FAVORABLE ACTION OF THE GENERAL AS-
SEMBLY ON BUDGET OF THE
SOCIETY
The Ohio State Archaeological and
Historical So-
ciety is gradually coming into full
recognition as one
of the important educational agencies
of the state.
Evidence of this fact is found in the
recognition ac-
corded it by the General Assembly of
the state at its
last regular session.
Its place among the institutions of the
state was
recognized when the trustees of the
Ohio State Uni-
versity granted permission to erect on
the University
grounds at the principal entrance the
present Museum
and Library building which is the
headquarters of the
Society and the home of its chief
collections. The plans
of the Society at the time of the
granting of this
privilege contemplated the ultimate
completion of a
building quadrangular in form of which
the present
building is the High Street wing. It
was deemed ap-
propriate that the home of this Society
should ultimately
be the treasure house of its
archaeological and historical
exhibits and library and the source
from which its pub-
lications should be issued. At the main
entrance to the
University grounds, it should emphasize
the Ohio idea
of that great institution.
The present building was scarcely
adequate when
erected to accommodate the collections
that had been
made at the time of its dedication. In
recent years many
gifts have come to the Society in the
form of relics,
(530)
Action of General Assembly on Budget
of Society 531
books and manuscripts and the demand
for additional
space was imperative. The survey of mounds has
yielded rich results and World War
relics are coming to
the Museum in constantly increasing
numbers. The
Meeker Library of Ohioana, which was
presented two
years ago, and the library of the Old
Northwest
Genealogical Society, which was
recently transferred to
the Museum and Library building, have
made it ab-
solutely necessary to provide
additional space for the
library of the Society. Added to all
this has been the
assurance that in the near future a
large collection of
World War relics, Ohio's share for its
participation in
that conflict, will soon be turned over
to the custody of
the Society.
The legislative committees of the
General Assembly
and the members of both houses have
recently taken an
active interest in the needs of the
Society, its educa-
tional work and the opportunities of
the immediate
future. Its Publications have been
placed in almost
every tax supported library of the
state and complete
sets, now numbering thirty volumes, are
found in many
of the school libraries of Ohio.
Frequent correspond-
ence from school teachers and
superintendents bears
testimony to a wide popular interest in
these Publica-
tions that reach every section of the
state. This work,
which has been supported with meager
appropriations
and at times by private contributions,
is at last bearing
fruit in an encouraging interest on the
part of the Gen-
eral Assembly.
At its recent session the most notable
appropriation
was $238,000 for the erection of a
World War
Memorial wing to the present building,
extending along
the Fifteenth Avenue entrance to the
University
Action of General Assembly on Budget
of Society 533
grounds. This covers the erection of
the wing, includ-
ing memorial features. It will extend the present
building 182 feet westward making a
total frontage on
the Fifteenth Avenue entrance of 232
feet. In archi-
tectural style it will conform in
general to the present
building, the frontage being relieved
by a colonnade of
two-third columns for a distance of 132
feet with the
exception of four full columns at the
entrance to the
wing. On the other side of the avenue
will ultimately
be erected a corresponding building
devoted chiefly per-
haps to the fine arts. The wing for the
completion of
which the appropriation has been made
has already been
in part constructed by the expenditure
of $50,000 earned
by World War films of Camp Sherman and
placed in
the hands of the Society for this
purpose.
Not only did the Legislature provide
this much
needed wing to the building that shall
speak through
the years to the students of the
University, who come
from every part of the state, of Ohio's
progress and
achievements in peace and war, but much
needed ap-
propriations were also made for the
work of the So-
ciety. More money was granted for the
annual pub-
lications. The fact was recognized that
everything that
goes into these publications costs
about twice as much
as in the pre-war days. Salaries were
granted the em-
ployes of the Society corresponding
more nearly with
what has for some time been paid for
similar services
in other state departments and
institutions. Provision
was also made for additional lines of
work through the
agency of the Society.
An appropriation was made for a Curator
of Nat-
ural History. It is rather remarkable
that while in
some of the larger cities of the state
commendable work
Action of General Assembly on Budget
of Society 535
has been done and large exhibits of
natural history
specimens have been built up and housed
in appropriate
buildings, nothing thus far has been
done in that line
through the agency of the state. Gifts
of natural his-
tory specimens have been tendered to
the Society but in
some instances they could not be
accepted because of a
lack of room. Recently through
contributions of pub-
lic spirited citizens the skeleton of a
mammoth, found
in Morrow County, Ohio, the only
specimen of this kind
now owned within the limits of the
state, was purchased
and presented to the Society. No room
is available for
the mounting of this skeleton.
Arrangements will be
made for putting it on exhibition when
the new wing
to the building is completed. Ohio has
done a highly
creditable work through this Society in
collecting and
placing on exhibition the
archaeological remains of the
state. It is believed that through its
department of
natural history a most interesting
exhibit will in time
be collected at comparatively small
expense. This de-
partment will connect the remote past
with the living
present. Ohio has an interesting fauna
and flora and
there should be a central collection
accessible not only
to the students of the University but
to all citizens of
the state who visit Columbus.
Among other appropriations by the
General As-
sembly is one for a photostat outfit.
While the arch-
aeological survey of the state has been
systematically
and consecutively carried on for years
the collection of
materials relating to its history has
been seriously
neglected. The only agency under state
authority that
has attempted much in this line through
the past century
has been the Ohio State Library. There
the work was
very intermittently done. In certain comparatively
536
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
brief periods of the history of that
institution com-
mendable progress was made and some
rare collections
were secured only, in some instances,
to be lost or dissi-
pated in after years. That institution
still has valuable
newspaper files and some books and
papers of in-
estimable value to the student of state
and local history,
but many important items relating to
Ohio and the
Northwest Territory must be consulted
in the libraries
of other states or the Library of
Congress at Washing-
ton. Some of these can never be
acquired by the library
of this Society or any other
institution in Columbus.
With the aid of the photostat, however,
facsimiles of
many rare documents, manuscripts and
publications can
be made which will answer all the
purposes of originals
for those engaged in research work.
Through the use
of the photostat such documents already
collected in
Columbus may be reproduced at small
cost and made
available at all times to students in
the library of the
Society. Through this agency it is
believed that in
time valuable collections may be added
to this library
which will in a measure make amends for
the failure to
collect systematically the originals in
the years that are
gone.
The Logan Elm, located in a small park
which now
belongs to the Society, has been an
object of increasing
interest through recent years. A concern has been
manifest for the prolongation of the
life of this grand
old tree with historic associations
reaching back earlier
than the Revolution. Reports have been current
through the press of the decline of the
Elm and the
question has frequently been raised why
something has
not been done to prolong its life and
restore it to
healthy condition. The answer of the
Society, which
Action of General Assembly on Budget of Society 537 has appreciated its responsibility for the care of the tree, has very properly been that it had no money avail- able for expert examination and treatment. The Gen- eral Assembly in response to the popular interest that centers in the Logan Elm has made ample provision for everything that can be done to prolong its life. In the meantime a preliminary examination by a tree ex- |
|
pert has been made pos- sible through the prompt and generous attitude of one of our state senators and his fellow Knights Templar in the city of Circleville. We are pleased to be able to re- port that the vitality of the tree is said to be fair and with proper care its life may be indefinitely prolonged. Under a law that has been on the statute books for about seventy-three years, county commis- sioners are required to keep on file in bound |
form in the office of the county auditor two newspapers of opposite politics in each county. A survey shows that in many counties there are interesting files of news- papers that have been accumulated in accordance with the provisions of this law. In some of the counties these are seldom used and county officers would willingly transfer them elsewhere for safe-keeping and reference |
538 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications use. In a number of the counties, we regret to say, these files have entirely disappeared through the flagrant fail- ure of some official to comply with the law. The intima- tion has been made that perhaps they have been disposed of to make room for other records in the court house. The General Assembly has enacted a law making it pos- |
|
sible, where county com- missioners so desire, to transfer these files of a date earlier than ten years from the time of transfer to the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society. It is believed that this act will be of great service in the preservation of local his- tory throughout the state. County authori- ties now will have a safe place to deposit their early files if they so de- sire and there will be no excuse for destroying them or keeping them |
where they are inaccessible for reference purposes. For the encouraging attitude of the General As- sembly the Society is duly grateful. Among many members of both houses and state officials who mani- fested a friendly interest it is somewhat difficult to dis- criminate. Especial credit is due to Honorable J. F. Atwood, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and Honorable Harry D. Silver, Chairman of the |
Action of General Assembly on Budget of Society 539 Finance Committee of the House. Extended hearings were accorded before each of these committees and the interest in considering every item of the budget submit- ted by the Society was very gratifying. The attitude of the chairmen was reflected in the entire membership of the committees. Other evidences of a growing interest in local his- |
tory are seen in the ac- tion of the General As- sembly in providing for the marking and care of historic sites in the state. Appropriations were made authorizing the Society to purchase the site of Old Fort St. Clair in Preble County with adjacent grounds to be used for park purposes; providing for the erec- tion of a monument on the site of the Indian town of Piqua captured by General George Rog- ers Clark in 1780; for |
|
the purchase of the site of Schoenbrun, near New Phila- delphia, the Moravian village in which were erected the first church and the first school house in the Ohio Coun- try 150 years ago. An appropriation was also made for work preparatory to the appropriate marking of the battlefield of Fallen Timbers, August 20, 1794, in what is now Lucas County. |
540
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
In the last twenty years other states
carved out of
the Northwest Territory have made
commendable prog-
ress in the collection and housing of
everything relating
to their history. Ohio, as we have
pointed out, has been
a follower rather than a leader in this
work. The in-
terest now manifest is therefore
distinctly encouraging.
It comes at what may be considered a
turning point in
the history of the Ohio State Archaeological
and His-
torical Society. Failure to provide for
the erection of
the wing to its building would have
been a serious blow.
With the favorable work of the General
Assembly, all
too inadequately set forth here, the
future of the So-
ciety is assured. It now enters upon a
new era of op-
portunity.
In these felicitations it would be
unpardonable not
to recognize the valuable service of
Colonel Edward
Orton, Jr., trustee of the Society and
chairman of the
building committee. He was ably
assisted in his efforts
by General Chauncey B. Baker, a veteran
of the War
with Spain and the World War, and
General Harold
M. Bush, who also served in both these
wars. These
two gentlemen appeared before the
Finance Committees
of both houses of the General Assembly
and made very
effective pleas for an appropriation to
complete the
Memorial wing as did also General
George Florence, a
member of the Board of Trustees.
It is a pleasure to present to the
readers of the
QUARTERLY the names of the gentlemen of
the Finance
Committees of the Senate and the House
through whom
the Society has received the most
satisfactory recogni-
tion accorded for many years:
Action of General Assembly on Budget of Society 541 SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE J. F. ATWOOD, Chairman |
Thomas L. Gifford George E. Kryder J. F. Burke John D. Hays George H. Bender Herbert L. Jones Harry M. Carpenter |
Joseph R. Gardner Frank C. Wise David A. Liggitt G. M. Kumler Will R. Price Earl F. Ferguson |
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE HARRY D. SILVER, Chairman |
William C. Wendt R. F. Edwards Mrs. May Van Wye Robert L. Rohe Ernest R. Hazard W. E. Baxter Minor K. Johnston James W. Shaw |
A. C. Robison O. C. Gray James W. Holloway George W. Rose V. D. Emmons Charles G. King John A. Hummon |
|
FAVORABLE ACTION OF THE GENERAL AS-
SEMBLY ON BUDGET OF THE
SOCIETY
The Ohio State Archaeological and
Historical So-
ciety is gradually coming into full
recognition as one
of the important educational agencies
of the state.
Evidence of this fact is found in the
recognition ac-
corded it by the General Assembly of
the state at its
last regular session.
Its place among the institutions of the
state was
recognized when the trustees of the
Ohio State Uni-
versity granted permission to erect on
the University
grounds at the principal entrance the
present Museum
and Library building which is the
headquarters of the
Society and the home of its chief
collections. The plans
of the Society at the time of the
granting of this
privilege contemplated the ultimate
completion of a
building quadrangular in form of which
the present
building is the High Street wing. It
was deemed ap-
propriate that the home of this Society
should ultimately
be the treasure house of its
archaeological and historical
exhibits and library and the source
from which its pub-
lications should be issued. At the main
entrance to the
University grounds, it should emphasize
the Ohio idea
of that great institution.
The present building was scarcely
adequate when
erected to accommodate the collections
that had been
made at the time of its dedication. In
recent years many
gifts have come to the Society in the
form of relics,
(530)