38-57 First Baptist Church of Dayton Bicentennial

First Baptist Church of Dayton organized on May 29, 1824. A council met on the porch of William Huffman’s home at Third and Jefferson and approved 9 members as a congregation. The next day Lydia Huffman was baptized in the Great Miami River, the first recorded Baptist immersion in the city. Their first church building […]
8-75 First Presbyterian Bicentennial

Sidney’s First Presbyterian Church formally organized on September 4, 1825, under the guidance of Reverend Joseph Stevenson, who traveled from Bellefontaine for that purpose. The original eight-member congregation worshipped outdoors or in the Shelby County Courthouse until able to finance their own building in 1834. First Presbyterian’s small frame chapel was constructed on the half-acre […]
103-31 Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains

The Cathedral of St. Peter In Chains has ministered to Catholics in Ohio for more than 175 years. In 1840, Bishop John Baptist Purcell recognized the need for a cathedral to serve his growing catholic immigrant community and asked architect Henry Walter to draw up designs in neo-classic Greek style. The cornerstone was laid in […]
8-88 The Wyandot Removal Trail / Upper Sandusky (July 11, 1843)

The Wyandot called the Grand Reserve home nearly a century before Ohio statehood. They built houses, cultivated the land, and grew bountiful groves of fruit trees. They governed from the nearby Wyandot Council House and operated a productive saw and grist mill. Many sent their children to school and worshiped at the limestone church, built […]
11-12 Brooks Lawrence

Ulysses Brooks Lawrence was born in Springfield on January 30, 1925. Nicknamed “The Bull,” he broke numerous color barriers throughout his baseball career. In 1976, Lawrence was the first Black player inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. An all-around athlete at Springfield High School, Lawrence lettered in basketball, track, and football (the school’s […]
164-18 Bay Village Chapter, League of Women Voters / Honoring Bay Village Chapter, 75th Anniversary

The Bay Village Chapter of the League of Women Voters was established in Spring 1948, with Dorothy M. Austin as president. The goal of the chapter was to ensure all citizens of Bay Village had the information they needed to cast an educated vote. They first met in the Cahoon family homestead, which then served […]
162-18 Cleveland’s Main Library

In 1890, Cleveland Public Library was the first large metropolitan library in the nation to adopt the “open shelf plan.” Prior to this innovation, only library employees could retrieve books stored in closed stacks. Allowing patrons the freedom to select books directly from library shelves was soon embraced by libraries throughout the nation. William Howard […]
34-29 Rod Serling at Antioch College / Rod Serling Television Pioneer

Rodman Edward Serling (1924-1975) enrolled at Antioch College in 1946 following military service in World War II. He began college as a physical education major, but soon discovered writing as a way of working through his war experiences. As a student, he contributed short fiction to The Antiochian literary magazine, managed the student-run Antioch Broadcasting […]
6-63 New Rochester First County Seat

New Rochester was platted in 1835 in an area recognized as a vital transportation hub through the Great Black Swamp. The 18-acre plat was situated on a high bluff overlooking the Maumee River. A 2009 archaeological survey discovered stone tools and evidence of 4,000 years of habitation. When Paulding County was organized in March 1839, […]
165-18 Central Avenue Public Bath House, Central Recreation Center / Public Bath House Movement in Cleveland

The Central Avenue Public Bath House was designed by Frederic Betz, the City of Cleveland’s first appointed architect. Opened in February 1920, it served the Black population in the congested Central neighborhood. The brick building featured symmetrical windows and entrances at either end that led into men’s and women’s waiting rooms and individual shower rooms. […]