mansion.

OHIO STORIES Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) was a significant inventor from the United States.

Edison was born on Feb. 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio. As a child, he lived in Milan and Port Huron, Michigan. He received only three months of formal schooling.

In his late teens, Edison became a railroad newsboy and eventually a telegraph operator. While working in these positions, he began to invent items. He received his first patent— for an electric vote recorder—in 1869. That same year, Edison moved to New York City, where he found employment as the general manager of a stock-ticker company. At the same time, Edison helped establish Pope, Edison & Co., a firm that invented products using electricity. Edison sold his share of the firm in 1870, and he used the profits to open a manufacturing company. This firm’s principal goal was to create new inventions. During this period, among Edison’s successful creations were a carbon transmitter, which greatly improved the telephone, and quadruplex telegraphy.

In 1876, Edison moved his firm to

Menlo Park, New Jersey. It was at Menlo Park where Edison made his most famous inventions. In 1877, the inventor demonstrated his phonograph for the first time. Two years later, he unveiled the incandescent light bulb. This second discovery led Edison to create elaborate generation plants for electricity, helping make electricity available to many people’s homes. In 1887, Edison moved his laboratory to West Orange, New Jersey, where he invented the kinetoscope, the precursor to the film projector, in 1891. During World War I, Edison helped develop new weapons for the United States military. He remained active in science and continued to invent products for the remainder of his life. By the time of his death on Oct. 18, 1931, Edison had received more than 1,000 patents.

INVENTIONS CHANGED LIVES

Edison’s inventions forever changed people’s lives. Electric lights allowed people to remain active at night, making possible activities such as reading, sewing or listening to Edison’s phonograph. Previously, with only candles or fireplaces to light homes, most people simply

went to sleep once nightfall arrived. Factories also began to use electricity and electric lights. Now factories could remain open 24 hours a day, and soon the workday became divided into three eight-hour shifts. His improvements to the telegraph and telephone also helped make communication easier around the entire world.

This biography is from Ohio History Central, our online encyclopedia of Ohio history. Discover many more stories of Ohio history at ohiohistorycentral.org

Learn more about visiting the Edison Birthplace Museum in Milan, Ohio, at tomedison.org

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

Left: Thomas Edison in the 1920s. Right: Edison was born in Milan, Ohio. His birthplace, seen here about 1908, is now a museum.

OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION

Historic Sites & Museums

NORTHWEST OHIO

Armstrong Air & Space Museum

Cedar Bog Nature Preserve

Cooke-Dorn House

Fallen Timbers Battlefield Memorial Park

Fort Amanda Memorial Park

Fort Jefferson Memorial Park

Fort Meigs

Fort Recovery Museum & Monument

Glacial Grooves Geological Preserve

Hayes Presidential Library & Museums

Indian Mill

Inscription Rock Petroglyphs

Johnston Farm & Indian Agency

Lockington Locks

NORTHEAST OHIO

Custer Monument

Fort Laurens

McCook House

Museum of Ceramics

Quaker Yearly Meeting House

(Open by Appointment) & Free

Labor Store/Benjamin Lundy House

(Preservation in Progress • Not Open)

Schoenbrunn Village

Shaker Historical Museum

Tallmadge Church

Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor

Zoar Village

CENTRAL OHIO

Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries & Nature Preserve

Hanby House

Logan Elm

Newark Earthworks

Ohio History Center & Ohio Village

Poindexter Village Historic Site

(Preservation in Progress • Not Open)

Shrum Mound

Wahkeena Nature Preserve

Warren G. Harding Presidential Sites

SOUTHWEST OHIO

Adena Mansion & Gardens

Davis Memorial Nature Preserve

Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve

Fort Hill Earthworks & Nature Preserve

Harriet Beecher Stowe House

John Rankin House

Miamisburg Mound

National Afro-American

Laurence Dunbar House

SOUTHEAST OHIO

Big Bottom Memorial Park

Buckeye Furnace

Buffington Island Battlefield Memorial Park

Campus Martius Museum

John & Annie Glenn Museum

Leo Petroglyphs & Nature Preserve

National Road & Zane Grey Museum

Ohio River Museum

Our House Tavern

Ohio History Connection members enjoy free regular admission to these Ohio History Connection sites. Before traveling, visit ohiohistory.org/sites to confirm hours and any special requirements.

Ohio History Center

PROGRAMS & EXHIBITS AT THE & Ohio Village

The Sporting Legacy of Neil Johnston

SAT., MAY 13 • 1–2 P.M.

Ohio History Center, Columbus 4

Chillicothe-born Neil Johnston was a three-time NBA scoring champion, the first NBA player to master the hook shot and a member of eight different halls of fame, including the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Join us as Chillicothe native Bruce Caplinger shares more about Johnston’s remarkable career. Included with Ohio History Center museum admission. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. 800.686.6124 or ohiohistory.org/neiljohnston

Ohio Village Spring Weekends

SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS

THROUGH MAY 14 • 10 A.M.–5 P.M. Ohio Village, Columbus 4 Step back in time in our re-created 1890s community, where William McKinley is president and Gibson Girl-style shirtwaists are trending. Visit Ohio Village on weekends through May 14, included with Ohio History Center & Ohio Village museum admission. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. 800.686.6124 or ohiohistory.org/village

Ohio Village Carnival

SAT., MAY 20 • 10 A.M.–5 P.M. Ohio Village, Columbus 4 A traveling carnival kicks off the summer season in our re-created 1890s community. Enjoy classic carnival games of the time, get up close to some adorable animals and see presentations inspired by real

19th-century performers! Included with Ohio History Center & Ohio Village admission. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. 800.686.6124 or ohiohistory.org/ carnival

Storybook Village

SAT., JUNE 10 • 10 A.M.–5 P.M. Ohio Village, Columbus 4 Welcome to Storybook Village, where storybook characters magically come to life! Bring your little ones to meet characters from favorite fairy tales, TV shows and children’s stories, such as Rapunzel, Cinderella and Captain Hook. This year’s theme is Be a Water Hero. We’re partnering with Global Water Dances Columbus to help share the story of the crucial part that water plays in people’s lives around the world, through dance performances and other activities for all to enjoy. Included with Ohio History Center & Ohio Village admission. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. Everyone including members must have advance timed tickets: 800.686.6124 or ohiohistory. org/storybook

Thank you to Storybook Village sponsor Ohio’s 529 Plan CollegeAdvantage.

Juneteenth Jubilee Day Festival

SUN., JUNE 18 • NOON–4 P.M. Ohio Village, Columbus 4 Now a federal holiday, Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Originating in Texas, it’s been observed on the 19th of June annually since 1865. Our Juneteenth Jubilee Day Festival will illustrate an 1890s Juneteenth observance in Ohio Village through historical interpretations, storytelling and dance.

Included with Ohio History Center & Ohio Village admission. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. 614.686.6124 or ohiohistory. org/jubileeday

Thank you to Jubilee Day Festival sponsor American Honda Motor Co.

ANNUAL MEETING + MEMBER SOIREE Midsummer on the Terrace

THURS., JUNE 22 • 5–8:30 P.M. Ohio History Center, Columbus 4 5–6:30: Panel—How Does New Knowledge Shape Our Shared Ohio History? 6:30–8:30: Party on the Terrace—Bites, Beverages, Cash Bar and DJ Mazeppa Spinning Ohio Jams. Free to Ohio History Connection members with required advance registration. 800.686.6124 or ohiohistory.org/annualmeeting

OHIO VILLAGE

Independence Day Celebration

SAT., JULY 1 • 10 A.M.–5 P.M. Ohio Village, Columbus 4 Hooray for the Red, White and Blue! Visit Ohio Village on this special day to see how Ohioans celebrated the Fourth of July at the turn of the 20th century. Vote in our mayoral election; meet villagers in their homes; shop the Emporium; stop by the bank, pharmacy, blacksmith and undertaker; visit with skilled artisans; and try your hand at croquet, hoop rolling and more old-time games on the village green. Included with Ohio History Center & Ohio Village admission. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. 800.686.6124 or ohiohistory. org/independenceday

FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •

Making Ohio Home—Early Ohio Immigrant Experiences

ONGOING

Immigrants from both within and beyond the borders of the United States flocked to Ohio in the 1800s. They came in search of good farmland, better working conditions, political freedom and economic opportunities. Explore stories of seven Ohio immigrants who helped grow Ohio’s population from 45,365 in 1800 to more than 4.1 million in 1900.

*Museum admission is $16; $14/ages 60+ or student with ID; $10/ages 4–12. Ohio History Connection members and ages 3 & under enjoy free admission.

Ohio History Center & Ohio Village Hours

Museum

WEDS.–SUN. 10 A.M.–5 P.M.

CLOSED MON.–TUES.

Ohio Village

THROUGH MAY 14:

SAT.–SUN. 10 A.M.–5 P.M.

Juneteenth

Jubilee Day Festival

Storybook Village

Indigenous Wonders of Our World—The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks

ONGOING

Indigenous Wonders of Our World offers a look at eight 2,000-year-old Hopewell earthworks in Ohio: Fort Ancient, near Oregonia and Lebanon; Newark’s Great Circle and Octagon; and Hopewell Mound Group, Mound City, Hopeton Earthworks, Seip Earthworks and High Bank Works, all near Chillicothe. Unique in the world, they’re the focus of a nomination now underway proposing that they be named World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The exhibit examines mathematical similarities among them, their enormous scale and their alignments to the solstices and/or the 18.6-year lunar cycle. An immersive component allows you to experience the astronomical alignments.

Ohio—Champion of Sports

ONGOING

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 and record your own “One Minute Legends” sports story.

1950s—Building the American Dream

ONGOING

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.

World War I Display

ONGOING

See equipment, weapons, uniforms and memorabilia of World War I.

MAY 21 THROUGH OCT. 29:

WEDS.–SUN. 10 A.M.–5 P.M.

CLOSED MON.–TUES.

Third Floor Research Room

OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY ohiohistory.org/learn/archives-library

WEDS. 12:30–3 P.M.

THURS. & FRI. 10 A.M.–3 P.M. CLOSED SAT.–TUES.

Some of our Plus members have no children or grandchildren, but love using their Plus benefits to bring friends or relatives along on visits!

Serving

Snacks &

Through May 14

Open

ATTEND FROM ANYWHERE!

Online Events

MEMBER VIP

Dressing the 1890s—Creating the Costumes for Ohio Village

TUES., MAY 9 • 3–4 P.M. Online—Attend from Anywhere! 4 Join us for a fun and educational webinar with Jennifer Rounds, fabrication coordinator for Ohio Village, our recreated 1890s community, who’ll talk about creating the costumes for our village staff and volunteers. She’ll share where she gets her patterns and fabrics, highlight some of the challenges of doing this type of sewing and show us examples of costumes she’s made. Free to Ohio History Connection members with advance registration: ohiohistory. org/costumes

Open

UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS

Enjoy the following special events at no additional charge. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission!

Sat., May 20

Summer Season Opening

Carnival

Sat., June 10

Storybook Village

Advance Timed Tickets Required

SUN., JUNE 18 | NOON-4 P.M.

Juneteenth

Jubilee Day Festival

Sat., July 1

frequently for The New York Times and The Washington Post; and Michael F. Holt whose works on 19th-century politics include The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War and By One Vote: The Disputed Presidential Election of 1876. Free with required advance registration. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org/1876

President Hayes’s 200th Birthday Celebration is sponsored by Croghan Colonial Bank.

Presidential History Book Club

WEDS., MAY 31 & JUNE 28

NOON–1 P.M.

Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont, and Online—Attend from Anywhere! 4 See page 20.

The 1876

Election and American Democracy

THURS., MAY 11 • 7 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library, Fremont, and Online—Attend from Anywhere! 4 The legacy of President Rutherford B. Hayes is tied to one of the most contested presidential elections in U.S. history and the end of Reconstruction. In observance of his 200th birthday, hear a group of experts discuss these issues, moderated by Hayes Historian Dustin McLochlin. Joining virtually, they include: Gregory Downs, author of After Appomattox: Military Occupation and the Ends of War, co-author of the National Park Service theme study on Reconstruction and an editor of The Journal of the Civil War Era; Erik Alexander, author of articles and essays on Civil War-era politics, Washington Post op-ed pieces on the election of 1876 and a forthcoming book, Revolution Forestalled: Northern Democrats and the Politics of Reconstruction, 1865–1877; Richard Pildes, a leading scholar of constitutional law and specialist in legal issues concerning democracy, who writes

MEMBER VIP

Get to Know Wahkeena

Nature Preserve

THURS., JUNE 22 • 3–4 P.M.

Online—Attend from Anywhere! 4 Nora Steele, education coordinator for the Ohio History Connection’s Wahkeena Nature Preserve near Lancaster and Sugar Grove, offers an insider’s view of the flora and fauna that make this site so special. She’ll recount some of the preserve’s history, as well as tips for a great visit. Free to Ohio History Connection members with advance registration: ohiohistory.org/ knowwahkeena.

SEMI-COLON BOOK CLUB

The Light of Knowledge

SAT., JUNE 24 • 10–11:30 A.M.

Walnut Hills Branch Library, Cincinnati, and Online—Attend from Anywhere! Hosted by Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Cincinnati 4 See page 23.

Thank you to Ohio Village season sponsor Vector Security.

Events & Exhibits

Many programs and events at Ohio History Connection museums and attractions require advance registration. To register, call the number or visit the website listed with each program. Our online calendar offers more upto-date information about programs and events at Ohio History Connection museums and attractions. Find it at ohiohistory.org/calendar

Questions? Call 800.840.6127

CENTRAL OHIO

National Play Outside Day

SAT., JUNE 3, JULY 1, AUG. 5 & SEPT. 2

1–4 P.M.

Hanby House, Westerville 4 Hanby House will be celebrating National Play Outside Day the first Saturday afternoon of June, July, August and September, with activities for families, including games and fun for all. No reservation required. WHSpres@westervillehistory.org

Juneteenth on the Ave

SAT., JUNE 17, 2023 • NOON–6 P.M. Historic Mount Vernon Avenue, between 17th and St. Clair Ave., Columbus, Ohio 4 Juneteenth on the Ave is a collaboration between community-based organizations around Columbus’s Historic Mount Vernon Avenue to celebrate the significance of June 19, 1865, by collectively showcasing local artists while promoting support to local black-owned businesses. An Ohio History Connection historic site, Poindexter Village Museum & Cultural Center partners with the James Preston Poindexter Foundation, Columbus Urban League, Maroon Arts Group, Central Ohio African American Chamber of Commerce, and Black, Out and Proud (BOP) on this event to feature entertainment, resources, vendors and Taste of Juneteenth, a Black-owned food truck festival. The commemoration also includes art exhibits, artist vendors, games, health screenings, dance, music,

spoken word and theatre performances. James Preston Poindexter Foundation and Ohio History Connection activities include the Ohio Village/ Poindexter Storytelling Collective, a Kojo Kamau Pop-Up, and a sampling of the Ohio Village Juneteenth Jubilee Day Festival. This is a free, familyfriendly event open to the public. Visit juneteenthontheave.com or contact info@juneteenthontheave.com

NORTHEAST OHIO

Maifest

SAT., MAY 13 • 10 A.M.–5 P.M. Zoar Village, Zoar 4 Beers, brats and bands! Celebrate the arrival of spring with a traditional German festival in this National Historic Landmark village settled by Germans in 1817. Enjoy Cleveland Kraut, brats and German potato salad, craft beers, German music, guest speakers, plein-air painting, free museum tours, plus games and make-and-take art projects for kids—and, of course, a maypole! There’s a German Car Show from 10:30 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. in the lot across from Zoar United Church of Christ. Car owners should register there starting at 10 a.m. $5, Free/age 12 & under. 800.262.6195 or historiczoarvillage.com

SPEAKER SERIES

A Thousand May Fall—

An Intimate Chronicle of the Civil War

SAT., JUNE 3 • 11 A.M.

School House, Zoar Village, Zoar 4 Hear Dr. Brian Matthew Jordan, associate professor of Civil War history and chair of the history department at Sam Houston State University. He’s the author or editor of five books on the Civil War era, including Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War, one of three runners-up for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in History. His most recent book, A Thousand May Fall: Life, Death, and Survival in the Union Army, was a

main selection of the Military History Book Club and earned a starred review from Publishers Weekl y. Jordan earned his Ph.D. from Yale University, and serves as book review editor for The Civil War Monitor. His more than 100 reviews and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Civil War History, The Journal of the Civil War Era and The Civil War Monitor. He’s a native of northeastern Ohio. 800.262.6195 or historiczoarvillage.com

“Welcome to Shaker Heights” History Bike Tour

SAT., JUNE 17 • 10 A.M.–NOON

Shaker Historical Museum, Shaker Heights 4 Whether you’re a Shaker native, a new resident or a visitor, this bike tour is a great introduction to Shaker Heights history. Led by experienced bicyclists and a Shaker Historical Society guide, it visits historically significant sites around the city, a 20th-century planned suburban community at the site of a 19th-century Shaker community. A helmet and waiver are required for each rider. Each tour is capped at 15 participants with a minimum of three. Don’t have a bike? Borrow one (or more) of our eight adult-size bikes for free on this tour (first come, first served). $15, $5/age 17 & under. We also offer pay-what-you-can and Museums for All discounts. Advance registration required; a rain date will be set if necessary. 800.860.6078 or education@shakerhistory.org

Shaker Soiree

SAT., JULY 8 • 6–10 P.M.

Shaker Historical Museum, Shaker Heights 4 This fundraising event is a loving homage to our former Gracious Gardens tours and a nod to Shaker Historical Society’s first planned social event, a community garden party in 1948. Proceeds benefit the historical society’s programs, exhibits and collections. All guests will have

NORTHEAST OHIO

CENTRAL OHIO

Get to Know Wahkeena

Nature Preserve

full access to beer, wine, signature cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and desserts in an intimate garden setting. A preevent champagne hour brings you unlimited champagne, a behind-thescenes museum tour and garden party admission. Cocktail tables and limited seating will be available throughout the evening. Garden party attire encouraged. CHAMPAGNE HOUR + GARDEN PARTY (6–10 p.m.): $150/ person ($70 tax-deductible) until May 15; $175/person ($95 tax-deductible) after May 15 includes Garden Party admission, unlimited champagne, three drink tickets, live music and optional behind-the-scenes museum tour with the executive director. GARDEN PARTY ONLY (7–10 p.m.): $85/person ($25 tax-deductible) until May 15; $100/ person ($40 tax-deductible) after May 15 includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, desserts, two drink tickets (additional drink tickets available for purchase) and music. 800.860.6078 or shakerhistory. org/soiree

GroveFest

Learn how to determine the age of trees and how trees affect their environment.

$10, $7/ages 6–18, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. Advance registration required: 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org/events

The 1876 Election and American Democracy

THURS., MAY 11 • 7 P.M.

Hayes Presidential Library, Fremont, and Online—Attend from Anywhere! See page 18.

Presidential History Book Club

WEDS., MAY 31 & JUNE 28

NOON–1 P.M.

History Connection member or ages 5 & under. Advance registration required: 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org/events

Family Days at the Johnston Farm

SAT., JUNE 10 & SUN., JUNE 11

NOON–5 P.M.

Johnston Farm & Indian Agency, Piqua

NORTHWEST OHIO

Mystic Giants Tree Tour of Spiegel Grove

SAT., MAY 6 • 10–11 A.M.

Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Did you know that Spiegel Grove, the 25-acre estate of President Rutherford B. Hayes, is also an arboretum? On this guided tour, we’ll show you some of the larger trees.

Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont, and Online—Attend from Anywhere! 4 Read and discuss books about the presidency at this free book club. Bring your lunch if you’d like. MAY 31: Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams by Louisa Thomas. JUNE 28: The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser. These events will take place in person and online. For online login information, contact historian Dustin McLochlin at dmclochlin@rbhayes.org 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org/events

Tree Tour of Spiegel Grove

SAT., JUNE 10 & JULY 1 • 10–11 A.M.

Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Walk the arboretum of Spiegel Grove, the 25-acre estate of President Rutherford B. Hayes, with a guide and learn about the various trees. $10, $7/ages 6–18, Free/Ohio

During this special event, the Johnston Farm comes alive with games and activities that families like yours enjoyed in days past. Explore the 1829 home where U.S. Indian Agent John Johnston and his family lived. Visit the Woodland Indian & Canal Museum for a look into the lives of the first people who called Ohio home. Relive the time when mules pulled boats and the world moved at four miles an hour with a boat ride on the historic Miami and Erie Canal aboard the General Harrison of Piqua. You can make this an early Father’s Day gift: each dad or grandfather enjoys free admission on June 10 and 11 when accompanied by his family. $10, $5/student, Free/Ohio History Connection member or age 5 & under. 800.752.2619 or johnstonfarmohio.com

Verandah Concerts

WEDS., JUNE 14, JUNE 28, JULY 12, JULY 26, AUG. 9 & AUG. 23 • 6:30–8 P.M. FREE OLD-FASHIONED ICE CREAM SOCIAL AT 6:30 P.M.

MUSIC STARTS AT 7 P.M.

Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Enjoy free outdoor concerts on the lawn. JUNE 14: Fostoria Community Band, performing concert band music. JUNE 28: Bridge County Bluegrass Band, performing

HAYES PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUMS, FREMONT, JUNE 24

ONLINE, JUNE 22

NORTHWEST OHIO

bluegrass music. JULY 12: Robert Jones and Matt Watroba, performing a celebration of traditional and popular roots music. JULY 26: Grand Royale Ükulelists of the Black Swamp. AUG. 9: Toraigh, performing traditional Irish music. AUG. 23: North Coast Big Band, performing toe-tapping tunes of the World War II era. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. If there are thunderstorms on concert night, the performance will be canceled. Get updates at 419.332.2081 , rbhayes.org and on Facebook and Twitter at @rbhayespres 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org/events

“Trees Named in Honor” Tour of Spiegel Grove

WEDS., JUNE 14 • 5:30–6:30 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Spiegel Grove, the 25-acre estate of President Rutherford and first lady Lucy Hayes, is also an arboretum. Hear stories about the people who visited Spiegel Grove and had trees named in their honor, and learn about the trees themselves. $10, $7/ages

6–18, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. Advance registration required: 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org/events.

GroveFest

SAT., JUNE 24 • 10 A.M.–2 P.M.

Grounds of Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Enjoy a variety of free, hands-on nature activities and crafts at the 25-acre Hayes estate, which is also an arboretum. This special event also features booths of regional nature organizations. Ice cream and popcorn will be available. Parking is on the street and in ProMedica Memorial Hospital’s parking lots at Buildings A and B, located at 605 Third Ave. Spiegel Grove is a short walk east of the hospital parking lots. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org/events

Independence Day Concert

TUES., JULY 4 • 2–3:30 P.M.

Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Attend a free outdoor performance by the Toledo Concert Band featuring members of the Toledo Symphony. Enjoy a variety of patriotic favorites, with cannons fired in sync to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. In

celebration of President Rutherford B. Hayes’s 200th birthday, descendants will read excerpts from the Hayes family diary and letters in between musical selections. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Food trucks will sell lunch and snacks. Parking is on the grounds. Overflow parking is on the street or in ProMedica Memorial Hospital’s parking lots at 605 Third Ave. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission to the Hayes home and museum, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (The presidential library will be closed.) 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org/events

FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •

Resolute—The Spirit of Arctic Exploration

THROUGH JUNE 30, 2024 • VISIT

RBHAYES.ORG FOR DAYS AND HOURS Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 See page 6.

SOUTHEAST OHIO

SOUTHEAST OHIO

Visit ohiohistory.org/places to learn about visiting Ohio History Connection museums and attractions in southeast Ohio.

SOUTHWEST OHIO

SOUTHWEST OHIO

Getting to the Root of the Matter

SAT., MAY 13 • 1–4 P.M.

Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve, near Oregonia and Lebanon Keith Bengtson of the Ohio History Connection will present an informative study of medicinal plants around Fort Ancient. We’ll explore Fort Ancient’s medicinal garden and the surrounding woods to learn about nature’s bounty and American Indians’ vast knowledge of how plants help humans. This program is for interpretative purposes only. We’re not promoting natural healing or any use of self-care or medical advice. $7, $6/ ages 6–17 or 60+, Free/Ohio History Connection member or age 5 & under. 800.283.8904 or ohiohistory.org/ fortancient

Juneteenth Jubilee Day Festival

Heirloom Plant Sale

SAT., MAY 6–SUN., MAY 28 • 9 A.M.–5 P.M. WEDNESDAYS THROUGH SATURDAYS AND NOON–5 P.M. SUNDAYS (CLOSED ON MONDAYS AND TUESDAYS)

Adena Mansion & Gardens, Chillicothe

Our annual plant sale focuses on “heirloom” plants—varieties raised and passed on before the advent of industrial farming. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme—treasured staples of the medieval pantry and probably Thomas Worthington’s at Adena, as well—will be among the 85 varieties of herbs, tomatoes, vegetables and flowers at this year’s sale. Shop early in the sale for best selection. 800.319.7248 or adenamansion.com

Mother’s Day Tea

SUN., MAY 14 • 2–4 P.M. Adena Mansion & Gardens, Chillicothe Join us in your Sunday best to honor and celebrate the special women in our lives. Tea and assorted desserts will be served. Local historian Mary Anne Brown will talk about the women of Adena’s Worthington family, and Executive Director Kathy Styer will give a brief history of tea parties. Advance registration required. $20. 800.319.7248 or adenamansion.com/ tickets

Happy Birthday Harriet!

SUN., JUNE 11 • 1–4 P.M. Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Cincinnati 4 Celebrate the power of voice with your community. Enjoy live music, family activities, refreshments and more. Free. 800.847.6507 or stowehousecincy.org

Mask-Making from Nature

SAT., JUNE 17 • 10:30 A.M.–NOON

Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature

Preserve, near Oregonia and Lebanon

Artist Pam Hall will show you how to use various sizes, shapes and textures of objects from nature to create a finished mask. This fun, hands-on activity is suited for ages 8 through adult. A variety of natural materials will be available. You may also bring your own. Advance registration required. $10 materials fee + regular site admission: $7, $6/senior or student, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.283.8904 or ohiohistory. org/fortancient

Summer Solstice

WEDS., JUNE 21 • 5:30–8 A.M.

Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature

Preserve, near Oregonia and Lebanon

Join Fort Ancient in welcoming the first day of summer through this exciting program. The Fort Ancient Earthworks align with the solstice. See the sun rise between two walls of earth just as American Indians did 2,000 years ago and learn about the importance of Fort Ancient to those who built and used the earthworks between 100 B.C. and A.D. 500. Free. 800.283.8904 or ohiohistory.org/ fortancient

OHIO VILLAGE, COLUMBUS, JUNE 18

Maifest

SEMI-COLON BOOK CLUB

The Light of Knowledge

SAT., JUNE 24 • 10–11:30 A.M.

Walnut Hills Branch Library, Cincinnati, and Online via Zoom 4 Hosted by Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Cincinnati 4 James Bradley arrived on a slave vessel, defied death multiple times and worked tirelessly toward buying his own freedom. Once emancipated, he made his way to Cincinnati’s Lane Theological Seminary, joining a passionate group of students who came to be known as the Lane Rebels. These so-called rebels would find a home at Oberlin College. How did Oberlin influence a decisive movement in American history? The answer traces to a zealous group of students gathering over the course of 18 nights to win the heart of a campus on the imperative question of their day. Jeff Aupperle, author of The Light of Knowledge: How James Bradley and the Lane Rebels Forever Changed American Higher Education, leads this discussion. Free with required advance registration: 800.847.6507 or stowehousecincy.org

19th-Century Independence Day Celebration

SUN., JULY 2 • 2–3 P.M.

Adena Mansion & Gardens, Chillicothe

Travel back in time to experience Independence Day like it was celebrated two centuries ago. There is no charge to attend this event at the picnic pavilion. Activities include readings of portions of the Declaration

of Independence, patriotic poems, a presentation of the flag, a toast to George Washington and a 21-gun salute. While at Adena, visit the 1807 home of early Ohio statesman Thomas Worthington and his family, a National Historic Landmark designed by famed early American architect Benjamin Latrobe. $10, $9/senior, $5/age 6 & up, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.319.7248 or adenamansion.com

Red, White and Blue Ice Cream Social

SAT., JULY 8 • 11 A.M.–4 P.M.

Adena Mansion & Gardens, Chillicothe

Bring your lawn chair and sit back, relax and enjoy music, homemade fruit cobblers and root beer floats from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the picnic pavilion. $12, $11/senior, $5/ages 6–12, Free/Ohio History Connection member or age 5 & under. There’s an additional cost for cobbler and floats. Get tickets online or in the gift shop at the visitor center. Mansion tours, included in admission, depart at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., and the grounds are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 800.319.7248 or adenamansion.com

FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •

Four Special Exhibits

WEDS.–SAT. 9 A.M.–4 P.M.

National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce 4 On exhibit: African Americans Fighting for a Double Victory; Queens of the

Heartland; Rhythm of Revolution; and African Art—Form, Function and Fraught Histories. Included with museum admission: $6, $5/senior, $3/ages 6–17, Free/Ohio History Connection member or age 5 & under. 800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/ naamcc

Current members save 20% on all new Ohio History Connection gift memberships!

Use code GIFT23 when you purchase online at ohiohistory.org/join or call 800.686.1545 and mention this o er. O

ZOAR, MAY 13

OHIO VILLAGE, COLUMBUS, MAY 20

Ohio Village Carnival

Award-winning broadcast journalist Phil Donahue

(left) provided Today— hosted by Tom Brokaw and Jane Pauley with “interesting and provocative interviews” beginning on May 14, 1979.

Pioneer of Daytime TV Talk

BEFORE THERE WAS OPRAH, THE VIEW OR ELLEN, THERE WAS PHIL DONAHUE BY JOHN KIESEWETTER

Aformer altar boy from Cleveland pioneered the modern daytime TV talk show in Dayton in 1967— a year before 60 Minutes premiered and more than a decade before Cincinnati native Ted Turner launched CNN. The Phil Donahue Show, later just Donahue, earned 21 Daytime Emmys, including six as best talk show, eight for Donahue as best host and a lifetime achievement award, plus a Peabody Award, in the nearly 29 years it was on the air.

From the beginning on Nov. 6, 1967, Donahue dared to be different. His first guest was atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair, who, Donahue recalled years later, “told the audience that anybody who believed in God was a fool.” Jane Fonda came to his studio in Dayton’s WLWD (now WDTN) after her visit to Hanoi during the Vietnam War. Donahue was the first talk show to go to death row (1971), show a baby’s birth (1977), talk about AIDS (1982) and visit Russia’s crippled Chernobyl nuclear plant (1987).

It was considered revolutionary in 1968 when Donahue invited a gay man—“a homosexual”—to be on the show. “People said the world was going to hell, and we were leading it there. We took major, major pressure for appearing to celebrate what lots of our viewers thought was an evil lifestyle. We’re proud of the history we have,” he told me for the show’s 25th anniversary in 1992.

After moving the show to Chicago, he devoted an hour to AIDS in 1982, when only 300 had died and 700 cases were known. It was so new his medical expert repeatedly called it “A-I-D-S.”

UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE ON TV

Donahue was unlike any other talk show. There was no couch, opening monologue, band or sidekick. The 1957 University of Notre Dame graduate and former Dayton WHIO news anchor and talk radio host interviewed guest experts on everything from abortion, drug abuse, suicide, impotence and incest to alcoholism, feminism, racism, consumerism, pacifism, Nazism and nudism.

“And sex,” Donahue once told TV Guide. “Sex always works. Always.”

The late humorist Erma Bombeck, his neighbor in Centerville, told Newsweek in 1979 that Donahue was “every wife’s replacement for the husband who doesn’t talk to her. They’ve always got Phil who will listen and take them seriously.”

He mixed the hot topics with cool celebrity guests: Johnny Carson, Aretha Franklin, Bill Clinton, Harry Belafonte, Sally Field, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Sammy Davis Jr., Burt Reynolds and Marlo Thomas, whom he met on the show in 1977 and married in 1980, five years after divorcing college sweetheart Marge Cooney.

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

But what really worked for Donahue was his audience. Donahue quickly discovered that the 200 people in the studio, mostly women, asked better questions than he did. They got equal time on the show, as Donahue ran up and down the aisles with a wireless microphone like a ballpark beer vendor on a hot afternoon.

Yet television success didn’t come easy. Early in 1967, Donahue had his fill of WHIO and quit after eight years to take a sales job. The father of five young children didn’t like working nights co-anchoring the 11 p.m. news with Don Wayne. What he enjoyed most was hosting WHIO-AM’s afternoon Conversation Piece show where his callers could speak to guests—Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Ronald Reagan, Malcolm X—phoning from anywhere.

His big break came a few months later when WLWD variety show host Johnny Gilbert—TV’s longtime Jeopardy! announcer—moved to Hollywood. Station manager Don Dahlman offered Donahue the live TV program to bring his Conversation Piece concept to TV, with participation by callers and a studio audience. His dressing room was the same one previously used by Channel 2’s TV wrestlers.

Shortly after his debut, Donahue showed viewers an anatomically correct boy doll. “It was like a bomb had gone off. The phone company said every phone in downtown Dayton was paralyzed because everyone was calling our show. I knew then we had the right formula,” Donahue told TV Guide

GOING NATIONAL

Despite a 50% audience share in Dayton, it took nearly two years for sister AVCO stations in Cincinnati and Columbus to pick up the show before it went national. The show was renamed Donahue in 1974 when it moved to Chicago for 11 years, then to New York for another 11.

Four consecutive Daytime Emmys (1977–1980) not only helped put Donahue atop the daytime ratings, but his 6 million viewers were more than Good

Donahue interviewed Bobby Riggs after they played tennis in 1974.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson appeared on Donahue in Chicago on Jan. 12, 1977.

Gladys Knight & the Pips share a laugh on The Donahue Show in June 1972.

Morning America, the Today show and Johnny Carson’s Tonight show in 1979. He was No. 1 until Oprah Winfrey came along and won the ratings and the 1987 best host Emmy. Winfrey told The New York Times: “If there never had been a Phil, there never would have been a me. I can talk about things now that I never could have talked about before he came on the air.”

At the height of his success, Donahue did segments for Today (1979–1982), produced an NBC series (1986) based on his book The Human Animal, moderated a Democratic Party presidential debate with Ted Koppel (1984), broadcast a week of shows from Russia (1987) and did two Soviet-U.S. Space Bridge citizens’ summit shows with American and Soviet audiences linked by satellite (1985–1986) with Soviet journalist Vladimir Pozner Jr.

“We get far too little information about them (Russians),” Donahue explained in 1987. “If we can sell them Pepsi, we certainly ought to be able to talk to them.”

As Donahue’s ratings slipped against Winfrey, Jerry Springer, Geraldo Rivera and others in the 1990s, he did a weekly Pozner & Donahue show for cable and syndication. After quitting his daytime show in 1996, he briefly did a nightly MSNBC show in 2002–2003, but was dropped due to his opposition to war with Iraq.

TRAILBLAZER

He was 60 when he ended Donahue after 6,000 shows over 29 seasons. After blazing the path for Springer, Maury Povich and others, he struggled to stay on the high road while they wallowed in the 1990s “Trash TV” gutter.

“Viewers don’t want to see politicians. They want to see naked ladies … the fighting with Springer, the (body) guards. The audiences are being prepared on these other shows. We never told an audience member what to say. I mean, there are people being told … when to cry, when to scream. It’s all manufactured,” he said after retiring, speaking to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1993.

“A little voice kept saying to me: ‘They heard you speak already, so sit down,’” he told me in 2002. “It was time to leave.”

John Kiesewetter has written about broadcasting since 1985 for the Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati Public Radio’s WVXU.org

Phil Donahue gets acupuncture on his show in 1974.

Donahue interviews Vice President George Bush in 1982.

Donahue interviews Jane Fonda in 1972.

Johnny Carson appeared on The Donahue Show in February 1970.

In her book, The Money Shot: Trash, Class, and the Making of TV Talk Shows, Laura Grindstaff defines “the money shot” as “moments when guests lose control and express joy, sorrow, rage, or remorse on camera.” In The Money Shot, Grindstaff takes readers “behind the scenes of daytime television talk shows, a genre focused on ‘real’ stories told by ‘ordinary’ people.” She draws “on extensive interviews with producers and guests, her own attendance of dozens of live tapings around the country, and more than a year’s experience working on two nationally televised shows.”

View several short video interviews recorded with Phil Donahue by the Television Academy Foundation at ohiohistory.org/Donahue1

Donahue: My Own Story by Phil Donahue & Co. was published in 1979 and tells the story of his first decade in television.

DONAHUE DETAILS

BORN: Phillip John Donahue in Cleveland on Dec. 21, 1935.

EDUCATION: Graduate of St. Edward High School, Lakewood (1953); University of Notre Dame (1957).

MARRIED: To college sweetheart Marge Cooney 1958–1975; they had five children. To actress Marlo Thomas 1980–present.

BROADCASTING: Announcer/farm reporter for Notre Dame’s WNDU-AM (1955); announcer at Cleveland’s KYW-AM/TV (now WKYC) (1957, 1958); news-program director at WABJAM in Adrian, Michigan (1959); morning radio newsman, TV anchor and afternoon Conversation Piece radio talk show host at Dayton’s WHIO-AM/TV (1959–67).

DONAHUE SHOW: Broadcast more than 6,000 Donahue shows from Dayton (1967–74), Chicago (1975–85) and New York (1985–96).

OTHER TV: Contributed to NBC’s Today show (1979–82) and ABC’s Last Word (1982–83); moderated a Democratic Party presidential debate on PBS with Ted Koppel (1984); hosted NBC’s The Human Animal (1986); broadcast two Soviet-U.S. Space Bridge citizens’ summit shows linked by satellite with American and Soviet audiences and Soviet journalist Vladimir Pozner Jr. (1985–86); celebrated the Donahue show 25th anniversary with an NBC special (1992); co-hosted weekly Pozner & Donahue show on CNBC and in syndication (1992–95); hosted Donahue weeknights on MSNBC (2002–03).

FILM: Wrote, directed and produced with Ellen Spiro Body of War documentary about an Iraq war veteran turned anti-war activist (2007).

BOOKS: Donahue: My Own Story (1979), The Human Animal (1985) and What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life, with Marlo Thomas (2020).

AWARDS: Won 21 Daytime Emmys for Donahue, including six as best talk show and eight for Donahue himself as best host and a lifetime achievement award (1996). Presented with a Peabody Award for broadcasting excellence (1981). Inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame (1993).

LEARN MORE

We took major, major pressure for appearing to celebrate what lots of our viewers thought was an evil lifestyle. We’re proud of the history we have.

LEARN MORE

The Donahue 25th Anniversary Special aired on NBC in November 1992.

Donahue and presidential hopeful Ronald Reagan talk to a studio audience in 1977.

Phil Donahue was the first Western journalist at Chernobyl in January 1987.

Left: These five photos were taken on Kay Halle’s trip to Greece in 1962. She is pictured in the second from bottom sailing with novelist John Steinbeck.

Top: Halle reads from her news script on Cleveland’s WGAR radio.

Bottom: Halle receives the Order of the British Empire award from Ambassador Sir Patrick Dean in 1968.

Winsor French Collection, Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University

Journalist, Author, Catalyst, Lecturer, Traveler

THE MANY TALENTS OF KAY HALLE BY TIM FERAN

As a child of privilege, Kay Halle became acquainted with fame and power early. When she was 13, the family was visiting Washington when President Woodrow Wilson’s secretary of war, Newton D. Baker, a former Cleveland mayor, instructed a young aide—future newspaper columnist Walter Lippmann—to show her around the capital. Lippmann not only arranged for Halle to see a fragment of the bullet that killed President Abraham Lincoln but also had her admitted to a special session of Congress, where she witnessed Wilson’s request for a declaration of war in April 1917.

Halle’s father, Samuel, and uncle, Salmon, had established Cleveland’s Halle Brothers Co. in 1891 to cater to the carriage trade, and the firm grew to become one of the city’s premier department stores in Euclid Avenue’s retail district, which was often compared to New York’s stylish Fifth Avenue. Her mother, Blanche M. Murphy Halle, married Samuel Halle in 1901. The first of five children, Katherine Murphy Halle was born in 1903.

The family was deeply involved in Cleveland’s cultural and social life, and Halle attended what were considered “the best schools,” including Laurel School in Shaker Heights; Miss Wheeler’s Finishing School in Providence, Rhode Island; and Smith College.

According to at least one account, Halle was bored at Smith College and left after one year to study piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Back home, she launched herself enthusiastically into support of the Cleveland cultural and arts scene, especially the Cleveland Orchestra.

HALLE AND THE CHURCHILLS

Her sole focus on Cleveland changed in 1931 when Randolph Churchill, the son of Winston Churchill, visited the city’s English Speaking Union to begin a lecture tour of America. Churchill met Halle and quickly became enamored of the slim, beautiful, blonde heiress.

After he was invited to visit the Halle residence on Harcourt Road in Cleveland Heights, 19-year-old Randolph proposed marriage to 27-year-old Kay. But, Halle’s sister Ann said, “she was afraid of losing her freedom,” and she declined his proposal.

This feature is based on a privately printed biography of Kay Halle by Frank E. Wrenick of Cleveland.

Courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library

Courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library

The next year, however, after Randolph had encouraged her to “look over the hedgerow” to see what the rest of the world had to offer, Halle visited England and stayed at Chartwell, the Churchills’ country house. At Chartwell, she met many prominent people, inspiring her to create “On the Boulevard,” a regular column which she wrote for the Cleveland News.

Later in 1932, when Winston Churchill himself embarked on a lecture tour of the United States, he stayed with the Halles at their Cleveland Heights home, cementing a friendship with Kay that lasted the rest of their lives.

HALLE MEETS GERSHWIN

That same year, Halle moved to New York City, where she met George Gershwin after a concert, and the two became close. It was in Halle’s apartment and on her piano that Gershwin completed the composition of Summertime for his opera Porgy and Bess.

Through Gershwin, Halle witnessed Todd Duncan, the head of the voice department at Howard University, successfully audition for the part of Porgy. And as Gershwin’s friends in music became Halle’s friends, her apartment became a gathering place for Fred Astaire, Fats Waller, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin and Oscar Levant.

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Halle family friend, invited Gershwin and Halle to a

New Year’s party at the White House, where the composer played the piano at Roosevelt’s request.

KNOW YOUR CITY

Although living in New York, Halle never lost her love for Cleveland. Beginning in 1938, she broadcast a radio show, Know Your City, to encourage Clevelanders’ appreciation of their hometown. It was characteristically highbrow, as Halle was hardly a sports or popular culture fan. For example, when she was to interview Bob Feller, she didn’t recognize the great Cleveland Indians pitcher when he walked into the studio.

Always on the move, Halle embarked on an extended 18,000-mile flying trip around South America in 1940, regularly recording her impressions of people and places, which were broadcast on Cleveland station WGAR. In 1941, having completed her South American tour, Halle returned home to become the Cleveland Orchestra’s intermission commentator, a post she frequently filled well into the 1950s.

The advent of World War II didn’t sideline Halle; quite the contrary. She spent four years as an intelligence operative in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor of the CIA, in Washington, D.C., where she received training for parachuting behind enemy lines, using handguns and deploying land mines.

Left: Radio personalities Kay Halle (left) and Carleton Smith on air in 1941.

Right: On April 9, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed House Resolution 4374 into law, allowing him to proclaim Winston Churchill the first honorary citizen of the United States. Halle played a key role in Churchill’s honorary citizenship.

This photograph of the Halle family was taken about 1928 Back row, from left: Samuel, Kay, Walter. Front row: Margaret, Blanche, Ann, Jane.

Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University

Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University

Courtesy of America’s National Churchill Museum

receive from a submarine crew in Alaska after my Cleveland Orchestra shows. They wrote that they waited to hear my voice come to them up there in that wilderness.”

Around the OSS office, Gen. William J. “Wild Bill” Donovan, head of the spy agency, dubbed her “Mata Halle.” While some said the nickname was a pun, Halle did have a reputation as a femme fatale.

A GRAVEYARD FOR SUITORS

But while Halle once showed a friend a list of 64 men who’d proposed to her—among them the prominent Democratic politician, businessman and diplomat W. Averell Harriman—no one really knew the truth. She turned down offers to write a tell-all memoir and chose to keep her romantic life a mystery.

A New York Times story after Halle’s death read, “Even intimates who are certain … that she had been Joseph Kennedy’s favorite mistress cannot say for sure whether her friendship with Gershwin, who

home and, as she had in New York, she became a hostess of the famous and powerful. Close friends who frequented her home included the Roosevelts and Kennedys, Dean Acheson, Buckminster Fuller, David Lloyd George, Sinclair Lewis, Helen Hayes, Arturo Toscanini and Alice Longworth, Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter.

“I much prefer working behind the scenes,” Halle said. “I like being a catalyst, bringing people together ... I find you can achieve much more that way.” Her brother-in-law George Crile, son of one of The Cleveland Clinic’s founders, put it more simply: “Kay just loves people.”

Courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library

Randolph Churchill (left) is interviewed by Kay Halle (right).

They waited to hear my voice come to them up there in that wilderness.

A FRIEND OF THE KENNEDYS

Halle’s ties to the Kennedy and Churchill families went back decades. In 1932, she visited 15-yearold Jack in the hospital and found at his bedside a volume of Winston Churchill’s memoir of World War I. So it was hardly a surprise that Halle was instrumental in the campaign to name Churchill an honorary U.S. citizen during Kennedy’s presidency, the first time anyone had been so honored.

Nor was it surprising when Kennedy asked Halle to join his inaugural committee after he won the 1960 presidential election.

She was alarmed by the initial guest list, which she described in an oral history interview as “feeble … governor’s wives and governors. I asked Stanley Woodward, the head of our committee, whether they had any plans to bring the eminent people in the arts, sciences and humanities as special guests of the president? There was a dead silence.”

At Halle’s urging, nearly 200 leaders of the arts, humanities and sciences were invited, setting a new bar for future presidential inaugurations.

In addition to her inaugural committee work, Halle was appointed by Kennedy to the advisory committee for what was to become the Kennedy Center.

A few months after Kennedy’s inauguration, Halle visited Winston and Randolph Churchill at Chartwell. “During lunch,” she wrote, “I sat next to the Great Man, at his right, and he rose with his glass of hock and turning to me he said, ‘Kay, let us drink to your great President, and—and ours.’ I think it was his delicate way of expressing his fervent wish for a union of Great Britain and the United States as a beginning for a union of all the Democracies.”

A corridor in Halle’s Georgetown house was devoted to the Churchills, and included three paintings by the artist John Churchill, a nephew of the statesman and frequent house guest. Halle enjoyed pointing out that Churchill’s mother was American. Sir Winston was, she said, “half American and all British.”

When the British Embassy in Washington was preparing to erect a statue of Winston Churchill on

the embassy grounds, Halle suggested that the statue be placed so that one of Winston’s feet would be on British Embassy soil and the other on American soil just outside the embassy. Thus, Churchill’s statue stands today in both countries, in recognition of his dual citizenship and lineage. Fittingly, the competition to design the statue was won by Cleveland sculptor William McVey.

In 1968, Halle received the honor of Officer in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II, in acknowledgement of her work in support of Anglo-American relations. Over the years, Halle would publish four books about Winston and Randolph, including The Irrepressible Churchill: Winston’s World, Wars & Wit; Winston Churchill on America and Britain; Randolph Churchill: The Young Unpretender; and The Grand Original: Portraits of Randolph Churchill by His Friends.

What she especially admired about Winston Churchill was “his verbal felicity and ingenuity with which he transposed his thoughts into so many striking phrases ... blowing them into the air like so many colored bubbles.”

At age 73, Halle was still very active, serving on the 1976 Bicentennial Committees in both Cleveland and Washington. “There is so much to be done,” she said. “Life is more interesting than fiction.”

Kay Halle died at age 93 on Aug. 7, 1997. Her papers are preserved at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. To the end, her brother-in-law said, she was “ageless ... a very graceful and dignified figure.”

Tim Feran is a native of Cleveland and a graduate of Harvard University. For more than 40 years, he’s been a professional journalist, first at the Lorain Journal, then for 30 years at The Columbus Dispatch, and currently as a freelance writer. He lives in Columbus with his wife, Maryellen O’Shaughnessy, Franklin County clerk of courts.

Life is more interesting than fiction.

LEARN MORE

The Movie-Radio Guide ’s Robert Bagar interviewed Kay Halle for a 1943 feature story on Halle’s efforts to get the Cleveland Orchestra broadcast on the radio. Not only did she succeed, but Halle also became the intermission commentator for the broadcasts, at the time “the only one of her sex to hold such a post in music.” You can read Bagar’s interview at ohiohistory.org/Halle1

Listen to a fascinating hour-long interview of Kay Halle conducted by William M. McHugh for the JFK Presidential Library in 1967 at ohiohistory.org/Halle2

Kay Halle’s books—Winston Churchill on America and Britain; The Irrepressible Churchill: Winston’s World, Wars & Wit; Randolph Churchill: The Young Unpretender ; and The Grand Original: Portraits of Randolph Churchill by His Friends—are readily available online.

Top: Kay Halle and book publisher Bennett Cerf on air in the CBS Radio studio in New York City.

Bottom: Books were the subject when these six authors met in Cleveland in 1966 for autograph sessions in The Book Shop at The Halle Brothers Co. Discussing their latest efforts were, from left, Robert McCloskey, author of Burt Dow: Deep Water Man; Fletcher Knebel, The Zinzin Road; Louis B. Seltzer, former Cleveland Press editor, Six and God; Anita Loos, A Girl Like I; Kay Halle, The Irrepressible Churchill; and Bill Wambsganss, a contributor to The Glory of Their Times

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Courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library

Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University

When former patrons of Summit Station decided to honor the bar that was a home away from home to many, Julia Applegate launched the Friends of Summit Station web and GoFundMe pages. These snapshots were taken by patrons over the nearly three decades that Petie Brown owned and ran Summit Station. Consider them a kind of Summit Station scrapbook.

We want to bring a few to your attention. Top row, right: The only sports team Brown ever sponsored was the Pacesetters, Columbus’s own women’s football team. According to her, there were too many softball teams and she wanted to be fair, so she didn’t sponsor any and chose the Pacesetters instead. Second row, left: The annual Christmas Show was a highlight of the holiday season and raised thousands of dollars over the years for children in need. Second row, middle and right: Brown perched atop the roof and in a head shot. She put every penny she had into purchasing Summit Station in 1980.

Ladies’ Night, Every Night

SUMMIT STATION BY JULIA M. APPLEGATE

Ladies’ Night, Every Night. Men $5.” So read the little wood sign that hung outside the door to Jack’s A-Go-Go. A $5 cover charge in 1976 is equivalent to $26.29 in 2023 dollars—a pretty hefty sum to enter an unassuming little neighborhood bar less than a mile from Ohio State’s main campus. But hang there it did, serving its purpose of welcoming women, while deterring men without enacting an outright ban.

You see, it was the 1970s and, even with the advances made by the post-Stonewall gay liberation movement, homophobia, sexism and misogyny were alive and well and the ladies frequenting Jack’s were, by and large, lesbian.

You would be right to wonder how a neighborhood go-go bar turned into a safe haven for lesbians at a time when homosexuality was still considered a mental illness, there were no legal protections for gays and lesbians, and holding hands in public as a same-sex couple was tantamount to asking to be assaulted.

In part, it was due to one young lesbian’s need for a part-time job. In 1970, Petie Brown, a trumpeter, pianist and classically trained musician, got a bartending job at Jack’s to support her aspiring singing career. Word spread fast that a lesbian was behind the bar, and soon Jack’s began attracting lesbian women in scores. Brown quit the bar, but the word was out, and the bar’s owners at the time, Cleta and Don Logan, welcomed the lesbian patrons.

A SAFE HAVEN

Brown returned, buying Jack's A-Go-Go in 1980. She renamed it Summit Station. It functioned as a home away from home for thousands of women over the years, serving as a space for first dates, fundraisers, drag performances, musical and comedy events, dart and billiards leagues, softball and football teams and so much more.

It functioned as a home away from home for thousands of women over the years.

Feminist activism work happened over $3 buckets of Little Kings, with meetings of Women Against Rape, the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization and Momazons (lesbians with kids) taking place while Donna Summer or Sister Sledge belted out the classic We Are Family on the jukebox.

On Thursday nights, the line stretched out the door and around the corner as women from all walks of life stood waiting for entrance to the magical space the bar offered.

Each December, patrons came together under the direction of Singular Sensation to produce and perform in the annual Christmas Show. Proceeds from the show went to fund a children’s party at the Family AIDS Clinic (FACES) at Children’s Hospital. Tens of thousands of dollars were raised across two decades to support kids and women living with HIV at a time when HIV was still considered a virus affecting only gay men. While countless stories abound of the love, community and good times shared by former patrons, the bar was not always a safe place. Police intimidation and some nearby neighbors presented the biggest threats to bar-goers. Stories circulate of unannounced raids by Columbus city police officers, harassment levied against lesbian patrons from fraternity houses nearby and a bottle rocket fired into the front door on a hot summer night.

PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1: THE JAYWALKER

Situated in the middle of an Ohio State campus neighborhood, Summit Station had no crosswalks connecting it with nearby street parking. In a show of intimidation and harassment, officers would stop patrons crossing the street and issue jaywalking citations. As Brown tells it, bar staff got fed up one night and painted a crosswalk connecting the bar with the sidewalk across the street. The ticketing stopped. The police couldn’t report the women for painting an illicit crosswalk without drawing attention to their illegal harassment!

CLOSING TIME

After nearly four decades of service to the lesbian, queer, trans and non-binary community, Brown closed the bar in 2008. In late 2021, a small group of former patrons banded together to pay tribute to the legacy left by one of Ohio’s longest-running lesbian bars.

As part of the Ohio Historical Markers program administered by the Ohio History Connection, a historical marker will be placed permanently in front of the space that housed Summit Station. The marker will be dedicated on June 10, 2023.

Friends of Summit Station is raising funds to cover the cost of the Ohio Historical Marker, placement of the marker, festivities to mark the dedication and, ultimately, a documentary.

Julia M. Applegate is a senior lecturer in the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at The Ohio State University. Applegate holds a master of public health and master of arts in women’s, sexuality and gender studies from The Ohio State University, and has 25 years of teaching experience. She’s served as a public health professional, HIV/AIDS activist, barista, swim coach, storyteller and most recently an aspiring filmmaker. She lives with her wife of 21 years, two kids, three cats, one leopard gecko and a ball python in the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus.

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The Buckeye Flame newsroom gathers LGBTQ+ news and views for wider dissemination. Visit the Flame website to read a story about the Summit Station historical marker at ohiohistory.org/ Summit1

Visit the Friends of Summit Station, aka Jack’s GoFundMe page, for more information about the bar, photographs submitted by patrons and an interview with Petie Brown, C.J. Curtis and Judy Long at ohiohistory.org/Summit2

You can find personal reminiscences of Summit Station patrons at ohiohistory.org/Summit3

Summit Station— What I Needed, Right When I Needed It

Summit Station was the second gay bar I ever visited. My first was The Kismet in Columbus.

While attending social meetings at a place called Calico’s on 5th Avenue, just off North High Street in Columbus, I was asked if I’d ever been to Jack’s.

The girls said it was amazing, especially on Thursday nights. I was so green, I asked if there was a dress code. Everyone laughed and told me shorts and a T-shirt would do just fine.

When I arrived, I couldn’t believe it. Wall-towall women, just like me. Needless to say, I was hooked, and remained loyal, even as I discovered other wonderful places. I enjoyed all of them, but Summit was always home, the place where I “grew up,” learned about all walks of life and could be myself and discover selves I didn’t yet realize existed.

Who knew I could dance?

What set Summit apart from other clubs, for me, was that it was a place for communicating when I really needed that, and for experimenting. We came together like it was camp or something. “Hey, I’ve got an idea!” was not a rare exclamation.

Over a period of 25 years, Summit Station and the friends I made there became embedded in me, my forever family, as they say.

—Deborah Connolly

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Courtesy of the Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University

Omar Watts celebrates with Anthony Rini, the jockey who won $1 million for Watts in the Ohio Lottery Commission’s first millionaire drawing at Thistledown Race Track in North Randall in 1974.

A Dollar and a Dream

THE BIRTH OF THE OHIO LOTTERY BY ERIN ESMONT

In 1971, Ohio Senator Ron Mottl Sr. was an up-andcoming Democratic lawmaker from Parma intent on making sure the state didn’t miss out on what he thought was a golden opportunity.

Lottery fever was sweeping the country, and states all around Ohio were catching it. They were rushing to copy the example set by New Hampshire, the first state out of the gate in 1964 to adopt a lottery system, debuting what it then called a sweepstakes.

“I wanted to keep Ohio’s money in Ohio,” Mottl says. “Illegal numbers flourished in Cleveland and other big cities in Ohio. And we could put a dent into that if we had a legal lottery.”

But convincing his fellow lawmakers was no easy task. Plus, there was opposition from religious groups and others, as well as worries about problem gambling and addiction.

After months of legislative haggling and a judge’s ruling that kept the measure off the ballot for a year, voters in 1973 made their wishes known, approving Issue 1 by a 2-to-1 margin.

Mottl, now 89, became known as the “father of the Ohio Lottery,” and his efforts led to Cleveland becoming the headquarters of the lottery enterprise.

The Ohio Lottery turns 50 in May, and the gambling landscape today is a crowded one. The lottery gave rise to racinos (a combined race track and casino), casinos and the newest entrant, sports betting, which came online in Ohio on Jan. 1, 2023.

Mottl isn’t a fan of sports betting: “There’s too much gambling in the state at this point.”

MILLION-DOLLAR MAN

In 1974, Omar Watts was struggling to make ends meet as a factory night watchman.

He and his wife, Josephine, were raising five kids on $113 a week, and that led to two of the youngest children being placed in foster care.

Watts’s life had been a series of hardships from his earliest days on a Cherokee reservation in North Carolina—and the future wasn’t looking much rosier.

I wanted to keep Ohio’s money in Ohio. Illegal numbers flourished in Cleveland and other big cities in Ohio. And we could put a dent into that if we had a legal lottery.

But one can dream. Each week, he’d buy four tickets at 50 cents each at a discount store in Burton, Ohio, hoping for a winner. He would soon get his chance—and become the state’s first million-dollar winner.

Two months after the Ohio Lottery debuted, officials declared Oct. 27, 1974, Lottery Day at Thistledown Race Track, offering its first million-dollar first prize. Ten finalists picked a horse, and Watts pinned his hopes on Grand Action. There was another racehorse with a similar name, Grand Dandy, and when the winning horse was announced, all Watts heard was “Grand.” Was it his horse? He couldn’t see the finish line from where he was sitting.

“I didn’t know I was the winner until a guy came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder and told me my horse had won,” Watts said, according to a history of the lottery compiled to commemorate its 40th anniversary.

That night, Watts took his family out for a celebratory dinner at McDonald’s. He would use the money to improve his family’s lot: His two children in foster care rejoined the family, and he bought a modest, four-bedroom house in Huntsburg, Geauga County, and purchased new furniture.

He would open a small repair shop and maintain a low-key life.

“We’re not going to live like millionaires,” he said at the time. “I don’t want to be no big shot. After being poor for so long, it wouldn’t feel right.”

He would eventually move back to North Carolina, near where he was born, and pass away on Feb. 25, 1998, at age 81.

Today, many of the biggest lottery winners remain nameless (not all states allow winners to remain anonymous, but Ohio does), claiming their prizes through an anonymous trust to avoid unwanted publicity or fortune hunters. The Ohio Lottery doesn’t track winners or chronicle how the windfall affected their lives positively or negatively.

“IT WAS A SIMPLE LOTTERY”

Greg Bowers began at the Ohio Lottery Commission as an intern, with no firsthand knowledge of how to play. He eventually landed a full-time job and has been there for more than 30 years, serving now as finance director.

“The games back then were your basic numbers games … Pick 3, Pick 4,” he says. “We had the Super Lotto, maybe $4, $8, $12 million—it never really reached the numbers you see today. We had

scratch-off tickets, and back then, they were very minimal. It was what I call a simple lottery … and that was it.”

Fast-forward a few decades.

“Now, we offer a more comprehensive suite of products for our players,” Bowers says. “We have 10+ draw-based games, 40 to 60 scratch-off tickets in the market at any one time, keno. Now we sell at bars and restaurants, and gas stations and supermarkets. We try to be where our customers are.”

Then there are the payouts.

The most recent ones across the United States are nothing short of jaw-dropping: A California winner claimed a $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot in February, followed by a $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot winner from Maine.

When Edward Castro was identified as the California billion-dollar winner, he issued a statement saying the real winner was the California school system. Lotteries nationwide either exclusively or primarily earmark lottery profits for education.

In Ohio, all lottery profits go to fund K–12 public education, and the tally to date is $29 billion and counting.

Mottl is proud of the billions raised for schools in the state. But it wasn’t a slam dunk at the beginning. Lawmakers resisted the idea of devoting profits to

education, and for the first few years of the lottery, the money went into a general fund.

Lawmakers came around in 1983, voting to set aside lottery profits for education. Four years later, Ohio voters amended the constitution to make sure education was the permanent beneficiary. Lawmakers still have a say in what education priorities to fund.

Constance Miller, who recently retired from the Ohio Lottery Commission after 31 years and was director of operations, said in recent years lottery profits have paid for everything from school computers and broadband technology to additional school buses, among other expenses.

KEEPING UP WITH TECHNOLOGY

The Ohio Lottery has also modernized with the times, enabling today’s players to use mobile apps to check their numbers, build a bet list, scan their tickets and cash in.

The move to add mobile features isn’t endorsed by everyone.

In 2019, when the Lottery Commission was weighing whether to launch what it called an iLottery, a leading religious group and retail merchants raised concerns.

Aaron Baer, president of the conservative Center for Christian Virtue (formerly Citizens for Community Values), said at the time: “Growing the lottery in any form is bad policy for the state of Ohio. It’s a regressive tax in its truest form. There are plenty of other ways for us to fund education without exploiting impoverished people.”

For now, the one thing lottery players can’t do on their phones is place bets. That’s only allowed through sports betting, and it’s a controversial feature at that.

When it comes to sports betting, Bowers and Miller are taking a wait-and-see approach. But they’re concerned about the impact.

Bowers said the typical sports bettor is more likely to be young and male.

“We’re competing with discretionary income from our players and that’s what worries me,” he says.

“Even if you are a player of both lottery and sports, are you going to make a choice to spend less on the lottery? That’s something we’re going to keep an eye on.”

“A DOLLAR AND A DREAM”

The lottery mantra of “a dollar and a dream” plays into the aspirational aspect and thrill of the game. But critics of the lottery say it’s a waste of money, especially for those who can ill-afford to play. They point to the billions that the states take in, even with the education spending, and raise questions about the outside companies with lucrative state contracts that profit off the massive money-making machine that today’s lotteries have become.

In 2022, data journalists and reporters from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland documented how lotteries nationwide target poorer neighborhoods that tend to have higher concentrations of people of color.

The five-story package, called “Mega Billions: The Great Lottery Wealth Transfer,” detailed how more advertising dollars are funneled into those areas. It found that for every dollar spent on advertising nationwide, the lotteries have made about $128 in ticket sales.

Mottl acknowledged the economic inequalities.

“I have a deep concern about that,” he says. “It’s unfortunate. It seems like poor people feel this is my way out of poverty if they win, and it really doesn’t happen that way.”

Winning the lottery remains a long shot, to say the least: For example, the odds of picking all six numbers in the Powerball jackpot are estimated at 1 in 292.2 million. Still, lottery officials say the mission today is the same as it was 50 years ago: play often and responsibly, support education and have a little fun.

and Chicago’s south side” and how that attracted the attention of the police.

Sucker’s Progress: An Informal History of Gambling in America by Herbert Asbury was originally published in 1938 and reissued by Thunder’s Mouth Press in 2003. The classic overview takes “a complete look at old-time gamesmanship in America. From Midwestern riverboats to East Coast racetracks,” Asbury “explores the legal, and illegal, history of gambling in pre-World War I America. … of ‘sharpers’ and ‘suckers’: those who excel at the games by cheating and their victims. From notorious gambling havens like Chicago and New Orleans to lesser-known outposts in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio.”

In 1949, Blues shouter Wynonie Harris released Grandma Plays the Numbers on the King Records label, a cultural artifact of the days when playing the numbers was largely an African American enterprise. (“She’s at the fruit stand every day, buys bananas by the bunch,” Harris sings, “She looked at all the price tags, that’s where she gets her hunch.”) In Running the Numbers, historian Matthew Vaz “reveals how the politics of gambling became enmeshed in disputes over racial justice and police legitimacy.” The book, subtitled Race, Police, and the History of Urban Gambling, explores how “the games became one of the largest economic engines in nonwhite areas like Harlem

Find a short history of the Ohio Lottery at ohiohistory.org/gambling

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Erin Esmont is a freelance writer and editor. She’s worked on newspapers in Ohio and Pennsylvania. She lives in Columbus with her family.

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Scan this QR code with your phone’s camera to watch a short E choes Extras companion video about the history of the Ohio Lottery.

The first Ohio Lottery drawing, held on Aug. 22, 1974, at Parmatown mall in Parma, was witnessed by a crowd of about 4,000 people.

Courtesy of the Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University

I Wish I’d Been There

LOGAN’S LAMENT BY GARY S. WILLIAMS

I wish I’d been there on Oct. 19, 1774, to hear the Mingo warrior Logan make his famous speech declining to participate in peace talks with the whites.

“Logan’s Lament” has been praised as an example of the passionate eloquence of American Indians, and was included in generations of McGuffey Readers for schoolchildren to memorize. I wish I’d been there primarily because no one else was. Logan’s Lament was spoken one time to one person—Logan’s brother-in-law, John Gibson, who memorized and translated it for us.

Logan was the son of a chief from the mighty Iroquois Confederacy. In 1774, he was living along the Ohio River north of Pittsburgh, where he was known to be a friend of the white people. In the spring of that year, the people of

his village temporarily relocated for a spring hunting expedition. Logan was absent, but most of his village set up a camp where Yellow Creek meets the Ohio River, at today’s Jefferson/ Columbiana county line.

At this time, settlers were attempting to move downstream to Kentucky, and the Shawnee were resisting this encroachment into their hunting grounds. As rumors of war circulated, a letter from Fort Pitt warned residents that war was all but inevitable, which led some to conclude that it made sense to attack before being attacked.

On April 30, settlers on the opposite side of Yellow Creek lured some Natives across the river with the promise of milk for Logan’s sister Koonay, who was pregnant and also had a young child. But this was all part of a trap, and the result was the murder of all the

American Indians except for Koonay’s daughter. This daughter turned out to be the child of American Indian trader John Gibson, and was returned to him. But this barbarous incident started a border war.

A SERIES OF RAIDS

Logan was understandably devastated by the murder of his family. He led a series of raids on individual families until he had personally taken 13 white scalps—one for each of his slain relatives. Afterwards, he relocated to central Ohio and lived among the Shawnee, who were still fighting.

The Shawnee were being threatened from two directions, with one army coming down the Ohio and another heading upstream on the Kanawha River. They had to strike before these two armies could meet, and on Oct. 10 they attacked the Americans at Point Pleasant on the Ohio. After a bloody battle, the Shawnee were forced to retreat and both armies followed them into Ohio.

A column under Virginia’s Royal Governor Lord Dunmore now came up the Hocking River and crossed over to the Scioto watershed, setting up camp not far from the Shawnee villages on the Pickaway Plains. The Shawnee made peace overtures,

Iappeal to any white man to say if ever he entered Logan’s cabin hungry and I gave him not meat; if ever he came cold and I gave him not clothing. During the course of the last long and bloody war, Logan remained in his tent, an advocate for peace. Nay, such was my love for the whites, that those of my own country pointed at me as they passed by and said, “Logan is the friend of white men!” I had even thought to live with you but for the injuries of one man. Colonel Cresap, last Spring, in cold

blood, and unprovoked, cut off all the relatives of Logan; not even sparing my woman and children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any human. This called on me for revenge. I have sought it. I have killed many. I have fully glutted my vengeance. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace. Yet, do not harbor the thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan? Not one.

the Sidney Chafetz Estate

This portrait of Chief Logan by Columbus artist Sidney Chafetz was printed in 1991 at The Ohio State University’s Logan Elm Press with a translation of Logan’s speech by Thomas Jefferson.

TRANSLATION OF CHIEF LOGAN’S SPEECH BY THOMAS JEFFERSON

and Dunmore dispatched Gibson, who spoke several American Indian languages, to make preliminary arrangements and to try to encourage Logan’s participation.

The seriousness of his mission kept Gibson from enjoying the gorgeous October day in the Ohio wilderness. He rode past several villages and also viewed the dreaded Shawnee burning ground—a raised plateau that offered good views of captives being burned at the stake. But Gibson was quite surprised to find Logan standing alongside the trail. He called to him in the Seneca tongue, saying, “My friend Logan, I am glad to see you,” to which Logan sullenly replied, “Yes, I suppose you are,” in English, turning into the impenetrable forest before Gibson could follow.

TO FIGHT NO MORE

Later that day, Gibson was conferring when Logan approached and asked him to follow. They walked to the shade of a large elm tree, where a tearful Logan addressed Gibson. He said he had always been a friend of the whites until they murdered his family, which required him to seek vengeance. But he had taken his revenge and would fight no more, although he specified his peace was not made out of fear. Logan had no fear of dying, because, as he concluded, “Who is there to mourn for Logan? Not one.”

Some claim it was Simon Girty who translated Logan’s Lament. It’s true that Girty, who also spoke multiple American Indian languages, had accompanied Gibson on an earlier trip to the Shawnee villages, but Gibson later made a sworn statement that he went alone to meet Logan. He sent this statement to Thomas Jefferson, who included it in a book as an example of Native eloquence. The Logan Elm is gone now, but the Ohio History Connection preserves the site of this major event in early Ohio history. I wish I’d been there.

Gary S. Williams is a retired librarian who’s written many articles on Ohio nature and history, as well as four books on Ohio history and a guide to hiking Ohio. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from Marietta College and a master’s degree in library science from Kent State University. His most recent book, published by the Akron University Press, is “No Man Knows This Country Better”: The Frontier Life of John Gibson.

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In his excellent travel book, Road to Wapatomica: A Modern Search for the Old Northwest, Bob Hunter includes a chapter (pages 40–46) on Logan’s Lament. Describing a monument and park dedicated to Chief Logan at Yellow Creek, Hunter writes, “It’s a lovely spot for a picnic, or, if you were one of Logan’s unfortunate family members, a pretty place to spend your last day on earth.”

Though it’s now rare, it’s still possible to find (to buy or borrow) Grace Stevenson Haber’s With Pipe and Tomahawk: The Story of Logan the Mingo Chief, first published by Pageant Press in 1959.

Dunmore’s War by historian Glenn F. Williams details “the 1774 campaign against a Shawnee-led Indian confederacy in the Ohio Country (that) marked the final time an American colonial militia took to the field in His Majesty’s service and under royal command.” Subtitled The Last Conflict of America’s Colonial Era, the book is supported by the author’s “extensive primary source research,” through which he “corrects much of the folklore concerning the war and frontier fighting in general, demonstrating that the Americans did not adopt Indian tactics for wilderness fighting as is often supposed, but rather used British methods developed for fighting irregulars in the woods of Europe.”

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Barefeet Studio

Young Eyes on the Past

BY OLIVER SEKORKY

I’ve always been interested in the Vietnam War era, as it was a time of change and conflict within the United States. During the Vietnam War, the generation gap started to divide the country: The younger generation was generally more liberal; the older, more conservative.

It was a time when the saying “You are either over 30 or under 30” was politically accurate. This polarization set the foundation for later conflict and tragedy. The Kent State shootings were one such tragedy, becoming one of the most influential events in modern American history.

I scoured the Kent State University Libraries May 4 Collection and visited the campus to hear Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham speak. I interviewed Joe Gunderman, the producer of WKSU’s radio play May 4th Voices, and began to see a common theme. Because of the lack of diplomacy, LeRoy Satrom, mayor of Kent, and James A. Rhodes, governor of Ohio, were responsible for this tragedy.

TURMOIL OF THE VIETNAM WAR ERA

During the Vietnam War, the tension between the political parties erupted. During this period, a prominent line was drawn through the American population, dividing it into the older (and generally conservative) group and the younger (more liberal) group. This division laid the foundation for the shooting.

NIXON SENDS GIs INTO CAMBODIA

On Jan. 20, 1969, Richard Nixon was inaugurated president of the United States on a promise to end the war in Vietnam. Going against his promise, Nixon announced a campaign that entailed troops crossing into Cambodia to make offensive strikes against North Vietnamese targets. This escalation of the American involvement caused outrage among those who were eligible for the draft. The “Invasion of Cambodia,” as it came to be known, was the main reason student protesters gathered in Kent in May 1970.

PEACE AND VIOLENCE

On May 1, 1970, at the Kent State University campus, students held a peaceful rally protesting and speaking in opposition to the Vietnam War. Though the morning demonstration was peaceful, violence erupted in the evening. Students from the campus rioted and vandalized businesses that they thought were tied to the war.

MAY 2, 1970: A FIRE IS SET

The next day, Satrom ordered the National Guard to Kent out of fear of other riots materializing. This order was made without any attempt to defuse the situation diplomatically. As the first group of guardsmen drove into the city, they witnessed the Kent State ROTC building in flames.

It’s unclear how the fire started, but witnesses support the theory that a small number of students started the fire, while the rest of the crowd simply accumulated out of curiosity. The National Guard defended

firefighters from the demonstrators and pushed them back into their dormitories. This tension between guardsmen and students, set up by the government, established an attitude of intolerance for one another.

MAY 3, 1970:

TROOPS ON CAMPUS

On May 3, students woke up to find more than 1,000 National Guardsmen occupying their campus. This was ill-received by the students, who believed that armed guardsmen would make violence and conflict unavoidable. Throughout the day, confusion seemed to have washed over the government leadership.

Gov. Rhodes had a press conference and made two very important statements. First, he called campus protesters “the worst type of people in America,” and said that he would use “every force of law to deal with them.” He also announced that he would be pursuing a court order, hoping to impose a statewide state of emergency. (This statement was somehow misinterpreted as an official green light for martial law on the Kent State campus.) Rhodes effectively plunged the situation into further chaos by ordering a fully armed military onto a college campus whose occupants were filled with nothing but hate for the government.

MAY 4, 1970—THE DEBATE OVER WHO IS TO BLAME

MAY 4, 1970

Despite the campus-wide ban on demonstrations, more than 1,000 students congregated in the school commons. The protest was ordered to be halted despite the lack of any violence. When that happened, some students began to throw rocks at the National Guard while Troop G advanced on the protesters using tear gas and fixed bayonets.

The guardsmen moved the protesters over Blanket Hill and onto the university’s football field. After cornering them, the guardsmen began to retreat back over Blanket Hill. That’s when 28 of the soldiers turned and opened fire. In 13 seconds, 67 shots were fired. Thirteen students were hit, four of them were killed and one was paralyzed for life. The four students killed were Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause, William Schroeder and Sandra Scheuer.

SHOTS HEARD ’ROUND THE COUNTRY

After the shooting, the country became even more divided. A national student strike of 850 college campuses across the country was organized in response to the “May 4th Massacre,” which led to the temporary closure of colleges across the United States. To this day, the tragedy is a reminder of the importance of using diplomacy and the dangers of abusing power.

Oliver Sekorky is a freshman at Hawken Upper School in Gates Mills. His interest in history was fostered by his middle school history teacher, Frank O’Grady, who made creating Oliver’s History Day documentary a great experience. Oliver is a senior patrol leader of his Boy Scout Troop #421 and spends as much time in nature as possible. At school, he is on the robotics team, enjoys Outdoor Leadership and plays soccer. In the future, he would like to pursue a career in environmental engineering.

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Kent State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives, has put together an extensive list of selected books about the tragedy at Kent State that includes At the Heart of the Whirlwind by John P. Adams (1974); Death at Kent State: How a Photograph Brought the Vietnam War Home to America by Michael Burgan (2016); Thirteen Seconds: Confrontation at Kent State by Joe Eszterhas and Michael D. Roberts (1970); and, When Truth Mattered: The Kent State Shootings 50 Years Later by Robert Giles (2020). For the complete list and more detailed descriptions of the books, visit ohiohistory.org/KSU1

Young Eyes on the Past highlights work by Ohio students in grades 4–12 participating in regional, state and national History Day competitions organized annually by the Ohio History Connection and local sponsoring organizations statewide.

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Kent State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives

John Filo (left) with a camera in hand, overlooking the National Guardsmen and students on May 4, 1970. Photograph by James Coon.

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An Odd Book: A Biography of Odd McIntyre by R. Scott Williams

It’s difficult to write about An Odd Book without lapsing into name-dropping. And maybe that’s the way it should be for a book about one of America’s pioneering journalists to the stars, Gallipolis native son O.O. “Odd” McIntyre. After all, McIntyre was a close friend of Rudolph Valentino and Charlie Chaplin, hung out in Paris with F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, hosted parties where George Gershwin played piano until the sun came up. So, yeah, there are names. R. Scott Williams is interested in those names, too, though he’s interested in far more than that. In An Odd Book, the author explores American popular culture writ large. (The book’s second subtitle is How the First Modern Pop Culture Reporter Conquered New York.) That celebrity culture was facilitated first by the advent of the radio, then by the moving pictures. But Williams also explores early-20th-century journalism, especially a muck-raking, progressive newspaper like McIntyre’s Cincinnati Post, which feuded—much to its peril— with powerful big city boss Mayor George B. Cox.

SMALL-TOWN BOY MAKES GOOD

On the one hand, McIntyre’s career arc encompassed a classic story line: A small-town boy makes good in the glitzy and glamorous metropolis. “Most of my newspaper days have been consecrated to the study of those fortunates in the passing promenade,” McIntyre wrote, “who have obtained that nebulous quality called celebrity.”

But Williams is just as fascinated by McIntyre’s turbulent physical and mental health, his suffering brought on by

an undiagnosed case of pernicious anemia, an autoimmune disease marked by an acute deficiency of B12 in the body. Left untreated, the ailment can damage the nervous and digestive systems and the heart, all maladies that afflicted McIntyre.

Despite his chronic illness, McIntyre succeeded at newspapers in Gallipolis, Dayton and Cincinnati, and went on to “conquer” New York, in the author’s words, to become one of the highestpaid reporters in the country. But none of this happens without the co-star of Williams’s biography: McIntyre’s wife, muse and business manager, Maybelle.

HARD TIMES

After initially prospering in New York, the couple fell on hard times. At one point, they moved into a room in the Hargrave Hotel and cooked illicit meals on a hot plate. Just when McIntyre was about to despair, though, he discovered a latent talent for public relations work and was eventually hired by the owner of the Majestic Hotel for promotional work. (The McIntyres were paid with a free apartment.)

But McIntyre soon became disillusioned with public relations. He wanted to write for himself, to use all the skills he’d acquired coming up in the newspaper business, to see his own byline. McIntyre, like countless journalists, wrote, “Since my earliest recollection I wanted to be a newspaper reporter and I cannot tell you why.”

Then the couple landed on an intriguing idea: Odd would write an “about town” letter to

be distributed to smaller newspapers across the country. Maybelle would make copies of each letter and mail them to editors, giving them permission to print the letter in question and to pay whatever they felt was a fair price. Slowly, the money began to roll in and demand for the feature grew.

The letter—eventually it was called New York Day by Day—was appealing to small-town and rural Americans because McIntyre never lost his awe. “I am still pretty much the yokel,” McIntyre wrote, “and what success I have had in writing of New York for the out country has been due to my enthusiasm for it. I cannot walk on Fifth Avenue, Broadway or any other part of town without experiencing a certain thrill.”

SUCCESS!

In the end, McIntyre succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Williams writes, “Odd McIntyre didn’t write to become rich, and he would certainly be surprised that, at least in Gallipolis, Ohio, he is still a little famous.” McIntyre didn’t write for posterity. He wrote, rather, to entertain “people a little every day.”

—Bill Eichenberger, Echoes Magazine

Shop our Ohio History Store in person at the Ohio History Center or online at ohiohistorystore.com for this title and more.

O.O. McIntyre House in Gallipolis about 1940.

A National Historic

the Ohio

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History Connection’s Adena Mansion & Gardens in Chillicothe is the 1807 home of Thomas Worthington, father of Ohio statehood, and his family. Pictured here is the first-floor drawing room where Worthington hosted Tecumseh and other leaders. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission to tour the hilltop estate. See page 12.

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