Alicia Adams

The 'Shoe at 100

sbradford — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 20:09:14 +0000

The 'Shoe at 100

September 1, 2022

These days, as we watch more than 100,000 fans pack Ohio Stadium for Buckeyes football, weekend after weekend each fall, it’s impossible to imagine Ohio State University without it.

The centerpiece of the Ohio State University campus and an iconic image of college football in general, Ohio Stadium turns 100 years old in October. Since its opening in 1922, it is estimated more than 50 million people have been in the stadium for game attendance.

Incredibly, however, according to OSU Head of Archives Tamar Chute, the stadium wasn’t always a given.

“We think, in 2022, that this stadium was inevitable — that it was inevitable it was going to be a double-decker and that it was going to be built for more than 60,000 people [its original capacity]. And of course, we inevitably enclose it because we knew we would fill it up so much, right?” Chute says. “Those assumptions are just not true.”

“There was a lot of debate at the time over this crazy, new, huge building,” Chute says. “Why did we need the stadium? What was its purpose? And why would there be more than 60,000 people coming to watch a game? If you looked at their reasons when they talked about it, they rarely, if ever, mentioned football.”

In fact, the stadium came about more as a result of the world’s geopolitical climate than any success of the football team. “Education was a really important driver at the time, as was physical and military preparedness, because these conversations were taking place right after World War I,” Chute says. “The aftermath of that war really tied into the purpose of the stadium. They wanted it for the entire university, for the overall sense of well-being of the students. They wanted to make it something that people cared about, regardless of whether they cared about football.”

The aftermath of [World War I] really tied into the purpose of the stadium. they wanted it for the entire university, for the overall sense of well-being of the students. They wanted to make it something that people cared about, regardless of whether they cared about football.

A unique design

The stadium is affectionately nicknamed “the ’Shoe” for its original horseshoe-shaped outline. Construction on it began in August 1920, and when completed two years later, it was the largest poured-concrete structure in the world.

Local architect Howard Dwight Smith, an Ohio State alumnus and later a professor of architecture — and eventually the university architect — designed the double-deck style and pioneered new architectural techniques during its construction, such as slurry walls that kept out the nearby Olentangy River floodwaters. When the stadium hosted its dedication game against Michigan on Oct. 22, 1922, it filled its seating capacity of 66,210, leaving an overflow of 5,000 fans to stand. After several expansions, the stadium is currently the fourth-largest on-campus facility in the country, with a seating capacity of 104,581 (though more than 110,000 packed in for the 2016 game against Michigan).

Not just a stadium

The stadium’s history is steeped in memorable moments beyond football. It stands as a witness to the annual spring commencement ceremonies; was the original home of the Columbus Crew Major League Soccer team; and has played host to several mega-concerts such as the Rolling Stones, U2, and numerous incarnations of the Buckeye Country Superfest.

But the ’Shoe is more than just a venue for entertainment and graduation. “Ohio Stadium holds a special place in the hearts of all Buckeyes; it is a place of historic significance,” says OSU President Kristina Johnson. “Families have celebrated a loved one’s academic achievement here, champions have been crowned here, and it has helped so many of us fall in love with what it means to be a part of the Ohio State community.”

A home for students

While it’s a well-known fact that students regularly fill the stadium on game days, the general public might not know that students used to actually live in the stadium. In 1933, the OSU Dean of Men, Joseph A. Park, created the Stadium Scholarship Dormitory for students who otherwise couldn’t afford to go to college.

The scholarship offered students reduced tuition and sleeping quarters inside the stadium in exchange for taking care of dormitory housekeeping chores. The dormitory grew along the west side of the stadium and attracted attention, including a visit from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The program exists today, though because of expansions and renovations, the dormitory moved out of the stadium and into Mack Hall in 1999.

The sense of community and special living circumstances of the Stadium Scholarship Dormitory, however, still resonate with former residents. “Even today, more than 20 years later, I still love to tell people I lived in the ’Shoe and had 95,000 die-hard, screaming Buckeye football nuts in my backyard on Saturdays,” says Jessica (Miller) Banks, a former resident and resident advisor from 1995 to 1997. “I have several close groups of friends that I’m still in contact with on a regular basis. The SSD (Stadium Scholarship Dormitory) was unique in that we all lived and worked there, and having nearly 300 people in your everyday life made a huge campus seem small.”

Celebrating the memories

Ohio State University graduates echo similar heartfelt sentiments about the stadium — even if they didn’t live within its walls. “All my memories of Ohio Stadium are linked to family memories,” says Marcia Dowds, class of ’89. “Going to games with one sister, visiting the other when she lived in the stadium dorms, weekends spent with out-of-town relatives coming in for the tailgates and games. Like a childhood home, the stadium represents some of the best memories of my life in Columbus and my time at Ohio State University.”

Maureen Cahill, class of ’81, summed up her feelings about the stadium, capturing the essence of what the original planners had intended. “When at Ohio State University, everybody wants a chance to be in the ’Shoe and be part of what happens in the ’Shoe — it doesn’t matter what the activity is,” she says. “It could be sports, a commencement, or it could be the Special Olympics. It’s just being part of something bigger than yourself, and that’s amazing.”

All photos used in this article are courtesy of Ohio State University Archives.

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Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State University

Ohio history

Eyes in the sky

sbradford — Tue, 31 May 2022 18:37:27 +0000

Eyes in the sky

June 1, 2022

Alicia Adams

Features

At the beginning of the 20th century, two brothers from Ohio launched a revolution in air technology at Huffman Prairie, a cow pasture located just outside of Dayton. On that grassy field, Orville and Wilbur Wright researched and developed reliable, controllable aviation — and with it, the ability to connect people and businesses across the globe.

Ohio has led the nation in airspace innovation ever since. In Springfield, about 30 miles east of Huffman Prairie, sits the Ohio Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Center, where the state manages and helps develop the next generation of air technology: drones, and the communications and systems that control them.

The Ohio Department of Transportation uses drones from the UAS Center to help with a variety of projects. In 2021, the center’s drone flight team logged over 2,200 flights for ODOT, including bridge inspections, construction assessments, facility inspections, mapping, and traffic and roadway monitoring.

Why does ODOT use drones? “It’s ultimately about safety, both for drivers on the roads and for people who are working on them,” says Luke Stedke, managing director of communications and policy at DriveOhio, a state organization that serves as a single point of contact for all of Ohio’s smart mobility initatives. “Drones can be used in situations that are potentially dangerous to our crews, such as bridge inspections on busy highways.”

Adaptable, efficient, economical, and capable in a variety of tasks, the center’s drones have also conducted roller coaster inspections for the Department of Agriculture, assisted the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency with debris obstructions and spills, and provided disaster relief and searches for the Ohio National Guard.

In addition to managing the state’s drone operations, the center offers a high-tech environment for collaboration between government, research, and private industry partners on unmanned aircraft and advanced aviation technologies.

FlyOhio, an initiative of DriveOhio that promotes research in lower-altitude airspace technology, oversees testing areas at the nearby Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport. Those areas have special permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly unmanned and experimental aircraft beyond the visual line of sight, which is the current FAA regulation.

The Ohio UAS Center, in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory, has developed and installed a special low-altitude, detect-and-avoid radar system called SkyVision that allows sensor technology testing as well as tracking of UAS technologies in lower-altitude airspace. That lower altitude (below 2,000 feet) is the area where most commercial drones operate — including package delivery, cargo transport, and healthcare delivery.

The emerging advanced aerial mobility market has the potential to bring significant economic benefits to the state. According to recent research conducted on behalf of the Ohio UAS Center, the state can expect $13 billion in economic impact over the next 25 years by investing in the advanced autonomous aircraft sector.

“Technology is evolving and so are the economic opportunities,” Stedke says. “The jobs of tomorrow are going to be in these fields. What we are working toward with the Ohio UAS Center is to ensure the state leads that 21st-century air mobility accountability by not only encouraging technology and research but also through workforce development programs so we can fill the industry jobs that are being created.”

In essence, the center will serve as the state’s one-stop shop for unmanned aircraft operations and advanced aviation technologies. “I truly believe that the Ohio UAS Center is going to be the next Huffman Prairie,” Stedke says, “connecting people and businesses across the world with the next generation of aviation innovation.”

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High-tech highway

sbradford — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 15:34:35 +0000

High-tech highway

March 1, 2022

Alicia Adams

Features

Ohio, a state long-obsessed with being in motion, has a rich history of being on the leading edge of transportation innovation.

In the late 19th century, John Lambert, from Mechanicsburg and later Van Wert County, built the first gasoline-powered vehicle in the U.S. (he also was involved in the first motor-vehicle crash in the U.S.). Ohioan Charles Kettering revolutionized the auto industry when he invented the electric starter. An Ohio manufacturer was the first to put seat belts in cars.

It’s not surprising that the Transportation Research Center (TRC) near East Liberty has grown from its beginnings as an Ohio State University research center in the 1960s to become North America’s largest and most advanced vehicle proving ground.

And from that, the next generation of transportation research has sprouted — the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor, billed as the most connected highway in the world.

The 35-mile section of U.S. Route 33 runs from Dublin through Marysville and up to the gates of the TRC in East Liberty. It’s a one-of-a-kind vehicle testing ground that seeks to shape the future of connected and driverless vehicles.

What is smart mobility? Imagine this scenario: You’re driving along the highway when you receive a sudden braking alert. There is an obstacle in the road that cars ahead of you are braking hard to avoid. Those vehicles closest to the obstacle communicate a warning to other approaching vehicles to let them know to slow down to avoid the obstacle and other cars. That’s smart mobility in action.

The system can also notify drivers of potential icy spots on the roads, approaching emergency vehicles, traffic lights getting ready to change, pedestrians, or oncoming bad weather. Smart mobility helps take surprises out of driving and empowers drivers to make better decisions.

“The tech infrastructure being deployed on the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor will help develop and advance transportation technologies that will make travel safer for everyone,” says Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who serves as director of InnovateOhio, which aims to make the state a leader in technology innovation.

The Honda Motor Company and its affiliates have played a major role in the guidance and support of the corridor. With an auto manufacturing facility as well as its research and development arm located in Marysville, Honda has deployed over 200 connected vehicles to study the interaction between drivers and smart mobility technology. “Ohio’s 33 Smart Mobility Corridor enables us to conduct real-world testing of Honda’s ‘Safe Swarm’ technology, which uses ‘vehicle-to-everything’ communication to help mitigate collisions, improve traffic flow, increase fuel efficiency for all road users, and prepare for higher levels of automated driving features,” says Sue Bai, chief engineer at Honda Research Institute USA.

The Smart Mobility Corridor has created another Ohio first in transportation research: the world’s first fully connected city. All the intersections within the city of Marysville are connected to the 432 strands of fiber-optic cable that are the central nervous system of the project, so researchers can quickly and easily test the latest safety technology regarding traffic signal phases, traffic timing, and other data.

“What’s nice about Marysville is that we are a self-contained, smaller-sized city with a manageable traffic flow, so we have the ability to shut down an intersection or redirect traffic for testing with minimal effort or impact on the surrounding community,” says Terry Emery, Marysville’s city manager. “We are the perfect testing playground.”

The city of Dublin serves as another live laboratory, connecting some of its intersections with the system to provide vehicle data regarding multilane roundabouts and other traffic situations.

The 33 Smart Mobility Corridor started as a local initiative in 2014 to bring fiber-optic broadband to Marysville and surrounding rural areas, but pivoted into a transportation test bed. That conversion has resulted in unique partnerships across local, state, federal, private, industrial, and academic institutions.

Tim Hansley, Union County administrator and president of the NW 33 Innovation Corridor Council of Governments, says the collaborative nature of those partnerships is what allows the system to work so well. “It’s unusual to have such a cooperative collaboration among all of these different groups,” he says. “We are a model for the rest of the country on how to do this.”

Obviously, having a reliable source of electricity to power the 63 roadside units that collect and distribute data is a crucial component to the system, and Marysville-based Union Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. (URE), has been an important partner.

“URE played an important part in bringing together the other electric utilities, ODOT, and Union County officials to efficiently power the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor,” says Anthony Smith, URE’s CEO/president. “Providing power to this project was unlike anything we had done before, and the team effort was critical to getting the job done right. We’re proud to have played a role in such an important mobility research program.”

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smart mobility

Honda

Union Rural Electric Cooperative

Ohio history

Bookish byway

sbradford — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 16:15:19 +0000

Bookish byway

February 1, 2022

Alicia Adams

Features

Ohio’s writers, poets, authors, and musicians have left lasting impressions on Supreme Court judges, inspired presidents, and moved the entire nation to change its opinion. Their stories, songs, poetry, and literature have graced the silver screen, won Pulitzer and Nobel prizes, and helped create a whole new genre of fiction. Ohio’s erudite literary talent even helped define the English language itself.

The Ohioana Library Association, a nonprofit literary organization, has dedicated itself to preserving and promoting Ohio authors and their works, and to that end, published the first Ohio Literary Trail in 1957 to honor and highlight artists and their cultural contributions.

The trail showcases more than 70 landmarks, including historical buildings, libraries, and markers, as well as festivals that commemorate Ohio’s literary contributions. The publication took the form of a printed map for the first several decades of its existence. In 2020, the trail went online, where it now features an interactive map that divides the state into five regions. Each section of the site contains links and information about the destinations within the region. The map is downloadable and — perhaps as a subtle nod to its past — is also printable.

The Ohio Literary Trail, by Betty Weibel

David Weaver, executive director of the Ohioana Library, said the digital map has been met with incredible enthusiasm. “Even though we launched it during a pandemic, we have been thrilled with people’s response to it.”

The Ohio Literary Trail isn’t all about authors who have been relegated to the pages of history. “We felt it was important to include interaction with current writers at events in each of the regions — celebrations where you can meet present-day Ohio writers and learn about their work,” says Ohioana board member Betty Weibel.

With so many treasures to explore on the trail, it can be hard to figure out where to start — so we asked Ohioana Library Association board members and their program director, Morgan Peters, to share some of their favorites.

Northwest

Jennifer Fisher/Nancy Drew Exhibit, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library

Carolyn Keene, the author’s name that appears on the covers of the Nancy Drew mystery novels, is a pen name for 28 individuals who have ghost-written the series over the decades. The first writer hired to author the books was also the one who made the series a bestseller: Mildred Wirt Benson, who wrote under the pen name from 1929 to 1947. In addition to writing several non-Nancy Drew novels, Benson also worked as a weekly columnist at the Toledo Blade for 56 years.

The exhibit, located in the aptly named Mystery Room, displays paintings, books, magazines, and other items related to the TV shows and movies. All 135 of Mildred Wirt Benson’s books and her newspaper articles are preserved here.

Northeast

Malabar Farm State Park, Lucas

In 1938, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Hollywood screenwriter, and conservationist Louis Bromfield built a 32-room house among the rolling, wooded hills near Mansfield. While Bromfield’s main goal was to advance agriculture and environmentalism, he managed to combine Hollywood celebrity with farming. His close friends Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were married at his house, and several Hollywood stars, including James Cagney, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, and Carol Lombard, regularly visited to roll up their sleeves and work in the dirt for their stay. While the Hollywood spotlight now shines elsewhere, thousands of visitors tour the working farm each year to explore the house, walk the wooded trails, or stay overnight in the cabin.

Southwest

Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial, Dayton

Paul Laurence Dunbar was the first internationally acclaimed African American poet. Born to parents who were freed slaves from Kentucky, Dunbar grew up to be a groundbreaking poet and writer who produced over 400 works in his short lifetime. His house became the first state memorial in Ohio to honor African American history and sits not too far from another museum that honors two of his close friends: the Wright Brothers.

Central Ohio

The Wagnalls Memorial, Lithopolis

Adam Wagnalls was co-founder of the publishing company Funk and Wagnalls, which was best known for its dictionaries and encyclopedias. “Put that in your Funk and Wagnalls,” a common phrase heard throughout the mid-20th century, was a colloquial ode to the popularity of their dictionary. The memorial, built and dedicated to Adam and his wife, Anna, from their daughter, Mabel Wagnall, is a Tudor-Gothic structure featuring soaring architecture and lush interior decorative details. Gardens, a tower, a formal entrance hall, and a library are among its many offerings.

Thurber House, Columbus

Ohio State University alumnus and Columbus native James Thurber’s cartoons and short stories were a regular feature in the New Yorker and have also appeared as theater and movie productions. The house on Jefferson Avenue is where he lived from 1913 to 1917. Now a historic landmark, museum, and intellectual salon for readers and writers, Thurber House features workshops, writer residencies, and regular visits from local and national authors.

Southeast

National Road and Zane Grey Museum, Norwich

U.S. 40, also known as the National Road, was a vital link to the western frontier during the 19th century. While the highway may have opened the western frontier to the rest of America, author Zane Grey was responsible for popularizing the rugged lifestyle through the fiction genre known as the western. Born in Zanesville and originally a dentist, Grey took up writing in 1905 and wrote over 50 western novels in his lifetime. His prolific work shaped the genre both in print and on television and movie screens. The museum highlights Grey’s literary impact on American culture with an exhibit of his manuscripts and personal effects.

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Ohio history

Ohio attractions

Ohio activities

Paul Brown: Gridiron Great

sbradford — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 18:37:36 +0000

Paul Brown: Gridiron Great

October 1, 2021

Alicia Adams

Features

Cleveland native and Hollywood actress Patricia Heaton of Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle once told a joke about pro football coach Paul Brown: “A football player died and went to heaven. He saw a football game in progress and on the sidelines, a man in a tie, coat, and fedora hat watching intently. The football player asked St. Peter, ‘Is that Paul Brown?’ St. Peter responded, ‘No, that’s just God pretending to be Paul Brown.’”

The joke slyly illustrates the enormous impact and legacy Paul Brown had on the game of football. Pre-Brown, it was characterized mostly by brute force, with little intellectual finesse. Brown’s genius for innovation transformed it into the mental and analytical game that it is today.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Paul Brown’s death, and his innovations continue to touch almost every aspect of the modern-day sport. “Paul Brown was the pioneer of coaching the game of football as a science,” says former Ohio State University head coach Jim Tressell, now president of Youngstown State University. “Data analytics, meticulous practice planning, playbooks, use of film to study performance — Paul Brown made all of those a part of every coach’s repertoire. It was our study of Paul Brown’s 1942 national champions that gave us the blueprint to become the 2002 national champions.”

John Collins, a member of the Professional Football Researchers Association, takes that a step further: “In my opinion, Paul Brown is one of the greatest football coaches that ever lived, if not the greatest.”

Brown was born in Norwalk in 1908, but grew up in Massillon, where high school football is inextricably woven into the fabric of the history and culture.

As the quarterback for Washington High for two years, he led the Tigers to a 15-3 record. He enrolled at Ohio State, but when he didn’t make the team there, he transferred to Miami University in Oxford and went 14-3 in his two seasons as starting quarterback.

Brown became head coach at Washington High in 1932 at the age of just 24 and compiled an astonishing 80-8-2 record (not even including a preseason win in 1940 against Kent State University!). After the Tigers’ third consecutive undefeated season in 1940, Brown was hired at Ohio State in 1941 and led the Buckeyes to their first national championship in 1942.

Then the military called. Brown served and coached in the Navy during World War II, and while enlisted, was hired to coach Cleveland’s new professional team that, as a testament to his popularity (but against his wishes), bore his name: the Cleveland Browns. When he was eventually fired by owner Art Modell, Brown went on to co-found the Cincinnati Bengals in 1967.

Brown began revolutionizing the game while still coaching at Massillon. He invented a radical technique that now is commonplace: the playbook. Players learned formations and set plays and were tested on that knowledge. Brown also developed a method of calling plays from the sidelines using hand signals. A strict disciplinarian with the heart of a teacher, Brown made punctuality and attending classes as important as playing the game. He also emphasized nutrition and made sure his teams ate adequate amounts of wholesome foods by arranging meals through the local YMCA.

In a 2015 interview for the documentary Paul Brown: A Football Life, Bill Belichick, head coach of the New England Patriots, told the NFL Network, “There is no one in the game that I have more respect for than Paul Brown. Everything that he did as a coach, 50 years later, everybody is still basically doing the same thing.”

It’s the most apt tribute that can be given to a man whose vision and genius were far ahead of their time.

Brown’s innovations

Paul Brown deployed almost all of his groundbreaking ideas once he reached the professional level. His accomplishments include:

First to use game film to analyze opponents’ weaknesses and scout for new talent
Helped invent the face guard and the radio headset for the football helmet
First to hire a full-time coaching staff
Instituted a college scouting system that is still in use today
First to implement the sideline telephone system to connect to the coaching staff who had a bird’s-eye view of the game
Developed the 40-yard dash to evaluate the speed and acceleration of players
Originated the taxi squad and the draw play
Created the West Coast Defense (also known as the Ohio River Offense)
Broke the color barrier in professional sports in 1946 by signing on Marion Motley and Bill Willis, a year before Jackie Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers

Paul Brown Museum: 121 Lincoln Way East, Massillon, Ohio 44646 (less than 10 miles from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton). www.paulbrownmuseum.org; 330-833-4061. Tues.– Sat. 9:30 a.m.– 5 p.m., Sun. 2–5 p.m.

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Ohio history

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State University

World War II

A slice of history

sbradford — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 20:34:11 +0000

A slice of history

June 30, 2021

Alicia Adams

Features

Tucked off County Road 658 in Ashland County, not far from the northward-flowing Vermillion River, a squat, knobby tree stump sits near a modest white farmhouse. The stump is flanked by two newer trunks sprouting from its remains, their branches reaching above the nearby roofline.

At first glance, it looks like a typical, if rather inelegant, tree. But to assume it as such would literally be a mistake of historic proportions, because this particular tree is none other than the last living apple tree planted by John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed.

Folklore paints Johnny Appleseed as an eccentric nature lover, scattering apple seeds while wandering barefoot and wearing a tin pot as a hat. While he was a devout conservationist, he was also a calculating and successful orchardist whose passion sprang from a blend of religious devotion, humanitarianism, and strategic economic thought.

Traveling as a missionary and orchard specialist throughout the Midwest in the early 1800s allowed him to spread the message of his beloved Swedenborgian religion while simultaneously planting apple orchards to ensure a consistent food supply for the incoming wave of pioneers. Those orchards also served as legal proof for homesteaders to stake an official claim on the land they settled. From the time Chapman started his mission in 1797 at the age of 23 until his death in 1845, it’s estimated he planted more than 6 million apple seeds — including the one that sprouted into the tree standing today on what is now known as the Harvey-Algeo Farm.

Patti Algeo Young represents the sixth of nine Harvey-Algeo generations that have looked after the tree. She is the great-great-grandchild of John and Jane Harvey, who traveled from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to find suitable farmland among the serene rolling hills near Ashland. The Harvey-Algeo family still has the original land grant signed by John Quincy Adams in 1837. “I found it in a tin box in the attic,” Patti says. “My grandparents didn’t think anything was wrong with storing it like that. I put it in between glass to better preserve it.”

The family has passed down stories from generation to generation, recalling the times Johnny Appleseed came to visit. Patti remembers her father, Richard Algeo, telling the stories that his great-grandmother told him. “Johnny would drop in when he was visiting his sister, who lived nearby,” she says. “He would eat dinner with the Harveys but would always sleep in the barn — the same one that is not far from the tree,” she says. “He preferred to be as close to nature as possible.” Tradition has it that Johnny, grateful for the hospitality the Harvey family showed him, planted an orchard of Rambo apple trees on the farm, similar to the orchards he planted in Savannah and Ashland.

Apple trees normally have a life span of about 35 years. Weather and old age eventually felled the trees Johnny planted in Ohio and across the neighboring states, with the exception of this one single tree.

What is so special about it? There are a couple of theories, but Patti and the rest of the family think they know the secret. “It’s planted right on top of an aquifer. We think its roots grew down to the water and nutrient supply,” Patti says, also speculating that the house and the other nearby outbuildings helped shield the tree from wind damage and added to its unusual longevity.

At roughly 190 years old, the tree still occasionally produces apples, although now only a handful at a time, even in the years when it does produce. While the days advance the tree toward its inevitable end, its legacy will continue to live on beyond the farm. The tree has been independently certified as genuine by the Johnny Appleseed Museum, the Ohio Historical Society, and the Washington, D.C., nonprofit organization American Forests.

The Harvey-Algeo family supplies tree grafts for the purpose of keeping history alive. The last living apple tree of Johnny Appleseed will continue to live on in the form of thousands of genetically identical offspring trees that are available to the public so they, too, can plant a little history in their backyard.

“Although our family is the steward of this tree, it is really meant for everyone. It’s a part of our history, but it’s also part of American history, and that means it belongs to everyone,” says Algeo. “Johnny Appleseed shared it with us, and it’s only fitting that we share it, too.”

Grafts from the last known surviving Johnny Appleseed tree are available here.

Tags

Ohio history

history

Healthy innovation

aspecht — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 18:37:36 +0000

Healthy innovation

October 29, 2020

Alicia Adams

Co-op People

At first glance, the interior of Soda Pharm looks like your typical coffeehouse: exposed brick wall, comfy chairs and couches that welcome lingering stays, and a variety of chalkboards displaying the seasonal menu and the daily coffee roast.

But then, alongside the espresso and treats selection, you’ll notice some not-so-typical offerings: probiotic lemonade, elderberry handcrafted soda, and a fire cider shooter.

Welcome to Soda Pharm, where the old-fashioned pharmacy soda fountain concept is reborn — this time with the modern twist of innovative self-care through functional food and natural medicinal herbs.

Dawn Combs and her husband, Carson, members of Marysville-based Union Rural Electric Cooperative, own the Marysville-based storefront apothecary. “We wanted to bring health to the level where you are — make it accessible in a way that hasn’t been done before,” says Combs, a certified herbalist who holds an M.A. in ethnobotany and is a nationally recognized functional food specialist. “We approach it from a completely non-judgmental angle. You don’t want to give up your weekly Big Mac and fries? No problem. But let’s replace the Diet Coke with a healthy, tasty soda made with an herbal syrup that will help your digestion.”

Whether it is the genuine sourdough bread, the syrup and seltzer sodas that are made to order right in front of you, or the medicinal product selection, Soda Pharm provides a unique and tasty space to explore health.

The store shelves feature Dawn’s own herbal tinctures and syrups with names like “Happy” and “Revive,” honey-and-herb mixtures like “Focus,” and a selection of loose-leaf teas with labels that read, “Headache Ease,” “Good Night,” and “Swallowed Emotions.”

“When I do a personal consult with my clients, I address not only the physical side but the emotional side as well,” she says. “You can’t just focus on the physical only and expect to fully heal. It has to be more holistic: spiritual, psychological, and nutritional.”

Dawn’s passion for health originated from her own struggles with infertility issues. Her quest for answers took her beyond the idea of eating vegetables and exercising to fully understanding the complex relationship between the modern environment and the human body, including reproductive health. Now the mother of two children, she’s poured her knowledge into articles, podcasts, an online study school, and three books on health and herbalism. She has been nationally recognized for her therapeutic honey spreads and other herbal products — all of which come from the Combses’ herb and honey farm, Mockingbird Meadows, also a URE member.

“Our motto here at Soda Pharm is, ‘Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food,’” Combs says. “You’ll leave a little healthier than when you came in.”

Tags

Union Rural Electric Cooperative

nutrition

health

Following the glass trail

sean.walker — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 14:37:20 +0000

Following the glass trail

February 4, 2020

Alicia Adams

Features

Cindy Arent adjusts her white gloves and smooths the front of her apron over her 19th-century dress. Arent, a former schoolteacher and now museum director of the National Museum of Cambridge Glass in Cambridge, channels her inner educator to preserve the history of one of the country’s most successful glassware manufacturers, whose sales reached around the world.

Her enthusiasm is palpable as she greets visitors to the museum. “Are you ready?” she asks a tour group. After an enthusiastic “Yes!” she’s off — and thus begins a delightful day trip dedicated to glass production around southeastern Ohio.

National Museum of Cambridge Glass

The coal seams and sandstone deposits layered within the hills of eastern Ohio provided the perfect environment for the glassmaking industry to take root and flourish. The Cambridge Glass Company began operations in 1902, producing glassware until the plant closed in 1958. In 1982, the first museum of Cambridge Glass opened, brought to life by the sustained effort of an Ohio nonprofit group called the National Cambridge Collectors.

Today, the museum offers a hands-on, interactive experience in the history of glassmaking: Visitors can create rubbings from etching plates that were used for glass production as well as handle the equipment and molds. The guided tours provide back stories on more than 8,000 glassware pieces. One full section is devoted to Hollywood’s use of the glassware in series such as The Good Place and Empire. Don’t miss the 1940s film produced by the company that follows the creation of glass dinnerware pieces from initial design to final product during a time before computer-aided design and mass automated production.

Mosser Glass

After Cambridge Glass closed, Thomas Mosser, whose father had been the Cambridge plant manager, decided to build a company of his own. He started producing what later became Mosser Glass in a chicken coop in his backyard.

Today, Mosser Glass — still family owned — produces about 200,000 pieces annually, blending modern efficiency with traditional craftsmanship to create glassware that’s been featured on the Science Channel, in one of Katy Perry’s music videos, and at the White House.

During a guided factory tour, visitors can get an up-close view of the artisans creating pressed-glass pieces. Mosser’s on-site retail store showcases a selection of products, including items for everyday use and whimsical holiday pieces. While the glassware has been around for decades, it appears to be catching the eye of a new generation. “Millennials have become very interested in pretty much all of the opaque glass colors,” says Mindy Mosser. “They’ve also helped fuel the trend of tableware instead of the historic collectible trend.”

Ohio Glass Museum and Glass Blowing Studio

Fairfield County has been home to numerous glass companies over the years, thanks to abundant supplies of sandstone and natural gas — for a time, businesses were given free natural gas as enticement to locate there. The first glass manufacturer began production in 1888, though perhaps the most successful one, the Hocking Glass Company (now Anchor Hocking), didn’t come along until 1905.

The Ohio Glass Museum and Glass Blowing Studio celebrates the importance of glassware making in the region and beyond. Visitors wind through displays ranging from art to industrial to consumer products. A comprehensive 15-minute movie gives an overview of the history of local glass companies, including the still-operating Anchor Hocking. A gift shop, classes, and a chance to view an artisan blowing glass top off the visitor experience.

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