MAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018 BEHIND THE MASK
WORKING TOGETHER
1908
1968
Black Power in Comics
New Ideas About Ancient Spheres
Making Water Safe to Drink
Serving During Vietnam: Four Ohio Veterans Share Their Stories
Page 26
Page 32
Page 36
Page 40 OHIOHIS TORY.ORG
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MAGA ZINE
Cover: Soldier Jim Lundgard displaying the Ohio flag that he requested from Gov. James A. Rhodes while serving in Vietnam in 1969. Four Ohio veterans share their Vietnam-era experiences starting on page 40. From Ohio History Connection Archival Collections.
Vol. 57, No. 5 EDITORS
Bill Eichenberger
Contents SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
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Behind the Mask: Black Power in Comics
32
Ancient Spheres, New Understanding: Collaboration Leads to New Theory
36
The Great Columbus Experiment: Making Water Safe to Drink
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Serving During Vietnam: Four Ohio Veterans Share Their Stories
Tom Wolf CONTRIBUTORS
Ben Barnes Donna M . DeBlasio Dan Eaton Brad Lepper
I N E AC H I S S U E
David A . Simmons Shannon Thomas ADVISORY BOARD
Susannah Cleveland B owlin g G re e n St ate Unive r sit y
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
2 4 4 6 13 14 19 46 48 50
Contents Letter From Our Editors What’s Your Story? In the News Historic Sites & Museums At the Ohio History Center & Ohio Village Featured Events & Exhibits I Wish I’d Been There Young Eyes on the Past Reviews
Historian an d Auth or
Daniel Rivers T he O hio St ate Unive r sit y
Erin Wingfield O hio Histor y Conne c tion
Echoes Magazine (ISSN 0012-933X) is published bimonthly and distributed by the Ohio History Connection as a benefit of Ohio History Connection membership. Editorial Offices: Ohio History Connection, Ohio History Center, 800 E. 17th Ave., Columbus, OH 43211-2474 Phone 844.836.0012 • Email echoes@ohiohistory.org Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Echoes Magazine, Ohio History Connection, Ohio History Center, 800 E. 17th Ave., Columbus, OH 43211-2474 Entire contents © 2018 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. 2 Echoes | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
The Ohio History Connection is a
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Behind the Mask BLACK POWER IN COMICS
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An exhibit at the Ohio History Connection’s National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center in Wilberforce, Ohio, traces the history of blacks in comic strips and books from racist caricatures common during Jim Crow through the 20th century, when African American artists, writers and inkers reclaimed their stories.
Ancient Spheres, New Understanding COLLABORATION LEADS TO NEW THEORY Ben Barnes, second chief of the Shawnee Tribe, and Ohio History Connection archaeologist Brad Lepper have been working together on a new theory about five stone spheres found decades ago in Ross County’s Seip Mound and the purpose they may have served.
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The Great Columbus Experiment MAKING WATER SAFE TO DRINK When Ohio senator Marcus Hanna of Cleveland died after drinking tainted water in Columbus in 1904, the capital city mobilized to systematically build new infrastructure that would ensure clean water for generations.
Serving During Vietnam
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FOUR OHIO VETERANS SHARE THEIR STORIES On the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Tet Offensive, the largest single North Vietnamese campaign of the Vietnam War, four Ohio veterans share their experiences serving in the military during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
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LET TER FROM OUR EDITORS Working on each issue of Echoes Magazine is challenging and exhilarating, painstaking and rewarding. Here are two examples of what we mean: F
In a phone interview, former Ohio governor Richard Celeste said the words every interviewer longs to hear: “I don’t think I’ve ever told this story before.” Related in the July & August 2018 issue of Echoes Magazine, it was about a clandestine effort by prominent Ohio politicians to draft Ted Kennedy for the 1968 Democratic nomination for president. The revelation changed the thrust of our story. A recounting of the chaos inside and outside the Chicago convention hall became a piece about intrigue and backroom machinations. Celeste told us that he and several others spent the first night of the convention making handmade “Draft Ted” signs, sneaking them into the convention hall despite Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s iron-fisted support of Hubert Humphrey. Now that we knew the story we wanted to share, we began searching digital archives of the Library of Congress, Associated Press, Getty Images and Chicago History Museum. There were scores of pictures of the clashes between police and protesters outside the convention, and more from inside the hall. Sifting through so many photos (hundreds, even thousands) can be numbing. The inclination is to say, “I’ve seen 500. What good will it do to see 500 more?” That’s almost always a mistake.
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,
“Who’s the most underappreciated figure in Ohio history and why should he or she be better-known” Here are some of your responses:
F
Library of Congress
We looked through Associated Press contact sheets, and dozens and dozens of generic photographs, repetitive and not very exciting. Then we found a thumbnail photo that, even so small, suggested a different perspective. We enlarged it and saw to our delight that it was a long shot across the hall to a distant corner where a few dozen delegates proudly held aloft “Draft Ted” and “Kennedy for President” signs, handmade the night before by Celeste and his crew. We ran the photo across a little more than an entire page. In the current issue, a similar scene played out. We were looking in the Ohio History Connection archives at large collections of photos that may or may not have included ones we could use to tell the remarkable story of the Great Columbus Experiment (see page 36), which ultimately delivered clean drinking water to central Ohio, the nation and the globe. Clean drinking water was a crucial issue at the turn of the last century. In Columbus, more than 150 people a year died from water-borne diseases. But the catalyst for Columbus to finally do something about it came when Ohio senator Marcus Hanna visited the city for the inauguration of the state’s new governor in 1904. He contracted typhoid and died several days later in Washington, DC. We searched a half dozen boxes of photos and found images of the new water treatment plant, pumping station and Griggs Dam. It was a satisfying haul. But there were still four folders in the last box we hadn’t yet perused. It was late in the day. What else of use could we find? We persisted, and in the last folder we found a photo of the Chittenden Hotel in downtown Columbus, the very place where Hanna was said to have sipped tainted water out of a pitcher drawn directly from the Scioto River. Jackpot! We would not describe any of our tasks as drudgery. It’s all fun to varying degrees, though never more than when that last stone is turned, revealing a shiny gem that we can share with you. Thanks for reading,
Art Tatum
ART TATUM & THE OUTSIDERS How about a couple of popular-culture figures? Toledo’s Art Tatum (1909–1956) is one of the greatest jazz pianists ever, yet I’m not sure he gets the attention he deserves. And what about the one-hit wonders from Cleveland, the Outsiders, whose debut single, Time Won’t Let Me, went to number five in 1966. They never came close to the top 10 again.
–Chester Pach, Ohio University
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Hicksville Historical Society
Your Story? Daeida H. W. Beveridge
DAEIDA H. W. BEVERIDGE I want to nominate Daeida Hartell Wilcox Beveridge (1862–1914). She’s well-known in California, but not Ohio, although Hicksville has an Ohio Historical Marker honoring her. Daeida was born in Hicksville in 1862. Her father was born in Rootstown. She and her first husband, Harvey Wilcox, were successful in real estate, and moved to California in 1881. In 1887, as equal partners, they registered their large tract of land as Hollywood. Streets there are named after family and friends, many also from Ohio. After Harvey’s death, Daeida and her second husband, Philo Beveridge, continued to have a significant impact on their community. Daeida raised funds and donated land for the first schools, churches, a post office, police and fire stations, and a library. She influenced physicians, artists and other professionals to move to Hollywood. Daeida’s family is in the Hollywood Forever Cathedral Mausoleum, close to Rudolph Valentino.
–Ann Otto (Daeida’s second cousin three times removed), Akron
OHIO FIGURES
through the House. He carried on his humanitarian theme as governor of the Montana Territory in advocating for education, including of immigrant Chinese, who were much persecuted at the time in the West. His advocacy cost him his political career and a potential fortune. He and his great-grandson Thomas Ludlow Ashley, who also served in Congress, are in Toledo’s historic Woodlawn Cemetery.
–David Keck, Howard JOHN BINGHAM I’ll be an advocate for John Bingham (1815–1900) of Cadiz, who wrote the substance of the 14th Amendment—the part about equal protection. At my July 2, 2015, wedding to Jeff Gatwood, one of our guests, as part of the ceremony, read Section 1 of the amendment. (We also had a passage from St. Mark quoting Jesus’s summary of the law.) By the way, Bingham made an important mark in other ways during reconstruction and was a prosecutor during the trial of the Lincoln conspirators.Hats off to Congressman Bingham.
I offer James Mitchell Ashley (1824–96) as Ohio’s most underappreciated figure. Ashley served five terms as U.S. representative from Ohio’s 5th and 10th Congressional Districts, representing Toledo part of that time, and during the entire Civil War. He was an advocate for abolition of slavery during most of his adulthood. He sponsored a bill to abolish slavery in Washington, DC, and was responsible for writing and shepherding the 13th Amendment
Betsy Mix Cowles (1810–1876) was a feminist, abolitionist and educator from Austinburg in Ashtabula County. She was a founder of the Ashtabula County Female Antislavery Society, an early graduate of Oberlin College, president of the first Women’s Rights Convention in Ohio in 1850 and had a long career as a teacher, including a stint as superintendent of the Painesville schools. Michael McGovern (1848–1933) from Youngstown was known as the “Puddler Poet” (“puddler” is an occupation in ironworking). A skilled ironworker in the local mills, he published a book of poetry called Labor Lyrics and Other Poems. Harriet Taylor Upton (1853–1945) of Warren was a leader in the women’s suffrage movement.
–Donna DeBlasio, Youngstown State University
–Steven George, Ohio History Connection Editor’s note: The July–September 2014 issue of Timeline (Volume 31/ Number 3) featured the story “John Bingham and the Lincoln Trial.” It’s available at bit.ly/2Ol3FqG. The Fall 2018 issue of Ohio History will feature a story about Bingham’s role in Japan during the late 19th century.
NICHOLAS LONGWORTH JAMES MITCHELL ASHLEY
BETSY MIX COWLES, MICHAEL MCGOVERN & HARRIET TAYLOR UPTON
I’d put forth the name of Nicholas Longworth (1869–1931), Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and son-in-law to Theodore Roosevelt. He was from Cincinnati and lived an amazing life. His role in the Conservative vs. Progressive divide of the Republican Party in 1912 is very interesting. He was forced to take sides between his hometown mentor, President Taft, and his domineering father-in-law and his Bull Moose Party.
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 November & December: Which local department store in Ohio is in your holiday memories, and what do you remember about it during the holiday season?
Email your story responses (50 to 150 words) by Sept. 12 to echoes@ohiohistory.org or, if you follow us on Facebook, send us a Facebook message.
–Alex Hastie, Columbus
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In the News State Tax Credit MORE HISTORIC BUILDINGS TO BE REHABBED
The Ohio Development Services Agency recently awarded $30,228,955 in Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits to rehab 31 historic buildings. Collectively, the projects are expected to leverage about $348 million in private investment in communities where the buildings are located—Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Cuyahoga Falls, Hamilton, Lakewood, Lorain, Mansfield, Sandusky, Somerset and Tiffin. PRESERVES HISTORIC PLACES
The buildings awarded Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits date from the 1850s to 1950s. All are either listed in the National Register of Historic Places or are locally designated landmarks. The projects range in cost from $298,000 to $111 million. A $298,000 project will rehab Lakewood’s Detroit Clarence Medical Center, a 1959 office building in the mid-century International Style, as Lakewood Historical Society’s new headquarters and museum. At the other end of the scale, a $111 million rehab of the 1930 Terminal Tower in downtown Cleveland will convert part of the 52-story landmark into residential units, office space and a restaurant. HELPS AT TRACT REINVESTMENT
The Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit assists private developers in rehabbing historic buildings in downtowns and neighborhoods. Many of the buildings receiving the Ohio
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Historic Preservation Tax Credit are vacant and generate little economic activity. Once rehabbed, they’re expected to drive further investment and interest in adjacent properties. Sixty-seven communities across the state have benefited from Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits since the program began in 2007. The Ohio Development Services Agency administers the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program in partnership with the Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office. The State Historic Preservation Office determines whether a building qualifies as historic and reviews plans for the rehabs to see that they comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, a set of guidelines used nationwide to encourage work that’s sympathetic to the character of historic buildings. The Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office also administers a similar federal tax credit for income-producing properties listed in the National Register. Used in tandem, the state and federal programs offer a combined 45% tax credit that helps make preserving and rehabbing income-producing historic properties attractive to investors. LEARN MORE
Curious about other projects awarded state tax credits? Visit development. ohio.gov to see a full list and learn more. Click on “News,” and choose “News Releases,” then click on “2018”
Using the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit, private investors will rehab Cleveland’s 1906–1937 J. Spang Baking Co. Building. State Historic Preservation Office
and “28 Historic Rehabilitation Projects Receive State Support.” Learn more about state and federal tax incentives for historic preservation at ohiohistory.org/shpo. Learn about the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation at nps.gov/tps/standards.htm
Top Ohio History Day Students Compete at National History Day Fifty-nine Ohio History Day students took part in the National History Day competition June 11–14 in College Park, MD, along with 3,000 students from around the world. All of the students competing qualified for the national contest by earning first, second or third place at their affiliate contests. The Ohio delegation represented all corners of our state, with students from Dresden, Gahanna, Northfield and Toledo among those recognized at the national level. Students Sylvie Devore and Haley Rutan won second place in the Junior Division for their group website, The Indian Removal Act: Conflict, Compromise and Displacement of the Five Civilized Tribes. Sylvie and Haley attend Dresden Elementary School, and their teacher is Molly Orr.
Middle School (Exploration & Discovery Award) and Cecile Schrediah of Sylvania Northview High School (Outstanding in State, Senior Division). For a complete list of the Ohio delegation’s rankings, visit ohiohistory.org/nationalhistoryday. The Ohio History Connection coordinates Ohio History Day, with support from local hosts and CollegeAdvantage, Ohio’s 529 Savings Program.
INSPIRED TO KEEP LEARNING MORE
Student Samantha Molino placed fourth in the Junior Paper category and was named Outstanding in State for her paper, The Assumption Bill: A Compromise at the Dinner Table. When asked why she thought she was so successful, Samantha said, “I was really interested in my topic this year, and it made me want to keep learning more.” She is a student at Gahanna Middle School South, and her teacher is Cale Garber. Also finishing in the top 10 was Stella Naymik for her Junior Individual Performance, The Clash Between the Ku Klux Klan and the Knights of the Flaming Circle in Niles, Ohio. Stella played multiple characters in her unique look at one town’s battle with the KKK. She is a student at St. Barnabas School in Northfield and her teacher is Judith Darus. OTHER OHIO HONORS
Other students who received recognition for their work include Grant Bruner of Sycamore High School (Native American History Award), Vaishnavi Nayak of Mayfield
Ohio History Day is an affiliate program of National History Day, a nationally recognized academic contest that encourages independent learning and increased research and writing abilities, historical-thinking skills and college readiness for students in grades 4–12. Each year, nearly 11,000 students across Ohio create historical research projects based on an annual theme and a topic of their choosing and compete for an opportunity to attend the national contest in College Park, MD. For more information, contact State Coordinator Shoshanna Gross at sgross@ohiohistory.org.
Members Approve Amendment Furthering Native American Representation Ohio History Connection members voted in June to approve a proposed amendment to the Ohio History Connection’s constitution that will allow representatives of federally recognized American Indian Tribal Nations that hold shared interests, histories or ancestral ties to Ohio, though live outside Ohio, to serve on the Ohio History Connection Board of Trustees.
live in Ohio. Due to the history of treaty-making and the American Indian Removal Act of 1830, which brought about the termination of tribal land holdings in Ohio and called for forcible removal of all tribes and tribal citizens, it’s rare that a tribal representative would live within Ohio. However, approximately 44 federally recognized tribes have ancient and continuing connections to the lands that became Ohio. The Ohio History Connection has an established history of representatives of federally recognized Tribal Nations serving on the board. Ohioan Joseph Leonard of the Miami Tribe was elected to the board in 2004 and served two terms, through June 2010. In 2010, another Ohioan, George Ironstrack of the Miami Tribe, was elected to the board and is currently serving a three-year term through June 2019. The newly approved amendment will widen the possible pool of candidates from federally recognized tribes that have connections to Ohio. “By creating more opportunity for federally recognized tribal representatives to serve as trustees, we seek to bridge the geographic divide and create space for American Indian Tribal Nations to voice their perspectives and desires,” says Ohio History Connection Executive Director and CEO Burt Logan. LEARN MORE
Learn more about our work with federally recognized Tribal Nations at ohiohistory.org/americanindians. Learn how work with tribal representatives is shedding new light on ancient Ohio in the story Ancient Spheres, New Understanding: Collaboration Leads to New Theory on page 32.
Before this change, the constitution had required that all board members
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Disc herit build acro their spec Discover Ohio’s amazing heritage as historic buildings and landmarks across our state open their doors to you for special tours and events.
Members Elect Three Trustees Ohio History Connection members have elected one new trustee and reelected two more, all for three-year terms.
Explore fascinating places that reflect Ohio’s rich heritage—some open especially for Ohio Open Doors events or offering behind-the-scenes looks that aren’t ordinarily available.
ALEX HASTIE of Grandview Heights
practices business law and criminal defense in Columbus. As host and producer of Ohio v. the World, an Ohio history podcast, he interviews authors, historians and professors, bringing to light interesting people and stories of the Buckeye State. He serves on the Echoes Magazine advisory board and as an Ohio History Day judge. SUHAS KAKDE of Dayton, elected to a second three-year term, is founder and CEO of US Aeroteam, a Dayton manufacturer of ground support equipment and aircraft engine parts for the aviation and national defense industry. He also founded Infoglobe, an international software service company. His interests include education, history and preservation, particularly that of American Indian heritage. He is treasurer of the Ohio History Connection’s board of trustees. ROBERT W. LUCAS of Pemberville, elected to a third three-year term, is immediate past president of the Ohio History Connection’s board of trustees. Retired as president of the United Way of Greater Toledo, he is former president and CEO of DeNovo Inc. From 1971 to 1999, he was a senior executive with Huntington National Bank, serving as president and CEO of Huntington Mortgage Co. and the Huntington Leasing Co. in Columbus as well as president of Huntington National Bank of Northwest Ohio. Lucas served in the U.S. Army Special Forces Airborne (Reserve) for 29 years and retired with the rank of command sergeant major. A past member and chair of the Ohio History Connection Foundation board, he is also a former treasurer of the Ohio History Connection’s board of trustees.
Trustees recently elected the following officers for 2018–2019: Thomas V. Chema of Westlake, President; James F. Dicke II of New Bremen, Vice President; James A. Wilson of Bexley, Vice President; Richard F. Hillis of Powell, Secretary; Suhas Kakde of Dayton, Treasurer; and Robert W. Lucas of Pemberville, Immediate Past President.
8 Echoes | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
Explo that r herita espe Door behin aren’
All O are fr one-
SEPTEMBER 7–16, 2018
You’re Invited SEPTEMBER 7–16, 2018
All Ohio Open Doors events are free, and most are special one-day-only opportunities.
Learn more at ohiohistory.org/opendoors Ohio Open Doors is sponsored by the Ohio History Connection and more than 100 partnering organizations who are hosting events in communities across the Buckeye State.
Landmarks Open Their Doors Sept. 7–16 Learn more at ohiohistory.org/opendoors
Discover Ohio’s amazing heritage as historic buildings and landmarks across our state open their doors to you for special tours and events during Ohio Open Doors, Fri., Sept. 7, through Sun., Sept. 16. E X P LO R E T R E A S U R E D P L AC E S
From a 214-year-old log house in Hamilton to Canton’s imposing McKinley Memorial, you can explore fascinating places that reflect Ohio’s rich heritage— some opening especially for Ohio Open Doors events or offering behind-thescenes looks that aren’t ordinarily available. All Ohio Open Doors events are free, and most are special one-day-only opportunities. The Ohio History Connection created Ohio Open Doors in 2016 to promote and inspire pride in Ohio’s heritage and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act. Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on Oct. 15, 1966, the Act has proven instrumental in transforming the face of communities from coast to coast, establishing the legal framework and incentives to preserve historic buildings, landscapes and archaeological sites. It drives economic revitalization by attracting investment, supporting small business, stabilizing neighborhoods and creating jobs. “Ohio Open Doors shares stories of important landmarks right in our backyard, highlighting the history and unique nature of some of Ohio’s most treasured historic places,” says Burt Logan, executive director and CEO of the Ohio History Connection. M A N Y I N N AT I O N A L R EG I S T E R
The Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office administers the National Historic Preservation Act in Ohio. Many of the landmarks featured in Ohio Open Doors events are in the National Register of Historic Places, which the National Historic Preservation Act created. Ohio Open Doors is sponsored by the Ohio History Connection and by more than 100 partnering organizations that are hosting events in communities across the Buckeye State. P L A N YO U R V I S I T
Find a full calendar with dates and times of Ohio Open Doors events and learn more about Ohio Open Doors at ohiohistory.org/opendoors. Learn more about the Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office at ohiohistory.org/shpo.
Ohio O the Oh than 1 are ho across
Cleveland Grays Armory Museum
Some of Ohio’s most treasured historic places.
Granville’s Robbins Hunter Museum in the 1842 Avery-Downer House
Robbins Hunter Museum
1893 Cleveland Grays Armory
Port Clinton Lighthouse Conservancy
Bethany Presbyterian Church
William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum
1896 Port Clinton Lighthouse
Historic Hamilton / Butler County Historical Society
Dr. Increase Matthews House, Putnam Historic District, Zanesville
Pioneer & Historical Society of Muskingum County
Bethany Presbyterian Church, Columbus
1844 First Church in Oberlin United Church of Christ
First Church in Oberlin United Church of Christ
1804 Log Cabin, Hamilton
McKinley Memorial, Canton OHIOHIS TORY.ORG
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Happy 100th, W.P. Snyder Jr.! Moored at the Ohio History Connection’s Ohio River Museum in Marietta, the W.P. Snyder Jr. is a National Historic Landmark and the last remaining steam-powered, stern-wheeled, pool-type towboat in existence. This year, it’s turning 100 years old.
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A B OAT M A D E FO R WO R K The Snyder didn’t carry passengers. Instead, it pushed coal and steel barges up and down the Monongahela, Ohio and Mississippi rivers from when it was launched in 1918 to 1955, when owner Crucible Steel Co. donated it to the State of Ohio. The Snyder carried a small crew of about 20 people including a captain, pilot, mate, engineer and assistant engineers, deckhands, maids and a cook—all in service to the powerful coal and steel industries. In Ohio in 1872, mines produced more than five million tons of coal and that total increased to 10 million tons by 1886. Coal was extremely heavy, which made transporting it by land expensive and time-consuming. The inland waterways of America, and towboats like the Snyder, became the cheapest way to move coal from mines to the mills.
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A P I ECE O F H I S TO RY S AV E D The Snyder was built by Rees of Pittsburgh, PA, as the Carnegie Steel Co. towboat W.H. Clingerman in 1918. In 1938, it was renamed J.L. Perry and, in 1945, A-1. In August 1945, it was sold to Crucible Steel Co. of Pittsburgh and was renamed W.P. Snyder Jr. in September. Crucible retired the Snyder in 1954. As was the fate of its kind, it probably would have been scrapped. However, in 1955, W.P. Snyder Jr. and the Crucible Co. donated the boat to the Ohio History Connection. The W.P. Snyder Jr. arrived in Marietta on Sept. 16, 1955.
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N AU T I C A L N A M E S
The Snyder is the last intact steam-powered, “pool-type,” stern-wheeled towboat in the United States. What does this mean? • A towboat is a boat designed to push barges, flat-bottomed boats for carrying freight, typically on canals and rivers. • A steamboat is propelled primarily by steam power and typically driven by propellers or paddlewheels. • A stern-wheeled boat has one large paddlewheel located at the back of the boat. • A pool-type boat is a towboat with the pilothouse built on the forward end of the cabin rather than on top of the roof; so called because this type was developed to bring coal out of the Monongahela River pools where low bridges dictated low superstructures.
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A B OA R D A B E AU T I FU L LY R E S TO R E D B OAT
We have much to celebrate with this centennial thanks to years of repair and preservation work to return the beloved boat to pristine condition. After the fragile condition of the Snyder was identified and assessed in 2006, the towboat underwent a multi-phase restoration that included ensuring its structural integrity and making significant exterior and interior repairs— from replacing the paddlewheel to repairing the electrical system to painting and restoring the crew quarters. The Snyder was restored with funding support from the State of Ohio; the National Park Service through the Save America’s Treasures program and the National Maritime Heritage program; the National Trust for Historic Preservation; and private donors, including the Snyder family, the Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen, members of the Marietta community and many others.
From Ohio History Connection Archival Collections
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A NEW EXHIBIT
The Friends of the Museums and the Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen have developed a special exhibit for the 100th anniversary. From the Banks of the Allegheny to the Banks of the Muskingum: A 100-year Legacy of the Steamer W.P. Snyder Jr. tells the fascinating stories of the Snyder through historic photos and nautical artifacts. See it at Marietta’s Ohio River Museum.
F CE L E B R AT E
THE SNYDER
On Sat., Sept. 15, from 11:15 a.m. to 2 p.m., join us in commemorating the 100th birthday of the Snyder with an old-fashioned community picnic. Celebrate as we re-christen the boat, hear the calliopes play and bells ring throughout all of Marietta, and grab a celebratory cupcake to mark this momentous occasion. This free event is perfect for the whole family—just bring your own picnic blanket.
F E XP LO R E
T H E O H I O R I V E R M U S EU M
You can explore the W.P. Snyder Jr. at the Ohio History Connection’s Ohio River Museum at 601 Front St. in Marietta. The museum features exhibits recounting the history of the Ohio River and the many different types of boats that have been transporting people and cargo for hundreds of years. Experience the history of the Ohio River and its importance in the expansion of our country, the Golden Age of luxury travel on steamboats and the natural history of inland rivers. For more about the Snyder and the museum, call 800.860.0145 or visit mariettamuseums.org. Through Labor Day, the museum is open Monday and Wednesday–Saturday 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday Noon–5 p.m. After Labor Day, the museum is open weekends through October, Saturday 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday Noon–5 p.m. Museum admission is $7; $4/student; Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. The Ohio River Museum closes from November through March.
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OHIO VILLAGE PRESENTS OHIO VILLAGE PRESENTS
Premium Members Enjoy New Benefits We are delighted to announce two new benefits for Premium-level members. FREE ADMISSION TO 900+ MUSEUMS NATIONWIDE
Oct. Oct. 13 13 & & 20 20
5:30–9:30 p.m. 5:30–9:30 p.m. MEMBER SALES NOW OPEN MEMBER sales SALES NOW OPEN Nonmember open Tues., Sept. 4 Nonmember sales open Tues., Sept. 4 800.686.1541 800.686.1541 ohiohistory.org/hallows ohiohistory.org/hallows
Dine at the American House Hotel Dine at the American House Hotel and enjoy complimentary admission and enjoy admission to ourcomplimentary 19th-century holiday to our 19th-century holiday celebration throughout Ohio Village. celebration throughout Ohio Village. Advance reservations required. Advance reservations required. DICKENS DINNER DICKENS Sat., Dec.DINNER 8 & 15 Dec. 8 & 15p.m. First Sat., seating 5–6:30 First seating 5–6:30 Second seating 7–8:30p.m. p.m. Second seating p.m. Nonmember: $65 7–8:30 | Member: $55 Nonmember: $65 | Member: $55 CHRISTMAS BUFFET CHRISTMAS Sun., Dec. 9BUFFET & 16 Sun., 11 Dec. 9 & 16 p.m. First seating a.m.–12:30 First seating 11 2 a.m.–12:30 Second seating p.m.–3:30p.m. p.m. Second seating 2 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Nonmember: Nonmember: $45; $30/Ages 6–12; $8/Ages 3–5 $45; $30/Ages 6–12; $8/Ages 3–5 Member: Member: $35; $20/Ages 6–12; $8/Ages 3–5 $35; $20/Ages 6–12; $8/Ages 3–5 MEMBER PRE-SALES OPEN MEMBER PRE-SALES MON., SEPT. 17OPEN MON., Nonmember salesSEPT. open 17 Mon., Oct. 1 Nonmember sales open Mon., Oct. 1 800.686.1541 800.686.1541 ohiohistory.org/dickens ohiohistory.org/dickens
12 Echoes | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
Ohio History Connection Premium members now enjoy free admission for up to two adults and their children under 18 at more than 900 museums nationwide that belong to NARM, the North American Reciprocal Museum Association. How will you use this new benefit? You must show proof of your eligibility by presenting your current Premium membership card with a gold sticker on it. This gold sticker is required—NARM museums will need to see it on your Ohio History Connection membership card in order to grant you free admission. All Premium members who’ve joined or renewed since May 1 have received new cards with the sticker already attached. Existing Premium members should have received stickers in the mail in June. If you’re a Premium member and haven’t received your stickers, please contact the membership office at 800.686.1545 or membership@ohiohistory.org. Check out the list of participating museums at ohiohistory.org/ join under “Reciprocal Benefits” to learn more about this benefit as well as two other reciprocal benefits that are available to all members. We recommend calling ahead to verify participation before you visit one of the museums on any list. FREE ADMISSION TO POPULAR SIGNATURE EVENTS
In addition to free admission to NARM network museums, our Premium level members will also enjoy a newly expanded Signature Event benefit. Beginning with All Hallows’ Eve this fall, you’ll receive free admission for all guests covered by your membership at all three of our popular Signature Events at the Ohio History Center & Ohio Village: All Hallows’ Eve, Dickens of a Christmas and Night at the Museum. And, you no longer need a voucher to use this benefit—it’s automatically applied when you purchase your tickets online or in person! (Night at the Museum tickets must be reserved in advance and this event typically sells out.) Not a Premium member, but want to take advantage of these great new benefits? Contact our membership office at membership@ohiohistory.org or 800.686.1545 to upgrade your membership today!
O HI O HIS TO RY CO NNEC T I O N
Historic Sites & Museums NORTHWEST OHIO 1. Armstrong Air & Space Museum 2. Cedar Bog Nature Preserve 3. Cooke-Dorn House 4. Fallen Timbers Battlefield Memorial Park 5. Fort Amanda Memorial Park 6. Fort Jefferson Memorial Park 7. Fort Meigs 8. Fort Recovery Museum & Monument 9. Glacial Grooves Geological Preserve 10. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums 11. Indian Mill 12. Inscription Rock Petroglyphs 13. Johnston Farm & Indian Agency 14. Lockington Locks
NORTHEAST OHIO 15. Custer Monument 16. Fort Laurens 17. McCook House 18. Museum of Ceramics 19. Quaker Yearly Meeting House 20. Schoenbrunn Village 21. Shaker Historical Museum 22. Tallmadge Church 23. Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor 24. Zoar Village
SOUTHWEST OHIO 33. Adena Mansion & Gardens 34. Davis Memorial Nature Preserve 35. Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve 36. Fort Hill Earthworks & Nature Preserve
CENTRAL OHIO
SOUTHEAST OHIO
37. Harriet Beecher Stowe House 38. John Rankin House 39. Miamisburg Mound
47. Big Bottom Memorial Park 48. Buckeye Furnace
26. Hanby House
40. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center
27. Logan Elm
41. Paul Laurence Dunbar House
50. Campus Martius Museum
28. Newark Earthworks
42. Serpent Mound
51. John & Annie Glenn Museum
29. Ohio History Center & Ohio Village
43. Story Mound
52. Leo Petroglyphs & Nature Preserve
30. Shrum Mound
44. U.S. Grant Birthplace
53. National Road & Zane Grey Museum
31. Wahkeena Nature Preserve
45. U.S. Grant Boyhood Home & Schoolhouse
54. Ohio River Museum
32. Warren G. Harding Home & Memorial
46. William Henry Harrison Tomb
55. Our House Tavern
25. Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries & Nature Preserve
49. Buffington Island Battlefield Memorial Park
Ohio History Connection members enjoy free regular admission to these museums and attractions. Find locations, hours and more at ohiohistory.org/places.
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STAFF PICK
P R O G R A M S & E X H I B I T S AT T H E
Ohio History Center & Ohio Village
Enjoy the following programs free with museum admission.* Questions? Call 800.686.6124.
ECHOES IN TIME THEATRE
The Woman Behind the Brothers: Katharine Wright’s Story SAT., SEPT. 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 F 1 & 3 P.M. Katharine Wright (1874–1929), the effervescent younger sister of Orville and Wilbur Wright, played a prominent role in cementing her family’s legacy. The only one of the five Wright children who went to college, she graduated from Oberlin and helped her brothers in their experiments with flight. Step back in time as Joby Easley portrays Katharine Wright in this one-woman performance. About 30–45 minutes.
Ohio’s Ancient Past SUN., SEPT. 9 F 1–1:30 P.M. SUN., SEPT. 23 F NOON–12:30 P.M. See remarkable American Indian artifacts discovered in Ohio on a tour of the exhibit Following in Ancient Footsteps. Learn about the first Ohioans, marvel at their artistry and learn how ongoing partnerships with present-day tribes are enriching our knowledge of Ohio’s ancient peoples. OPEN CASES
Sampler Case & Sewing Tools SAT., SEPT. 15 F 11 A.M.–2 P.M. Stop by Gallery Two for special access to our embroidery sampler case. We’ll open cases and take out 19th-century needlework and sewing tools to give you special insight into the lives of Victorian young women. OPEN CASES
What’s Up on the Second Floor?
Kitchen Goods
SAT., SEPT. 8 F NOON–12:30 P.M. Join a staff guide to learn about the cars, planes and transportation-related artifacts on the museum’s plaza level.
SUN., SEPT. 16 F 11 A.M.–2 P.M. Gallery One is full of fantastic old kitchen goods! Stop by—we’ll be on hand to pull some from the display and let you get an up-close look.
Nellie Taft: An Unconventional First Lady
Ohio Through Time
SAT., SEPT. 8 F 2–2:30 P.M. Best known as the wife of President William Howard Taft, Cincinnati native Nellie Taft (1861–1943) accomplished much in her own right. Learn about our 27th first lady in this staff-led talk.
SAT., SEPT. 22 F 12:30–1 P.M. From fossils dating back millions of years, to a steel house of the 1950s, there are plenty of interesting stories in Ohio’s history! Enjoy this guided tour and learn more.
Dangerous Collections
STAFF PICK
SUN., SEPT. 9 F 11–11:30 A.M. From arsenic to asbestos, collecting history can be dangerous. Explore the museum with a guide and see all the hazardous substances on display. Leave your gas mask at home—everything’s safely behind glass! 14 Echoes | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
Labor Buttons SAT., SEPT. 22 F 2–2:30 P.M. Learn about Ohio’s long history of labor union activism and see buttons worn by leading labor organizers.
Pottery & Glass SUN., SEPT. 23 F 1–1:30 P.M. See wonderful, interesting and quirky glass and ceramics on display in Gallery Two. We’ll be on hand to take some pieces out of the cases for you and share the stories behind them. STAFF PICK
Mae Takasugi’s Parasol SAT., SEPT. 29 F NOON–12:30 P.M. During World War II, thousands of Japanese American citizens were relocated to government-run internment camps. Mae and Kingo Takasugi of Alliance, Ohio, were among those forced to leave their homes. Learn about the Japanese American internment and see the parasol Mae Takasugi owned before she left Ohio.
Ohio’s World Heritage SAT., SEPT. 29 F 2–2:30 P.M. Some of Ohio’s most awe-inspiring ancient American Indian earthworks are candidates for the World Heritage List. Meet Jen Aultman, World Heritage project coordinator, and learn about our effort to have Ohio’s Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks join the ranks of the Taj Mahal and Great Wall of China on the World Heritage List.
Ancient Fossils Tour SUN., SEPT. 30 F NOON–12:30 P.M. See and get hands-on with fossils of animals and plants that lived in ancient Ohio.
Ohio Art Company Toys SUN., SEPT. 30 F 1–1:30 P.M. Take a trip down memory lane! See and learn about toys of the 1940s–1960s made in Bryan, Ohio.
Archaeology Day SAT., OCT. 6 F 10 A.M.–5 P.M. Ohio’s home to some of North America’s most important archaeological sites, from American Indian earthworks to the depths of Lake Erie, where scores of shipwrecks lie. Join us for this special day exploring archaeology in Ohio, and bring along your archaeological artifacts for free identification. See artifacts spanning more than 10,000 years, make replicas of American Indian
*Museum admission is $12; $10/age 60+; $6/age 4–12; Free/Ohio History Connection member or age 3 & under.
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HOMETOWN HISTORIES
Zanesville
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SUN., OCT. 21 F NOON–12:30 PM Love local history? Learn about some historical hot spots in Zanesville from our staff and share your favorite east-central Ohio history hideaways.
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WORKSHOP
NAGPRA Essentials
Archaeology Day
What’s Up on the Second Floor?
OCT. 6
SEPT. 8
pottery, watch skilled artisans at work and learn how ancient Ohioans made stone tools. Try your hand at atlatl spear throwing. Meet archaeologists, learn about recent research in Ohio and tour the exhibit Following in Ancient Footsteps. Learn more at ohiohistory. org/archaeologyday. ECHOES IN TIME THEATRE
Dead & Almost Buried SAT., OCT. 13, 20 & 27 F 1 & 3 P.M. For centuries, when a person died, how to deal with the remains was a personal and sometimes cultural decision. From the very traditional to the more creative, the approach to death and burial varies widely from culture to culture. In this one-person performance, listen as our keeper of unusual burial practices shares some of the interesting ways of entering the great beyond. About 30–45 minutes.
Weird History Tour SUN., OCT. 7 F NOON–12:30 P.M. See some of the weirder things on exhibit and learn why we collect things whose value may not be apparent until you know the stories behind them.
Judith Resnik & the Challenger Space Shuttle SUN., OCT. 7 F 1–1:30 P.M. Learn about Akron native Judith Resnik, second woman in space and one of many astronauts who’ve hailed from Ohio. Hear how she came to be part of the space shuttle Challenger team and explore the 1986 Challenger tragedy.
Flags of War SUN., OCT. 14 F NOON–12:30 P.M. Flags have long held symbolic importance in war. See flags from the Civil War and the World War I era in this guided tour.
Life of a Civil War Soldier SUN., OCT. 14 F 1–1:30 P.M. Ever wonder what it was like to be an average Civil War soldier? Join us to explore a soldier’s wartime experience, including camp life, weaponry and medical treatments. You’ll get handson with real and replica objects in this interactive program.
Ohio Criminals SAT., OCT. 20 F NOON–12:30 P.M. Ohio is home to some of history’s most wicked villains. Join us to learn about some of our state’s infamous criminals and their crimes, including Anna Marie Hahn, Jeffrey Dahmer and more. This talk contains graphic content and is not suitable for children under age 18. STAFF PICK
Kenner Products SAT., OCT. 20 F 2–2:30 P.M. Could you imagine Star Wars without the toys? Learn how Cincinnati toy company Kenner Products got the first rights to make Star Wars toys and hear about some of the quirky toys they produced.
FRI., OCT. 26 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. Attend a National Preservation Institute training seminar on essentials of complying with NAGPRA, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Review the compliance process for American Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, federal agencies and museums. Explore how consultation can inform inventories, summaries and cultural affiliation, and the resulting notices, repatriations and dispositions. For more information visit npi.org/seminars. Questions? Contact the National Preservation Institute at 703.765.0100 or info@npi.org.
Music for the Monsters SAT., OCT. 27 F NOON–12:30 P.M. Born in Cleveland, composer, conductor and arranger Enrico Nicola “Henry” Mancini contributed music to some of the most memorable Universal Pictures monster movies ever made, including It Came From Outer Space (1953) and Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954). Join us to learn about his time spent creating music for the monsters, then stick around for a special screening of Creature From the Black Lagoon at 12:30 p.m.
Creature From the Black Lagoon SAT., OCT. 27 F 12:30–1:30 P.M. It’s a spooky double feature! Join us at Noon to learn about Cleveland-born Henry Mancini, who composed music for Creature From the Black Lagoon, then stick around for a special screening of this 1954 cult classic at 12:30 p.m. EXHIBIT TOUR
Black Heritage Through Visual Rhythms SUN., OCT. 28 F 1–1:30 P.M. Enjoy a guided tour of this new visual arts exhibit. See page 16.
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FIRST FRIDAY FILM SERIES
The Wizard of Oz FRI., NOV. 2 F 5–9 P.M., MOVIE AT 7 P.M. Join us for an evening of family fun at a nice price. Starting at 5 p.m., museum admission is just $8, $4/ages 6–12, Free/ Ohio History Connection member or ages 3 & under. Explore the exhibits, enjoy special First Friday activities and catch a family-friendly movie starting at 7 p.m. Our movie seating capacity is 300. Movie tickets will be provided at check-in, firstcome, first-served, with snacks and beer, wine and soft drinks available for purchase.
Preiss Odom, history curator, to explore the immediate and lasting impacts of World War I on Ohioans.
Ohio’s Role in World War I: People, Places, Numbers, Units & Memorials SUN., NOV. 11 F 2–2:30 P.M. Hear a talk on Ohio’s role in World War I and get an overview of the numbers, units, people, places and memorials that resulted from Ohio’s involvement in that conflict.
Presidential History Tour
MORE UPCOMING EVENTS • • •
SAT., NOV. 3 F NOON–12:30 P.M. On this guided tour, explore Ohio’s presidential heritage through related objects on display in the museum.
HISTORY AFTER HOURS
ECHOES IN TIME THEATRE
Cincinnati’s Train to Nowhere SAT., NOV. 3, 10, 17 & 24 F 1 & 3 P.M. In 1916, with the automobile still in its infancy, Cincinnati conceived plans to build a subway. With 2.2 miles of tunnels completed, the project ceased in 1928. The city’s subway tunnels now sit abandoned. Join a citizen of the Queen City as he talks about the unfinished work in this one-person live performance. About 30–45 minutes.
Lost Columbus Malls SAT., NOV. 3 F 2–2:30 P.M. From Northland to City Center, the history of Columbus is littered with dead malls. In this talk, learn more about the heyday and downfall of some of the city’s lost shopping centers. Bring your memories to share!
Return to Normalcy: The Impact & Legacy of World War I SAT., NOV. 10 F 2–2:30 P.M. In 1920, presidential candidate Warren G. Harding promised a “return to normalcy”—a return to life as it was before the First World War. But the war drew women into the workforce, saw African American soldiers serving side-by-side with French infantry, and degraded Germans and other immigrant groups. Could these significant changes in American society be undone? Join Becky
16 Echoes | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
Monsters, Mysteries & Mayhem SAT., SEPT. 8 F 7–10 P.M. History is riddled with tales of monsters, mysteries and mayhem, and the Buckeye State has no shortage of them. Hear Ohio tales of true crime, discover stories that defy explanation and learn more about otherworldly happenings during this age 21-and-over evening at the Ohio History Center. Enjoy snacks and a cash bar featuring Ohio drinks as we guide you into the dark side of history. $25, $20/Ohio History Connection member. Advance registration required. 800.686.1541 or reservations@ohiohistory.org GENEALOGY WORKSHOP
FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •
1950s: Building the American Dream Get a look at life in the 1950s. Peek in the closets and 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 See equipment, weapons, uniforms and memorabilia commemorating the centennial of the United States entering World War I. RELATED PROGRAMS: Return to Normalcy: The Impact and Legacy of World War I, Sat., Nov. 10, 2–2:30 p.m.; Ohio’s Role in World War I: People, Places, Numbers, Units & Memorials, Sun., Nov. 11, 2–2:30 p.m. HURRY! ENDS SUN., SEPT. 2.
Poindexter Village: A Portrait in Stories Explore the story of African American migration to Ohio through objects, artwork and memories created and shared by members of Poindexter Village, the community on Columbus’s near east side. NEW!
Black Heritage Through Visual Rhythms
The Great Migration: The African American Journey Into Columbus
ON EXHIBIT OCT. 13, 2018–MON., JAN. 21, 2019 F WEDS.–SUN. 10 A.M.–5 P.M. F
SAT., OCT. 27 F 10:30 A.M.–12:30 P.M. Lack of opportunities in the South led many African American families to settle in Northern cities across the country, including Columbus, during the 20thcentury Great Migration. Join Gayle Dowdell Wilson of the African American Interest Group for a closer look at the Great Migration in Ohio, examining why millions chose to leave the South while others remained. Discover the struggles and triumphs of new arrivals settling in Ohio’s capital city. $20, $15/Ohio History Connection member. Advance registration recommended. 800.686.1541 or ohiohistory.org/genealogy
LIVE MUSIC, POETRY AND ART ACTIVITY TABLES 11:30 A.M.–3:30 P.M. SAT., OCT. 13 See winning entries in this fifth annual juried exhibit of paintings, quilts, sculptures and prints by contemporary visual artists from across Ohio and the nation, sponsored by the Ohio History Connection, National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, King Arts Complex and the African American Visual Artists Guild. Save the date for an Ohio History Connection member preview Sat., Oct. 13. Watch your mail or email for details. RELATED PROGRAMS: Exhibit Tour, Black Heritage Through Visual Rhythms, Sun., Oct. 28, 1–1:30 p.m. The exhibit Black Heritage Through Visual Rhythms is funded in part by a grant from the Greater Columbus Arts Council.
*Museum admission is $12; $10/age 60+; $6/age 4–12; Free/Ohio History Connection member or age 3 & under.
BECOMING AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY SERIES
All Hallows’ Eve sOCT. 13 & 20
Ohio Cup Vintage Base Ball Festival
PLEASURES OF THE CUP
SAT., SEPT. 1 & SUN., SEPT. 2 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. See more than 20 teams from across the nation compete by 19th-century rules for vintage base ball’s Ohio Cup. Enjoy special activities for kids, including old-time games and sports, and try your hand at 1860s base ball with our Ohio Village Muffins.
SAT., OCT. 6 F 7–9:30 P.M. Make your way around Ohio Village, our recreated 19th-century community, while sampling spooky concoctions and listening to eerie tales from the Buckeye State. But be careful: you never know what may lurk in the shadows! $40, $35/Ohio History Connection member. Advance registration required.You must be 21 or over. 800.686.1541 or ohiohistory.org/cup
Country Living Fair—Fall FRI.–SUN., SEPT. 14–16 F 10 A.M.–5 P.M. See the pages of Country Living magazine come to life! Meet the editors of Country Living and enjoy great shopping, with more than 200 booths of antiques, vintage, upcycled and hand-crafted goods. Country Living’s kitchen and main stages feature cooking demos and presentations by the editors and their guests, plus book signings and crafting and how-to demonstrations throughout the fair, rain or shine, in tents and outdoors in Ohio Village. Tickets range from $13–$40. Get details at stellashows.com or call 973.808.5015. Find an Ohio History Connection member discount coupon at ohiohistory.org/clf.
Spooky Spirits
All Hallows’ Eve SAT., OCT. 13 & 20 F 5:30–9:30 P.M. Enjoy an evening of 1890s-style family fun, with a retelling of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by the bonfire, pumpkin carving, and colorful characters roaming our recreated 19th-century village. Revel in old-fashioned Halloween fun, including fortune-telling, crafts, games and more! $14, $11/ages 4–12, Free/ages 3 & under ($9/Ohio History Connection member, $6/member child). Call 800.686.1541, visit ohiohistory.org/allhallowseve or buy tickets at the gate.
1890s Haunts: The Ohio Village Funeral Parlor
SEPTEMBER–FEBRUARY Over six screenings with facilitated discussions, explore immigration and what it means to become an American. Join us for these upcoming documentaries, and visit ohiohistory.org/becomingamerican for additional dates as more films are scheduled. Questions? Call 800.686.6124.
A Century of Immigration THURS., SEPT. 13 F 7–9 P.M. Drexel Theatre, 2254 E. Main St., Columbus 4 Through the lens of two documentaries, The Jewish Americans and The Power and the People, get a historical look at immigration, including reasons for, and consequences of, the period historians call America’s “Century of Immigration,” 1820–1924. Free.
Promise & Prejudice THURS., OCT. 4 F 6–8 P.M. Ohio History Center, I-71 & 17th Ave., Columbus 4 Through the lens of the documentary Welcome to Shelbyville, explore the tension— historic and current—between Americans’ acceptance of immigrants and concern about the economic and cultural effects of newcomers. Free.
Identity & Acculturation THURS., NOV. 8 F 6–8 P.M. Global Academy, 4077 Karl Rd., Columbus 4 Through the lens of the documentary series The New Americans, examine how immigrants react and adjust to living in a new country and culture, and how they bridge the divide between the traditions and values of their native countries. Free.
SUN., OCT. 28 F NOON–12:30 P.M. Learn about 1890s funeral customs at the Ohio Village Funeral Parlor during a special off-season tour departing from the Ohio History Center.
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Ohio History Classes & Workshops Ohio Women of Scandal: Victoria Woodhull & Theda Bara SAT. SEPT. 22 F 1–2 P.M.
Ohio History Center, Columbus
Historian in Training We believe it’s never too soon to start learning the tools of the history trade. That’s why we’ve created Historian in Training, a monthly series offering kids a chance to start building historicalthinking skills through hands-on engagement and fun activities. PRE-K (AGES 3–6)
The Feel of History SAT., SEPT. 8 F 10–11 A.M. Touch is an important sense when it comes to learning about our world. Historians use touch to help them understand some kinds of artifacts. We’ll practice touching artifacts and learn what that can tell us about the past.
Archaeologist in Training SAT., OCT. 6 F 10–11 A.M. Help celebrate Archaeology Day at the museum as we dig up some history! Your little historian will use buckets and shovels to find buried objects in our simulated dig. (Parents: This gets messy. Easily washed clothes recommended.)
Weather SAT., NOV. 17 F 10–11 A.M. As seasons change, the world around us
begins to look different. Learn about fall weather and enjoy hands-on activities about seasonal change. $5/child, Free/adult. Advance registration required. You must participate with your child. (Don’t worry—we’ll give you things to do!) 800.686.1541 or ohiohistory.org/ littlehistorians ELEMENTARY (AGES 7–11)
Little Pioneers SAT., SEPT. 22 F 10–11 A.M. Life on the Ohio frontier could be hard. Experience a day in the life of an Ohio pioneer through chores, and homesteading and leisure activities.
Archaeologist in Training SAT., OCT. 6 F 10–11 A.M. Help celebrate Archaeology Day at the museum as we dig up some history. Talk to a real archaeologist and learn about some exciting artifacts.
Ohio Bugs SAT., NOV. 10 F 10–11 A.M. Learn about some of the littlest insects that inhabit Ohio today, and some not-sosmall creatures that crawled through Ohio millions of years ago. $5/program. Advance registration required. Caregivers do not stay for the program, though must remain on site. 800.686.1541 or ohiohistory.org/ littlehistorians
Ohio History Center Hours Museum
Third Floor Research Room
WEDS.–SUN. 10 A.M.–5 P.M. Ohio Village, our recreated 19th-century community, is open for the summer through Sun., Sept. 2.
WEDS.–SAT. 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
18 Echoes | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
CLOSED SUN.–TUES. The Ohio History Center will close at 4 p.m. on Saturdays Oct. 13 & 20 to prepare for All Hallows’ Eve.
& SAT., SEPT. 29 F 3–4 P.M. Ohioans Victoria Woodhull and Theda Bara both cultivated controversy, though for very different reasons. Woodhull demanded a seat at the table in the male-dominated worlds of politics and finance in the 19th century, while Bara’s onscreen silent film roles challenged women to take an active role in their own romantic lives. This two-part series discusses Woodhull on Sept. 22 and Bara on Sept. 29. Both classes: $25, $20/Ohio History Connection member. Either class: $15, $10/member. Advance registration required by Sept. 15. 800.686.1541 or ohiohistory.org/classes
Blacksmithing: Forging a Cutlery Set SAT., OCT. 6 F 10 A.M.–3 P.M. Learn basic traditional blacksmithing techniques in this session at the Ohio Village forge. Work with educator Ashe Shaw to learn how to craft a cutlery set, including a fork, spoon and knife. $80, $65/Ohio History Connection member. Includes lunch. Advance registration required by Sept. 29. 800.686.1541 or ohiohistory.org/classes
The Reign of Queen Isabella I of Castile SUN., NOV. 4, 11, 18 & 25 10 A.M.–NOON Join educator Elisa Melgarejo in this series that will examine Queen Isabella I of Spain’s marriage with King Ferdinand II of Aragon; conflicts with her niece, Joanna, which led to the War of Portugal; her profound Catholicism; the Reform; the Roman Catholic Inquisition and other aspects of her reign. $80, $65/ Ohio History Connection member. Advance registration required by Oct 28. 800.686.1541 or ohiohistory.org/classes
F E AT U R E D O H I O H I S T O R Y C O N N E C T I O N
Events & Exhibits STATEWIDE
CENTRAL OHIO
Ohio Open Doors
Fall Walk
FRI., SEPT. 7–SUN., SEPT. 16 Statewide 4 See page 8.
SUN., SEPT. 9 & 23 & OCT. 14 & 28 F 1 P.M. Wahkeena Nature Preserve, Sugar Grove, near Lancaster 4 See nature’s autumn color display on a walk through the woods. We’ll get a look at some of the last wildflowers of the season and talk about how plants and animals prepare for the winter. About 90 minutes. Ages 12 & up. Free. 800.297.1883 or wahkeenapreserve.blogspot.com
Ohio Local History Alliance Annual Meeting & Conference FRI. & SAT., OCT. 5–6 Crowne Plaza, Dublin 4 Love local history? Meet hundreds of others who do, too, at this annual gathering of Ohioans active in historical societies, museums and related organizations. Enjoy networking opportunities and more than 40 skill-building sessions. On Saturday, leave inspired by recipients of the annual Ohio Local History Alliance Awards. Learn more and register online at ohiolha.org or call 800.576.0381 or 614.297.2344 for your conference brochure.
State Historic Preservation Office Awards Luncheon SAT., NOV. 10 F NOON–2 P.M. Ohio History Center, Columbus Join our State Historic Preservation Office in honoring outstanding preservationists and preservation efforts across Ohio with the annual State Historic Preservation Office Awards. Before the luncheon, tour the Ohio History Center, a modernist landmark, with architectural historian Barbara Powers. $35. Advance registration required. 800.686.6124, 614.298.2000 or ohiohistory.org/hpawards
Lancaster Building Doctor Clinic SEMINAR: THURS., SEPT. 13 F 7–9 P.M. CONSULTATIONS BY APPOINTMENT: FRI., SEPT. 14 F 9 A.M.–3 P.M. Educational Services Building, Council Chamber, 111 S. Broad St., Lancaster Meet our old-building experts and learn how to make informed decisions about repairs and improvements to any home or building built between 1800 and 1955. Free seminar followed by free on-site consultations by appointment. Cosponsored by the Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office and Historic Lancaster Commission, City of Lancaster Certified Building Department and Destination Downtown Lancaster. Advance registration required by Sept. 6. 800.499.2470, 740.687.6614 or building-doctor.org
Octagon Earthworks Open House SUN., OCT. 7 7:30 A.M.–7 P.M. Newark Earthworks, Newark 4 Explore the ancient Octagon Earthworks during the final open house of the year, guided or self-guided. Open daylight to dusk. 740.344.0498 or ohiohistory.org/newark
Taking Tea With Harriet Tubman SAT., OCT. 13 F 10 A.M.–NOON Hanby House, Westerville 4 Hear Harriet Tubman, portrayed by Annette Jefferson, share her recollection of helping fugitives from slavery, working with John Brown, and serving as a Union nurse, scout and spy. $20, $18/Ohio History Connection member. Advance registration required by Oct. 12. 800.600.6843 or hanbyhouse.org
NORTHEAST OHIO
Civil War School Day FRI., SEPT. 14 F 9 A.M.–3 P.M. Zoar Village, Zoar 4 Meet Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Harriet Tubman. See cavalry and artillery demonstrations, and learn how folks in Zoar lived on the home front. Open to public, private and homeschool students. $5/student, Free/one adult per group, $7/ additional adult. Advance registration required by Sept. 7. 800.262.6195 or historiczoarvillage.com
Autumn Lantern Tour SAT., SEPT. 15 F 7:30–9:30 P.M. Schoenbrunn Village, New Philadelphia Join us for an after-hours walk through this 1770s Moravian mission town lit by luminaria. Explore the grounds and see the cabins bustling with 18th-century life. $7, $6/ages 60+, $5/ages 6–17, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.752.2711 or dennisondepot.org
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Tallmadge Church Open House SUN., SEPT. 30, & OCT. 28 F 2–4 P.M. Tallmadge Church, Tallmadge 4 Step inside the 1825 Tallmadge Church, a Federal-style architectural landmark and reminder of northeast Ohio’s New England heritage, and the nearby Old Town Hall and Museum (1859)—both on Tallmadge Circle and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Free. 330.633.0855 or ohiohistory.org/ tallmadge
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Fall Foliage Golf Cart Tour OCT. 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 & 14 F TOURS AT 10 A.M., NOON, 2 P.M. & 4 P.M. Zoar Village, Zoar 4 Enjoy the beauty of autumn in Zoar. Get the full Zoar experience while seeing Zoar buildings not normally included on the walking tour. $15/person. Each tour is limited to six guests. Advance registration required by Oct. 2. 800.262.6195 or historiczoarvillage.com
Algonquin Mill Fall Festival FRI., OCT. 12–SUN., OCT. 14 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. Algonquin Mill Complex, 234 Autumn Road S.W., Carrollton 4 Enjoy this festival on the grounds of a working steam-powered gristmill, featuring quality crafters in historic buildings, steam engines, an art show, kids’ activities and homemade food including sauerkraut. $8/ vehicle. Festival sponsor Carroll County Historical Society is the Ohio History Connection’s partner in managing Carrollton’s historic McCook House. 330.627.5910 or carrollcountyhistoricalsociety.com
Harvest Homeschool Day FRI., OCT. 12 F 10 A.M.–4 P.M. Zoar Village, Zoar 4 Instructors and students: Learn about life in the 1850s. Winter’s just around the corner, and folks in Zoar need your help to prepare. Explore the town, meet Zoarites demonstrating traditional skills and try your hand at canning, soap carving, tinsmithing and more. $5/student, Free/ one adult per group, $7/additional adult. Advance registration required by Oct. 5. 800.262.6195 or historiczoarvillage.com
20 Echoes | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
Power of Painting: Lilly Martin Spencer
1833 Zoar Hotel Tours
ZOAR VILLAGE, ZOAR, THROUGH OCT. 28
ZOAR VILLAGE, ZOAR, NOV. 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 & 11
From Ohio History Connection Collections
Ghost Tours of Zoar
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
FRI., OCT. 19 & SAT., OCT. 20
FRI., OCT. 26 F 7 & 9 P.M.
FRI., OCT. 26 & SAT., OCT. 27 6:30, 6:45, 7, 7:15, 7:30 & 7:45 P.M. Zoar Village, Zoar 4 Tour Zoar by lantern light as the ghosts of Zoar share their haunting tales. Advance registration required. This popular event sells out every year, so call early. $15/adult, $10/ages 10–16. 800.262.6195 or historiczoarvillage.com
SAT., OCT. 27 F 7 & 9 P.M. Schoenbrunn Village, New Philadelphia By the bonfire’s glow, see an outdoor dramatic production of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. $18/VIP, $15/adult, $12/Ohio History Connection member or ages 17 & under. Advance registration required by Oct. 25. 800.752.2711 or schoenbrunnvillage.org
Golf Cart Ghost Tours
Ghost Tours
FRI., OCT. 19 & SAT., OCT. 20
FRI., OCT. 26 & SAT., OCT. 27 F 7:30–9 P.M. Fort Laurens, near Bolivar Take a lantern-light tour of the site where Ohio’s only Revolutionary War fort once stood, and hear tales of American and British soldiers said to haunt the grounds. Tours begin at 7:30 p.m. and leave the museum every 15 minutes. $10. Advance registration required by Oct. 19. 800.262.6195 or fortlaurens.org
FRI., OCT. 26 & SAT., OCT. 27 TOURS AT 6 & 8 P.M. Zoar Village, Zoar 4 Explore the village, visit the cemetery and hear all the ghostly stories Zoar has to offer. $30/person. Each tour is limited to six guests. Advance registration required. 800.262.6195 or historiczoarvillage.com
Colonial Trade Fair SAT., OCT. 20 F 10 A.M.–5 P.M. SUN., OCT. 21 F 10 A.M.–4 P.M. Schoenbrunn Village, New Philadelphia Shop colonial-style vendors, see cabins, gardens and the original cemetery, and get a feel for what this reconstructed 18th-century mission on the Ohio frontier really looked like in 1772. $10, $8/ages 60+, $6/ages 6–17, Free/ Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.752.2711 or schoenbrunnvillage.org
1833 Zoar Hotel Tours NOV. 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 & 11 10 A.M.–4 P.M. F BY RESERVATION Zoar Village, Zoar 4 Love getting behind the scenes? Explore the Zoar Hotel, an 1833 landmark awaiting restoration, on a guided tour covering all three floors. $10. Advance registration required by Oct. 26. 800.262.6195 or historiczoarvillage.com
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“““ Spiegel Grove Squires Vintage Base Ball
Fall Celebration at the Johnston Farm
HAYES PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUMS, FREMONT, SEPT. 9
JOHNSTON FARM & INDIAN AGENCY, PIQUA, OCT. 6 Hayes Presidential Library & Museums
FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •
Power of Painting: Lilly Martin Spencer THROUGH OCT. 28 F SEPT.: WEDS.–SAT. 11 A.M.–4 P.M., SUN. NOON–4 P.M. F OCT.: SAT. 11 A.M.–4 P.M., SUN. NOON–4 P.M. Bimeler Gallery, Zoar Village, Zoar See work by Lilly Martin Spencer (1822– 1902), a pioneer for women in the arts. Born in England to French parents, she grew up near Marietta, studied drawing and painting with local artists, and became a leading artist in Cincinnati. After moving to New York City, where her career spanned more than half a century, she became nationally known for her genre paintings, illustrations and portraits. Included with Zoar Village admission: $7, $4/student, Free/ Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.860.0145 or historiczoarvillage.com
NORTHWEST OHIO NORTHWEST OHIO
Second Saturdays R 4 Kids SAT., SEPT. 8, OCT. 13, & NOV. 10 F 9 A.M.–5 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Sept. 8: Kids through age 12 can receive a prize for completing a fall scavenger hunt. Oct. 13: Call for time and
details. Nov. 10: Kids through age 12 can create holiday gifts and receive a prize for completing a holiday scavenger hunt in the museum. $13/adult, $1/ages 6–12 includes museum admission. Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org
Singing Insects SAT., SEPT. 8 F 1 P.M. Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, near Urbana Learn about singing insects with naturalist Jim Lemon at Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, a 450-acre haven for many rare plants and animals. $10, $5/Ohio History Connection member. 800.860.0147 or cedarbognp.org
Spiegel Grove Squires Vintage Base Ball SUN., SEPT. 9 F 2 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 See the Squires take on the Canton Cornshuckers in a game of base ball played by 19th-century rules. Free. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org
Fort Loramie: Its Significant History & Recent “Dig” Discoveries SUN., SEPT. 9 F 3 P.M. Fort Recovery Museum, Fort Recovery Hear American history expert and archaeology enthusiast Ken Sowards. Free. 800.283.8920 or fortrecoverymuseum.com
Johnston Farm & Indian Agency
Candle-Making Class SAT., SEPT. 22 F 10 A.M.–2 P.M. Fort Meigs, Perrysburg 4 Discover the variety of ways Americans made candles in the early 19th century and learn how to make some yourself. Tamia Land, a longtime Fort Meigs volunteer, hosts this fun, new workshop. You’ll be working over an open campfire outdoors. Please dress appropriately. Bring your lunch. $50, $45 Ohio History Connection member. Advance registration required by Sept. 14. 800.283.8916 or fortmeigs.org/candle
Presidential History Book Club WEDS., SEPT. 26, & OCT. 24 F NOON–1 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Read biographies of the presidents, bring your lunch, and enjoy lunch-hour discussions. Sept. 26 & Oct. 24: Grant by Ron Chernow. Free. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org
Fall Celebration at the Johnston Farm SAT., OCT. 6 F NOON–5 P.M. Johnston Farm & Indian Agency, Piqua Enjoy an afternoon of autumn activities on the farm. Tour the home of U.S. Indian Agent John Johnston (1775– 1861), visit the Historic Indian & Canal Museum, and explore the old Miami & Erie Canal on one of two rides aboard the canal boat General Harrison of Piqua, at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Prefer dry
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land? Take a 4 p.m. hayride. Included with Johnston Farm admission: $9, $8/ senior, $4/student, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.752.2619 or johnstonfarmohio.com
Boo in the Bog FRI., OCT. 12, & SAT., OCT. 13 7–9 P.M. Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, near Urbana 4 Join us for a non-scary night walk, with learning stations along the boardwalk. Enjoy children’s activities, face painting, storytelling and food. Advance registration required. $6/adult, $5/child, Free/ages 5 & under. Ohio History Connection members save $1. Advance registration required by Oct. 12. 800.860.0147 or cedarbognp.org
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Happy 100th, W.P. Snyder Jr.! OHIO RIVER MUSEUM, MARIETTA, SEPT. 15
Garrison Ghost Walk OCT. 19, 20, 26 & 27 F TOURS STEP OFF EVERY 15 MINS. 7–9 P.M. Fort Meigs, Perrysburg 4 Hear chilling tales on a lantern-light tour of eerie Fort Meigs. $10/ages 13+, $5 ages 6–12, Free/ages 5 & under. Advance tickets required, available online-only starting Sept. 1 at fortmeigs.org/ghostwalk. Questions? Call 800.283.8916 or visit fortmeigs.org.
Music in the Parlor SUN., OCT. 21 F 4–5 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums Enjoy a live musical performance in the parlor where President Rutherford B. Hayes and first lady Lucy Hayes entertained guests. $12. Advance registration required. 800.998.7737 or rbayes.org
Owl Prowl SAT., NOV. 10 F 7 P.M. Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, near Urbana Join us on a nighttime search for the owls of Cedar Bog, a 450-acre haven for many rare plants and animals. Not recommended for young children. Please dress for the weather. $10, $5/ Ohio History Connection member. 800.860.0147 or cedarbognp.org
22 Echoes | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •
In Search of Healing: Medical Practices of the 19th Century THROUGH SUN., OCT. 21 F MON.–SAT. 9 A.M.–5 P.M. & SUN. NOON–5 P.M. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Learn about the ineffective procedures and often-dangerous medical practices that prevailed in the 19th century, making disease the everpresent danger that loomed over every family. Included with museum admission: $13, $10/ages 13–18, $5/ages 6–12, Free/ Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org
A Family of Service: The Hayeses in World War I THROUGH MON., MAY 27, 2019 MON.–SAT. 9 A.M.–5 P.M. & SUN. NOON–5 P.M. F CLOSED MONDAYS FROM JANUARY THROUGH MARCH Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Fremont 4 Rutherford B. Hayes, who served in the Union Army during the Civil War, passed his belief in the value of service on to his children and grandchildren. When the United States entered World War I, one of
his sons and six of his grandsons answered the call. In this special exhibit, explore America’s involvement in the “Great War” through the eyes of the Hayes family. Included with Hayes Museum admission: $13, $10/ages 13–18, $5/ages 6–12, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.998.7737 or rbhayes.org
SOUTHEAST OHIO SOUTHEAST
Brunch With Mark Twain SAT., SEPT. 15 F 9–11 A.M. Valley Gem Sternwheeler, Marietta Board the sternwheeler Valley Gem for a breakfast buffet and two-hour cruise featuring live entertainment by Mark Twain. Proceeds benefit Marietta’s free Inland Waterways Festival, a venue for exploring what has inspired generations to live, work and play along our rivers and streams. $30/person. Reservations required by Sept. 7. 800.860.0145 or mariettamuseums.org
Happy 100th, W.P. Snyder Jr.! SAT., SEPT. 15 F 11:15 A.M.–2 P.M. Ohio River Museum, Marietta See page 10.
David R. Barker
Pictured: Sojourner Truth
Remember the Ladies CAMPUS MARTIUS MUSEUM, MARIETTA, OCT. 5 Library of Congress
BROWN BAGGIN’ THRU HISTORY
Remember the Ladies: The 1850 Women’s Rights Convention in Salem, Ohio FRI., OCT. 5 F NOON–1 P.M. Campus Martius Museum, Marietta From Abigail Adams to Sojourner Truth, learn about the fearless and tireless women who fought for equality through letters and speeches, and at the 1850 Women’s Rights Convention in Salem, Ohio. Guest speaker Cathy Nelson is founder and president emeritus of the Friends of Freedom Society, an Underground Railroad research organization. Free. 800.860.0145 or mariettamuseums.org
Somerset Building Doctor Clinic
Appraisal Clinic
Good Times With Fossils
SAT., NOV. 3 F 10 A.M.–2 P.M. Campus Martius Museum, Marietta Have you ever wondered whether that knickknack you’ve been dusting all these years is valuable? Is it something to pass on to your children? Should it be insured? Have your questions answered by Andrew Richmond, a professional in the field of antiques and appraisals. $5 donation per item, limited to two items. Proceeds benefit Campus Martius Museum. 800.860.0145 or mariettamuseums.org
SAT., SEPT. 8 F 10:30 A.M.–NOON Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve, near Oregonia & Lebanon What are fossils? How do they form? How old are they? Where can you find them? Learn about world-class fossil beds in the Fort Ancient and greater Cincinnati areas. See, touch and learn to describe fossils typically found in this area, and get resource materials highlighting free public collecting sites in southwest Ohio. $7, $6/ages 6–17 or 60+, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.283.8904 or fortancient.org
Fall Nature Hike SOUTHWEST OHIO
SEMINAR: THURS., OCT. 18 F 7–9 P.M.
Glaciers Were Cool in Ohio
CONSULTATIONS BY APPOINTMENT:
SAT., SEPT. 1 F 10:30 A.M.–NOON
FRI., OCT. 19 F 9 A.M.–3 P.M. Somerset Courthouse, 100 Public Square, Somerset 4 Meet our oldbuilding experts and learn how to make informed decisions about repairs and improvements to any home or building built between 1800 and 1955. Free seminar followed by free on-site consultations by appointment. Cosponsored by the Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office and the Village of Somerset. Advance registration required by Oct. 11. 800.499.2470, 614.327.3968 or building-doctor.org
Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve, near Oregonia & Lebanon Attend a program about glaciers, touching on evidence for multiple episodes of glacial activity in Ohio and climate change during Ohio’s recent geologic past. Learn about the impact of glaciers on soil formation, and how that influenced the location of earthworks like Fort Ancient, and hear a short presentation about the Burning Tree Mastodon found in Licking County, Ohio, in 1989. $7, $6/ages 6–17 or 60+, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.283.8904 or fortancient.org
SAT., SEPT 15 F 2–4 P.M. Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve, near Oregonia & Lebanon Join Dave Woehr, an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist, on a fall hike to learn about the plants, bugs, trees and wildlife around Fort Ancient. $7, $6/ages 6–17 or 60+, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.283.8904 or fortancient.org
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Fort Ancient Fall Tour FORT ANCIENT, NEAR OREGONIA & LEBANON, OCT. 13
The Harvest Gathering of the Crops
Wilderness Skills With Keith Bengtson
SAT., SEPT. 22 F NOON–4 PM Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve, near Oregonia & Lebanon Join instructor Keith Bengtson in exploring Native American cooking methods and food preservation, including hands-on experiences such as making hominy, stringing beans and grinding corn. Drop in on this activity or stay the entire time. There will be lots of firsthand outdoor activity. $7, $6/ ages 6–17 or 60+, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.283.8904 or fortancient.org
SAT., OCT. 13 F NOON–4 P.M. Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve, near Oregonia & Lebanon Explore techniques of hunting, fishing, tanning and trapping, with instructor Keith Bengtson. We’ll use bows and arrows as well as spears. Learn about setting traps, tanning hides and making jerky, among other skills of living in the natural world. This program includes firsthand experiences and activities for children, too. Dress for the weather— we’ll be outdoors. Drop in or stay the entire time. $7, $6/ages 6–17 or 60+, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.283.8904 or fortancient.org
Music at the Mound With Steve Free EPT. 23 & OCT. 21 F 1 P.M. S Serpent Mound, near Peebles 4 Join award-winning singer/songwriter and recording artist Steve Free for an openair concert at Serpent Mound. One of the most respected folk singers in the U.S., Free creates music that covers the gamut of folk, rock and country, tips a hat to his Native American roots and is as homegrown as the Appalachian hills. Free with $8/car parking at Serpent Mound. 800.752.2757 or arcofappalachia.org/steve-free
24 Echoes | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
Fort Ancient Fall Tour SAT., OCT. 13 F 2–4 P.M. Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve, near Oregonia & Lebanon Join Jack Blosser, site manager, on a two-hour hike through the grounds of Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve. Enjoy fall colors while learning about the 2,000-year history of the largest and best-preserved ancient American Indian hilltop enclosure in the United States. $7, $6/ages 6–17 or 60+, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.283.8904 or fortancient.org
Teachers Appreciation Day SAT., OCT. 20 F NOON–3 P.M. Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve, near Oregonia & Lebanon Teachers: Learn about the opportunities awaiting you and your students when you visit Fort Ancient. Join us for an orientation to Fort Ancient, its 2,000-year history, and the people who built this amazing earthwork as an astronomical observatory and ceremonial site. Volunteers will be on hand to take you through our educational program for grades 2–6 and 6–8. Bring your educator ID for free admission from Noon to 3 p.m. 800.283.8904 or fortancient.org
Semi-Colon Club: Loves of Harriet Beecher Stowe SAT., OCT. 27 F NOON–1 P.M. Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Cincinnati Join us for a discussion of the book Loves of Harriet Beecher Stowe, by Philip McFarland. Free. 800.847.6507 or stowehousecincy.org
African Americans Fighting for a Double Victory NATIONAL AFRO-AMERICAN MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER, WILBERFORCE
National Archives
FEATURED EXHIBITS • • •
“To Give It All to This Cause”: The Beecher Family & the Civil War THROUGH SUN., NOV. 18 F SUN. 2–4 P.M. Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Cincinnati Perhaps no family was more famously involved in events leading up to the Civil War than the children of Rev. Lyman Beecher. Learn how Edward Beecher, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry Ward Beecher were involved on the home front, and how James Beecher, Frederick Stowe and Frederick Beecher experienced the war firsthand. Made possible by support from Cincinnati Civil War Round Table. $4, $2/ages 6–18, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.847.6507 or stowehousecincy.org
African Americans Fighting for a Double Victory WEDS.–SAT. 9 A.M.–4 P.M. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce 4 Explore the many ways African Americans served our country during World War II, and get a look at the impact black veterans had on postwar advances in civil rights. $6, $5/senior, $3/ages 6–17, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/naamcc
Behind the Mask: Black Power in Comics THROUGH SAT., JAN. 26, 2019 WEDS.–SAT., 9 A.M.–4 P.M. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce Interest in black comic book characters is exploding, thanks to the hugely successful Marvel film Black Panther. In this new exhibit, explore the painful and triumphant history of African Americans in comic books. (See related story on page 26.) Included with museum admission: $6, $5/senior, $3/ages 6–17, Free/Ohio History Connection member or ages 5 & under. 800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/naamcc
Color Outside the Lines: Celebrating 30 Years at NAAMCC THROUGH SAT., JAN. 26, 2019 WEDS.–SAT. 9 A.M.–4 P.M. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, Wilberforce 4 Opened in 1988, the Ohio History Connection’s National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center pioneered in preserving and presenting African American history and culture. See milestones of museum history plus rare items from the collection. Included with museum admission: $6, $5/ senior, $3/ages 6–17, Free/Ohio History Connection member. 800.752.2603 or ohiohistory.org/naamcc
ON EXHIBIT
STARTING MARCH 16, 2019 OHIO HISTORY CENTER COLUMBUS
Explore the compelling human story of sports.
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The Black Panther first appeared in July 1966 in Marvel Comics Group’s Fantastic Four: No. 52. The Black Panther received his first starring role in Jungle Action No. 5 in 1973. The comic book above, Jungle Action No. 8, was released in 1974. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center
26 Echoes | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
Behind the Mask D
BLACK POWER IN COMICS
erek Pridemore grew up passionate about comic books.
“I collected them all my life,” says Pridemore, curator of the exhibit Behind the Mask: Black Power in Comics, at the Ohio History Connection’s National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center in Wilberforce through Jan. 26, 2019. “Comics are where I escaped to, I guess, when I was a kid.” Above: Black Panther production designer Hannah Beachler (right) fields a question from a young museum-goer at the opening of Behind the Mask: Black Power in Comics at the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center in Wilberforce. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center
After getting out of the Navy in 2005, Pridemore opened Another Fearless Reader, a comic book and gaming store in New Lebanon, Ohio. In 2011, he enrolled at Wright State University as a history major on the GI Bill. “I was searching for a topic for my capstone project at Wright State and my friends said, ‘You’ve been into comics your entire life. Why don’t you look at something with comics?’” He approached the museum’s assistant curator, Hadley Drodge, and the duo decided Pridemore would research black comic book characters as well as black comic book creators and artists. Jerolyn Barbee, the museum’s assistant director, says the exhibit was an easy sell.
REACHING AN UNDERSERVED AUDIENCE “We thought it would be a great opportunity to do something unique and on trend with what audiences would find interesting—comic books and superheroes,” Barbee says. “The exhibit also gives us an opportunity to talk about history in a way that children and teens can relate to, which will hopefully make them open to learning more about the achievements and contributions of African Americans.”
They were able to
Pridemore was an intern at the museum from do amazing things March through October 2017, working all the through comics. while on Behind the Mask. Heading into the project, he thought he knew comic books, and he did. But he learned things—interesting, profound, exciting things—every step of the way.
Above: African Americans are routinely featured now in comic books including the Black Panther’s sister, Shuri (top), and the Green Lantern (bottom). National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center
“What struck me the most were the challenges and hardships the African American creators and artists faced, and yet they were able to do amazing things through comics,” Pridemore says. “In the face of extreme racism, they were able to portray themselves the way they wanted to, to educate and to celebrate their culture.” All photographs by Pete Nitschke unless otherwise noted.
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1958
1964
Martin Luther King
Harlem Youth Report #5: Youth in the Ghetto and the Blueprint for Change
African Americans took advantage of the popularity of comic books to educate their readers about such subjects as civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. or the difficulties of growing up poor in Harlem.
28 Echoes | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
1975
2014
Jungle Action #19
Storm #1
Black comic book heroes often
Storm was the first black female superhero in the
fought all-too-real villains.
Marvel Comics universe. Her first appearance was in Giant-Size X-Men #1 in 1975.
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OVERCOMING RACISM
NEGRO HEROES DEBUTS
The history of comic books featuring black characters or produced by African Americans is one of prejudice eventually overcome by inspiration and determination. During Reconstruction, comic depictions of blacks were limited to grotesque caricatures in strips such as The Yellow Kid. It wasn’t until the Great Migration began in 1916 that African Americans began to publish their own newspapers and, subsequently, to create their own comic strip characters and tell their own stories.
The first comic book created by an all-black team of artists, the short-lived Negro Heroes: True Stories Told in Full Color, appeared in 1947. In the mid-1950s, Best Comics premiered the first black superhero, the Red Mask. In the first comic book featuring the Red Mask, the hero was clearly black. But in subsequent issues, his color would change from black to white from one panel to the next.
“Early in their history, comics were a tool for dehumanization, a tool of Jim Crow,” Beachler says. “And looking at the earliest comic representation of African Americans, it’s a stark reminder of where we came from and where we’re going, a reminder that we can never allow that to happen again.” In 1937, Zelda “Jackie” Ormes launched her Torchy Brown strip in the African American newspaper The Pittsburgh Courier. Brown was sassy and fearless, known for her wit and her acerbic humor. “Torchy was this amazing young black woman, a singer on her way to fame in Harlem,” Pridemore says. “And the way Ormes presented her, well, she was not subtle about it. Torchy was sarcastic to white people, totally snarky, not afraid. This was a blatantly subversive comic strip.”
30 Echoes | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
When the comic book world was ready for a fullfledged, black-all-the-time superhero a year later, in 1966, the Black Panther was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, a couple of white guys. “Marvel wasn’t at all prepared for the popularity of Black Panther,” Pridemore says. ”It exploded. And that led in turn, in the 1970s and 1980s, to African Americans telling their own stories through comic books, getting involved in writing and drawing and owning their own comic book companies.
COMICS THAT TEACH Pridemore said he became especially interested in one aspect of African American comics: their trailblazing attempts to do more than spin exhilarating yarns—to educate their audiences. “J.A. Rogers launched Your History in The Pittsburgh Courier in 1934,” Pridemore says. “Every week he’d feature an African American scientist, inventor, the first African American to the South Pole….”
Sam Milai Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
Hannah Beachler, who grew up in Centerville, Ohio, and attended Wright State University, has been a beneficiary of the work done by African American comic book writers and artists. Her career has flourished in recent years as a production designer for projects such as Creed, Moonlight, Beyonce’s Lemonade and, most recently, Black Panther. She gave a talk at the opening of Behind the Mask in May.
Western gunslinger Lobo became the first black comic book hero featured in his own series when Dell introduced him in 1965.
Hannah Beachler was the production designer on the smash hit movie Black Panther. She spoke at the opening of Behind the Mask in May. National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center
Decades later, in 1964, Custom Comics published Harlem Youth Report #5: Youth in the Ghetto, inspired by a study conducted by the civil rights group Harlem Youth Unlimited. “I just think overall African American comic strips and books had more purpose,” Pridemore says. “It wasn’t white guys fighting space aliens. The black superheroes were fighting villains and racism at the same time. And African Americans used comics to educate people.” Rosa Rojas, curator at the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, was one of several staffers who guided Pridemore through the opening of Behind the Mask. She says she was taken by a more recent comic book from 2005 featuring Black Panther’s sister, Shuri.
BUILDING ON THE WORK OF PIONEERS “Shuri is a powerful African American female who not only gets her own storyline but is featured in a relationship with another woman,” Rojas says. “So there’s a lesbian couple featured as well. That’s just very bold.”
Black superheroes
When Beachler were fighting villains walked through the exhibit for the first and racism at the time back in May, same time. she could sense the presence, as she often does, of all those who came before her.
“I’m always aware that in my career I’m standing on a lot of shoulders,” she says. “It goes back 400 years and every single shoulder is a thread in my DNA. It’s not something I take lightly. I know what it is. It’s a great responsibility.” Beachler said she draws strength from those who preceded her. “You soak it all up through your feet and that’s what props you up and keeps you going,” she says. –EM
EXPLORE MORE
All of the comic strips and books mentioned in this story are on display in the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center’s exhibit Behind the Mask: Black Power in Comics, which continues through Jan. 26, 2019. Ohio History Connection members enjoy free admission. Learn more and plan your visit at ohiohistory.org/naamcc. Fredrik Stromberg’s Black Images in the Comics spotlights more than 100 international 20th- and 21st-century comics and graphic novels featuring black characters. Each entry includes a 200-word essay and a representative illustration. The book begins with the racist and stereotypical images of the very first comic strips and works its way up through contemporary comics such as Boondocks and the South African comic strip Madam & Eve. The Encyclopedia of Black Comics, by Sheena C. Howard and Christopher Priest, with an introduction by Henry Louis Gates Jr., examines the work of black illustrators, writers, editors and “inkers” as well as black comic historians, black comic creators, archivists and academics.
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Ancient Spheres,
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Ohio History Connection archaeologists excavating Seip Mound near Bainbridge and Chillicothe in the 1920s found these ancient soapstone spheres that are now in Ohio History Connection archaeology collections.
New Understanding COLLABORATION LEADS TO NEW THEORY
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ccording to David Hurst Thomas, curator of North American archaeology for the American Museum of Natural History and one of the founding trustees of the National Museum of the American Indian, the Ohio History Connection has arguably the best collection of ancient American Indian artifacts from eastern North America.
One of the highlights of that collection is a set of five small spherical stones, each engraved with a unique and elegant abstract design. Henry Shetrone, an early curator of archaeology for the Ohio History Connection (then the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society) who later became director, thought these might be the “most interesting of all” the artifacts he and his team recovered from Seip Mound near Bainbridge, Ohio. One of the largest burial mounds ever built by American Indians of the ancient Hopewell Culture, Seip Mound is part of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks recently chosen by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a candidate for the World Heritage List. (See Echoes Magazine, July & August 2018.) The Hopewell Culture was centered in central and southern Ohio about 2,000 years ago. Some of the most spectacular and iconic artifacts of the Hopewell Culture came from Seip Mound, so Shetrone must have thought there was something special about these stone spheres. He actually thought they were marbles, in spite of the fact that there is no evidence that ancient American Indians ever played that game.
THE BEGINNINGS OF A THEORY As second chief of the Shawnee Tribe, Ben Barnes has been intimately involved in research projects at American Indian sites throughout the Ohio River Valley. “Ohio History Connection archaeologist Brad Lepper and I first began discussing these
Illustration from the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly, 1931
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From Ohio Histor y Connection Archival Collections
stone spheres in 2014, when he was in Oklahoma attending a meeting with representatives of a number of tribes hosted by the Eastern Shawnee,” Barnes says. “During a break in the meeting, we found ourselves together at an exhibit about the traditional Shawnee drum. I mentioned to him that Shawnee traditional communities use spherical black pebbles obtained from a particular source to attach the leather drumhead to the shell of their ceremonial water-drums. “We wrap the edges of a leather drumhead around each of an odd number of stones, and tie them off with cordage,” Barnes explains. “We then tie cordage around one of the leather-wrapped stones, passing the cord under the bottom of the shell, and attach it to another leather-wrapped stone on the opposite side of the drumhead, repeating the process until each leather-wrapped stone is attached to another and the drumhead is firmly fastened to the shell. “Lepper recalled the five black stone spheres from Seip Mound and asked whether Shawnee traditional communities ever engrave their drum-stones. I told him we do not, but this initial discussion led us to wonder whether these Hopewell ‘marbles’ might have been part of a previously unsuspected Hopewell drum.”
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PRESENTING CONCLUSIONS “We’ve been working on this research together for several years and we agree that the five engraved spheres from Seip Mound likely are components of a Hopewell water-drum,” Lepper says. “We presented our conclusions earlier this year in Archaeologies, the journal of the World Archaeological Congress. If we’re right, it’s the oldest direct evidence for a drum in eastern North America. No one really thinks the Hopewell didn’t have drums, it’s just that drums typically are made from perishable materials, such as the leather drumhead and the wooden shell, and so won’t have survived 2,000 years buried in the soil. That’s why it’s been hard to find convincing evidence for ancient drums. “What makes this research so important is not just that we’ve identified a possible Hopewell drum, but that archaeologists finally are listening to the descendants of the people who made and used the wonderful and sometime enigmatic artifacts of the Hopewell Culture,” Lepper says. “Whether or not the Shawnee Tribe is directly related to the people who built Seip Mound, the extent of the Hopewell Culture’s influence across eastern North America ensures that at least some of Barnes’s ancestors shared important aspects of Hopewell cultural life-ways, including their ceremonial drum. Therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that the contemporary traditions of the Shawnee Tribe might preserve important elements of Hopewell traditions.”
From Ohio History Connection Archival Collections
LEARN MORE
Learn more about American Indians of the ancient Hopewell Culture at Ohio History Central, our online encyclopedia of Ohio history. Visit ohiohistorycentral.org and search on “Hopewell Culture.” Learn more about, and plan your visit to, the Seip Earthworks, open free every day during daylight hours, at nps.gov/hocu/learn/historyculture/ seip-earthworks.htm. See Barnes and Lepper present their theory about the spherical stones from Seip Mound at goo.gl/qCNeSk or read about their research, published online earlier this year in Archaeologies, journal of the World Archaeological Congress, at goo.gl/3rvKch. Read about Henry Shetrone’s early work at Seip Earthworks in “1931 Explorations of the Seip Group of Prehistoric Earthworks” by Henry Shetrone and Emerson Greenman in Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly 40:343-509.
Barnes and Lepper both agree that exploring those potential links is possible now because Tribal Nations are becoming more involved with archaeologists, museums, universities and other institutions. “Thanks to sharing knowledge and building trust, we are coming to a better, more authentic understanding of Ohio’s ancient American Indian cultures,” Barnes adds. –EM
See the real Hopewell stone spheres in the exhibit Following in Ancient Footsteps at the Ohio History Center in Columbus. Find them in the top drawer labeled “Woodland,” next to the green panel that reads “Living in Society,” or ask for help at the desk in the Welcome Lobby. (They're smaller than pictured in this story.)
Garst Museum
A drum made in the traditional Shawnee style by Ben Barnes, second chief of the Shawnee Tribe, suggests how the soapstone spheres may have been used.
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The Great Columbus Experiment MAKING WATER SAFE TO DRINK
Top right: A photograph of the Chittenden Hotel in downtown Columbus, where Sen. Marcus Hanna is believed to have contracted typhoid in 1904. Top left and bottom: By 1908, central Ohioans were so proud of their safe drinking water they sent postcards of Griggs Reservoir and the sewage treatment plant to their friends and family. Ohio History Connection Archival Collections
W
ater has been in the news of late. The tragedy of leadpoisoned water in Flint made headlines in 2015, but Flint is far from the only city with a problem in America.
A recent study spearheaded by the University of California Irvine estimated that between 9 million and 45 million Americans get their drinking water from a source that is in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Those most at risk live in rural and low-income areas. We’ve taken clean drinking water for granted since the early-20th-century Progressive Era, when Columbus, a modest Midwestern city of 126,000 at the time, raised millions of dollars in bonds to pay for the Great Columbus Experiment, an effort to bring safe water to central Ohio residents. And just how delighted were the residents, political leaders and businesses of Columbus when their revolutionary sanitation project was complete? “The people of Columbus were so proud of their new water and sewage treatment facilities that they would send postcards of the sewage treatment plant to friends and relatives,” says Ohio State University history professor emeritus Mansel Blackford, author of Columbus, Ohio: Two Centuries of Business and Environmental Change. Columbus was a small but growing city at the time, a proud city and an optimistic city whose citizens were convinced that bigger things were in store for them. “Those postcards sent a message to people outside of Columbus,” says Blackford. “They could look at them and think, ‘I can move there, start a family and have a pretty good chance of my children living beyond two years old.’”
A CIVIC PROJECT BORN OF TRAGEDY An engineering project that would revolutionize water and sewage treatment and bring clean water to hundreds of millions—eventually billions—of people across the globe, was born in central Ohio out of tragedy. In January 1904, Ohio senator Marcus Alonzo Hanna returned to Columbus from Washington, DC, to attend the inauguration of the state’s new governor, Myron Herrick, during a “Water Boil” state of emergency in the capital.
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The dam that created the Griggs Reservoir, under construction. It was initially planned to be 50 feet high, but neighbors downriver complained and the engineers settled on 30 feet. Ohio History Connection Archival Collection
“He stayed at the Chittenden Hotel in downtown Columbus and probably drank water out of a pitcher that had been drawn directly from the Scioto River,” says Conrade Hinds. For several decades, Hinds worked as a project manager for the City of Columbus Division of Water and wrote The Great Columbus Experiment of 1908: Waterworks That Changed the World (The History Press). Hanna returned to Washington and became gravely ill, dying of typhoid fever on Feb. 15, 1904. Of course, Hanna wasn’t the only victim in 1904. At the time in Columbus, the average death toll from water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever was 150 per year. The response to Hanna’s death from the business community, political leaders and the citizenry was swift and decisive. Even before Hanna’s death, the Columbus Evening Dispatch confided, “The subject of the contaminated condition of the water of Columbus is the theme of town talk.” The problem wasn’t new. Water-borne diseases plagued Columbus and the country throughout much of the 19th century. “The Hoster brewery would advertise, ‘Drink our beer! It’s safer than water!’ ” Blackford says.
RALLYING FOR CLEAN WATER Upon Hanna’s death, the Dispatch editorialized, “It is evident that Columbus, in common with most cities, has paid too little attention proportionally to its sanitary affairs.” The editorial urged community leaders to face the problem head-on: “The importance of these plans”
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to purify water, “cannot be overestimated, for upon them depend the safety of the present Columbus and the development of the greater city.” Columbus needed a new water supply, a new water treatment system, and a new way of handling sewage. In that effort, the city enlisted chemists Charles and Clarence Hoover (The Ohio State University) and engineers John Gregory and Philip Burgess (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) to achieve its goal of safe drinking water for all. By November 1904, voters in Columbus had passed a bond issue for the first of the city’s dams, Griggs Reservoir, situated five-and-a-half miles north of downtown and designed by engineer Julian Griggs and his protégé, Samuel Gray. The 30-foot dam (Gray had proposed a dam 50 feet high) impounded 1.7 billion gallons of water in a narrow reservoir almost six miles long. Water from the new dam flowed through a massive pumping station and on to the water filtering and softening plant. Charles Hoover devised a filtration method using alum, lime and soda that was so successful that his book about it, Hoover’s Water Supply and Treatment, became the bible for sanitary engineers. “The business community was interested in both clean and soft water,” Hinds says. “This was a time when steam was a significant engine for the economy. Manufacturers needed soft water because they found hard water would corrode boilers very quickly.”
A VICTORY OVER BACTERIA The success of the Columbus Experiment was rapid and far-reaching. “In the last year before the project concluded, there were 150 deaths from typhoid
City of Columbus Division of Water
fever and cholera in Columbus,” says Blackford. “A year after the new water treatment system was in operation, there were five deaths. The following year, there were zero deaths.” In the final phase of the Columbus Experiment, engineers designed a sewage treatment plant three miles south of downtown. Pumps at the Main Pumping Station pushed sewage through cast-iron pipes to purification works another mile to the south. Gregory claimed, rightly, that the new system, which employed sprinkling filters, was “somewhat different from what might be said to be current practice.” The system, modified over time, is still in use today.
The success of the Columbus Experiment was rapid and far-reaching.
Columbus was ground zero for the revolution between 1904 and 1908, building on the scientific breakthroughs of the 19th century and devising a system that became a model for the rest of the country and the world.
When Charles Hoover died in November 1950, a Columbus newspaper credited him for his “internationally known purification plant,” adding, “his fame reached around the globe.” Indeed, after work was completed on the Columbus Experiment, Hoover and his collaborators dispersed across the country to teach their new method of water purification and sewage treatment. Hoover himself was subsequently a consultant on clean water for more than 40 cities including Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Los Angeles. He received patents for “Processes of Purifying Water” and “Processes of Making Metal-Hydroxid Solutions,” which are still on display at the City of Columbus Water Plant. The city spent more than $3 million ($83 million in today’s dollars) on the Columbus Experiment. Hinds estimates the cost of doing something similar today might run as high as $265 million, given the environmental and safety regulations now in force. The issue of clean water and sewage treatment remains as crucial today as it was more than a century ago. “Water is the new oil,” Blackford says. “The United Nations estimates that 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation, which is about a third of the world’s population.”
This three-story pump station on the west side of Columbus was in operation from 1908 through the late 1960s. READ ON
Hinds says our success in the past could be a road map to the future. “The Columbus Experiment is a reminder of our best selves, an example of what America was back then and could be again today,” he says. “If we could only come to some sort of agreement to get it done.” —EM
LEARN MORE
The Great Columbus Experiment of 1908 (History Press, 2012), by Conrade C. Hinds, examines the central Ohio “waterworks that changed the world.” Hinds pays special attention to Ellen Swallow Richards, the leading industrial and environmental chemist in the country at the end of the 19th century, who taught “sanitary chemistry” at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, training the generation of scientists largely responsible for the success of the Columbus Experiment. Columbus Ohio: Two Centuries of Business & Environmental Change (Trillium Press, 2017), by Mansel Blackford, Ohio State University history professor emeritus, looks at “how a major Midwestern city developed economically, spatially and socially, and what the environmental consequences have been, from its founding in 1812 to near the present day.”
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The Vietnam War was broadcast into the living rooms of millions of Americans during 1968 and beyond. Library of Congress
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1968
Serving During Vietnam FOUR OHIO VETERANS SHARE THEIR STORIES
The Tet Offensive The North Vietnamese launch of the Tet Offensive in January 1968 is often said to have stunned both the U.S. and South Vietnamese armies, who were, conventional wisdom has it, caught unawares. But Ohioan Tom Moe, an F-4 Phantom jet pilot, says the offensive was not as much of a surprise as many historians have made it out to be. “It didn’t surprise me at all and I doubt it could have surprised the higher-ups very much either,” Moe, who lives in Lancaster, says. “For a month before the offensive (launched on Jan. 30, 1968), we saw an unprecedented concentrating of troops coming down from North Vietnam. The number of troops and armored vehicles, we’d never seen that on such a large scale since we’d arrived in Vietnam.” In early January, weeks before Tet began in earnest, a forward scout had made contact with a large body of North Vietnamese soldiers on the border with Laos. “Two F-4 Phantoms were scrambled and we flew to the area, which had been marked by the scout with smoke,” It’s crazy how the Moe recalls. “As we were rolling in, the whole jungle lit up like the Fourth of smallest mistake can July. I was surprised at how accurate the cost you your life. gunfire aimed at us was. I thought, ‘They really have us zeroed in.’ When I got back to base, I realized I’d left my navigation lights on.” The lesson learned by Moe: “It’s crazy how the smallest mistake can cost you your life.” In all, the North Vietnamese attacked five major cities, dozens of military installations and more than 150 towns and villages throughout the country with roughly 85,000 troops during the Tet Offensive. “The thing was,” Moe says, “the (U.S.) generals were waiting for just this sort of attack. It meant conventional warfare, a set-piece battle, and that’s where we excelled.”
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The 480th Fighter Squadron poses for a picture between missions. Tom Moe is second from the left, first row standing. Tom Moe Personal Collection
Jan. 14, 1968, is a day Moe says he’ll never forget: another mission on the border between Vietnam and Laos, this time at the Mu Gia Pass. His plane was shot down and he became a prisoner of war, held captive by the North Vietnamese for “five years and three months, almost to the day.”
“My job was to repair the holes in the ground after the North Vietnamese would shell our base at Di An during the night,” he says. “We were hit with rounds every night. The entire country smelled like blood, like death. Our senses were not used to it. We had to get used to the smell of war blood, you know?”
GO TO WAR OR GO TO JAIL
DEEPER IN COUNTRY
Willie Springer, a bereavement counselor at the Pathways Hospice in Berea, Ohio, was drafted into the Army in November 1967.
If Springer found his circumstances at Di An challenging, nothing prepared him for his next assignment with the 60th Engineer Company, the so-called “ jungle eaters.”
“Back then it was for real,” Springer says. “At the time you had two choices: go to war or go to jail. It was hardcore.” Springer ended up assigned to the 34th Engineer Battalion, for which he first drove a dump truck and later operated a Caterpillar D7 bulldozer. He arrived in Vietnam on April 24, 1968, and was immediately thrust into action. “First thing after we’d jumped off the transport plane” at the Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon, Springer says, “they gave us body armor and a helmet because we were under fire. The North Vietnamese had attacked Saigon and the air base. We were on red alert from the day I landed through September.”
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“I guess I was living too good driving that dump truck,” Springer says with a wry chuckle. “My commanding officer came in one night and said, ‘Soldier, gather your gear. We have another deployment for you.’” While Springer was attached to it, the 60th Engineer Company cleared more than 100,000 acres of jungle. And again, he wasn’t given a moment to acclimate himself. “I was in a helicopter and it was so dangerous the pilot refused to land,” says Springer. “So I threw my duffle bag out and jumped to the ground after it.” The company was under fire from snipers on an almost daily basis, and especially feared “those Viet Cong who lived underground in the tunnels” who
would “pop up on the left side (of the tunnel) and attack you and then later pop up on the right side and do the same thing.” But the worst thing of all was clearing trees that had been doused in Agent Orange but hadn’t fallen.
WHEN A VICTORY BECOMES A LOSS Moe says the war was essentially lost after Tet despite the fact that the U.S. and South Vietnamese armies drove the enemy back behind their lines all across the country.
“They would rot from the inside out and when you knocked one over it would explode into dust,” he recalls. “You really can’t visualize it unless you saw it yourself.”
SOLITARY CONFINEMENT While Springer was clearing the jungle of bamboo and trees and other vegetation, Moe was festering in a cell, a captive behind enemy lines. “We knew that what we were being told by the North Vietnamese was propaganda. They’re winning the war. We’re losing the war. So in that way we were cynical,” Moe says. “But we learned pretty quickly that if the North Vietnamese denied something, then that thing was more than likely true.”
Tom Moe then and now Tom Moe Personal Collection
“The biggest effect Tet had on the war was that it caused President (Lyndon Baines) Johnson not to run for reelection. The North Vietnamese lost lives but eventually won the propaganda war after Tet.” After the Air Force, Moe earned a degree in Soviet Studies from Notre Dame University, paying particular attention to the tactics of the communists.
Moe and his compatriots were treated to Communist speakers in their cells and were allowed to listen to Hanoi Hannah, North Vietnam’s chief voice of propaganda, on the radio. He communicated with other prisoners of war, mostly fellow pilots, with a “tap code.” “The most depressed I was in my more than five years of captivity was the day I learned that both Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy had been assassinated back home,” Moe recalls. “I wondered to myself, ‘What the hell is going on?’” On Feb. 28, 1968, newscaster Walter Cronkite delivered his verdict on the war to millions of households around the country. “To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past,” he said. “To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion.” Military historian Ronald H. Spector put the Tet Offensive into perspective in his groundbreaking study, After Tet: The Bloodiest Year in Vietnam. “The story told here (in After Tet) largely confirms the accuracy of Walter Cronkite’s conclusion that the war was ‘mired in stalemate,’ but the implications and results of that stalemate were to prove far more complex and tragic than anyone might have foreseen.”
“The North Vietnamese general who planned Tet thought he was going to be fired or executed because of the huge number of troops they lost during the offensive,” he says.
“The Tet Offensive is still misunderstood today,” Moe says. “It wasn’t a show of force by the North Vietnamese. It was a desperate act.” Willie Springer then and now
Springer says he lives daily with the 14 months he spent fighting in Vietnam. “It took me 10 years to get over, to quit drinking and taking drugs, to find God and to find my calling (as a chaplain),” he says. “But that experience made me who I am today. I wouldn’t change it even if I could.”
Willie Springer Personal Collection Right: Cleveland Plain Dealer
—EM
EXPLORE MORE
In his book After Tet: The Bloodiest Year in Vietnam, military historian Ronald H. Spector argues that 1968 was the most significant year of the war, helping to determine everything that followed. Retired Air Force Col. Tom Moe recommends War Comes to Long An, researched and written by Jeffrey Race during the war. Based on his interviews with the Vietnamese and on Vietnamese documents, the book is considered a military classic.
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Women in the Military During Vietnam Katie Lane and Pat Hansen both joined the U.S. military for the same reason—to broaden their opportunities and to see a bit of the world. War was a risk both were willing to take. During the Vietnam War, roughly 11,000 women were deployed in Vietnam, with 90 percent serving as nurses. More women volunteered to serve in Vietnam than were permitted to go, as all four branches of the U.S. military reserved combat roles for men. Eight women were killed in combat, including Lt. Sharon Ann Lane (no relation to Katie) from Canton, Ohio. Lane was posthumously awarded a Gallantry Cross with Palm and the Bronze Star for heroism. “I joined the Air Force because I had no other place to go, quite honestly,” Hansen says. “My job at home wasn’t working out. My roommate situation wasn’t working out. I walked into the recruiting office and I didn’t know which branch I’d even join, but the Air Force was first door to the right, so that’s the one I entered.” Similarly, Lane joined the Army because she “wanted to travel. And I’d come from a really large family, 11 of us in all. Dad worked at an orphanage, and Mom worked at a factory. They didn’t have any money for any of us to go to college.” Lane knew she was taking a risk when she joined the Army in 1968. “They warned us ahead of time that we could get pulled to go to Vietnam,” she says. “And I would have gone if I’d been ordered to go.” Lane, who lives at the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky, says she remembers her basic training at Fort McClellan in Alabama vividly. “Basic was hard, very hard,” she says. Basic was hard, “They created an entire Vietnam village, very hard. a simulated village, and we had to climb through mud and under barbed wire and avoid explosives, cross a rope bridge. We had chemical training.”
A LESSON IN GROWING UP Hansen said basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio was a revelation to her. “It was a real lesson in growing up. I was really just a kid when I joined. I learned how to be on a team, about the importance of orderliness and cleanliness. These were things I didn’t think about growing up,” she says. After basic training, Hansen was sent to technical school at the Greenville Air Force Base in Mississippi (which was closed two years later in 1966) to become a medical assistant. “I had no Pat Hansen experience in the medical field whatsoever,” she says. “But the training was unbelievably extensive.” The final day of Hansen’s training, her military final exam as it were, was called Bloody Monday, because the exercise was designed to simulate combat. “There were casualties we had to deal with, lots and lots of blood. We had to triage the soldiers. I aced Bloody Monday, and I’m not a good student. I was very proud of that.” Though she aced Bloody Monday, there turned out to be an insurmountable obstacle in Hansen’s way: “I fainted every time they tried to teach me how to draw blood and give shots,” she says with a chuckle. “So they gave me a position in medical administration.” Lane eventually became a chaplain’s assistant at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. Hansen finished her career at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
PIONEERING WOMEN IN THE MILITARY Cmdr. Elizabeth Barrett was the highest ranking female naval officer to serve in Vietnam. She arrived in Saigon in 1972 and became the Navy’s first woman officer to hold a command in a combat zone, supervising several hundred personnel. Things have only continued to progress for women in the U.S. military. More than 40,000 women served in the Persian Gulf War. Many came under fire, but they were not permitted to participate directly in battle.
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Pat Hansen (front row, third from right) and her graduating class at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio, TX, 1964. Pat Hansen Collection
In the landmark 1996 case United States v. Virginia, the Supreme Court ordered the Virginia Military Institute to allow women to register as cadets. In her opinion, Ruth Bader Ginsberg denounced laws that denied “to women, simply because they are women, full citizenship stature.” In 2008, Ann Dunwoody became the first four-star general in the Army and in 2011, Maj. Gen. Margaret H. Woodward commanded the air component command in Libya, making her the first woman to command a U.S. combat air campaign. “When I was in the Air Force, a woman couldn’t stay in the military if she was either pregnant or married,” Hansen says. “But I’m glad to say things have changed. I have a family member who served in Desert Storm. She was there at the beginning of (the war in) Afghanistan, in the war zone, in the battle, and she was pregnant.” Lane says she’s heard about increased opportunity for women in the military, too. “Women have more rights now in the military. They’re listened to more closely,” she says. “We now have some of the same benefits and opportunities as the guys had all along.” —EM
Pat Hansen (left) and Katie Lane (right) both live at the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky. Katie Toledo, Ohio History Connection
EXPLORE MORE
The web site taskandpurpose.com was created in 2014 in order to “provide authentic and unfiltered perspectives on military and veterans issues in the post-9/11 era.” If you use the site’s search function and type in the words “women and timeline,” you’ll be directed to a concise post, “TIMELINE: A History of Women in the US Military.” Editor Judith Stiehm’s 1996 collection of essays, It’s Our Military Too: Women and the U.S. Military, features nine essays on subjects such as “Soldiering: The Enemy Doesn’t Care If You’re Female,” “The Military Woman’s Vanguard: Nurses” and “Gender Ideology in the Ethics of Women in Combat.”
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I Wish I’d Been There T H E 1 93 7 L I T T L E S T E E L S T R I K E A N D T H E B AT T L E O F YO U N G S TO W N BY D O N N A M . D E B L A S I O
Labor/management relations entered a brave new world in the 1930s. The upheaval of the Great Depression and the inauguration of the labor-friendly Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 encouraged union supporters to go after the mass of unorganized industrial workers. Until this time, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) consisted mainly of craft unions—with the notable exception of the United Mine Workers (UMW). The American Federation of Labor had little interest in organizing unskilled workers, the bulk of the industrial workforce. John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers, believed that organizing all workers by industry would make labor unions a far more powerful force. Lewis led a splinter group within the American Federation of Labor, the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO). The American Federation of Labor expelled Committee for Industrial Organization supporters; Lewis then changed the name to the Congress of Industrial Organizations and began a massive effort to organize the three largest industries: auto, rubber and steel. The industrial union movement gained added momentum with passage of the National Labor Relations Act, or Wagner Act, in 1935, which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in National Labor Relations Board v. Jones and Laughlin Steel in 1937. The Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC) was one of the new Congress of Industrial
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Organizations unions; Philip Murray, vice president of the United Mine Workers, became its director. With major strikes in auto—especially the successful General Motors Sit Down Strike in the winter of 1936– 37—the steel industry was high on the agenda for organization. Steel Workers Organizing Committee leadership was much encouraged when Jones and Laughlin Steel and the biggest prize of all— U.S. Steel—signed collectivebargaining agreements. The major independents, known collectively as “Little Steel” (as opposed to U.S. Steel—“Big Steel”) remained bastions of anti-unionism.
WORKERS WALK OUT Two “Little Steel” companies called Ohio home: Republic Steel Corp., based in Cleveland, and Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co., headquartered in Youngstown. Sheet and Tube had two plants in Youngstown: its flagship Campbell Works and the Brier Hill Works. Republic, in addition to its Cleveland facility, had plants in Youngstown, Warren, Canton and Massillon. When the “Little Steel” companies failed to negotiate with the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, Lewis called for a
strike and workers immediately walked off their jobs on May 27, 1937, shuttering Sheet and Tube, Republic and Inland Steel. Republic Steel in Chicago saw the first major confrontation of the strike on May 31, 1937. It was Memorial Day; strikers and their families were at a park near the mill and planned a march for later in the day. The crowd marched toward the plant, where Chicago police officers, armed with clubs, revolvers and tear gas, greeted them. The picketers and police exchanged harsh words before things turned for the worse. Chaos erupted from the line of police officers when a picketer lobbed a tree branch at them. In retaliation, the police fired into the large group of picketers, killing 10 people and wounding over 100 in the ensuing “Memorial Day Massacre.” Newsreel footage later proved that the police were at fault, shooting protesters in the back.
CONFLICT ESCALATES For several weeks, picketers in Youngstown quietly protested in front of the Sheet and Tube and Republic plants. This did not last. The companies armed themselves with 324 tear-gas guns, 896 revolvers, 547 shotguns, 12 rifles and nine machine guns. They also stockpiled 12,525 tear-gas shells and grenades and over 160,000 rounds of ammunition, or about seven bullets for each Youngstown steelworker. Clearly, management expected war and was going to do its best to escalate the conflict. There was a confrontation on June 9, which was a prelude to events 10 days later. The Women’s Picket of the socalled “Battle of Youngstown” began peacefully on June 19, 1937, but then Youngstown
I have longed for this day. I have craved for this day.
July 13, 1937: Women walked the picket lines during union-organized “Women’s Days,” as these two are doing at one of the Republic Steel operations in the Mahoning Valley.
Police Capt. Charley Richmond brewing, Ohio governor Martin demanded the women picketers Davey, after consulting with be removed from the picket President Roosevelt, ordered line at Stop 5, near the Republic National Guard troops to the Youngstown plant. Using tear gas, Mahoning Valley. The Guard, police scattered the picketers. under supervision of the county Violence quickly escalated when sheriff, strictly limited the number someone guarding the plant fired of picketers, arrested union into the crowd, members and even which had been conducted night reinforced by Steel raids of union Workers Organizing supporters’ homes. Committee Roosevelt stayed members. above the fray, Throughout the proclaiming, “A night, the police plague on both and deputies fired July 14, 1937: Strikers in Niles armed your houses,” with hatchets and baseball bats continual volleys indicating his Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor of tear gas and displeasure with ammunition into the crowd. both the union’s actions and
successor, the United Steel Workers of America (USWA). The United Steel Workers organizing convention in Cleveland elected Phil Murray president. Murray eloquently stated: “I have longed for this day. I have craved for this day, believing that when this day came and the Steelworkers of America had defined and charted their constitutional course, every Steelworker in this country would then thank a Divine Providence that there had at last come into their lives a great, powerful, independent, militant, progressive and constructive organization to serve both them and their families, not today, but down, down, down through the years to come.”
Following the June 19 violence, 5,000 steelworkers and their supporters gathered at a rally in Youngstown. Both Frank Purnell of Sheet and Tube and Tom Girdler of Republic Steel walked out on federal mediation talks and announced they were reopening their plants on June 22. The Steel Workers Organizing Committee gathered about 3,000 members and sympathizers from around the region to aid the Youngstown strikers. With a massive showdown
I wish I’d been there.
Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor
management’s hard line. Despite a “restrike” effort in Cleveland in July, the strike was effectively over by July 25. The Steel Workers Organizing Committee’s failure to crack “Little Steel” led one wag to comment that CIO stood for “Collapsed in Ohio.” Although the “Little Steel” companies won the battle, they lost the war. In 1942, nearly all of the American steel industry organized under the Steel Workers Organizing Committee’s
Donna DeBlasio teaches applied history and late-19th- and early-20th-century U.S. history at Youngstown State University. She also directs the university’s Center for Applied History and its oral history program. She is a member of the Echoes Magazine advisory board.
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O H I O H I S T O RY DAY T E A C H E S
Analytical Thinking
Gabrielle Clarke did her Ohio History Day project on Ruby Bridges, first African American child to attend an all-white public elementary school in the South.
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YO U N G E Y E S O N T H E PA S T
Deborah Ferrell is an avowed history geek. So naturally she’s a devotee of the Ohio History Connection’s Ohio History Day. Ferrell teaches fifth-grade reading, social studies and math at the Columbus Gifted Academy and has shepherded several students through the rigors of Ohio History Day. “I have a huge interest in history, and my friend Donna Harris, who did History Day before I did, told me, ‘You have to do this.’ Now she’s teaching third grade, and participating in History Day is the thing she says she misses the most about her new job,” says Ferrell. The Ohio History Connection offers the Ohio History Day program to more than 11,000 students statewide in 55 counties. Each year, students in grades four through 12 explore an annual theme and through their own discovery, research and analysis, develop a paper, documentary film, dramatic performance, three-dimensional exhibit or website that they present at competition. Ferrell’s students participate in the Youth Division (fourth and fifth grades), which grew from 50 to 72 students in 2018. PICKING A PROJECT “Last year my Hamilton-crazy kids did something on Alexander Hamilton,” Ferrell says. “I had some civic-minded students who did a project on women’s rights, and a boy who dove into the Cuban Missile Crisis. I think by the end of the process he knew more about the crisis than President Kennedy knew!”
Lorenzo Hashamov Platero (left) and Jodi Plessis (right) worked together and earned a medal for their exhibit about the fall of the Berlin Wall. Photobomber Felix Martin (center) worked with James Oran on a project about the Toledo War, for which they received an honorable mention.
Ohio History Day is one of 57 affiliates of National History Day, a Maryland-based academic competition that improves students’ knowledge of historical events and encourages critical thinking and analysis. History Day improves students’ knowledge and understanding of the importance of Ohio history and American history, and provides teachers with professional development in social studies using the National History Day projectbased teaching approach. “The students have about three months to work on their projects beginning in January, and invariably they find it’s the hardest thing that they have done, even as gifted scholars,” she says. “But it’s also rewarding. It teaches the kids a different way of thinking that will help them down the road in high school and in college.” That kid who did the project on the Cuban Missile Crisis? Well, Siler Haskell learned something interesting from his grandparents, people who actually lived through that era in American history.
WHAT DID YOU DO DURING THE COLD WAR, GRANDPA? “He went and talked to his papa and learned what it was like to grow up wondering when the bombs were coming,” Ferrell says. “His papa told him about ‘duck and cover’ and hiding underneath his desk at school during drills. He told him what it was like to be a kid during the Cold War, his mother going to church every day and how scary it was that his dad wouldn’t reassure him after the news each night.” Ferrell said Ohio History Day is also a good way to connect students with, and help them explore, their families’ heritage. “I had a student, Lorenzo, who is half Spanish and half Bulgarian. He was looking for a topic and I told him to think about his family,” she says. “He ended up doing a project on what it was like to grow up behind the Iron Curtain in Bulgaria.”
The 2019 theme for National History Day is “Triumph and Tragedy in History.” Learn more about Ohio History Day at ohiohistory.org/historyday
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Reviews BOOK
Iron Valley:
The Transformation of the Iron Industry in Ohio’s Mahoning Valley, 1802–1913 by Clayton J. Ruminski (Trillium, $29.95)
The cover photograph of Iron Valley perfectly symbolizes the book’s contents: sinewy-muscled ironworkers in patched and tattered clothes heft ingots of pig iron weighing 100+ pounds. It was a hot and exhausting part of the iron industry that defined the Mahoning Valley for more than a century. Technological advances eventually mechanized this step, eliminating the human element. As author Clayton Ruminski thoroughly explains, complete with excellent mapping and rare photos of mills and workers, the Mahoning Valley’s iron industry was repeatedly at the cutting edge of technological advances in producing cast and, later, wrought iron. Two blast furnaces completed in 1854 demonstrated innovative features in materials, shape and location that were widely copied. A decade later, further refinements increased stack
efficiencies in ways that soon became universal. Following the Civil War, the Mahoning Valley produced more pig iron than Pittsburgh.
manufacturing in the valley had by then become a thing of the past. David A. Simmons, Echoes Magazine
But as an 1894 journal explained, valley manufacturers were too slow to grasp that “steel was not a passing phase but a permanent condition.” They ignored opportunities to convert to steel fabrication and remained wedded to iron. By 1893, The (Youngstown) Vindicator boasted that one local mill was “the greatest, largest iron mill in all the West.” Yet, the exclusive emphasis on iron at the expense of steel proved myopic. Puddlers were an essential part of wrought iron production. Highly skilled, their jobs required patience, dexterity and strength, and it often took two years to learn the job. In the early 20th century, the president of a local iron foundry noted “puddlers are scarce now.” Iron
BOOK
Columbus Beer:
Recent Brewing and Deep Roots by Curtis Schieber (American Palate, $21.99)
Locally brewed beer may seem like a recent phenomenon. In Columbus, it isn’t. The “Brewery District” west of German Village is more than a moniker. The name “Hoster Street” is a nod to the onetime Hoster Brewery, and district landmarks like the Worly Building, the Wasserstrom complex and the nearby home of Germania Singing and Sport Society all have ties to local brewing history. Columbus-brewed beer began flowing in 1814 at the corner of Front and Liberty streets. There are names one may know— Hoster, Born, Schlee—and others one may
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not—Capital, Washington, Zimmerman. Schieber tracks the innovation-driven growth as canals and railroads made ingredient transportation faster and pasteurization gave beer longer life. At one point in the 1880s, Hoster was one of the 10 largest breweries in the U.S. There’s also a reminder that, though times change, tactics do not: for example, the Ohio Brewery’s marketing gimmick—the Legend of Yotoc, a mythical American Indian allegedly behind the brewer’s flagship line, Yotoc Beer. Though Prohibition wiped out many breweries, some survived as sellers of malt extract. The last stretch of Schieber’s core story covers the colorful August Wagner and his brewery, best known for Gambrinus, a brand that survived into the 1970s.
Schieber bookends Columbus Beer with recent history. It starts in 1989 when just 74 breweries operated nationwide and Columbus personalities like Scott Francis and Lenny Kolada sought to revive the brewing tradition in Ohio’s capital city. The book wraps up by looking at today’s remarkable brewing boom, as 5,424 U.S. craft breweries are in operation nationwide, almost 50 calling central Ohio home. The book is packed with historic photos and classic advertisements, such as one touting its product as a “Superior lager beer for general and family use.” Though Schieber’s thorough recounting is dense with detail, it goes down light and easy, like a crisp pilsner on a warm day. Dan Eaton, Writer, Columbus Business First
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King Gambrinus, Brewery District, Columbus
Randall Schieber Photography OHIOHIS TORY.ORG 51
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Discover Ohio’s amazing heritage as historic buildings and landmarks across our state open their doors to you for special tours and events. Explore fascinating places that reflect Ohio’s rich heritage—some open especially for Ohio Open Doors events or offering behind-the-scenes looks that aren’t ordinarily available. All Ohio Open Doors events are free, and most are special one-day-only opportunities.
SEPTEMBER 7–16, 2018 Learn more at ohiohistory.org/opendoors 52 Echoes | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2018
Ohio Open Doors is sponsored by the Ohio History Connection and more than 100 partnering organizations who are hosting events in communities across the Buckeye State.