THE OHIO ACADEMY OF HISTORY:
HISTORY OF A DECADE, 1932-1942
BY HAROLD E. DAVIS
Attending the annual meetings of the
Ohio College Associa-
tion in the late twenties the author
noted that his fellow historians
were rarely present, even in the
meetings of the Social Science
Section. After attending the Ohio
History Conference arranged
by Dr. Harlow Lindley in the spring of
1931 he was convinced
of the desirability of some
organization, however informal, which
would bring together the historians of
the State. Such an organi-
zation, it seemed, might well fill a
definite need for those who were
unable to attend national meetings for
one reason or another, and
might also lead the historians as a
group to assume their proper
responsibility for historical activity
within the State. A number
of persons with whom he discussed the
idea were encouraging,
especially Professor David R. Moore of
Oberlin who agreed to
father the proposal, and joined in a
circular letter asking for a
meeting at a luncheon in the Hotel
Cleveland, at Cleveland, Ohio,
on April 8, 1932, at the time of the
Ohio College Association
meeting in that city. It should be added
that Professor Moore's
enthusiasm, more than any
other single factor, led to the forma-
tion of the organization, and that on
several occasions he risked
overtaxing his none too sturdy health to
carry through its plans.
Twenty-five to thirty historians
assembled on that day in
Cleveland. After listening to a paper by
Professor R. F. Fletcher
of Oberlin, a "Program for a
Proposed Association of Ohio Teach-
ers of History," by the author, and
remarks by Dr. Lindley, Pro-
fessor Arthur C. Cole of Western Reserve
University, Professor
Wilbur H. Siebert of Ohio State
University, Miss Jessie L. Cook
of Lake Erie College, and others, this
group adopted a motion to
constitute themselves into a society. A
committee was charged with
the double responsibility of planning
the organization's program of
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168
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
spring meetings, and of carrying out
Professor Cole's suggestion
for an informal and social week-end
meeting in the fall. The name,
Ohio Academy of History, was chosen from
three suggestions
made in the original meeting, by a poll
of the members during the
ensuing year.
While the author's "Program,"
presented at this first meet-
ing, was in no sense formally adopted,
nor intended to be, it was
in a way sanctioned by the decision to
form the Academy. This
makes it a matter of some interest,
after ten years, to recall some
of the points included:
1. The aim of the association should be
social in the broadest and best
sense, in the sense of an opportunity to
meet and discuss questions of com-
mon interest.
2.
. . . The first attention of the society ought to be given to plan-
ning for next year a program that will
be wide in interest, and of as
high an intellectual level as possible.
It might be wise to limit research
papers to those which will definitely
command a general interest and lead
to some discussion. Papers and talks
dealing with historical interpreta-
tions, historical trends, and what we
might call historical "news" ought
to prove of general benefit and
interest.
Some place should be found in the
program for constructive discus-
sions of the problems of teaching
college courses in history, problems of
the curriculum, of the content of
courses, of the approach to subjects,
and of the bibliography of courses.
Could we, perhaps, formulate a list
of history books which a student
graduating from college should have
read?
3. Should we have a session on Ohio
history--a joint meeting with
the Ohio History Conference?
4. The formulation of further aims, and
perhaps of a larger pro-
gram, ought to be postponed until the
organization acquires some per-
manence.
5.
. . .
6. Some attention should be given . . .
to the question of admitting
high school teachers into the
organization.
Except for the years 1932 and 1935 the
spring meetings have
been held in Columbus at the time of the
Ohio College Associa-
tion meetings. In 1935 the Academy held
its meeting in Cincin-
nati, at the time of the meeting of the
Mississippi Valley His-
torical Association meeting there.
Professor Cole, with Dean Elbert J.
Benton and Miss Bertha
OHIO HISTORY CONFERENCE, 1942 169
E. Josephson, all at that time of
Western Reserve University,
planned and carried out the September
week-end meetings at
Mitiwanga from 1932 to 1936, using the
title Ohio and Midwest
Historical Conference part of the time.
Sometimes it was hard to
decide whether these were gatherings of
the followers of Clio or
of some more bucolic muse. Yet no one
who took part in the
swimming, tennis, golf, and
folk-dancing, or in the afternoons and
evenings of conversation, in all of
which these meetings abounded,
as did the equally delightful ones at
Gambier in 1937 and 1940,
and at Kent in 1938, will ever forget
them. Nor should their
importance be overlooked from the
standpoint of the broadly
social basis upon which the program of
the Ohio Academy was
originally conceived. They, too, have
undoubtedly contributed
indirectly to giving Ohio historians an
increasing sense of respon-
sibility for all lines of historical
activity within the State.
It was in the middle nineteen-twenties
that Elbert J. Benton
caustically inquired in the American
Historical Review whether
the lack of Ohio historical activity was
not an indication of a "low
state of culture" in this
"oldest community of the Old North-
west."* It is doubtful whether such
a remark would be justified
today, and without mistaken exaggeration
of the importance of
our relatively simple organization, one
may venture the assertion
that the Ohio Academy of History,
through the simple expedient
of bringing together many of the leaders
of historical activity in
the State, has contributed to bringing
about this change.
It was Professor H. C. Hubbart of Ohio
Wesleyan Univer-
sity, who, as president during the years
1936-37, finally brought
the Academy to adopt the project
broached in the original meet-
ing, of joining forces with the Ohio
State Archaeological and
Historical Society in an annual
conference. The author, as presi-
dent during the next year, had the
pleasure of seeing this enlarged
program carried out for the first time.
This arrangement with
the State Society has given the Academy
a much larger program,
and has also made possible the
publication of many of the papers
presented at these meetings during the
past four years.
* American Historical Review (New York), XXXII (1926), 145-6.
170 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
At the spring
meeting in 1941 the constitutional basis of the
organization
was strengthened by adopting two provisions: one
for the
election of a vice-president who would then become the
nominee for
president the succeeding year, and one for an execu-
tive
committee. The organization is now in an excellent position
to go ahead
with some of the other suggestions made in the past
for making it
the instrument by which the historical scholars of
the State may
assume their rightful responsibility for historical
activity
within the State along all lines: research, archives, his-
torical
instruction in the schools, State historical activities and
publications,
and the elevation of the general level of historical
consciousness
throughout the State.
A list of the
officers who have served the Academy is ap-
pended. The
author's records show vice-presidents elected in 1934
and 1935, but
the present secretary has no records to confirm this
fact. Perhaps
some member of the Academy, or the parties con-
cerned can
confirm or deny it, so that the principle of two wit-
nesses
agreeing may be properly observed. A list of participants
in programs
is also appended. Here it should be noted that the
list does not
include papers presented in the meetings of the
Committee on
Archives and Medical History of the Archaeological
and
Historical Society, nor those of the Columbus Genealogical
Society, both
of which have met jointly with the Academy during
late years.
It does, however, include participants in the joint pro-
grams of the
Academy and the Ohio State Archaeological and
Historical
Society.
ROSTER OF
OFFICERS
Temporary
Chairman, organization meeting, 1932--Elbert J. Benton
President Vice-President Secretary
1932-33 David
R. Moore ......... Harold E. Davis
1933-34
Wilmer C. Harris George A. Hedger Harold E. Davis
1934-35
George A. Hedger H. Clyde Hubbart Harold
E. Davis
1935-36
Howard Robinson .......... William D. Overman
1936-37 H.
Clyde Hubbart .......... William D. Overman
1937-38
Harold E. Davis .......... William D. Overman
1938-39 A.
Sellew Roberts .......... John Marsh
1939-40
Albert T. Volwiler .......... William D. Overman
1940-41
William T. Utter .......... William D. Overman
OHIO HISTORY
CONFERENCE, 1942 171
President Vice-President Secretary
1941-42
Clarence P. Gould Benjamin
F. Pershing William D.
Overman
1942-43 Benjamin F. William E. Smith
William D.
Overman
Pershing
PARTICIPANTS
IN PROGRAMS
Bloomhardt,
Paul F., "The Great Man in History," 1941.
Binkley,
Robert C., "Should the College History Curriculum Be Altered
to Conform to
the Present World Situation?" 1935.
Cameron,
Meribeth E., "The Russian Angle," 1938.
Cole, Arthur
C., Report of Mitiwanga meeting, 1934.
---------------,
"Some Aspects of the Early Attack upon American Puritan-
ism,"
1939.
Cook, Blake,
"Judge John Tyler--Pioneer Jurist," 1939.
Dater, Henry
M., "Albert Gallatin and the Ohio Valley--the Evils of
Speculation,"
1937.
Davis, Harold
E., "Program for a Proposed Association of Ohio Teachers
of
History," 1932.
----------,
"Mexico, the Key to Hemisphere Solidarity," 1941.
Davis,
Stanton L., Chairman, 1940.
DeWeerd,
Harvey A., "Some Observations on American Industrial Mobili-
zation for
War, 1917-1918," 1940.
Dorn, Walter
L., "Romanticism and Hitler" (announced); substituted:
"Strategy
and Politics in General v. Ludendorff's Conduct of the War,"
1934.
-------------,
"Future of Historical Study," 1938.
Fletcher,
Robert F., "Early Oberlin History," 1932.
---------------,
"The Course in American Cultural History," 1934.
Garrison,
Curtis W., "A President's Library," 1939.
Gray, Raymond
J., "Origins of the Medieval Coronation Ceremony," 1940.
Hail, William
J., "What China Fights For," 1938.
Harris,
Wilmer C., "What Should Constitute a History Major?" 1933.
Hatcher,
Harlan H., "Historical Opportunities Offered through the Writers
Project,"
1938.
Hedger,
George A., Discussion leader, 1933.
Hill,
Lawrence F., "Some Implications of the Present War for the West-
ern
Hemisphere," 1940.
-------------,
Chairman, 1941.
Hoover,
Thomas N., "Beginning of Higher Education in the Northwest
Territory,"
1941.
Howe, George
F., Chairman, 1941.
Hubbart, H. Clyde,
"Should There Be a Basic History Course?" 1933.
Jordan,
Philip D., "An Ohio Surgeon in Paris, 1830-1832," 1940.
172 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Josephson, Bertha E., "Critical
Investigation versus Careless Presentation,"
1938.
La Monte, John, "Cultural
History," 1934.
Leebrick, K. C., "The Study of
History--a Hindrance or a Help in the
Perfecting of International
Organization," 1940.
Lindley, Harlow, Discussion, 1932.
----------, "Plans for the History
of Ohio," 1938.
McMurtrie, Douglas, "The Record of
the American Press," 1938.
McNeal, Edgar, "Teaching Cultural
History of the Middle Ages," 1934.
McNiff, William J., "The Kirtland
Phase of Mormonism," 1941.
Miller, James M., "The Spiritual
Force in Early Western Culture," 1940.
Moore, David R., "United
States-Brazilian Relations and Hemisphere
Solidarity," 1941.
Patterson, Grove, Address, 1939.
Price, Robert, "Johnny
Appleseed--the Myth and the Man," 1938.
Roberts, A. Sellew, "Should There
Be a Basic History Course?" 1933.
Shetrone, Henry C., "The Ohio State
Archaeological and Historical So-
ciety--a Quarter Century of
Progress," 1938.
Vinacke, Harold M., "Internal
Changes and Foreign Policies in Japan,"
1938.
Volwiler, Albert T., "Harrison,
Blaine, and American Foreign Policy, 1889-
1893," 1939.
Washburne, George A., Chairman, 1940.
Wenner, Thomas B., "Danger Spots in
the Caribbean Area," 1941.
Wilson, Charles R., "Should the
College History Curriculum Be Altered to
Conform to the Present World
Situation?" 1935.
Wittke, Carl, "German
Universities," 1933.
Work, Ernest, "Life in
Ethiopia," 1936.