Remarkable Ohio

Results for: women-leadership
NE of the intersection of W Broad Street and Marconi Blvd, along the Scioto River
Columbus

, OH

One this site, December 10, 1886, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Union merged with the trade unionists of the Knights of Labor to create the American Federation of Labor. Delegates elected Samuel Gompers president and dedicated the Federation to improving the life of America’s working men and women. The A.F.L. recognizes November 15, 1881, as its anniversary date to honor the origin and legacy of F.O.T.L.U.

1216 Sunbury Rd
Columbus

, OH

The Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs founded Ohio Dominican University on this site on October 5, 1911. It was incorporated that year as the Ladies Literary Institute of St. Mary of the Springs, a “literary college and institution of learning for the general education and training of girls and young women” and authorized to grant college credit. The name was changed to the College of St. Mary of the Springs in 1924 when the founding Sisters expanded the collegiate curriculum to grant the four-year degree of Bachelor of Arts. Following a decision in 1964 to admit men, the name was changed to Ohio Dominican College in 1968. With the addition of graduate degree programs, the name was changed to Ohio Dominican University in 2002. Today, the institution serves traditional and adult students, reflecting the Dominican belief in lifelong learning.

6000 Queens Highway (or 6000 Layor Drive)
Parma Heights

, OH

Founded in 1914, Holy Name High School was one of the first co-educational Roman Catholic high schools in Cleveland. Originally located at Harvard and Broadway Avenues, the school opened under the direction of Holy Name Parish with educational leadership of the Sisters of Charity from Cincinnati. In 1978, Holy Name High School moved to its present location in Parma Heights, the former home of Nazareth Academy. Throughout its history, Holy Name High School has served the community by providing a Catholic, college-preparatory education. The Holy Name spirit lives on through its alumni, who have made a difference around the world.

The Ohio State University Columbus Campus, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive
Columbus

, OH

In 1902, Albert Belmont Graham (1868-1960), a school teacher and superintendent, established the Boys and Girls Agricultural Experiment Club in Springfield, Ohio. Graham believed in learning by doing, a concept at the core of 4-H, which stands for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. In 1905, Graham became the first Superintendent of Agricultural Extension at The Ohio State University and he brought the idea of 4-H with him. 4-H is in all 50 states and over 70 countries, and more than 7 million members enroll annually. One in six Ohioans have been members.

530 East Town St
Columbus

, OH

Philip T. Snowden, owner of a fancy dry goods and millinery, built the Italianate-style residence at 530 East Town Street in 1852. The house was part of the fashionable University Place addition on the east side of the city. From 1862-1864 Ohio’s governor, David Tod, lived here. Columbus philanthropist David S. Gray purchased the house in 1870 and his family held it until 1922. One of the city’s premier architects, George Bellows, Sr. rebuilt the house in 1872. From 1923 to 1940, the house was the headquarters of the Columbus Women’s Club. In 1951, the Kappa Kappa Gamma fraternity for women acquired the house as its national headquarters. (Continued on other side)

1911 West 30th Street
Cleveland

, OH

In 1886, Bishop Richard Gilmour (1824-1891) of the Roman Catholic diocese of Cleveland requested that the Jesuit superior of Buffalo establish a high school on Cleveland’s west side. The Jesuits, an order of the Roman Catholic Church founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in 1540, sought to establish schools that instilled a zeal for the Gospel and a love of learning. Under the leadership of Father Henry Behren, S.J. (1815-1895), the twentieth Jesuit secondary school in the United States opened in September 1886. Named Saint Ignatius College, the school grew from 76 students in 1886 to 490 in 1924. In 1924, the College split into two separate institutions: John Carroll University, which moved to University Heights in 1935, and Saint Ignatius High School, which remains on its original site. (Continued on other side)

150 Oklahoma Avenue
Gahanna

, OH

Established during the Great Migration and intense segregation in Columbus, The Big Walnut Country Club (BWCC) was one of the first Black country clubs in the United States. Conceived in 1925 and incorporated two years later, the club encouraged and promoted aquatic and athletic sports by providing the means and facilities otherwise not available to the Black community. Members enjoyed golf, swimming, archery, tennis, badminton, boating, dining, and dancing on the nearly 20 acres of land between the Big Walnut and Rocky Fork creeks. The club was a social, professional, and political hub for Central Ohio’s growing Black population in the decades leading to the Civil Rights Movement. The BWCC closed in 1963. Gahanna purchased the land in 1970 and opened its first public park, Friendship Park, the following year.

2210 Summit Street
Columbus

, OH

2210 Summit Street once housed one of Ohio’s longest-running lesbian bars. In 1970, a lesbian bartender at Jack’s A Go Go recognized that while Columbus had bars for gay men, it needed one geared toward lesbian clientele. Patrons knew the bar as “Jack’s,” Logan’s Off Broadway, and Summit Station. Staff welcomed women from small towns, women working in trades, women of color, butch/femme lesbians, and transgender people. Regulars recall that stepping through the door felt like finally entering a place of true belonging. Women could dance, “get together,” break up, sing karaoke, party with friends, and celebrate birthdays and holidays. Summit Station remained a safe public space, despite ongoing police harassment of its gender non-conforming regulars. A sign posted outside declared: “Ladies Night, Every Night. Men $5.” (Continued on other side)