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In the fall, life for many in Columbus revolves around Ohio State University football, from the first kickoff in September to the last play in November. O.S.U.’s first home game took place at 2:30 P.M. on November 1, 1890. The Ohio State University played the University of Wooster on this site, which was then called Recreation Park. Just east of historic German Village, the park occupied the north side of Schiller (now Whittier) between Ebner and Jaeger in what is now Schumacher Place. The weather was perfect, and the crowd reportedly included a number of women, who cheered loudly. Nonetheless, O.S.U. lost to Wooster 64-0. Wooster, physically fit for the game, showed O.S.U. that training is critical to winning. The tradition of training continues. Today, on football Saturdays in Ohio Stadium on Woody Hayes Drive, the sound of an O.S.U. home game can be heard around the world.
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The changing use of this land, now Lakewood Park, reflects the development of Lakewood, Ohio from a small agricultural community to a thriving modern suburb. Early settler John Honam’s property stretched north from Detroit Avenue to Lake Erie, between Belle and Cook Avenues. His 1834 home was restored by the Lakewood Historical Society and now serves as the Oldest Stone House Museum. Later, the property was the site of the lavish Robert Russell Rhodes estate, “The Hickories.” As the population grew, so did the need for civic amenities. In 1919, the City of Lakewood purchased the estate, using the land for Lakewood Park and the mansion as a hospital annex during the Flu Epidemic and then as City Hall until 1959. Only one piece of “The Hickories” remains; the original stone wall engraved with the estate name.
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United Colored American Cemetery is among the earliest in situ African American cemeteries in Hamilton County. The 11.6 acres in Madisonville were purchased by the United Colored American Association (UCAA) after the legislated closure of their earlier Avondale cemetery. Many Avondale burials and headstones were moved prior to the new cemetery’s dedication on May 30, 1883. Designed by Adolph Strauch, United Colored American Cemetery features the looping roads and picturesque elements typical of his designs at Spring Grove and Eden Park. After the dissolution of the UCAA, Cincinnati mayor Charles P. Taft asked Union Baptist Church to take ownership and maintenance of the cemetery. Union Baptist assumed ownership in 1968 and burials continued until 2019. United Colored American Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.
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Long a gathering place for residents of Columbus, this area, which became known as Schiller Park, hosted German songfests, Fourth of July festivities, the 1864 and 1865 Ohio State Fairs, and the 1871 peace celebration commemorating the end of the Franco-Prussian War. In 1867, the City of Columbus purchased 23 acres of this area, then known as Stewart’s Grove, for $15,000 and named it City Park. On July 4, 1891, before a crowd of 50,000, the German-American community dedicated the 25-foot tall, 2,640 pound statue of German poet Friedrich von Schiller that had been cast in Munich, Germany and given as a gift to the City of Columbus. In 1905, the Park’s name was changed to Schiller Park. (Continued on other side)
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James E. Campbell was governor of the State of Ohio from 1890-1892. From 1913-1924, he served as president of the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society, which later became the Ohio Historical Society. His daughter Jessie Campbell Coons named Campbell Memorial Park for him in 1929 after educator Minnie R. Shrum deeded the land for the Shrum Indian Mound to the Ohio Historical Society. The park and mound were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
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Market Square, home to the Pearl Street Market, was located on the corner of Pearl and Lorain Streets (now West 25th St. and Lorain Ave.) in what was then known as the City of Ohio. The land that Market Square occupies was donated by local businessmen Josiah Barber and Richard Lord in 1840 for the public’s use. Farmers and food vendors gathered to sell their wares after a public market moved here in 1859. In 1868, an enclosed wood-framed Pearl Street Market building was erected.
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Hanford Village was founded in the early 1900s just east of Columbus proper with its own mayor, police force, fire department, businesses, and park. After World War II, a subdivision of Hanford became a segregated community for returning African American veterans to settle using the G.I. Bill. Hanford then became one of the few places involved in an all African American post-war housing development program in the United States. During the 1960s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Federal Interstate Highway System Act resulted in construction of Interstate 70 which split Hanford Village into two sections and tore apart the community. However, since the division, the residents of the village have worked to maintain its sense of community and unity.
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Built in 1894, the original eight-room Southwood Elementary School cost $16,000 to construct on this site purchased from a local family for $3,000. The school originally had five teachers and a teacher-pupil ratio of 50-1. Mary Esper was the school’s first principal and German language instructor, staying until her retirement in 1923. Children attended grades one through eight and special biweekly classes in carpentry and cooking. The school had its first graduation ceremony in 1896, with six boys and seven girls being promoted to high school. By 1912, the school had grown to 17 rooms with 16 teachers and 735 students. A Parent Teacher Association (PTA) was formed in 1917, raising money for school supplies and equipment, food and clothing for needy Great Depression families, trees for the school grounds, cookies and candies for service men in World War II, scholarships, a new library, and much more. [continued on other side]
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