Ohio History Journal

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THE OHIO STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HIS-

THE OHIO STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HIS-

TORICAL SOCIETY IN A CHANGING WORLD

 

By JAMES H. RODABAUGH

 

These are critical times when every institution must look

well within itself and ask: Are we necessary?  Is our purpose

worthy? Do we contribute to the welfare of a people at war?

Have we fulfilled our social obligations? Are our plans for the

future well considered and in step with social transformations?

Reduced to its simplest terms, the purpose of the Ohio State

Archaeological and Historical Society is to collect and preserve

the history of Ohio and make it available to the people. The

Society meets its purpose in various ways, by maintaining the

Ohio State Museum and Library in Columbus and specialized

museums and memorials throughout the State, by carrying on

research activities in Ohio history, archaeology and natural his-

tory, by publishing materials pertaining to Ohio history in books,

pamphlets and periodicals, by offering an educational program for

public schools and radio and by cooperation with State and

municipal agencies, local societies and other groups.

History and tradition are forces which unite the people of a

state or nation, give them a singleness of purpose and a desire

to preserve their state and democracy. In Ohio we are a mix-

ture of peoples; we are whites and blacks, we are natives of every

part of Europe or descendants of Europeans, we are of every

sort of religious faith and philosophy, we are of differing and

sometimes conflicting traditions. The cohesive force of Ohio's

memory unites this variant population in loyalty and sentiment

and in the effort to build a better home. The State Historical

Society, if it fulfills its responsibility as custodian, reporter and

disseminator of Ohio's history, thus establishes the base of social

integration and seeks to broaden it through research and educa-

tional programs.

Our purpose is to recreate the past in the minds of Ohioans

of today. We are, however, keenly aware of the problems of

the present, and we seek to interpret the past with a full con-

 

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