Echoes Magazine | January & February 2024

MAGAZINE

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JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024 HONORARY BUCKEYE

ATHENS ASYLUM

PRACTICAL EDUCATION

MAN WITH A PLAN

Mark Twain in Ohio

Revolution in Mental Health Care

Ohio Agricultural & Mechanical College

Clarence Williams and World War II

Page 24

Page 30

Page 36

Page 40

MAGA ZINE

Cover: Author and humorist Mark Twain, photographed about 1902 by Charles E. Bolles of Brooklyn, New York. Twain visited Ohio a number of times over his long career. Learn more in the story Mark Twain in Ohio in this issue of Echoes Magazine. See page 24.

Library of Congress

Vol. 63, No. 1 EDITORS

Bill Eichenberger

Contents JA N UA RY & FE B RUA RY 2024

24 An Honorary Buckeye— Mark Twain in Ohio

30 Revolution in Mental Health Care— The Athens Lunatic Asylum

Tom Wolf CONTRIBUTORS

Mark Dawidziak

Order to Promote the Liberal and Practical 36 “In Education of the Industrial Classes”— The Ohio Agricultural & Mechanical College at 150

Brooke G emechu Alan Johnson A anya L akireddy Siya L akireddy

Smiles on Those Who Anticipate”—The 40 “Victory Story of Ohio’s Clarence Williams, Teapot Dome and the Plan That Defeated Japan in World War II

Areesha Nouman K . M . Stammen Ric Shef field Tom Staf ford ADVISORY BOARD

Donna DeBlasio Youn gstown St ate Unive r sit y

Nishani Frazier Miami Unive r sit y

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

Stephen G eorge O hio Histor y Conne c tion

Alex Hastie O hio v. the World

G eorge Ironstrack Miami Unive r sit y

Chester Pach O hio Unive r sit y

Roger Pickenpaugh Historian an d Auth or

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

Truda Shinker O hio Histor y Conne c tion

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

I N E AC H I S S U E

2 Contents 4 From Our Editors 4 What’s Your Story?

6 In the News 7 From Our Director 15 Historic Sites & Museums 16 At the Ohio History Center & Ohio Village 18 Online Events 19 Featured Events & Exhibits 46 I Wish I’d Been There 48 Young Eyes on the Past 50 Reviews THANKS TO OUR OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION STRATEGIC PARTNERS:

Editorial Offices: Ohio History Connection, Ohio History Center, 800 E. 17th Ave., Columbus, OH 43211-2474 Phone 844.836.0012 Email echoes@ohiohistory.org Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Echoes Magazine, Ohio History Connection, Ohio History Center, 800 E. 17th Ave., Columbus, OH 43211-2474 Entire contents © 2024 by the Ohio History Connection.

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

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An Honorary Buckeye MARK TWAIN IN OHIO

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Ohio certainly isn’t the first state you associate with Mark Twain.

It’s likely not the second, third, fourth or fifth state you associate with him. But if things had gone his way, he might have been a Clevelander. Business or pleasure took him to at least 15 Ohio cities between 1856 and 1895. And then there were Twain’s friendships with such notable Ohioans as humorists Artemus Ward and Petroleum V. Nasby; William Dean Howells, one of Twain’s closest comrades and confidantes; and Ulysses S. Grant.

Revolution in Mental Health Care THE ATHENS LUNATIC ASYLUM

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In 1868, civic leaders, Freemasons, townsfolk and a brass band paraded up the big hill to lay the cornerstone for the Athens Lunatic Asylum. Six years and 18.5 million bricks later, the new hospital for Ohio’s mentally ill opened, built to “cure its patients with orderly routines, beautiful views of the countryside, exposure to the arts, a built environment with abundant nature and light and plenty of ventilation, outdoor exercise, useful occupation, and personal attention from a physician.”

“In Order to Promote the Liberal and Practical Education of the Industrial Classes”

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THE OHIO AGRICULTURAL & MECHANICAL COLLEGE AT 150 Ohio’s original land-grant institution began humbly from the fertile ground of the Neil Farm in what was then far north Columbus, after Franklin County beat out Montgomery, Champaign and Clark counties for the distinction. The 1870 founding of the Ohio Agricultural & Mechanical College wasn’t without its share of controversy, strife, brilliance and fortuitous circumstance. One different decision could have made a lasting impact on The Ohio State University as we know it today.

‘Victory Smiles on Those Who Anticipate’

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THE STORY OF OHIO’S CLARENCE WILLIAMS, TEAPOT DOME AND THE PLAN THAT DEFEATED JAPAN IN WORLD WAR II In the early 1920s—as the Jazz Age was beginning to help Americans forget the horror of the war that was to have ended all wars—Ohioborn Admiral Clarence S. Williams was given charge of a necessarily hush-hush endeavor. Anticipating another conflagration, he envisioned and led a team that developed “War Plan Orange,” the deft island-hopping strategy by which the United States would defeat Imperial Japan in World War II. OHIOHIS TORY.ORG

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FROM OUR EDITORS Writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin once observed that “the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do. It could scarcely be otherwise since it is to history that we owe our frames of reference, our identities, and our aspirations.”

Surely Ben Snowden (see page 46) carried history with him as he attempted to vote in Knox County in 1870. After all, his parents had been the first Black family to move into the county sometime in the 1820s. Ben was turned away at the polls, despite the recent passage of the 15th Amendment, which purported to prohibit each state from denying a citizen’s right to vote “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

Clarence Williams (see page 40) was born on October 7, 1863, in the middle of the Civil War. He made his mark in the U.S. Navy during the Spanish-American War 35 years later and then in World War I. He carried his history beyond the Armistice of November 11, 1918, helping the Navy devise battle plans if our country ever went to war with Japan.

Have you ever heard of the Ohio Agricultural & Mechanical College? Perhaps you know it by its contemporary name, The Ohio State University. But 150 years ago this school-year (see page 36) Ohio A&M opened its doors to a class of 24 students as one of the country’s land-grant universities.

Ohio A&M carries its history, too. Despite being renamed Ohio State in 1878, the college honors its heritage and remains a leader in food, agricultural and environmental sciences with the motto, “We sustain life.”

Oh, and that class of 24 students? In the fall of 2023, Ohio State welcomed 7,983 new students to its main campus.

Mark Twain (see page 24) famously said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” He would probably have agreed with Baldwin’s assertion that we carry it with us, for the lot of good it does us: “It is not worthwhile to try to keep history from repeating itself, for man’s character will always make the preventing of the repetitions impossible.”

Email membership@ohiohistory.org or call 800.686.1545 if your email address changes so we can send you a link to sign up again for our Enews and Membership Monday email newsletters.

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

For this issue, we asked,

“ Whatʼs a food specific to your vicinity?

Tell us about it.”

Here are some of your responses: ¡MUY CALIENTE! For over 50 years, Don Pancho’s in Alliance has been, in my view, one of the best restaurants in Ohio.

The excellent menu, coupled with the DeLeon family’s outstanding hospitality, has made it our first choice for special gatherings.

However, Pancho’s daily fresh-made salsa is what separates it from all others. Although it is consistently the best, it varies somewhat in “heat” from visit to visit. As the family explains, using the freshest available ingredients results in a diversity of “hotness” from day to day. This variety of salsa temperature results in a unique experience with each visit. This opinion of Pancho’s salsa is not mine alone. It is shared by the wider Alliance community. In fact, the DeLeon family provides specific packing instructions for transporting salsa to distant locations.

We regularly take salsa to family in Cleveland, but also must bring it to family visits to Brooklyn, New York, and, on one occasion, packed it in a dedicated cooler for a Christmas reunion in Florida!

—Bill Wyss, Canton

Your Story?

LOCAL FOOD BUCYRUS BRATWURST! Oh, of course Bucyrus bratwurst!

Carle’s has been in the family for three generations, I believe.

(Editor’s note: Say it like a Bucyrian—“Car-lee’s.”) We have an old recipe revived at the Center Street Market. Carle’s was one of the original bratwurst makers in Bucyrus. There were several others, but Carle’s is the last of the originals. Harry and Alta Carle brought the recipe over from Germany. It’s still going today and hopefully for many generations to come.

—Martha Miller, Bucyrus

Marsha's Buckeyes

HOW ’BOUT THOSE BUCKEYES? Marsha’s Buckeyes—the official buckeye of The Ohio State University—are made with love in Perrysburg. Marsha (Smith) started selling her recipe at a garage sale, then it grew into the internationally shipped products we know and love today. They’re sold in Cracker Barrel restaurants, Kroger grocery stores and locally all over Perrysburg!

Next door to Marsha’s Buckeyes is Garlic Expressions, a marinade/salad dressing like no other. It’s packaged in a green bottle and includes actual pieces of garlic (we fight over who gets them!) in the dressing. They’re now sold in three-packs at Costco as well as grocery stores nationwide.

—Christine Best, Perrysburg DARING DISHES In Knox County, we have a lot of great, daring dishes and family businesses, but in Mount Vernon, one that stands out is the salad at Mazza’s Restaurant.

After three generations of Italian family recipes, something that has always remained a staple is the signature

Mazza’s Salad: Chopped iceberg lettuce tossed with a generous amount of garlic, mixed with an authentic red wine vinegar and topped with a mixture of bleu and/or gorgonzola cheese! This salad is the most popular side and starter. For generations—since 1939, according to Mazza’s website—local families and curious visitors have been gathering at Mazza’s around a whole menu of family recipes.

—Olivia Toth, Howard BIG RED PIZZA The Steubenville area is known especially for DiCarlo’s Pizza: the square pizza that puts the pepperoni and cheese on after the pizza comes out of the oven! When we were in Columbus last year for a tourism event, everyone who stopped at our table told us that they knew Steubenville for three things: Big Red football, Dean Martin and DiCarlo’s Pizza!

—Judy Bratten, Steubenville

WHAT’S YOUR STORY? We want to know your stories, so in every issue of Echoes Magazine we ask you a question, then run selected answers in the following issue. Here’s the question for March & April: Whenever the Ohio History Connection posts about the weather on one of our social media platforms, we get a slew of likes and comments.

So what’s the worst weather you’ve endured in your region?

A tornado? A snowstorm? An ice storm? A flood? Describe what happened and how you coped.

Email your story responses (50 to 150 words) by Jan. 15 to echoes@ohiohistory.org or, if you follow us on Facebook, send us a Facebook message.

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In the News AMERICA 250-OHIO

All in for the Semi-Quin!

In 2026, the United States will celebrate its semiquincentennial, which is a big word for 250th anniversary. Congress has encouraged each state to create its own commission focused on commemorating this important date in history and celebrating the contributions of its citizens over the past 250+ years.

Ohio is going “all-in” on this celebration! In 2022, Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly launched the Ohio Commission for the Semiquincentennial (also known as “America 250-Ohio Commission” or “AM 250-OH”). Planning is now underway to develop and coordinate an 88-county commemoration, and you’ll be hearing more in the next few years as 2026 approaches.

GRANT FUNDING AVAILABLE

AM 250-OH is offering grants up to $50,000 to nonprofit, education and local government organizations, as well as to independent artists and musicians. The grants program is designed to showcase the achievements, struggles, honors, innovations and significance of all people in Ohio, from before its founding to the present day. In partnership with Ohio Humanities, a statewide nonprofit, AM 250-OH will distribute $1 million in grants by June 30, 2024.

Todd Kleismit, executive director of America 250-Ohio, second from left, with community leaders in Norwalk.

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A first round of applications was received in the fall and recipients have been announced.

The second round of funding opens Jan. 15, 2024, with applications due March 1, 2024.

The grants program has two tiers, with the Buckeye Impact Grants awarding up to $50,000 for projects with a statewide, regional or significant local impact, and the

Trillium Local Activity Grants offering up to $5,000 for projects with a local or community-wide impact.

Eligible parties must be a nonprofit organization registered with the State of Ohio and located in Ohio.

“Our goal is that these grants will build momentum leading up to 2026 for educational and commemorative activities at museums, libraries, historic sites, cultural centers and educational institutions and amplify the under-told stories from Ohio’s illustrious history,” says Doug Preisse, co-chair of the America 250-Ohio Commission. “By supporting projects that align with these priorities, we

FROM OUR DIRECTOR will elevate our state’s history and bolster our communities’ efforts to execute impactful initiatives during such a monumental celebration.”

For more information on eligibility, project guidance and information on applying for a grant, visit America250-Ohio.org/grants.

OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

There will be hundreds (literally!) of events in 2024, 2025 and 2026 and we’re going to need your help! Encourage your hometown to become an official America 250-OH Community—a special designation for counties, cities, villages and townships that comes with access to resources and recognition with AM 250OH. Visit america250-ohio.org/ contact-us to apply today.

Follow America 250-Ohio on social media to get the latest updates on engagement opportunities and to share your favorite things about Ohio: Facebook: @america250-ohio Instagram: @am250ohio

At about 5:35 a.m. Eastern Time on Sept. 19, I was standing behind the United States ambassador to Saudi Arabia in the extended 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Our Ohio delegation was watching with nervous anticipation as the nomination for the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks was being presented to the World Heritage Committee. A representative from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to the World Heritage Committee, was sharing an assessment of our Ohio sites.

On the screen flashed images from Fort Ancient, Newark Earthworks and Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. In front of this very international audience were maps and explanations of Licking, Ross and Warren counties and Ohio River tributaries. The expert confirmed the opinion of this esteemed international body of the outstanding universal value of the sites.

At the close of the brief presentation, the chair of the World Heritage Committee asked if there were any comments or amendments to the recommendation to inscribe the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. There were none.

With a strike of the gavel, and with consensus of the 21 country delegations, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks were added to the World Heritage List, the only World Heritage Site in Ohio and the 25th in the United States.

I stood there full of emotion, my eyes filling with tears, as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney thanked the committee, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and ICOMOS before giving the floor to Chief Glenna J. Wallace of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma.

Wallace has long been an advocate for sharing the stories of these places and the role of her American Indian ancestors in Ohio. She spoke about her own emotion and elation and reiterated the genius of the ancestors who built the earthworks.

The moment was over so quickly, and the timer signaled that our two minutes of celebrations were finished. Representatives from the other countries lined up to congratulate us and shake hands.

Attention snowbirds!

Show your Ohio History Connection membership card to enjoy admission discounts at museums in Arizona, Georgia, the Carolinas, Florida and Texas with the national Time Travelers network! For a complete list of museums in the network, visit ohiohistory.org/join and click on “Reciprocal Benefits.”

I was emotional for many reasons: the accomplishment, after two decades of work by so many people; the World Heritage Committee’s honoring of American Indian heritage; and the gratitude I felt for being reminded that history, and preserving places and stories, truly matters on an international level. I was in a room full of people from across the world deeply engaged in preserving the history of humanity because it’s essential to tying us together.

I’ve been asked many times, “What was it like in Saudi Arabia?” It was incredible, a cultural exchange and once-in-a-lifetime moment. I close with a blanket thank you to everyone who worked on this long project.

Now we are proud stewards of a World Heritage Site and looking toward the future of managing these places that are significant to all of humanity.

Megan Wood | Executive Director & CEO, Ohio History Connection OHIOHIS TORY.ORG

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in the microfilm room, easily accessible to all visitors.

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What you see in the research room is just the tip of the iceberg. Stored in three floors of stacks surrounding the research room are millions of other items, including many that are old and rare. These items are free for you to see and use, too, though they are not self-serve, so they take a little while to retrieve. Fill out a request slip at the desk in the research room and we will bring your item to your table.

Staff are available to retrieve items on the hour, so allow some time for that in planning your visit. For larger collections, complex questions, or if you would like to connect with an archivist librarian before visiting, we encourage you to schedule a personalized research experience by following the steps at our online scheduling tool: ohiohistory.libcal.com.

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Many archival collections have a finding aid, which is an inventory that outlines what you may find in a collection. Consulting the finding aid may help you figure out what, specifically, you want to request from a collection that may contain hundreds of items.

Archivist librarians at the desk in the research room can help you locate these finding aids, or you can contact the Archives & Library to connect with one of our friendly archivist librarians

All yours: The Ohio History Connection Archives & Library research room at the Ohio History Center in Columbus.

ARCHIVES & LIBRARY

Open to All Good news! For the first time since March 2020 and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, you no longer need an appointment to visit and use the Ohio History Connection’s Archives & Library.

Free and open to all, the Archives & Library occupy floors three through five of the Ohio History Center at I-71 & 17th Avenue (Exit 111) in Columbus. Here you can explore literally millions of items related to the history of Ohio and Ohioans, among them books, newspapers, microfilm, county histories, city directories, maps, photographs, drawings, letters, diaries and papers of Ohioans, many famous, some less well-known. Among them are countless one-of-a-kind items that you will not find elsewhere. (Editor’s heads-up to family historians: I was amazed to discover a letter handwritten by my fourth greatgrandfather in 1824 detailing his plans for moving to Ohio. Who knows what you may find?) You can also explore public records of many state agencies as well as institutions like the Ohio Penitentiary and Boys’ and Girls’ Industrial Schools, and Civil War muster rolls.

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Unlike public libraries, items cannot be checked out, though they are available for you to see and use in the grand third-floor research room. A modernist take on the great reading rooms of many older public and university libraries, the research room is three stories high with skylights that offer natural light—a pleasant place to spend an afternoon immersed in Ohio history. It is one of the notable features of the building that recently helped earn the Ohio History Center a listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

TIPS FOR USING THE ARCHIVES & LIBRARY

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The Ohio History Connection Archives & Library catalog is online, so you can explore in advance to see whether we may have what you would like to see before you make a trip to the Ohio History Center. Find it at ohiohistory.on.worldcat.org/ discovery.

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Many of the most-requested items such as county histories and city directories are on open shelves in the research room, where they are easily accessible and self-serve.

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Thousands of volumes of newspapers are freely available

A 19th-century county atlas in the Archives & Library research room.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION

via email: ohiohistory.org/ about-us/contact-us.

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Diana Welling Named State Historic Preservation Officer

Curious but don’t know where to start? Check out one of the helpful research guides, designed to help researchers begin tackling a variety of projects, at ohiohistory.org/ research/archives-library.

Gov. Mike DeWine has appointed Columbus native Diana Welling, recently named director of the Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office, as Ohio’s new state historic preservation officer. She will serve in both capacities.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Archives & Library are open Wednesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. without an appointment. Before you visit, check the Archives & Library website to confirm hours and for helpful information for planning your visit.

Visit ohiohistory.org/research/ archives-library.

Want personalized one-on-one help with your research? You may schedule a personalized research experience with an Ohio History Connection archivist librarian. Visit ohiohistory.org/research/archiveslibrary.

OHIO HISTORY CENTER

Afterschool Child Enrichment The Ohio History Connection has recently been accepted as a Qualified Education Service Provider with the Ohio Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) Educational Savings Account program. Ohio ACE provides funds to qualified families for use on various enrichment and educational activities. In the case of the Ohio History Center, qualified families may purchase Ohio History Connection Household memberships, field trips or homeschool curriculum and be reimbursed by the program.

Learn more at education.ohio.gov/ OhioAce.

ECHOES MAGAZINE

More Kudos We’re especially happy to report that Echoes Magazine has recently received awards from Graphic Design USA and MarCom. Graphic Design USA’s American Graphic Design Awards honor outstanding work in print, packaging, point-of-purchase, internet, video and more. All six 2023 Echoes Magazine issues were winners.

MarCom awards honor excellence in marketing and communication while recognizing the creativity, hard work and generosity of industry professionals. Echoes Magazine won MarCom Platinum awards for two issues: November & December 2022 (Category: Publications | Magazine | Nonprofit) and March & April 2023 (Creativity | Design | Magazine). Three more issues of Echoes Magazine won MarCom Gold awards: January & February 2023 (Publications | Magazine | Nonprofit), May & June 2023 (Creativity | Design | Magazine) and July & August 2023 (Creativity | Design | Magazine).

Stepping into the lead position after serving as head of the Preservation Office’s Resource Protection and Review Department, Welling brings a wealth of expertise in historic preservation to her new position, underscored by 15 years of privatesector experience in cultural resource management, a master’s degree in heritage preservation from Georgia State University and an undergraduate degree from Ohio University.

Ohio History Connection Executive Director and CEO Megan Wood says, “I am excited to have Diana leading the State Historic Preservation Office as both its director and the state historic preservation officer. Diana was selected to lead the Preservation Office after an extensive national search, and the positive leadership she has displayed during her seven years with the Ohio History Connection will be an asset to all Ohioans as she oversees preservation efforts on behalf of the state.”

Hats off to designer Lydia Stutzman of Lydiary Design in Columbus, our partner on Echoes Magazine, and to our whole Echoes team!

Diana Welling

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FIVE RECIPIENTS HONORED

State Historic Preservation Office Awards Five outstanding achievements in historic preservation were recently honored with the Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office Awards. State Historic Preservation Officer Diana Welling presented the awards at a Nov. 4 luncheon at the Ohio History Center in Columbus.

Each year since 1984, the Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office has recognized achievements in historic preservation by presenting awards in two categories: Public Education and Awareness, and Preservation Merit.

PUBLIC EDUCATION AND AWARENESS AWARD

The Public Education and Awareness Award is for increasing interest in historic preservation.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to, media, newsletters, publications, interpretation, original research, educational programs and special events that have substantially increased public understanding and awareness of historic preservation at the local, regional or state level. The 2023 recipient is: Shaker Heights: The City of Shaker Heights, Shaker Historical Society and the Shaker Heights Public Library for the Warrensville West Cemetery Master Plan.

support or service; and furthering preservation at the local, regional or state level. The 2023 recipients are: Cleveland: Tom Gillespie, LDA Architects and Liberty Development Company for rehabilitation of the

Rhodes Mansion Apartments, Cleveland

Rhodes Mansion at 2905 Franklin Blvd. as the Rhodes Mansion Apartments. The project was undertaken using state and federal tax credits for historic preservation.

Portsmouth: Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery Foundation for restoration of the Greenlawn Cemetery Chapel at 1618 Offnere St. Stratford: Delaware County Historical Society and Midstate Contractors Inc. for the roof restoration of the Barn at Stratford, 2690 Stratford Rd. AWARD OF MERIT and PUBLIC EDUCATION AND AWARENESS AWARD

Berea: Keith Berr, Austin Finishing, Berea Alumni Association and the Berea City School District for preservation and restoration of the Tree of Knowledge Sculpture at Berea-Midpark High School, 165 E. Bagley Rd.

PRESERVATION MERIT AWARD

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

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to, restoring, rehabilitating or otherwise preserving an important building or site; longtime stewardship of a property; promoting protective legislation; funding preservation projects; offering leadership,

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LEARN MORE

Learn more about this year’s recipients and explore past State Historic Preservation Office Award recipients at ohiohistory.org/ hpawards.

Above: (Left) Ground-penetrating radar survey map from the Warrensville West Cemetery Master Plan. (Right) Warrensville West Cemetery Historic Preservation Master Plan

Left: Tree of Knowledge sculpture installation crew, Berea Right: The Barn at Stratford, Delaware County

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HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Recent Ohio Additions to the National Register of Historic Places AKRON • SUMMIT COUNTY  AKRON SOAP COMPANY (Additional Documentation) 237–243 Furnace St. A 2014 National Register nomination for the former Akron Soap Company included remaining portions of the 1893 manufacturing complex.

Because it shares a party wall, the adjoining Federal Warehouse & Storage Building built about 1920 was necessarily included in the nomination, though since Akron Soap Company ceased making soap in 1904, the 1920 warehouse wasn’t considered part of the property’s significance at the time.

This amendment to the nomination includes new information about the history, ownership and use of all the buildings from 1920 to 1929, when the entire property evolved from manufacturing to warehousing.

AKRON • SUMMIT COUNTY  GLENDALE STEPS 65–99 Glendale Ave. In 1928, Gertrude Seiberling, wife of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company founder Frank A. Seiberling, commissioned nationally prominent landscape architect Warren H. Manning to design improvements to Glendale Park, a project she led as president of the Akron Garden Club. Manning, who’d planned most of the gardens for the Seiberlings’ home, Stan Hywet Hall, designed the Glendale Steps as part of a larger park plan. Built into a steep hillside, the stone-walled 12 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

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stairway of 242 steps was built in 1936 and 1937 under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration, a Depression-era program that employed out-of-work Americans on public improvements such as roads, public buildings, athletic fields, parks and swimming pools. The stairway was the only feature of Manning’s Glendale Park plan completed.

CALEDONIA • MARION COUNTY

 CALEDONIA PUBLIC SQUARE AND NORTH WATER STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT Roughly bounded by N. Water St., railroad tracks and North St., High St. and Public Square The Caledonia Public Square and North Water Street Commercial Corridor Historic District is significant in the areas of agriculture, commerce, industry, social history and transportation and for its distinctive and cohesive architecture. The village was incorporated in 1873. The district includes buildings dating from 1874 to 1963, spanning its railway-boom era (1873–1910), the rise of automobiles and Caledonia’s significance along the Lincoln Highway’s Marion Way (1910–1954) and midcentury Caledonia (1954–1963), including its resurgence in commerce, population and industry during the 1960s oil boom in neighboring Morrow County, reflected in the 1963 Caledonia Bank Building.

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recreation and Black history, and for its local architectural significance as an example of the early-20thcentury French-inspired Beaux Arts style. Designed by the Cincinnati firm of Rapp, Zettle & Rapp, it opened in 1914. Originally called the Casino Theater, it was renamed the Regal in 1941 and for much of the 20th century was a venue for Black-culture films and entertainment acts. One of the few buildings in the vicinity that wasn’t demolished by public housing projects during the 1930s and 1940s or by the Laurel-Richmond Renewal Plan and Kenyon-Barr Redevelopment Project during the 1950s and 1960s, it closed in 1996.

CLEVELAND • CUYAHOGA COUNTY

 CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY’S UNIVERSITY TOWER 1860 E. 22nd St. Cleveland State University was established in 1964 during a period of

CINCINNATI • HAMILTON COUNTY

 REGAL THEATRE 1201 Linn St. Located in Cincinnati’s West End neighborhood, the Regal Theatre has been added to the National Register for its association with entertainment,

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expansion in Ohio’s higher education system. Depicted in the 1966 first campus plan, the 22-story University Tower was intended as a symbolic and physical landmark in the center of campus. Designed by Cleveland architecture and urban planning firm Outcalt, Guenther, Rode & Bonebrake, which also designed the 1966 campus plan, it was built from 1968 to 1971, with the library west wing extension over E. 21st St. constructed in 1973 as planned. When it opened, University Tower was the largest academic building ever constructed at an Ohio public university, at nearly 494,000 square feet. It was renamed the James A. Rhodes Tower in 1981 in honor of the governor’s efforts to expand Ohio’s higher education network in the 1960s.

DAYTON • MONTGOMERY COUNTY  ST. PAUL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH AND PARISH HALL 239 Wayne Ave. Memorable for its heavenly blue doors, this Dayton landmark housed St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1869 to 2017. In the 19th century, many of those who lived in what’s now the nearby Oregon Historic District had roots

in Germany, and St. Paul, founded in 1852, was initially a Germanspeaking congregation. Members built the Gothic Revival church in 1869. The tall, cross-topped spire added in 1883 has towered over Wayne Avenue ever since. Dayton architect Freeman A. Pretzinger designed the adjoining parish hall in 1955, notable for its clean-lined International style. Though the church had 1,700 members in 1970, effects of suburbanization, declining church membership in general and Dayton’s falling population—from 262,332 in 1960 to 138,060 in 2020—led St. Paul to close in 2017.

HAMILTON • BUTLER COUNTY

 SHULER & BENNINGHOFEN WOOLEN MILL 2350 Pleasant Ave. Operating from 1893 to 1967, in its heyday the Shuler & Benninghofen Woolen Mill was one of the locally owned industries that helped make Hamilton a manufacturing powerhouse. The former mill occupies an entire block in the Lindenwald neighborhood, about a mile and a half south of downtown.

It comprises an 1893 building with several later additions, all

connected. Most of the Victorian portion is brick, with a variety of ornamental brickwork and large windows for ventilation. Two additions date to the modern period of architecture. One is an example of the Daylight Factory building type, featuring broad expanses of windows to let in ample light. The mill’s association with influential area architects and builders makes it a locally significant example of industrial architecture.

TROTWOOD • MONTGOMERY COUNTY  SEARS, ROEBUCK AND COMPANY 5200 Salem Ave. Trotwood’s former Sears store has been added to the National Register for its association with the history of local commerce and architecture. Sears was an anchor store at the Salem Mall, built in 1966–1967, the first fully enclosed shopping mall in the Dayton area.

Although the rest of the mall was demolished in 2006, Sears stayed in business at this location until 2014.

The store is representative of the mid-20th-century development of retail shopping and other amenities that were convenient to suburban residents. The approximately 125,000-square-foot store is built of concrete with brick veneer in a 1960s style called New Formalism.

Significant exterior features include elegant, modern concrete colonnades, exposed aggregate cornices and five I-shaped concrete piers that originally held the letters S-E-A-R-S.

 All photos courtesy State Historic Preservation Office

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Don’t miss: Don’t forget about the exhibits outside the museum!

The F5D Skylancer and the lifesize Gemini and Apollo mock-ups located on the museum grounds are not to be missed! And be sure to visit the gift shop. In addition to space ice cream, it offers a wide variety of T-shirts, toys, books, mission patches and other fun souvenirs of your trip.

Armstrong Air & Space Museum Armstrong Air & Space Museum’s location at the intersection of I-75 and US 33 in Wapakoneta makes it an easy trip for many Ohioans. If you haven’t been yet, I would highly recommend making the drive.

will save you some steps. Also, there are picnic tables located on the grounds of the museum and a number of fast-food restaurants within a half-mile.

For more information: 800.860.0142, ohiohistory.org/ armstrong or armstrongmuseum.org —Truda Shinker is the Ohio History Connection's department manager for membership.

This gem of a museum has something for everyone—interactive kid-friendly displays, engaging history exhibits, actual spacecraft and space suits, as well as some unexpected treasures. You’ll leave with a greater understanding of the history of space travel through the lens of Neil Armstrong’s life. I also learned that Armstrong was not the only Ohioan who made a huge impact on space travel—many Ohioans and Ohio companies contributed to American successes.

Address: 500 Apollo Dr., Wapakoneta How much time: The casual visitor will probably spend 2–3 hours.

However, visitors who are real space buffs could probably spend the entire day exploring the exhibits.

My favorites: I thoroughly enjoyed the movie that plays every 30 minutes in the Astro Theater. It really tied the exhibits together for me and did a great job of giving viewers a feel for what it was like to be alive during the Space Race. I’m not going to lie—it may have made me tear up a couple of times.

Truda’s Tips: The restrooms are located near the entrance, so visiting them at the beginning of your tour

14 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

Apollo Space Suit, Armstrong Air & Space Museum, Wapakoneta

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

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

NORTHEAST OHIO 14. Custer Monument 15. Fort Laurens 16. McCook House 17. Museum of Ceramics 18. Quaker Yearly Meeting House (Open by Appointment) & Free Labor Store/Benjamin Lundy House (Preservation in Progress • Not Open) 19. Schoenbrunn Village 20. Shaker Historical Museum 21. Tallmadge Church 22. Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor 23. Zoar Village

CENTRAL OHIO 24. Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries & Nature Preserve

SOUTHWEST OHIO 33. Adena Mansion & Gardens 34. Davis Memorial Nature Preserve 35. Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve 36. Fort Hill Earthworks & Nature Preserve 37. Harriet Beecher Stowe House

SOUTHEAST OHIO

38. John Rankin House

25. Hanby House

39. Miamisburg Mound

47. Big Bottom Memorial Park

26. Logan Elm

40. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center

48. Buckeye Furnace

41. Paul Laurence Dunbar House

50. Campus Martius Museum

27. Newark Earthworks 28. Ohio History Center & Ohio Village

49. Buffington Island Battlefield Memorial Park

29. Poindexter Village Historic Site (Preservation in Progress • Not Open)

42. Serpent Mound

51. John & Annie Glenn Museum

43. Story Mound

52. Leo Petroglyphs & Nature Preserve

30. Shrum Mound

44. U.S. Grant Birthplace

53. National Road & Zane Grey Museum

31. Wahkeena Nature Preserve

45. U.S. Grant Boyhood Home & Schoolhouse

54. Ohio River Museum

32. Warren G. Harding Presidential Sites

46. William Henry Harrison Tomb

55. 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.

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

Ohio History Center & Ohio Village

MUSEUM OPEN NEW YEAR’S DAY

Lustron House Decorated for the Holidays + Holiday Train Display THROUGH MON., JAN. 1 Ohio History Center, Columbus 4 It’s Christmas, 1950s-style, in our real, fully furnished Lustron house! Drop by to see how Dottie and Bob have decorated and check out little Jimmy’s model train display, courtesy of Central Ohio Model Railroad Club. Included with Ohio History Center museum admission.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration J MON., JAN. 15 • 11 A.M.–4 P.M. Ohio History Center, Columbus Celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King through visual and performing arts. In partnership with the King Arts Complex, this is a unique opportunity to learn about the impact of Dr. King’s teachings and explore how his work changed the trajectory of our country. Free.

800.686.6124 or ohiohistory.org/mlk Special thanks to Sponsors Honda and Huntington.

HANDS-ON HISTORY

Little Historians THURS., JAN. 18 • 11 A.M.–NOON SAT., JAN. 20 • 11 A.M.–NOON THURS., FEB. 15 • 11 A.M.–NOON SAT., FEB. 17 • 11 A.M.–NOON Ohio History Center, Columbus Explore Ohio’s history with your little ones! We’re providing an open discovery space for your Little Historian to build, create and discover everything Ohio. You and your kiddo can freely explore our hands-on stations, and we’ll wrap up our discovery time with a story. Included with Ohio History Center museum admission. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. 800.686.6124 or ohiohistory.org/presidents

16 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

Wild Ohio Day SAT., JAN. 27 • 11 A.M.–4 P.M. Ohio History Center, Columbus 4 Join us for special natural history programming and learn more about the plants and animals that call Ohio home! Central Ohio partner organizations will be on hand with display tables. Several timed programs will happen during the day, as well. Included with Ohio History Center museum admission. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. 800.686.6124 or ohiohistory.org/wildohio

Black History Month at the Ohio History Center J FEBRUARY 1–29 WEDNESDAY–SUNDAY Ohio History Center, Columbus Enjoy programming this month highlighting the many incredible Black Ohioans who’ve made history here. Special tours, activities and film screenings will showcase that African American history is Ohio history. Included with Ohio History Center museum admission. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission.

800.686.6124 or ohiohistory.org/ blackhistory PLEASURES OF THE CUP

Ohio on the Rocks SAT., FEB. 10 • 7–9 P.M. Ohio History Center, Columbus 4 Sample icy drinks as you explore the Ice Age! Learn about mammoths, mastodons, bears and other cool Ice Age creatures that once roamed Ohio. 21+. $45, $40/Ohio History Connection member. $30/designated driver, $25/member designated driver. Advance registration required.

800.686.1545 or ohiohistory.org/cup

BLACK HISTORY

The Tea Room, Featuring Black Women Rise Poetry Collective J SAT., FEB. 17 • 11 A.M.–1:30 P.M. Ohio History Center, Columbus 4 The Tea Room is a contemporary look at the African American Tea Ceremony that began in the mid-19th century. Annually on Feb. 15, enslaved people joined together for fellowship over tea. This tradition evolved into gatherings held in churches and, later, tea houses. Designed to create an environment of unity and empowerment, our Tea Room is a forum to learn about African American culture, this year through poetry performances with a theme of Black Womanhood meant to elevate and empower, and entertainment by Urban Strings and Ohio Village historical interpreters. $25, $20/Ohio History Connection member.

Advance registration required by Feb. 14. 800.686.1541 or ohiohistory.org tearoom

Presidents Day MON., FEB. 19 • 11 A.M.–4 P.M. Ohio History Center, Columbus Celebrate Presidents Day at the Ohio History Center! Stop by to create your own campaign memorabilia, take part in presidential history programs and enjoy other themed activities throughout the day. Included with Ohio History Center museum admission.

Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. 800.686.6124 or ohiohistory.org/presidents

The Underground Railroad in Ohio J SAT., FEB. 24 • 3–4:30 P.M. Ohio History Center, Columbus, and Online—Attend from Anywhere!

Kathy Schulz, author of the new book, The Underground Railroad in Ohio, shares stories uncovered through her research. We’ll talk with her virtually from the Ohio History Center auditorium, where you're invited to join us, or take part online on the Ohio History Connection Facebook event page. Included with Ohio History Center museum admission. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. 800.686.6124 or ohiohistory.org/calendar.

* Museum admission is $16, $14/age 60+, $10/ages 4–12.

Ohio History Connection members and ages 3 & under enjoy free admission.

FEATURED EXHIBITS • • • HURRY! ENDS NEW YEAR’S DAY!

Ohio—Champion of Sports Explore more than 70 stories and 35 oral histories covering 25+ sports.

Making Ohio Home— Early Ohio Immigrant Experiences

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration J JAN. 15

Night at the Museum SAT., MARCH 2 • 7–9 P.M. MEMBERS ENJOY EARLY ACCESS STARTING AT 6 P.M.* Ohio History Center, Columbus 4 Here’s your chance to experience the Ohio History Center museum afterhours and see whether our exhibits really do come to life! This family event promises to entertain children and adults alike. Dozens of figures from history will be roaming the museum, and you can learn all about their place in Ohio’s past. Grab a free souvenir autograph book and collect signatures of your favorites! Several hands-on activities for kids will also be available. Snacks and beverages will be available for purchase. Advance timed tickets only. Tickets go on sale to Ohio History Connection members Monday, Jan. 8 ($13/Ohio History Connection member, $9/Ohio History Connection member ages 4–12, Free/ age 3 & under), and to nonmembers Monday, Jan. 15 ($18, $14/ages 4–12).

800.686.1541 or ohiohistory.org/ nightatmuseum *Members: If you want to arrive during the early-access hour from 6 to 7 p.m., you must reserve timed tickets for either the 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. time slots. If you reserve tickets for a later time slot, you won’t be able to enter during the 6 to 7 p.m. early-access hour.

Ohio History Center & Ohio Village Hours Museum WEDS.–SUN. 10 A.M.–5 P.M. CLOSED MON.–TUES. OPEN NEW YEAR’S DAY, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY & PRESIDENTS DAY

ONGOING Immigrants from 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 representative immigrants who helped grow Ohio’s population from 45,365 in 1800 to more than 4.1 million in 1900.

CLOSED TUES., JAN. 2–FRI., JAN. 12

Indigenous Wonders of Our World—The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks

CLOSED SAT.–TUES.

ONGOING Learn about 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’ve recently been 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 the 18.6-year lunar cycle. An immersive component allows you to experience the astronomical alignments.

Ohio Village CLOSED FOR THE SEASON REOPENS SAT., MAY 25

Archives & Library NOW OPEN WITHOUT APPOINTMENT See page 8 WEDS. 12:30–3 P.M. THURS.–FRI. 10 A.M.–3 P.M.

SCHEDULE YOUR PERSONALIZED RESEARCH APPOINTMENT: ohiohistory.libcal.com

Plaza Cafe MON.–TUES. 9 A.M.–1 P.M. WEDS.–FRI. 10 A.M.–2 P.M. SAT.–SUN. NOON–4 P.M.

Serving Grab-N-Go Snacks & Meals Ohio History Connection Members Save 10% at the Plaza Cafe!

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

Many of our outdoor sites are open yearround and great for winter walks and hikes!

Find a list of what’s open at ohiohistory.org/winter.

ONGOING See equipment, weapons, uniforms and memorabilia.

February is Black History Month.

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

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AT T E N D FROM A N Y W H E R E !

Online Events MEMBER VIP

Get to Know the Newark Earthworks TUES., JAN. 23 • 3–4 P.M. Online—Attend From Anywhere!

Join us for a members-only introduction to the Newark Earthworks, part of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks World Heritage Site.

Dr. Brad Lepper, the Ohio History Connection’s senior archaeologist for World Heritage, will talk about the significance of the Newark Earthworks and how they relate to the rest of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks. Free to Ohio History Connection members with advance registration: ohiohistory. org/knownewark.

Presidential History Book Club

Members enjoy early admission at 6 p.m.

Power of Voice Literature Discussion WEDS., FEB. 7 & MARCH 6 • 7–8 P.M. Walnut Hills Branch Library, 2533 Kemper Lane, Cincinnati, or Online— Attend From Anywhere! 4 Hosted

by Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Cincinnati 4 This monthly discussion group focuses on moments in American history when eloquent voices arose, often from the margins, to address important issues in culture and society, usually related to social justice.

This series on the first Wednesday of February through May and September through December will be led by Xavier University Professor Emeritus Dr. John Getz and guest co-hosts. Free. RSVP at stowehousecincy.org for online link.

800.847.6507 or stowehousecincy.org

WEDS., JAN. 31 & FEB. 28 NOON–1 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont, and Online—Attend From Anywhere! 4 Read and discuss books about the American presidency at this free book club. JAN. 31 & FEB. 28: A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland by Troy Senik. For online login information, contact historian Dustin McLochlin at dmclochlin@ rbhayes.org. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes. org/events

SAT., MARCH 2 • 7–9 P.M.

See whether our exhibits really do come to life!

ohiohistory.org/night Advance registration required.

MEMBER VIP

Neil’s Wild Ride— The Flight of the Gemini VIII WEDS., FEB. 21 • 3–4 P.M. Online—Attend From Anywhere!

Join us for a members-only in-depth look at the Gemini VIII mission and the crisis that occurred after docking.

Greg Brown, historian and collections coordinator for the Ohio History Connection’s Armstrong Air & Space Museum, will walk you through the events of that day. It’s an exciting story— don’t miss it! Free to Ohio History Connection members with advance registration: ohiohistory.org/geminiviii.

Our progressive cocktail parties pair authentic adult beverages with experiences of days gone by.

Ohio on the Rocks • Feb. 10 Once Upon a Cocktail • April 6

Night at the Museum MARCH 2, OHIO HISTORY CENTER, COLUMBUS

Drinks of the Speakeasy • May 11 Mad for Martinis • Aug. 17 Spooky Spirits • Sept. 28 Bad Medicine • Nov. 9 Advance registration required.

BUY THE SERIES NOW AND SAVE! ohiohistory.org/cup | 800.686.1541

18 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

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

Events & Exhibits 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 up-to-date information about programs and events at Ohio History Connection museums and attractions.

Find it at ohiohistory.org/calendar.

Questions? Call 800.840.6127.

STATEWIDE

Statehood Day WEDS., FEB. 28 • 9 A.M.–12:30 P.M. Statehouse, Columbus 4 Join advocates for preserving Ohio's history and heritage for our annual Statehood Day event—a celebration of our state's birthday and its history as well as a legislative advocacy day.

Free with advance registration by Feb. 14 at ohiohistory.org/statehoodday.

Questions? Email statehood@ ohiohistory.org.

OHIO HISTORY DAY

Regional History Day Contests SAT., MARCH 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 9 A.M.–5 P.M. See fourth- through 12th-graders present their history projects, competing for a chance to move on to our April 20 statewide History Day competition at Capital University in Columbus. MARCH 2: Northeast (Region 3), Cleveland; South Central (Region 9), Rio Grande. MARCH 9: Northwest (Region 1), Bowling Green; Central (Region 6), Columbus; West Central (Region 7), Dayton. MARCH 16: East Central (Region 5), Canton; Southwest (Region 8), Cincinnati.

MARCH 23: Northeast (Region 4), Youngstown; Southeast (Region 10), New Concord; North Central (Region 2), Fremont. Get details

at 800.686.6124, 614.297.2526 or ohiohistoryday.org.

Special thanks to Champion Sponsor Ohio’s 529 Plan, CollegeAdvantage, and to Sponsor William K. Laidlaw Jr. Memorial Endowment Fund.

Ohio Local History Alliance Regional Meetings SATURDAYS, MARCH 2–APRIL 6 9 A.M.–4 P.M. Active in local history? Register now for the Ohio Local History Alliance Regional Meeting in your vicinity.

These annual gatherings of local historians and others active in local historical societies, museums and related organizations start Saturday, March 2. This year’s theme is Truth and Consequences. Each meeting includes a session related to the theme, plus additional skill-building sessions; reports from the Ohio Local History Alliance and the Ohio History Connection; an opportunity to share what your organization is doing; and a tour of a nearby museum or site.

Advance registration required.

MARCH 2: North Central (Region 2) in Upper Sandusky and Southwest (Region 8) in ­­­­­Harrison. Register by Feb. 23.

MARCH 9: West Central (Region 7) in Sidney and Southeast (Region 10) in Bellaire. Register by March 1.

MARCH 16: Northeast (Region 4) in Youngstown and Central (Region 6) in Grove City. Register by March 8.

MARCH 23: Northeast (Region 3) in Akron and East Central (Region 5) in Dover. Register by March 15. APRIL 6: Northwest (Region 1) in Defiance and South Central (Region 9) in Chillicothe.

Register by March 29. Get full meeting details and register at ohiolha.org.

Questions? Call 614.297.2538.

in partnership with The King Arts Complex

Mon., Jan. 15 • 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Visit the museum free all day and enjoy special visual and performing arts programs celebrating Dr. King’s legacy.

ohiohistory.org/mlk 800.686.6124

Our Membership Office is here for

YOU! Questions about your membership?

Need to update your address?

We’re happy to help! membership@ohiohistory.org 800.686.1545

CENTRAL OHIO Central See page 16 for upcoming events at the Ohio History Center & Ohio Village and page 18 for online events in January & February.

February is Black History Month.

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

OHIOHIS TORY.ORG

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Region 6 Ohio History Day Contest SAT., MARCH 9 • 8 A.M.–4 P.M. Statehouse, Columbus 4 Counties: Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Madison, Perry, Pickaway and Union. 800.686.6124 or ohiohistoryday.org Northeast

NORTHEAST OHIO

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

Find a list with details at ohiohistory.org/winter

LECTURE SERIES

Niles Firebrick— A Journey in Working History

by Dr. Martha Pallante FRI., JAN. 26 • 6–7 P.M. Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor, Youngstown 4 Immigrant laborers and their families were invaluable resources for the Niles Fire Brick Company during its 150year run. Learn about the profound impact they had on the community and the Mahoning Valley, followed by a question-and-answer session and light refreshments. Free. RSVP requested but not required. 330.941.1314 LECTURE SERIES

The Tod Engine and Youngstown’s Steel Heritage

by Rick Rowlands

PRESIDENTS DAY Mon., Feb. 19

HAYES PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUMS, FREMONT 800.998.7737 • rbhayes.org Everyone enjoys free Presidents Day admission to the Rutherford B. Hayes Home & Museum, with tours plus POTUS-themed fun for kids!

OHIO HISTORY CENTER, COLUMBUS 800.686.6124 ohiohistory.org/presidents Ohio being the mother of presidents, the museum’s open special Presidents Day hours with family-fun POTUSthemed activities included in admission.

20 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

FRI., FEB. 16 • 6–7 P.M. Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor, Youngstown4 Hear expert Rick Rowlands share the story of the legendary, locally made William Tod Company stationary steam rollingmill engine used in making steel in Youngstown, and learn about the integral part rail played in Ohio’s steel industry, followed by a question-andanswer session and light refreshments.

Free. RSVP requested but not required.

330.941.1314

Region 3 Ohio History Day Contest SAT., MARCH 2 • 8 A.M.–4 P.M. Cleveland History Center, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland4 Counties: Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, Medina and Summit. 800.686.6124 or ohiohistoryday.org

FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •

Hearing Our Voices— Discovering Black Youngstown J THROUGH THURS., FEB. 29 Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor, Youngstown4 Delve into the history of Black migrants who moved to Youngstown during and after World War I for jobs in manufacturing and production. Topics include faith, work, community, politics and Black professionals including doctors, lawyers and teachers. 330.941.1314 or youngstownohiosteelmuseum.org

NORTHWEST OHIO

Northwest Ohio

A PRESIDENTIAL CHRISTMAS

Hayes Train Special Model Train Display THROUGH SUN., JAN. 7 VISIT RBHAYES.ORG OR CALL 800.998.7737 FOR HOLIDAY HOURS Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 See old-fashioned model trains running through a Victorian winter wonderland, with interactive buttons that let you control aspects of how the trains move along the winding, multi-tiered layout. Free. Sponsored by Croghan Colonial Bank and the Gordon W. Knight Family. The display is part of A Presidential Christmas, a series of holiday events at Hayes Presidential Library & Museums sponsored by Mosser Construction Inc. with additional funding

by Wright Leather Works. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org

Armstrong Museum Holiday Lights NIGHTLY THROUGH SUN., JAN. 7 6–8 P.M. Armstrong Air & Space Museum, Wapakoneta 4 See the museum’s annual holiday lighting show, with tens of thousands of bright lights and dozens of space-themed displays. This free outdoor display continues nightly through the first Sunday in January. (The museum is not open evenings, and no restrooms are available.) 800.860.0142 or armstrongmuseum.org

February is Black History Month.

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

Skunk Cabbage Walk SUN., FEB. 18 • NOON–2 P.M. Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, Urbana Did you know that skunk cabbage is the first wildflower to bloom in Ohio each spring? Visit Cedar Bog and enjoy a peaceful walk on the boardwalk looking for skunk cabbage in bloom. Cedar Bog Association naturalists will be on the boardwalk to answer questions. $5, Free/Ohio History Connection member.

937.484.3744

Presidents Day Celebration MON., FEB. 19 • 9 A.M.–5 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Enjoy free Presidents Day admission to the Hayes Home and Hayes Museum, plus free activities for kids throughout the day. Hayes Home tours are first-floor-only and last one half-hour, beginning every 15 minutes from 9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please check in at the museum front desk to receive your tour time and ticket. Enjoy a variety of Presidents Day-themed events and activities in the museum, including scavenger hunts, a campaignlantern craft, presidential photo station, artifact display, presidential trivia and story time. The Presidents Day Celebration is sponsored by Knight Baldwin Charitable Fund Inc. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org

Region 1 Ohio History Day Contest SAT., MARCH 9 • 8 A.M.–4 P.M. Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green Counties: Allen, Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Lucas, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, Williams and Wood.

800.686.6124 or ohiohistoryday.org

FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •

Chasing Totality—The History and Science of Eclipses THROUGH DECEMBER 2024 VISIT RBHAYES.ORG FOR DAYS AND HOURS Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 On April 8, 2024, people within a 124-mile-wide band in Ohio will be plunged into total darkness as the moon completely blots out the sun.

A total solar eclipse like this one is rare.

The last one visible in Ohio was in 1806, and the next will be in 2099. Explore the story of humanity’s fascination with eclipses in this special exhibit. Get a look at how they work, and learn about one that drove Americans to the Western territories when Rutherford B. Hayes was president. Included with Hayes Museum admission. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes. org/events

Go wild with special nature-themed things to do in the museum!

Resolute—The Spirit of Arctic Exploration

ohiohistory.org/wildohio

THROUGH JUNE 30 VISIT RBHAYES.ORG FOR DAYS AND HOURS Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 For centuries, the Arctic was the ultimate unexplored frontier. This exhibit examines the Arctic’s strange, treacherous environment and profiles the adventurers who tried to tame it.

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. Included with Hayes Museum admission. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org

Southeast Ohio

SOUTHEAST OHIO

Region 7 Ohio History Day Contest

See page 18 for online events in January & February.

SAT., MARCH 9 • 9 A.M.–5 P.M. Carillon Park, Dayton 4 Counties: Auglaize, Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Shelby.

800.752.2619, 800.686.6124 or ohiohistoryday.org

Region 9 Ohio History Day Contest SAT., MARCH 2 • 8 A.M.–4 P.M. University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande Counties: Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton. 800.686.6124, or ohiohistoryday.org

Sat., Jan. 27 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

OHIO HISTORY CENTER, COLUMBUS

Barefeet Studio

Presidential History Book Club WEDS., JAN. 31 & FEB. 28 NOON–1 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont, and Online—Attend From Anywhere! 4 See page 18.

Let Us Help You Create

A Day for the History Books We offer a unique wedding experience you can’t get anywhere else. events@ohiohistory.org ohiohistory.org/weddings 614.297.2475

OHIOHIS TORY.ORG

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Create a Legacy Passionate about preserving history for future generations?

Consider including the Ohio History Connection as a beneficiary in your estate plans. Our staff can help you choose options that best fit your needs.

Call 800.647.6921 to learn more.

NOW ON EXHIBIT

National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center J WILBERFORCE

Southwest Ohio

SOUTHWEST OHIO

Cross-Stitching for Adult Beginners SAT., JAN. 20 • 11 A.M.–NOON Adena Mansion & Gardens, Chillicothe Cross-stitching and needlework have been around for thousands of years.

Patterns are used for decoration and as a tool for teaching. Join Allison Wagner for this beginners’ course.

Learn the history of cross-stitching and what it was like during the 1800s, and work on a cross-stitch project. Free with required advance registration: 740.772.1500 or adenamansion.com.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING LECTURE SERIES

“Who Needs Black History Month?” J

800.686.6124 ohiohistory.org/wonders 22 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

THURS., FEB. 1 • 7 P.M. Online—Attend From Anywhere!

Hosted by National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce 4 Is Black History Month still necessary? Relevant, even? This conversation compels a reconsideration of the historical experiences and contemporary legacies associated with being Black in America.

Join us online for a lively webinar that will bring a fresh perspective on the value of Black History Month, and why Black history happens 365 days a year. Host Dr. Holly McGee, associate professor in the Department of Africana Studies at the University of Cincinnati, teaches undergraduate courses in Black history and film, culture and counterculture and African American history in early and colonial America.

She specializes in U.S. history and African American history, emphasizing Black women’s activist and intellectual history, comparative political activism in the United States and South Africa and popular culture in the 20th century.

Free. 800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/ naamcc. Zoom Registration Link: bit. ly/45RXv85 Thanks to Sponsors Honda and Greene County Board of Commissioners.

Power of Voice Literature Discussion WEDS., FEB. 7 & MARCH 6 • 7–8 P.M. Walnut Hills Branch Library, 2533 Kemper Lane, Cincinnati, or Online— Attend From Anywhere! 4 Hosted

by Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Cincinnati 4 See page 18.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING LECTURE SERIES

A Madman’s Will—John Randolph, Four Hundred Slaves and the Mirage of Freedom J THURS., FEB. 15 • 7 P.M. Online—Attend From Anywhere!

Hosted by National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce Few cases in American history are as riveting as the controversy surrounding the will of Virginia congressman John Randolph (1773–1833). On May 4, 1846, the people enslaved at Randolph’s Roanoke Plantation were freed. In one of the largest emancipations in American history, 383 newly emancipated people attempted to disembark on the Miami and Erie Canal in Mercer County, Ohio. Drawing on his past legal experience to tell the story, author and historian Gregory May investigates how madness and scandal shaped Randolph’s

FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •

African Art—Form, Function and Fraught Histories J

Presidents Day Celebration HAYES PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUMS, FREMONT, FEB. 19

wildly shifting attitudes toward his slaves—and how prejudice in Ohio ultimately deprived the freedpeople and their descendants of the land Randolph had promised them. Free. 800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/naamcc. Zoom Registration Link: bit.ly/3QmMSoY Thanks to Sponsors Honda and Greene County Board of Commissioners.

This Old House SAT., FEB. 24 • 11 A.M.–NOON Adena Mansion & Gardens, Chillicothe Hear local Worthington family historian Mary Anne Brown share the story of the 1953 and 2003 restorations of Adena, the 1807 home of “father of Ohio statehood” Thomas Worthington and his family, and the development of the surrounding grounds. Free.

800.319.7248 or adenamansion.com DOCUMENTARY

Paul Laurence Dunbar— Beyond the Mask J SAT., FEB. 24 • 2–4 P.M. Walnut Hills Branch Library, 2533 Kemper Lane, Cincinnati 4 Hosted

by Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Cincinnati 4 Join us for a screening of Paul Laurence Dunbar—Beyond the Mask, a documentary on the life and legacy of the first African American poet/writer to gain international fame. Free. 800.847.6507 or stowehousecincy.org

Region 7 Ohio History Day Contest SAT., MARCH 9 • 9 A.M.–5 P.M. Carillon Park, Dayton 4 Counties: Auglaize, Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Shelby.

800.752.2619, 800.686.6124 or ohiohistoryday.org

Region 9 Ohio History Day Contest SAT., MARCH 2 • 8 A.M.–4 P.M. University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande Counties: Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton. 800.686.6124 or ohiohistoryday.org

2024 Art of Soul! Juried Art Show Call for Artists J DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: JULY 24 AT 4 P.M. Hosted by National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce The Ohio History Connection’s National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center will present the 10th annual Art of Soul! Juried Art Show Oct. 12, 2024, through March 1, 2025. Artists from across the United States are invited to submit work to the juried exhibit in response to the themes of Social Justice and Black Joy. Only completed submissions with paid entry fee(s) will be accepted: $25 for one entry and $50 for up to three entries. Access the Call for Artists form and instructions at 2024artofsoulnaamcc.artcall.org.

Exhibit opening, awards ceremony and reception are planned for Oct. 12. 800.752.2603 or InfoNAAMCC@ ohiohistory.org

February is Black History Month.

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

ONGOING • WEDS.–SAT. 9 A.M.–4 P.M. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce 4 Explore African art and its impact on the world. African aesthetics challenged and shaped Western perceptions and are often misunderstood. This exhibit examines forms and functions of African art objects, their global influence and modern questions of cultural appropriation, representation and repatriation. Wright State University graduate students in Public History assisted in creating it, using the museum’s extensive African art collection. Three more exhibits, African Americans Fighting for a Double Victory, Rhythm of Revolution and Queens of the Heartland, are all 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

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Portrait of Mark Twain,

by Edoardo Gelli, 1904.

24 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF THE HENRY FORD. GIFT OF CLARA CLEMENS GABRILOWITSCH.

An Honorary Buckeye MARK TWAIN IN OHIO BY MARK DAWIDZIAK

T

he train that pulled into Cleveland late Sunday, July 14, 1895, carried a Mark Twain who was in rough shape, physically and financially. Recovering from a battle with gout

that had confined him to his bed for three weeks, the 59-year-old writer limped from the train plagued by bronchitis, rheumatism and, most painful of all, carbuncles (an inflammation of the skin and the underlying tissues). His devoted support team at this daunting moment included his wife, Livy, and their daughter Clara.

“Two members of my family elected to go with me,” Twain would say of this torturous trip. “Also a carbuncle. The dictionary says a carbuncle is a kind of jewel. Humor is out of place in a dictionary.”

The author of Life on the Mississippi and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn considered Cleveland a lucky city, and he was badly in need of some good fortune during that summer of his discontent. Even more worrisome than the carbuncles were his financial woes.

Despite having reaped fabulous financial rewards from such wildly popular books as The Prince and the Pauper and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the writer born Samuel Langhorne Clemens was now $94,000 in debt due to disastrous investments, poor economic conditions and mismanagement of his fortune by others. Yet he had resolved to repay all his debts, dollar for dollar. The 96 creditors would’ve settled for less—cents on the dollar. But Twain wouldn’t settle for anything less than complete repayment.

The only path open to him was one he’d come to loathe—the lecture platform, where he’d once reigned as America’s foremost humorous speaker. With the help of his friend and financial adviser, Standard Oil Company director Henry Huttleston Rogers, Twain devised an audacious plan that would remove the shadow of bankruptcy. He would lecture around the world, then write a travel book about his trip.

Beginning in Cleveland on July 15, 1895, he would spend about a year making 140 appearances on five continents.

A BIG DRAW

On July 7, 1895, the Cleveland Plain Dealer announced that “Mary’’ (a typesetter’s error) Twain would appear July 15 at the Music Hall for the benefit of the Newsboys’ Home. “Mark will draw a big house,” the newspaper promised. It was a big house to fill. The vast Music

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NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

Hall, which burned down in 1898, was one of Cleveland’s largest theatres.

Twain’s two-day stay was spent at the Stillman House, an elegant apartment hotel opened in 1884.

July 15 was a steamy, rainy Monday in Cleveland.

The writer spent much of it in bed, marshaling his forces for that night’s performance. Despite this, he entertained a succession of local reporters at the Stillman House. “He bore his affliction with surprising heroism … without so much as complaining,” the Plain Dealer reporter noted.

The temperature soared to 90 degrees inside the Music Hall. To make matters worse, when he took the stage before a capacity crowd of 2,500, Twain discovered that 200 newsboys had been seated on the stage behind him. The pain, the heat and the constant murmurings of the boys were an exasperating combination. He left the stage with only two-thirds of his planned program delivered.

“Why, with their scuffling and horse-play and noise, it was just a menagerie,” Twain wrote to Rogers.

COURTESY MARK DAWIDZIAK, FROM THE 1872 BOOK ROUGHING IT BY MARK TWAIN

Despite all of this, he scored a hit. The Plain Dealer review was a rave: “His immense shock of hair has turned nearly white, but his humor is just as vigorous and his style as entertaining as ever.”

From Cleveland, Twain lectured his way around the globe, with stops in Hawaii, Fiji, Australia, India and South Africa.

SMITTEN BY THE CITY

He poured these experiences into the 1897 book, Following the Equator. It was not by chance this heroic effort began in Cleveland. Twain had visited the city many times before, and even planned on settling there when he married Olivia “Livy” Langdon in February 1870.

Top: This 1869 photograph by George M. Baker of Boston pictures Mark Twain (standing) with two other leading humorists of the day, David Ross Locke (left) and Josh Billings. Locke, an Ohioan, had been involved with newspapers in Plymouth, Mansfield, Bucyrus and Findlay.

His satirical opinion pieces, written under the pen name Petroleum V. Nasby, were widely published in Northern newspapers before and during the Civil War. President Lincoln was among his readers. Bottom: An artist captures Mark Twain as he would have appeared on the lecture platform in his 30s—dark hair, evening clothes, no white suit, no cigar.

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He probably first passed through Cleveland in April 1867 on a trip to New York. He returned in September 1868 to visit Mary Mason Fairbanks, a former schoolteacher he’d befriended on the steamship Quaker City at the beginning of a fivemonth tour of Europe and the Holy Land in 1867.

Her husband, Abel, was the owner and editor of the Cleveland Herald.

The Quaker City excursion became the basis of his first best-selling book, The Innocents Abroad.

It was during this trip that he met two other Clevelanders who would become his friends, Emily Severance and her husband, Solon.

COURTESY MARK DAWIDZIAK

Twain launched his first major lecture tour in Cleveland on Nov. 17, 1868, before an audience of 1,200 at Case Hall, opened in 1867 and located on Superior Avenue. Titled “The American Vandal Abroad,” his talk was designed to promote the upcoming publication of The Innocents Abroad.

“Made a splendid hit last night & am the ‘lion’ to-day,” he wrote the next day to his family. “Awful rainy, sloppy night, but there were 1,200 people present, anyhow—house full. I captured them, if I do say it myself.”

About 10 days later, he became formally engaged to Livy, and they planned on beginning married life in Cleveland. During that 1868–69 lecture tour, he also appeared in Akron, Toledo, Norwalk, Ravenna and Alliance.

He returned to Cleveland for another lecture engagement in January 1869, and he purchased Livy’s wedding ring there. He was so smitten by the city, he tried to buy into the Cleveland Herald as an editor and partner.

His letters to Livy from the lecture circuit are full of pleasant visions of living in Cleveland.

NOT TO BE

The newspaper partnership asking price was too high, so Twain instead became an editor and part owner of the Buffalo Express. But for a crucial few dollars, Twain would have been a Clevelander.

Right: The itinerary for the 1895– 1896 round-the-world lecture tour that started in Cleveland.

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COURTESY MARK DAWIDZIAK

Left: Mark Twain meeting with Ulysses S. Grant, as depicted in an illustration for Twain’s 1897 book Following the Equator.

actually seen Twain lecture said that Holbrook was as close to the genuine article as possible. But in 1868, 1869, 1885 and 1895, it was the genuine article visiting Cleveland to delight audiences.

A MAN OF MANY STATES

Ohio certainly isn’t the first state you associate with Twain. It’s likely not the second, third, fourth or fifth state you associate with him. Missouri probably ranks first, since he was born there (“in the almost invisible village of Florida” on Nov. 30, 1835) and he grew up there, in the Mississippi River town of Hannibal. Nevada comes next because it was there, on Feb. 3, 1863, that he first adopted the pen name of Mark Twain.

There was California, where he forged a national reputation as a humorist. And, finally, New York and Connecticut, where he spent most of the years from 1871 to his death in April 1910.

BUT ALWAYS OHIO

Still, Ohio boasts many intriguing ties beyond the Cleveland connection. Sam Clemens first set foot in the state as an itinerant printer in October 1856, beginning a six-month stay in Cincinnati. We know he lived at a boardinghouse at 76 Walnut St. Still, he continued to be quite fond of the city. He visited several times over the next two decades and kept up a lively correspondence with Mary Fairbanks.

There would be one more performance at Case Hall.

This one was on Dec. 17, 1884, during a joint tour with author George Washington Cable.

So Mark Twain and Cleveland have a great deal more in common than Hal Holbrook, who was born there in 1925 and brought his long-running Mark Twain Tonight! to the city many times. Many who had

28 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

During this period, he marked his 19th birthday and sent two letters to the Keokuk Post, an Iowa newspaper that published them under his early pen name, Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass. He would return to Cincinnati almost 28 years later during the joint tour with Cable. There were three performances at the Odeon in January 1885.

Opened in 1884 at the College of Music of Cincinnati, the impressive Odeon concert hall had a seating capacity of 1,500.

An 1871–72 lecture tour took Twain to Toledo, Dayton, Columbus, Wooster, Salem and Steubenville. In addition to the stops in Cleveland and Cincinnati, his 1884–85 tour with Cable featured engagements in Toledo, Dayton, Hamilton, Columbus, Delaware and Oberlin. In total, business or pleasure took him to at least 15 Ohio cities between 1856 and 1895.

Live he did, for another 14 years, enduring more tragic losses, yet never giving up and continuing to build on an already monumental literary legacy. “In the thick of the fight there is cheer,” he wrote to Livy before the round-the-world lecture tour began in Cleveland. “There is temporary defeat, but no dishonor—and we will march again.”

And then there were his friendships with such notable Ohioans as humorists Artemus Ward (Charles Farrar Browne) and Petroleum V. Nasby (David Ross Locke); Hamilton native William Dean Howells, the author and critic who became one of Twain’s closest comrades and confidantes; and Ulysses S. Grant, whom Twain helped in his own battle with bankruptcy by publishing the memoirs that lifted the Grant family out of poverty.

Mark Dawidziak is the author or editor

Diagnosed with throat cancer and left broke by a dishonest business partner, the iron-willed Grant finished the book shortly before his death on July 23, 1885. The following year, Twain was able to present Julia Dent Grant, the general’s widow, with a check for $200,000. It was the largest single royalty check the world had ever seen.

As for Twain’s own battle with bankruptcy 10 years later, it ended on a moment of both incredible triumph and devastating tragedy. A spectacular success, the round-the-world lecture tour that started in Cleveland ended in England in late July 1896.

Having made about 140 appearances on five continents, the writer knew he would be able to pay off all the debts and again put his family on firm financial footing. Waiting for Sam and Livy in Southampton was a cable explaining that their eldest daughter, Susy, had fallen ill at the family home in Hartford, Connecticut. Susy and the youngest daughter, Jean, were preparing to sail to England and be reunited with their parents and sister.

of 25 books, including three studies of landmark television series: The Columbo Phile: A Casebook, The Night Stalker Companion and Everything I Need to Know I Learned in The Twilight Zone. He also is an internationally recognized Mark Twain scholar, and five of his books are about the iconic American writer. They include Mark My Words: Mark Twain on Writing, Mark Twain for Cat Lovers and Mark Twain in Ohio. He’s been portraying Twain on stage for 45 years. No less an authority than Ken Burns has said, “Nobody gets Mark Twain the way Mark Dawidziak does.” His most recent book is the biography A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe.

LEARN MORE LEARN MORE Mark Twain: A Life by Ron Powers is an engaging and illuminating 2005 biography of the iconic American writer by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who grew up in Hannibal, Missouri.

Mark Twain in Ohio: The Author of Huckleberry Finn in the Buckeye State by Mark Dawidziak is the author’s 2015 book about Twain’s many Ohio connections.

Mark Twain Papers and Project is the University of California Berkeley Library’s invaluable online collection of Twain resources, materials and letters: ohiohistory.org/Twain

Although recovery seemed certain, Livy and Clara decided to sail for America. They were still at sea on August 18 when Twain, standing alone in the dining room of a rented house in Guilford, was handed a cable that read, “Susy was peacefully released today.” Just 24, she had died of spinal meningitis in the Hartford house. “It is one of the mysteries of our nature,” Twain later wrote, “that a man, all unprepared, can receive a thunder-stroke like that and live.”

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Plan for the buildings and grounds of the Athens Lunatic Asylum, 1872.

Revolution in Mental Health Care THE ATHENS LUNATIC ASYLUM BY ALAN JOHNSON

O

n Nov. 8, 1868, thousands of civic leaders, Freemasons and Athens townsfolk, accompanied by a brass band, paraded across a bridge over the Hockhocking River (now the Hocking River) and up the big hill to celebrate the cornerstone-laying for the Athens Lunatic Asylum.

No typical groundbreaking, this was a big day for the rural community in southeastern Ohio. The asylum—the fifth hospital to care for the mentally ill to be built in the state—promised an influx of jobs, an extension of utilities, hundreds of passengers flooding the local train station, income for local businesses and farmers, and political clout for the area.

“Vast Concourse of People,” the Athens Messenger reported on its front page a few days later. “1,000 Masons and 4,000 People Present.”

It took nearly six years and more than 18.5 million bricks—formed and fired on-site—to construct the massive hospital. On Jan. 1, 1874, the 544-bed asylum on the hill opened, beginning a 20-year period of what was known then as the “moral treatment” era for the mentally ill. It marked a dramatic departure from prior years when people with mental illnesses were thrown in poorhouses and jails, confined at home or left homeless.

The asylum was enormous, built in a style developed by Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, a Pennsylvania Quaker physician and “alienist,” as psychiatrists were first called, who strongly believed that mental illness should be treated with kindness and not shackles as had previously been the case.

The imposing Athens hospital, like all Kirkbride-modeled facilities, had a large front administration building with stepped-back wings for patient wards. It had 16-foot-wide tiled corridors, high ceilings, lavish woodwork, grand staircases and large windows allowing for abundant light and air.

Left: This lithographic drawing of the administration building and grounds was pasted into some copies of the first annual report of the Athens Lunatic Asylum (later Athens Hospital for the Insane, Athens State Hospital, and Athens Mental Health Center), issued in 1872. At the time, construction, which had begun in 1868, was drawing to a close. The first patients were admitted in 1874. Built according to the Kirkbride Plan, the 53,000-square-foot administration building was designed according to the “moral treatment” philosophy, which emphasized light, air and natural landscapes in patients’ rehabilitation.

Photos courtesy of Ohio University Libraries, Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections

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The building required six coal-burning steam boilers for heat and had a small train-like conveyor system in the basement to accommodate delivery of meals via dumbwaiters to patient wards. Over time, patient cottages and service buildings were added.

ABUNDANT NATURE AND LIGHT

Kirkbride’s philosophy, as exemplified at Athens, was to “cure its patients with orderly routines, beautiful views of the countryside, exposure to the arts, a built environment with abundant nature and light and plenty of ventilation, outdoor exercise, useful occupation, and personal attention from a physician,” wrote Katherine Ziff, an Athens clinician, artist and adjunct professor, in Asylum on the Hill: History of a Healing Landscape.

Kirkbride was the innovator of the moral treatment architecture, but Dr. William Parker Johnson made the Athens hospital a reality. Johnson, a country doctor from Athens, came home from serving in the Civil War infused with the idea of helping people with mental illness, including soldiers he’d treated during the war who suffered from what was called “soldier’s heart,” today known as post-traumatic stress disorder.

After Johnson was elected to the Ohio General Assembly, he sponsored a bill creating the state’s fifth mental health asylum, which became law in 1867. A selection committee, nudged by Johnson, picked the Athens site from more than two dozen possible locations.

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Members of the Athens Lunatic Asylum day shift staff posed on the steps of the administration building for this late 19th-century group portrait.

Cleveland architect Levi Tucker Scofield was 25 years old when he received the contract to design the building. The cost to the state in 1868 to build the hospital was $621,000 ($13.4 million in today’s money).

The hospital was championed by Ohio Gov. Rutherford B. Hayes, a Cincinnati lawyer, who appointed Dr. Richard H. Gundry as the first superintendent.

THE RIDGES

Not only was the building itself grand, but the natural ridges around it were as well. Herman Haerlin, a landscape architect from Cincinnati, and George Link, a gardener from Athens, developed the ridges into a park-like setting with four ponds, a waterfall, walking paths and a central fountain that at one time was home to a pet alligator.

Inside the hospital, patients had many activities and entertainment but limited treatment and medications in the sense embraced by modern psychiatry. For nearly 100 years, patients were kept busy as part of “moral treatment” by working jobs on the asylum farm, grounds and hospital.

Annual reports show expenditures and details such as crops produced on the farms around the asylum.

In 1886, that included 11,000 heads of cabbage, 87

bushels of lettuce, 1,070 bushels of pumpkins and 254 bushels of tomatoes. The farm produced 262 gallons of apple butter and 30 gallons of tomato ketchup.

MEDICAL ADVANCEMENTS

After the turn of the century, the moral treatment era ended, due in part to advances in medical care and medications, but also to critical overcrowding.

The asylum began offering training courses for hospital nurses to professionalize treatment in 1911.

A notebook kept by nurse-trainee Netta Edythe Mapes outlined medications to be used, including cocaine, morphine, chloroform, nitrous oxide and cannabis. Nurses were guided in the use of leeches, which were kept in mud at the bottom of a jar, to reduce bodily inflammation; they were warned to never apply the bloodsuckers twice or to apply over a large blood vessel.

‘WOMB TROUBLE’

Patients were committed to the hospital for a wide variety of reasons, many of them neither medical nor scientific. A large number of the first patients, who hailed from 28 Ohio counties, were farmers, miners or laborers, although they came from all walks of life. Women were often sent there by husbands for “womb trouble,” what we now know as postpartum depression, or “religious excitement.” Others came as a result of intemperance, jealousy, “disappointed love,” grief, “nostalgia” and senility. Some arrived because of head injuries or epileptic seizures. One young man was hospitalized because he “punched a horse and was talking to animals,” hospital records show.

Written on back of this postcard: “Sadie Starr.“ Starr (right) and another woman sit on the grass in front of a building on the grounds of the Athens State Hospital. They are wearing the uniforms of nurses or attendants but do not have a ribbon around the brim of their caps, indicating that they are not graduate nurses. In the background, several women, likely patients, sit beneath the trees and on the steps of the building.

In 1913, hospital superintendent O.O. Fordyce reported the hospital had an average daily patient count of 1,385, more than twice the original design capacity, with 14% diagnosed with “senile psychoses.”

He said 39.4% of all patients recovered. Fordyce noted he’d created an eight-piece orchestra and bought a Victrola record player to entertain patients.

Nurse Mapes, who graduated in 1912 from the second nurse training class, had a hospital career spanning 45 years. When she retired as a nursing supervisor in 1954, a newspaper article chronicled changes she saw in mental health care over nearly a half-century. The hospital had become a place where “patients return to their home greatly improved or cured. Their surroundings are home-like as far as it is possible to make them so. … The word ‘asylum’ is obsolete.”

END OF AN ERA

The hospital underwent nine name changes from 1874 to 1993, when it closed as the Athens Mental Health Center.

While treatment gradually became more professional, one dark chapter of the hospital’s history involves Dr. Walter Freeman, a physician who developed the process of “trans-orbital lobotomies,” in which a sharp instrument like an icepick was inserted through the eye into the patient’s brain.

During the 1950s, Freeman came annually to Athens, where he performed hundreds of lobotomies, sometimes more than 20 a day. From 2 to 5% of patients died, but hospital officials claimed many patients were “cured” by the procedure and were allowed to return home.

Two women lie in beds in a small room. A nursing student stands at the foot of one of the beds; she appears to be checking a thermometer. A nurse standing at the head of the bed appears to be offering the woman lying down a spoonful of medicine. A nurse watches them in the background as another nursing student sits at a side table with a telephone receiver to her ear.

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The change from moral treatment to overcrowded custodial care eventually spelled the demise of the Athens hospital, hastened by the deinstitutionalization movement in the 1980s that was aimed at treating patients in the community rather than in large institutions. Nearly all the Kirkbride-style facilities nationwide were abandoned and demolished.

Fortunately, Athens didn’t suffer that fate. Ohio University purchased the property and buildings, and preserved and repurposed much of the 150-year-old space. The majestic administration building now houses the Kennedy Museum of Art, the dairy barn was converted for use by a nonprofit community arts organization, several buildings make up the George V. Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, and a variety of university departments occupy other space.

Alan Johnson is a former journalist who spent 44 years with Ohio newspapers, including 33 years at The Columbus Dispatch, where he reported on politics, mental health, human trafficking and capital punishment as a media witness at 21 executions.

He’s the author of Death and Forgiveness, My Capital Punishment Witness. He has a doctorate and master’s degree in ministry from Ashland Theological Seminary.

LEARN MORE LEARN MORE Asylum on the Hill: History of a Healing Landscape

by Katherine Ziff is “the story of a great American experiment in psychiatry, a revolution in care for

Ohio University student Luella Pearl Pemberton took this 1921 snapshot of an alligator in the fountain in front of the Athens State Hospital. It lived in the fountain in good weather and had special indoor accommodations in winter.

those with mental illness, as seen through the example of the Athens Lunatic Asylum.” When the Ohio University Press published the book in 2018, Samuel T. Gladding, past president of the American Counseling Association, wrote that it was “more than a history of a time, a place, a movement, and a people. It is instead a sensitive and centered examination. … (Ziff’s) portraits of people who influenced the asylum are wonderfully rendered … alive and moving.”

Ohio University Libraries has a digital archive drawn from its Athens Mental Health Center Collection, which you can visit at ohiohistory.org/Asylum.

The 1900: Voices of the Athens Asylum is an hourlong documentary that “tells the story of how patients landed at the psychiatric hospital in Athens, now known as The Ridges, and how a group of people helped identify those patients buried under numbered graves.” Watch the documentary, produced by WOUB public television, at ohiohistory.org/Asylum2.

COWS TO QUILTS One of the first historic preservation success stories involving the former Athens Mental Health Center was the adaptive use of its 1914 dairy barn.

Built at a cost of $10,000 as a center for cows, it’s been a center for arts since 1979. Open to visitors as the Dairy Barn Arts Center, it offers a menu of changing exhibits, notably its signature biennial show of contemporary quilts, Quilt National. See the cows and learn more about the Dairy Barn Arts Center at dairybarn.org/about/history.

Left: Dairy Barn Arts Center ED! AT ENGLISH WIKIPEDIA | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

34 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

WATCH Scan the QR code to watch behindthe-scenes interviews and more about the story of the Athens Lunatic Asylum in the newest episode of Echoes Extras.

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and educated “Trained minds ever have, and ever will take precedence over ignorance and limited knowledge, in all the affairs of life, and it is a mistaken notion that a narrow and technical education is all that is required of the industrial pursuits of men.

”

— JOSEPH SULLIVANT The staff of the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station in 1895. Director Charles Thorne, front row center, led the way for an agricultural extension that provided farmers with educational opportunities to learn about new techniques. He was also known for his pioneering agricultural experiments.

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“ In Order to Promote the Liberal & Practical Education of the Industrial Classes” THE OHIO AGRICULTURAL & MECHANICAL COLLEGE AT 150

BY K.M. STAMMEN

A

s with most things iconic and enduring, the founding of The Ohio State University wasn’t without its share of controversy, strife, brilliance and fortuitous circumstance when the Ohio Agricultural & Mechanical College was brought into being in 1870.

Ohio A&M was born of the Morrill Act of 1862, which was championed by none other than President Abraham Lincoln in an attempt to make higher education accessible to all.

A deep dive into the university’s robust archives tells the story of the birth of the college, which struck an initially uneasy balance between a specific agricultural and mechanical curriculum and a more liberal arts approach to education.

From the direction of the trustees tasked with establishing the college, to the faculty hired to do the job of educating students, one different decision could have made a lasting impact on the institution as it’s known today.

CULTIVATING A COLLEGE

This photograph of an 1888 chemistry class illustrates The Ohio State University's long history as a coeducational institution. That year, the student body consisted of 133 men and 20 women.

Ohio’s original land-grant institution began humbly from the fertile ground of the Neil Farm in what was at the time far north Columbus, at the intersection of Olentangy and Worthington roads (now High Street).

The location was chosen after Franklin County beat out Montgomery, Champaign and Clark counties for the distinction.

Through an endowment, the Morrill Act set aside federal land in an amount proportional to the state’s population to any state wishing to participate within its legal parameters. In recent years, Ohio State, along with other land-grant institutions throughout the country, have acknowledged the federal land ceded to establish their very existence was appropriated from Indigenous people by the federal government (see sidebar).

In 1878, The Ohio State University's students selected scarlet and gray as the school’s colors.

These swatches are the original ribbons that the students used to decide the colors.

According to the legislation, the sale of the land would fund an endowment dedicated to any college, “where the leading object shall be, without excluding scientific and other classical studies and including military

Photos courtesy of Ohio History Connections Archival Collections

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tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts … in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions of life.”

State officials washed their hands of funding the future college outside of gifting the land through the endowment, leaving trustees of the school to establish the character of the college and to find a way to establish enrollment. Deciding on the curriculum was key, but the new direction wasn’t without its detractors.

FOUNDERS

Expanding the curriculum beyond what an endowment could sustain had doomed other colleges, according to Ohio State archives. In 1871, the board authorized teaching in 10 disciplines—agriculture and mechanic arts—as well as those in the related fields of math, physics, chemistry, geology, zoology and botany.

English language and literature, modern and ancient languages, and political economy and polity were included as areas of study after being championed by prominent Columbus resident and Secretary of the Board of Trustees Joseph Sullivant, who’d been instrumental in ensuring that Ohio State was located within Franklin County.

“Trained and educated minds ever have, and ever will, take precedence over ignorance and limited knowledge, in all the affairs of life, and it is a mistaken notion that a narrow and technical education is all that is required of the industrial pursuits of men,” Sullivant said.

Agriculturalists in the state at the time wanted the school to focus on its primary mission of agricultural and mechanical education. Professor Norton Townshend even went so far as to create a short-lived, short-term ag program that was taught only in the winter months.

Because of his knowledge and support of agriculture, Townshend was appointed the first professor of agriculture. Edward Orton, though the third choice of the board of trustees, became the school’s first president as well as geology chair.

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MODEST BEGINNINGS

The Ohio Agricultural & Mechanical College opened in 1873 with 24 students, including two women.

The college was formally dedicated in the Senate chamber of the Ohio Statehouse on Jan. 8, 1874.

Addressing a crowd that included skeptics of public education for farm and factory children, Orton emphasized the new college’s “industrial” and “practical” mandate.

He closed his remarks with a resounding defense of liberal education of the kind “that imbues the mind with a generous sympathy for every department of knowledge … rather than that which transforms its possessors into narrow and conceited specialists, mutually ignorant and intolerant of each other’s and of all others’ work and claims.”

Thus began the journey to The Ohio State University, which assumed its current name when the state officially renamed the college in 1878.

K.M. Stammen is a freelance writer living in Columbus.

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Vermont Public Television produced the hourlong documentary, Justin Morrill: Land for Learning, which chronicles Morrill’s “epic fight for the future of America … How the land-grants reached out to people from all walks of life, and how they helped us win World War II and continue to make America a success.” Watch the program at ohiohistory.org/ Morrill1.

The Ohio State University website Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective features the article “Democratizing American Higher Education: The Legacy of the Morrill Land Grant Act” by David J. Staley, director of Ohio State’s Goldberg Center and an associate professor in the Department of History.

Read it at ohiohistory.org/Morrill2.

The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center has a concise history of Ohio State and the Morrill Act, crediting Rutherford B. Hayes for his critical role in founding the university, which named Hayes Hall after the president and “not Woody.” Read it at ohiohistory.org/Morrill3.

OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS

OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS

Left: View of the grounds of The Ohio State University between Dr. Townshend’s and the Olentangy River, Columbus, about 1880. Cows are seen grazing. Founded in 1870 as a land-grant university under the name the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, Ohio State still has a strong tradition of agricultural research. Right: The Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College chicken hatchery about 1940.

SIDEBAR

The Land-Grant Truth The Ohio State University podcast Land-Grab Universities: Owning the Truth in August 2021 lauded the intent and purpose behind land-grant universities while also acknowledging that those universities were established on land that was taken from hundreds of Indigenous tribes throughout the country, including Ohio.

Steve Gavazzi, an Ohio State education and human ecology professor, had just published a second book about land-grant universities—Fulfilling the 21st Century Land-Grant Mission: Essays in Honor of the Ohio State University's Sesquicentennial Commemoration—when it came to his attention exactly how those land-grant universities got the land they grew up on.

“Even though I had written one book and edited another book on land-grant universities, I obviously did not understand that the land that was given to land-grant universities came directly from tribal nations across the country,” he said during the podcast.

“In fact, for Ohio State, it was a total of 108 different tribes and bands across the continental United States whose land had been taken and sold, and then given to the State of Ohio to found what then became The Ohio State University.”

In 2018, Ohio State’s Office of Student Life prepared a land acknowledgment written by Melissa Beard Jacob of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. It was updated and edited in 2022 by Madison Eagle of the Cherokee and Shawnee Tribes. The statement has yet to be approved by the university administration or the Board of Trustees. But Gavazzi says an acknowledgment specific to Ohio State has been written and says in part:

“We will recognize the Tribes who were forcibly removed from their historic homes in service to the founding of the state of Ohio. Here, we will acknowledge that territories taken from Tribes such as the Delaware, Miami, Ojibwe, Peoria, Potawatomi, Seneca, Shawnee and Wyandotte were used to build Ohio State’s six campuses.”

And, “We will recognize the Tribes whose land was taken–often through brute force or lopsided treaties– and then sold to raise monies that contributed to the establishment of Ohio State University.” Reconciling the negative beginnings with the positive impacts of landgrant universities is the subject of the podcast, in which Gavazzi notes that both can coexist with an intentional eye toward ongoing dialogue and education.

“I think that people can be what I call ‘land-grant fierce.’

And that simply means that you’re very proud of the fact that we exist at a university that I think oftentimes holds itself up to a higher level of regard in terms of purpose, perhaps over prestige, and yet, at the same time, recognizes the truth of the land-grants’ founding,” he says. “The land-grant universities in general and Ohio State University in particular have done tremendous things. And at the same time, there was a tremendous transfer of wealth that went from these tribal nations to The Ohio State University that must be recognized.”

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Listen to Stephen Gavazzi’s podcast, Grappling with the Land Grant Truth at ohiohistory.org/Land.

Read an Ohio-specific land acknowledgment recommended by Gavazzi at ohiohistory.org/Land2.

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40 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

NAVSOURCE ONLINE: CRUISER PHOTO ARCHIVE

Clarence Williams commanded the USS Albany from March 31, 1910, to November 29, 1911.

This photograph was taken at the time he took command of the cruiser.

“ Victory Smiles on Those Who Anticipate” THE STORY OF OHIO’S CLARENCE WILLIAMS, TEAPOT DOME AND THE PLAN THAT DEFEATED JAPAN IN WORLD WAR II

BY TOM STAFFORD

I

n the early 1920s—as the Jazz Age was beginning to help Americans forget the horror of the war that was to have ended all wars—Ohio-born Admiral Clarence S. Williams was given charge of a necessarily hush-hush endeavor.

Anticipating another conflagration, he envisioned and led a team that developed “War Plan Orange,” the deft island-hopping strategy by which the United States would defeat Imperial Japan in the war that would come.

All photographs of Admiral Clarence Williams’s uniform were taken by James DeCamp for the Ohio History Connection.

The Archives of the Clark County Historical Society, Springfield, Ohio

But even the man his peers called “The Oracle” for his foresight was blindsided by a scandal that scuttled his war readiness plans for a decade and arguably remained the biggest political scandal in American history until Richard M. Nixon resigned his presidency.

THE ‘PARSON’

Born in Springfield, Ohio, a month before Abraham Lincoln’s address at Gettysburg, Williams was reintroduced to history in the 1991 book War Plan Orange, which won historian Edward S. Miller a fistful of national military history prizes.

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42 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

Educated in Springfield and Marysville, Williams graduated in the top 10% of the Naval Academy’s Class of 1884. While classmates called Williams “Parson” for his sober demeanor, Miller wrote, they were drawn to the man whose eye “had a twinkle when he spun a sailors’ yarn.”

His intellect qualified him to teach mathematics and mechanics at the academy, and his leadership qualities put him at the helm of the torpedo boat USS Gwin in the 1898 economic blockade of Cuba during the Spanish American War. In World War I, he rose to the rank of rear admiral while winning the Navy Distinguished Service Award. Three years later—and 37 years after graduating from the academy—he was tapped to be the first director of the Navy’s Office of War Plans.

“By the time Williams left the Navy’s War Plans Division in 1922 for a three-year stint as president of the Naval War College, he and his supporters had bequeathed to the nation a sound war plan for advancing at least halfway across the Pacific,” according to Miller.

After the Japanese surrender, Admiral Chester Nimitz, who oversaw fighting in the Pacific Theatre, confirmed the plan’s foresight: “The war unfolded just as predicted in naval war games.”

“He had the right temperament,” Miller wrote— “analytical, mature in judgment, unswayed by eloquence, yet a good listener who demanded facts and asked penetrating questions.”

But not all Williams’s plans were realized.

But his task was not a popular one in a world sickened by the brutality of modern warfare.

Even the U.S. Department of State kept “a wary distance from (even) the idea of war planning.”

Even before the war that failed to end all wars, navies of the world knew that the fuel of the future was oil, which generates nearly twice as much engine-driving energy per pound as coal.

This might have left Williams fearful about support for his work product had he not found the essential strategy of War Plan Orange to be a virtual no-brainer. Assuming Japan would raise a massive standing army, Williams and his planners concluded the United States could win only “by waging a maritime war” that would minimize Japan’s strength. Because “only small garrisons could be sustained on small islands,” Miller wrote, superior sea power would determine the outcomes.

The plan was to push the Japanese back island by island and, along the way, cut off their shipping lanes, ultimately laying siege to mainland Japan and reducing its industries to rubble by massive bombing strikes.

The plan anticipated a single great naval encounter that would determine control of the sea, one that took place just where Williams had expected—the island on which he had conducted a hydrological survey in 1900: Midway.

OIL, WATER & POLITICS

But because World War I delayed the conversion of coal to oil and left participating nations crippled by debt, none of the great powers was in the financial shape to make the change.

Facing its own $25 billion debt, the United States convened negotiations that would head off a costly arms race through the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. The agreement sought to retain the balance of power by creating a formula that limited the number of the largest fighting ships countries could have by a ratio.

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Within the limitations imposed by the treaty, Williams and the Warren G. Harding administration pushed a threepronged plan to support War Plan Orange. They would: 1.

Further the advantage of the United States as the world’s only oil exporter by developing domestic fields under the control of the Department of the Interior.

2.

Build oil storage tanks on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and at Pearl Harbor so that the Navy would have access to wartime fuel.

3.

Subsidize construction of privately owned merchant marine ships, knowing the ships would be reassigned to the Navy and that producing them would modernize the shipyards.

Manley R. Irwin, author of Silent Strategists, says Williams’s membership on the committee promoting maritime fleet subsidy was tailored to War Plan Orange.

Logistics ships of merchant marine caliber would be vital to the trans-oceanic war. In fact, they constituted 71% of the Navy’s fleet, which amounted to a floating Pacific base toward the war’s end.

A professor emeritus of the University of New Hampshire’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, Irwin further argues that the ship subsidy program envisioned the template for how military and industrial sectors would work together during the war— through private management of government contracts.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

The three-pronged plan was scuttled by a corruption scandal involving oil leases that turned into a field day for crony capitalism. At the center of it was Williams’s fellow Buckeye President Harding and Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall.

The dam broke when a Senate committee heard that Fall had accepted a $100,000 loan from Pan-American Oil Co., a mistake that distinguished him as the first cabinet member ever sent to prison (for one year).

A disgraced Harding died in office.

As the editors at History.com put it: “The scandal involved ornery oil tycoons, poker-playing politicians, illegal liquor sales, a murder-suicide, a womanizing president and a bagful of bribery cash delivered on the sly.”

The controversy went by the name of the geological shape of the federal oil reserve in Wyoming: Teapot Dome.

A FITTING EPITAPH

Although admittedly in the minority, Irwin contends that despite being stained by corruption, Harding and Navy Secretary Edwin Denby have been deprived the proper credit for envisioning the military-industrial coordination that would win World War II. Much more on-target is his epitaph for Williams, which was the title of Irwin’s December 2021 Zoom presentation to the Heritage Center of Clark County in Williams’s hometown: “Victory smiles on those who anticipate”—opens a sentence from Italian general Giulio Douhet’s book, The Command of the Air, published the year Williams entered the Office of War Plans.

44 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

The full sentence provides a more detailed tribute: “Victory smiles upon those who anticipate the change in the character of war, not upon those who wait to adapt themselves after the changes occur.”

Tom Stafford spent 35 years as a reporter at the Springfield News-Sun, 20 of those writing more than 1,000 local history stories for weekly publication. In retirement, he continues to write a Sunday column for the paper and does freelance reporting for WYSO in Yellow Springs.

Tom Stafford recommends: War Plan Orange: The U.S. Strategy to Defeat Japan, 1897-1945 by Edward S. Miller; Silent Strategists: Harding, Denby, and the U.S. Navy’s Trans-Pacific Offensive, World War II

by Manley R. Irwin; and the Zoom presentation 80 Years Later—America’s Entry into WWII: Springfield & Clark County Connections, an in-depth look at Clarence Williams and War Plan Orange by Manley R. Irwin, professor emeritus, University of New Hampshire, and retired military test pilot Paul Metz.

View the video at ohiohistory.org/Navy3.

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The NavSource Naval History website has a profile of Williams’s first command, the USS Gwin, named after William Gwin, who commanded the Mississippi Squadron for the Union during the Civil War. Read more about the Gwin at ohiohistory.org/Navy.

U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman has been an industry standard for more than three decades. Reissued in 2021 by the Naval Institute Press, the book outlines the entire development of U.S. battleships starting in 1886, with the Maine and the Texas, and includes a detailed description of the battleship Rhode Island, Williams’s command from 1912 to 1915.

Williams was the president of the Naval War College from late November 1922 to early September 1925.

Read his address to the 1923 graduates of the Naval War College at ohiohistory.org/Navy2.

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I Wish I’d Been There WHEN BEN SNOWDEN WENT TO VOTE IN 1870 BY RIC SHEFFIELD Given the current state of American politics, it’s a wonder anyone can place much faith in the democratic process and invest themselves in the promise that it holds. As another presidential election rolls around, citizens, regardless of political persuasion, are quick to express their skepticism about whether their participation matters.

Yet, I can’t help but think about how much it mattered to a young Ben Snowden, a Black man who went to the polls in rural Knox County, Ohio, in May 1870, only two weeks after ratification of the 15th Amendment, which purported to guarantee him and other Black men the right to vote.

During the Reconstruction Era following the end of the Civil War, the so-called Great Migration saw tens of thousands of Black persons, both formerly enslaved and free, moving north away from the states where slavery had been legal into places like Ohio.

THE PROMISE OF OHIO The promise of Ohio, symbolized by the mighty river that seemed to offer, at least topographically, protection against the cruelty of slavery, was that African Americans

taking up residence in the state might be afforded all the rights and protections of American citizenship.

At least, that’s what they thought when those Reconstruction amendments were ratified and declared to be the law of the land.

Like many of their brown-skinned neighbors, Benjamin Snowden’s family subscribed to that belief, and his parents were not that long removed from the harsh realities of living in Maryland.

African Americans in rural Ohio were made conspicuous by their scarcity, standing out whenever they moved about town. In contrast to the greater freedoms and visibility of their urban brethren in the state’s largest cities, the common strategy of these smalltown Black folks was to “go along to get along,” which rang true in most aspects of their lives.

Actions that challenged the status quo were not taken lightly or without substantial risk to their well-being in their predominantly white communities. Things could get particularly perilous when they involved challenging the power structures and norms of their adopted region.

The Snowden House in Clinton, Knox County, Ohio.

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A LONE BLACK MAN AT THE POLLS Only 24 years old when he arrived to vote at the one-room schoolhouse, an easy walk from his home in Morris Township, Ben Snowden was nervous. He knew that he would be the only Black man trying to vote in his township, given that he was the

only one of voting age who lived within that part of Knox County other than his newcomer neighbor who was once enslaved and didn’t relish the idea of standing out that way.

It was not a defect in his ballot that saw Snowden’s attempt to vote for the first time in his life coldly rejected. It was made clear to him that the color of his skin would keep him and his kind from exercising the right to vote, even up here in Ohio. In fact, the only other time that a Black man had tried to vote in Knox County was two years earlier after ratification of the 14th Amendment, which purported to guarantee all men equality under the law.

When Alexander Turner attempted to exercise the franchise in 1868, he, too, was denied because of his race. He even attempted to enforce his rights in court, but his legal action was summarily dismissed.

LEGAL ACTION Despite hope to the contrary, Snowden went to the polls fully expecting to be turned away even though he was well-known. Yet, he had the courage to go and suffer the indignity nonetheless.

Within two weeks, with the assistance and at the prompting of the local Republican Party officials, he filed a lawsuit against the election judges who denied him the right to vote.

Being there to witness it when he tried to vote may have been heartbreaking, but I wish I had been there when he brought his legal action to claim his right of

Left: Ben Snowden (1840–1920), whose father was the first African American in Knox County, Ohio. This photograph was taken around 1915. Right: Lew and Ben Snowden playing banjo and fiddle from the second-story gable of the Snowden House in Clinton, Knox County, Ohio. This photograph was probably taken in the 1890s. Together with other family members—their sisters Sophia, Phebe, Martha, Elsie and Annie—the brothers performed popular songs for audiences throughout rural central Ohio between 1850 and 1900. According to local legend, Daniel D. Emmett learned the song Dixie from the Snowdens.

suffrage. (He certainly deserved to have at least one other brown face in the courtroom when he appeared before the judge.)

I wish I had been there to encourage him as his case moved at a glacier’s pace through the courts. I wish I had been there to console him nearly six years later when the judge ruled for the defendants and ordered Snowden to pay the costs of the proceedings.

More than anything else, I wish I had been there years later to see if he ever eventually was successful in casting his vote.

Ric Sheffield is the Peter M. Rutkoff Distinguished Teaching Professor at Kenyon College and former assistant attorney general for the State of Ohio. He is founding director and principal investigator for the Knox County Black History Archives and the author of We Got By: A Black Family’s Journey in the Heartland.

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Politics & Peril: Mount Vernon, Ohio in the Nineteenth Century

by Lorle Porter (edited by Toni Leland) is “the story of that volatile century and the people— locally well-known or those forgotten—who made it happen.”

Of the book, Muskingum College Professor Emeritus William L. Fisk wrote, “This charming study of an Ohio county seat in the 19th century might well be described as a microcosm

All images courtesy Ohio History Connection Archival Collections

of the American Experience. The author ... (gives) a clear exposition of how an Ohio town responded to the sectional controversy that led to civil war, (and) the lingering bitterness that plagued Mount Vernon in the aftermath of the war. (It is) an excellent example of how a professional historian can reclaim local history from the sentimentality of local antiquarians.”

The Snowden Multicultural Center at Kenyon College is named after the Snowden family, which was famous as a performing musical band from the 1850s through the early 1920s. Thomas and Ellen Snowden first came to Knox County in the 1820s. They were the first Black people to be married in Knox County. For more information about the center, visit ohiohistory.org/Snowden.

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Young Eyes on the Past THE QUEEN OF THE WAVES—GERTRUDE EDERLE SWIMS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL

BY AREESHA NOUMAN, AANYA LAKIREDDY, SIYA LAKIREDDY AND BROOKE GEMECHU

Several pioneers have advocated for gender equality by speaking at public conventions, but

teenager, she broke 29 world records, winning one gold medal and two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics in 1924.

Gertrude Ederle, a swimmer in the 1920s, revolutionized women’s role in athletics when she became the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926.

Later, her ambitions turned to the English Channel—to prove the enormous potential of female swimmers. However, the risks associated with this notorious swim were extreme: the waves of the English Channel could engulf any unsuspecting swimmer; the frigid temperatures brought hypothermia; and the salty water had blinded several in the attempt. Additionally, Ederle had been hard of hearing since the age of five. Swimming would worsen her condition, but her love of the water took precedence over her health concerns.

While researching the 2023 National History Day theme, Frontiers in History, Ederle’s daring feat stood out to us as an awe-worthy moment.

Though criticism and sexism stood in her way, Ederle persevered through the perilous waters of both her barrier-filled circumstances and the English Channel itself.

Battling the social stigma that women lacked the physical and mental strength to pursue such an endeavor, the skilled swimmer paved the way for female athletes to accomplish successes for years to come.

I CAN’T DO IT, YOU SAY? Ederle, persistent and stubborn, took on the challenge: “When somebody tells me I cannot do something, that’s when I do it,” she said.

AN UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO While Gertrude Ederle gained significant fame for her triumph, she remains underappreciated compared to other athletes and women’s rights activists of her time.

Though this made gathering sources slightly difficult, The Evening Star, a U.K.-based newspaper we found in the Library of Congress database, provided us with valuable information on Ederle’s achievements.

Furthermore, New York-based newspapers, such as The New York Herald and The New York Tribune, imparted thoughtful insight into Ederle’s life and legacy.

Several instances of gender stereotyping occurred throughout Ederle’s harrowing swim. In the 1920s, women were expected to wear stockings, a skirt and shoes while swimming. However, Ederle wore a light two-piece suit to aid her flexibility, a daring choice that deviated from “proper” feminine standards.

She covered herself in grease, which served as a barrier to the cold, before she entered the water, earning her the title “The Grease-Smeared Venus.” Her “scandalous” choices challenged the gender-related clothing stereotypes of her time.

Born in 1905 in Manhattan, Ederle was introduced to swimming at an early age by her father and quickly became passionate about it. As a

Additionally, her trainer, Jabez Wolffe, disqualified her from her first attempt at the channel swim due to his misogynistic views. He was unsuccessful in swimming the English

48 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

Channel himself and was angered as the 19-year-old Ederle reached toward his former goal. Despite struggling against an unsupportive, sabotaging coach, Ederle persevered.

INTO THE FRIGID WATER On Aug. 6, 1926, Ederle expanded not only the athletic but the social frontier for women when she became the first woman to swim the English Channel. Embarking at Cape Gris-Nez in France, Ederle encountered squalls along her path and was advised to abandon her efforts. She swam through storms, huge waves and others’ discouragement.

After swimming for 14 hours and 31 minutes, she arrived on the English shore at Kingsdown, Kent, breaking the previous English Channel swim record by a whopping two hours.

Her achievement of a daunting, seemingly impossible, task expanded frontiers in athletics, women’s rights and gender equality.

As we crafted our documentary and researched extensively about Ederle, we were awestruck and inspired by her impressive efforts, her confidence and her refusal to back down when presented with seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Our project provided us with thought-provoking insight into Ederle’s goals, intentions and choices, allowing us to marvel at both her competitiveness and her eventual triumph.

Gertrude Ederle’s memorable feat gave the lie to the notion that only men could, or should, be competitive swimmers. Today, the 3.24 million high school girls who participate in nearly every sport each

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

year, according to Statista.com, owe Ederle a debt of gratitude. She demonstrated that women could be outstanding athletes, inspiring more than 60,000 women in the United States to receive Red Cross swimming certificates in the 1920s.

Although Ederle’s intent to swim the English Channel was originally perceived as “unladylike,” she shattered this baseless norm through her unprecedented, daring feat. She was not only the first woman to swim the English Channel, but also a woman who had the strength to push frontiers in history to emerge victorious.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Areesha Nouman, Aanya Lakireddy, Siya Lakireddy & Brooke Gemechu are students at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights. Brooke Gemechu is a student at Hawken Upper School in Gates Mills.

They worked together on this project.

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

America’s Girl: The Incredible Story of How Swimmer Gertrude Ederle Changed the Nation

by Tim Dahlberg, Mary Ederle Ward and Brenda Greene “is an intimate look at the life and trials of Gertrude Ederle, who in 1926 not only became the first woman to swim across the English Channel, but broke the record set by men. The feat so thrilled America that it welcomed her home with a ticker tape parade that drew two million people.”

Young readers between the ages of 6 and 9 may find inspiration in Trudy’s Big Swim: How Gertrude Ederle Swam the English Channel and Took the World by Storm by Sue Macy. The book follows Ederle “in her bathing suit on the beach at Cape Gris-Nez, France” as she faces “the churning waves of the English Channel. Twenty-one miles across the perilous waterway, the English coastline beckoned.”

In 2020, the Public Broadcasting System aired a 12-minute documentary in its American Masters series titled First Woman to Swim the English Channel: Gertrude Ederle 1905–2003. Watch the short documentary at ohiohistory.org/Ederle.

Top: Gertrude Ederle being fed by Jabez Wolffe, her trainer, from the stern of the rowboat that accompanied her on her attempt to swim the English Channel.

Middle: Gertrude Ederle makes her triumphant return to New York, her hometown, after swimming the English Channel.

Bottom: Parade for Gertrude Ederle coming up Broadway in New York City, with large crowd watching. Photograph by the New York World-Telegram.

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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Reviews

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

BOOK

Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams by Adam Lazarus The Korean War. Ted didn’t want to go. John couldn’t wait to get there. But it’s there that they became lifelong friends and mutual admirers.

Ted (Williams) was a fighter pilot during World War II. “They told me when I was separated (from active service) after World War II that unless we got into another war, I wouldn’t be called back,” Williams told author Henry Berry in Hey, Mac, Where Ya Been? “And I certainly didn’t believe that what was going on in Korea would have them call back a thirty-two-year-old pilot.” When he did get that call back, the star outfielder for the Boston Red Sox complained, “I resented the way they singled me out because I was in the public eye.”

John (Glenn), on the other hand, couldn’t wait to get back into action.

After serving as a Marine pilot in World War II, he stayed in the service, assigned to be a flight instructor, recalling years later in an oral history that it was “something most active fighter pilots saw as sort of a way-station taking them out of more active or squadron-type flying for awhile.” He began writing monthly letters to the operations officer at Quantico pleading to get to Korea.

“This was my life’s work,” he said in that same oral history, “and to not go to Korea was something that I could not contemplate.”

So go both Williams and Glenn did, the former flying wingman for the latter on at least eight combat missions and forging a bond—however unlikely— that would last more than half a century, a bond explored by Adam Lazarus in Wingmen. With an emphasis on the word “unlikely.”

“But Glenn and Williams were not quite as different as they seemed,” Lazarus writes. “Sure, they had polar-opposite paths to (airfield) K-3 in February 1953: Glenn desperate to serve, Williams desperate to avoid service. They also had divergent paths away from K-3 five months later: Glenn leaving to battle head-to-head with Communist MiGs as part of the Air Force, Williams returning to the U.S. to battle American League pitchers.

“Still, both were good-hearted patriots who served their country and genuinely cared about others, be they lifelong friends or perfect strangers.”

Wingmen is filled with exciting and entertaining anecdotes from

the lives and military service of Glenn and Williams, focusing on mutual admiration that was almost immediate. “So I get into K-3,” Williams told the New York Daily News, “… and we’re having a big squadron meeting, you know. And there’s two guys standing over there, maybe 60 to 70 feet (away). And I look and say, ‘That looks like the right stuff to me.’ … One of the two men was John Glenn.”

For his part, Glenn admired his wingman’s talent in the air: “He was just great. The same skills that made him the best baseball hitter ever—the eye, the coordination, the discipline— are what he used to make himself an excellent combat pilot.”

Though Lazarus uses the word “unlikely” to describe the duo’s friendship, by the end of Wingmen he’s reconsidered: “It was only natural for the man celebrated by millions as the greatest hitter who ever lived to sense a connection to the greatest aviator who ever lived and the standard bearer for space exploration. And vice-versa.”

—Bill Eichenberger, Echoes Magazine

Left: Spring 1953: Williams and Glenn on the K-3 runway.

COURTESY SKIP ROTHROCK

THE MARVIN KONER ARCHIVE

Right: Spring 1953: Glenn and Williams in the Officers’ Mess.

50 Echoes | JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2024

WARREN LEMAY | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Cleveland architect and sculptor Levi T. Scofield (1842–1917) was just 25 years old when he designed the sprawling Athens Lunatic Asylum (see page 30). He went on to a career as one of Ohio’s leading Victorian-era aesthetes, responsible for landmarks such as the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield; the Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument on Cleveland’s Public Square, pictured here; the 14-story Schofield Building at Ninth and Euclid in downtown Cleveland; and the monument These Are My Jewels on the Statehouse grounds in Columbus, created for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.

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