51-9 Champion Hamilton Mill / Industry Shifts and A Mill Revival
The Champion Coated Paper Company began production April 15, 1894, with less than a dozen employees under the direction of Peter Gibson Thomson (December 16, 1851-July 10, 1931). A Cincinnati businessman, bookseller, and publisher, Thomson recognized that recent changes in half-tone printing would increase the demand for coated paper. In 1893, he acquired the patent […]
143-25 Benjamin Hanby, Class of 1858 / Reverend Bishop William Hanby
Benjamin Russel Hanby (1833-1867) enrolled at Otterbein University in 1849. To afford tuition and to aid his family, Hanby alternated college terms with teaching in nearby public schools. While a student in 1856, he was moved by the story of a slave and his sweetheart to compose the anti-slavery ballad “Darling Nelly Gray.” The song […]
117-18 W. 76th, W. 65th, and E. 79th Street Subways
The W. 76th and W. 65th Street tunnels survive today and symbolize the power of community action. In 1911, Cleveland City Council approved construction of elevated tracks by Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Company. The tracks separated Cleveland’s neighborhoods from Lake Erie. In protest, West Side residents petitioned the council and the mayor to […]
11-5 Colonel Charles Young’s Historic Ride to Washington / Athens, Ohio: The Colonel’s Last Stop in Ohio
In 1918, Charles Young made a desperate attempt to convince the U.S. Army that he was fit for duty. The Army’s highest-ranking Black officer, he had been medically retired and not given a command during World War I. To demonstrate his fitness, he rode 497 miles from his home in Wilberforce, Ohio, to Washington, D.C. […]
12-65 Colonel Charles Young’s Historic Ride to Washington / Circleville, Ohio: The Second Night’s Stop
In 1918, Charles Young made a desperate attempt to convince the U.S. Army that he was fit for duty. The Army’s highest-ranking Black officer, he had been medically retired and not given a command during World War I. To demonstrate his fitness, he rode 497 miles from his home in Wilberforce, Ohio, to Washington, D.C. […]
133-25 Iuka Ravine / The Neil Family in North Columbus
Iuka Ravine, developed on land from the “Indianola Farm” that belonged to the Neil Family, is significant for its early 20th century architecture. The ravine’s natural beauty influenced architects to design homes for the upper middle class that incorporated “features of the old oak forest and glacial boulders.” Several ravine homes were designed by Frank […]
39-57 The Rubi Girls
The Rubi Girls originated in 1984 when a group of friends began performing comedy drag routines for Dayton’s LGBTQ+ community. The troupe took their name from Rubicon Street where they first met, lived, and performed. During the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, The Rubi Girls decided to use their talents to raise funds for the […]
24-32 David Ross Locke and The Nasby Letters / The Findlay Jeffersonian
Journalist David Ross Locke (1833–1888), known by his pen name Petroleum V. Nasby, gained national fame during the Civil War through satirical letters and sermons written in the voice of a fictional Copperhead. First published in April 1861, the Nasby letters mocked pro-Confederate sentiment and bolstered Northern morale. President Abraham Lincoln was a devoted reader, […]
53-77 Frederick Douglass at Western Reserve College
Frederick Douglass, the formerly enslaved man celebrated as one of America’s most powerful abolitionist voices, delivered a historic commencement address at Western Reserve College on July 12, 1854. Invited by the graduating students of the Philozetian and Phi Delta literary societies, Douglass passionately delivered his two-hour speech, “The Claims of the Negro: Ethnologically Considered,” to […]
16-64 Christopher Evans, Union Builder
Christopher Evans was a celebrated district, state, and national union builder. Born in England in 1841, he began coal mining as a young boy. Evans immigrated to Pennsylvania around 1869-1870. By 1874 he was president of his local mining union. Evans moved to New Straitsville between 1875-1877, where he organized union meetings in Robinson’s Cave. […]