Thirty-fifth Annual Meeting. 523
the historical society a suitable site
for the monument to com-
memorate the Battle of Fallen Timbers. We are pleased
to re-
port that a beautiful spot has been selected by your
full com-
mittee and the representative of the
owner, complete typograph-
ical surveys and maps have been
prepared, as has also a descrip-
tion of the property for incorporation in the deed. The
owner
is an elderly lady whose brother, a
local real estate agent, is
representing her in the transaction.
Though we are not able to
report as yet that the deed to this
beautiful property is resting
in the vaults of your Society,
nevertheless we have been re-
peatedly assured by the representative
of the owner that we
may expect to receive the deed to the
property within a very
short time. The owner asks no
compensation whatever and
promises to insert no conditions save
such as any prudent busi-
ness man would require.
FORT MEIGS
"The conditions at Ft. Meigs remain
practically the same
as they were one year ago. Some ten
thousand dollars have
been expended during the past season in
improving the water
supply for the Fort and the rest house.
Your full committee
had the pleasure of inspecting this
property on the 4th of last
month and unite in reporting it to be
apparently in fine condition.
"Very respectfully yours,
(Signed) "W. J. SHERMAN."
The report was ordered received and
placed on file, on
motion of Mr. Cole.
The Committees on Fort Laurens and
Campus Martius
made no report, on account of the fact
that the Chairman, Mr. E.
O. Randall, is now deceased.
NECROLOGY.
Curator Mills reported that during the
year the Society
has lost, by death, the following
members:
Mr. E. O. Randall, for many years
Secretary of the Society.
Mr. Almer Hegler.
Dr. J. C. Reave, of Dayton.
Mr. Louis P. Schaus, for many years a
member of the
Board of Trustees.
Mr. Wood moved that the Secretary be
requested, at his
earliest convenience, to prepare an
abstract of the recommenda-
524
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society
Publications.
tions made by the
several committees in their reports, and sub-
mit them to the Board
of Trustees for action. Carried.
On motion of Mr. Heer
the meeting adjourned.
OPEN MEETING OF THE
SOCIETY.
SOCIETY BUILDING,
COLUMBUS, 0.,
2:00 P. M., December
15, 1920.
President Campbell
called the meeting to order, stating that
it was called for the
purpose of receiving a number of interest-
ing and valuable-
almost priceless- donations.
The chairman then called
upon
MR. JOHN G. DESHLER,
who read the following
letter:
"COLUMBUS, OHIO, DEC. 1O, 1920.
HON. JAMES E.
CAMPBELL,
President, The Ohio
State
Archaeological and
Historical Society.
Columbus, Ohio.
DEAR SIR: -
"I take
pleasure in presenting, through you, to The Ohio
State Archaeological
and Historical Society, a cane that once
belonged to my father.
It bears the inscription:
'Salmon P. Chase "Merrimac."
to April
1864.
Wm. G. Deshler 88/64.'
"The intrinsic,
historic value of this cane rests upon the
fact that the wood is
a part of the celebrated Confederate con-
verted ram, the Merrimac,
which for a time struck terror to the
North during the War.
Its metal--the handle and the ferrule
- is made from
material taken from the guns of the Merrimac.
"The historical
association of the cane, why it was made
and the occasion of
its presentation, is likewise of great interest.
My father in his
lifetime, when he was seventy-three years old,
wrote out a full
history of this cane, which I have in my posses-
sion, and from which I
will summarize the events which led to
the circumstances of
its presentation.