The Miami ↦ Erie Canal connects Toledo in the north to Cincinnati in the south was built from 1825 to 1845 - by hand. As part of the construction, Grand Lake St. Marys was created as a reservoir feeding the canal. The canal runs through Allen, Auglaize, Butler, Defiance, Hamilton, Henry, Lucas, Miami, Montgomery, Paulding, Putnam, Shelby, Van Wert, & Warren Counties. Used to ferry passengers and freight from the Ohio River and Lake Erie, the Miami-Erie Canal was an essential development tool for western Ohio.

While the railroads spelled the doom of canals begun in the 1850's, today much of the old canals are used as irrigation or for parkland.

For more information, check out map of Ohio Canals, Miami-Erie original plat maps, Miami-Erie Canal facts.

As for visiting the canal, I'm sure that I could visit a site in all fourteen counties with little or no diversion. The trick will be to find interesting locations and hope that the canal even exists in some locations; in downtown Cincinnati, Central Parkway used to have the canal running down the middle (hence the Over the Rhine moniker), but all that is left is asphalt.

Check back from time to time on this entry because I will add locations in the extend portion of places I want to visit.

photo from the Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress

• Lock 14 Located 4 miles north of St. Marys on SR 66, then west on Lock 14 Road.
• Six Mile Aqueduct Located 5.5 miles north of St. Marys on SR 66

• Over the Rhine

]]> tag:www.88in24.com,2006://17.3990 2006-03-14T04:30:40Z 2006-03-21T03:12:35Z
While not only in Allen County, Ohio Bicentennial Barns was a project begun in 1997 to celebrate Ohio's Bicentennial in 2003. Scott Hagan was commissioned to paint at least one barn in each county - by hand - so...
gk

While not only in Allen County, Ohio Bicentennial Barns was a project begun in 1997 to celebrate Ohio's Bicentennial in 2003. Scott Hagan was commissioned to paint at least one barn in each county - by hand - so no single barn is identical. The Ohio Historical Society has more information:

Hagan completed all of the work himself, using approximately one hundred paint brushes and 645 gallons of paint. As Hagan traveled across Ohio, he put approximately sixty-five thousand miles on his truck.

While there are many people who have already photographed all 88+ barns - namely Mike MacCarter (who's photo is above), following in their footsteps is not a bad idea. The key is to take both documentary-type photos, but also the key will be to tweak the photography of each barn. I see no reason why going to each barn in each county shouldn't add any inconvenience to my trip; in fact, the challenge of how to photograph and reinterpret barn photography will be a welcome task.

Allen County Bicentennial Barn (map)
1582 Slabtown Road, Lima. (Rt 81 east of I-75 by 1.4 miles.)

photo by Mike MacCarter of Ohio Barns

]]> tag:www.88in24.com,2006://17.3987 2006-03-13T05:02:20Z 2006-03-21T03:14:42Z
A nearly quarter-mile long the Serpent Mound outside Peebles (Adams County) was probably constructed by what we now call the Adena, which prospered in Southern Ohio between 800 BC-AD 100. Serpent Mound runs for approximately 1,300 feet as a...
gk

A nearly quarter-mile long the Serpent Mound outside Peebles (Adams County) was probably constructed by what we now call the Adena, which prospered in Southern Ohio between 800 BC-AD 100. Serpent Mound runs for approximately 1,300 feet as a five-six foot mound which points to both the Summer and Winter Solstices - the scholars think. No known use, context, or function has been unearthed about the mound; however, Serpent Mound is one of the best examples of Native American mound building which occurs all throughout the Midwest.

See this map and aerial for context.

The head of the serpent is aligned to the summer solstice sunset and the coils also may point to the winter solstice sunrise and the equinox sunrise. Today, visitors may walk along a footpath surrounding the serpent and experience the mystery and power of this monumental effigy. A public park for more than a century, Serpent Mound attracts visitors from all over the world. The museum contains exhibits on the effigy mound and the geology of the surrounding area.

We may never know why the serpent was built, but it is quite an interesting (and idiosyncratic) part of Ohio - and something which will be very hard to photograph.

Resources:


• Serpent Mound Historical Society


• Great Serpent Mound @ Met Museum

Serpent Mound State Memorial
admission
hours
3850 State Route 73
Peebles, OH 45660 map
937-587-2796 or 800-752-2757

Serpent Mound, originally uploaded by kristindawnton

]]> tag:www.88in24.com,2006://17.3986 2006-03-13T04:15:41Z 2006-03-21T03:20:24Z
The Darke County Courthouse, Sheriff's House, and Jail located in Greenville (Darke County - pop. 13,294) completed in 1874 is an excellent example of small town county courthouses across Ohio. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the...
gk

The Darke County Courthouse, Sheriff's House, and Jail located in Greenville (Darke County - pop. 13,294) completed in 1874 is an excellent example of small town county courthouses across Ohio. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the courthouse sits at the center of Darke County's court system.

For more information on county courthouses check out the great Ohio County Courthouse Project (an example of wonderful obsessions which the internet engenders). For more information on Darke County, check out the Tourism Bureau or the Chamber of Commerce.

Open during regular business hours
map

photo by Steve Winters

]]> tag:www.88in24.com,2006://17.3983 2006-03-11T00:38:45Z 2006-03-21T03:20:59Z
As Columbus is the Capitol of Ohio, then it needs a statehouse. While not as huge as Kentucky's (which has two), the Ohio Statehouse on Capitol Square exudes elegance. Recently restored, the Statehouse is an excellent example of Greek...
gk

As Columbus is the Capitol of Ohio, then it needs a statehouse. While not as huge as Kentucky's (which has two), the Ohio Statehouse on Capitol Square exudes elegance. Recently restored, the Statehouse is an excellent example of Greek Revival, constructed out of Ohio limestone quarried from the west banks of the Scioto River.

Begun in 1839, 36 years after Ohio became the first state of the lands outlined by the Northwest Ordinance, the building was built initially by convicts from the nearby Ohio Penitentiary, and finished by Union workers (the information page makes sure to point out union labor). The final building is an excellent example of urban monumental architecture. It truly is the seat of government of the state.

The Statehouse is open seven days a week, is free and is located at the corner of S High Street and E. Broadway (map). Besides the impressive Rotunda, you can check out the giant map made out of native Ohio stone in the crypt.

Ohio Statehouse
7 days a week, 07:00-19:00, Free
map, building plan

Night Statehouse, originally uploaded by plemeljr

]]> tag:www.88in24.com,2006://17.3981 2006-03-10T02:13:59Z 2006-03-21T03:21:37Z
While the Contemporary Arts Center by Zaha Hadid, a Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate, is probably not the most important American building to be completed since the end of the cold war, it is still a building worth your notice....
gk

While the Contemporary Arts Center by Zaha Hadid, a Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate, is probably not the most important American building to be completed since the end of the cold war, it is still a building worth your notice. Located in the heart of Downtown Cincinnati, the Lois and Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, the center is a dynamic building in an otherwise staid downtown. Hadid's first built work in the States, the completion of the CAC's new digs finally gave the excellent institution a home of its' own (instead of a Class B office space rental).

The famed urban carpet is fairly well detailed, and the collections and exhibits are quite good. What is astonishing, is that for all the exterior "whoop-de-doo's," the interior falls away, letting the art take preponderance; the difference between interiority and exteriority are quite stark - in other words, Hadid plays games with inside and outside - to a quite successful degree.

M 10:00-21:00, T Clsd, W-F 10:00-18:00, S-S 11:00-18:00
44 East 6th Street (Corner of 6th & Walnut)
Cincinnati, OH 45202 (map)
(513) 345-8400

Stair & Urban Carpet, originally uploaded by plemeljr

]]> tag:www.88in24.com,2006://17.3978 2006-03-09T03:26:17Z 2006-03-21T03:22:10Z
Northwest Ohio has been a bastion of industry since the Firelands were settled. Marblehead Light, built in 1822 for a paltry sum of $5,000 outlayed by the U.S. Government, is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes....
gk

Northwest Ohio has been a bastion of industry since the Firelands were settled. Marblehead Light, built in 1822 for a paltry sum of $5,000 outlayed by the U.S. Government, is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes.

Marblehead Lighthouse State Park is located close to Lake Erie Islands State Park - a collection of six areas along the Cawtaba Peninsula.

Marblehead Lighthouse is open for tour every weekday afternoon from 13:00 to 17:00. The state park is a ten minute drive from the Kelly's Island ferry docks and is a convenient before or after ferry trip. Also there is (or was) a Dairy Queen strategically located at the ferry turnoff, for all your dairy needs.


110 Lighthouse Drive,
Marblehead, OH 43440
Contact: East Harbor State Park,
1169 North Buck Road,
Lakeside-Marblehead, OH 43440
419-734-4424

The Marblehead lighthouse, originally uploaded by ronnie44052

]]> tag:www.88in24.com,2006://17.3971 2006-03-08T04:50:34Z 2006-03-21T03:30:52Z
One of the fascinating aspects of the Lake Erie shore, is how quickly the transformation from industrial mess to nature occurs along the northern edge of Ohio. Both are beautiful, for quite different ends. One such place is Ashtabula...
gk

One of the fascinating aspects of the Lake Erie shore, is how quickly the transformation from industrial mess to nature occurs along the northern edge of Ohio. Both are beautiful, for quite different ends. One such place is Ashtabula Harbor (Ashtabula County - map). While a shell of its' former glory, Ashtabula harbor during World War II received more iron ore than anywhere else in the world:

Workers unloaded the ore from Minnesota and shipped carloads by rail to steel mills in Youngstown, Wheeling and Pittsburgh. Freighters didn't have to return empty-handed. Coal from mines in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia was shipped to Ashtabula and loaded onto freighters for delivery to the Upper Great Lakes.

While seemingly not as beautiful as Conneaut Harbor (and without the Huletts), Ashtabula is still an interesting operating harbor.

Photo by Lake Erie Coastal Ohio

]]> W 5th Street
Ashtabula, OH 44004 (map)
]]> tag:www.88in24.com,2006://17.3970 2006-03-08T03:57:55Z 2006-03-21T03:32:15Z
The Goodyear Blimp has been a fixture in Northeastern Ohio for the last 80 years. Located outside Akron in Portage County at Wingfoot Lake the Spirit of Goodyear - one of three airships - are housed in an enormous...
gk

The Goodyear Blimp has been a fixture in Northeastern Ohio for the last 80 years. Located outside Akron in Portage County at Wingfoot Lake the Spirit of Goodyear - one of three airships - are housed in an enormous hangar. Akron is undeniably the king of US blimp-mongering - with new blimp technology being developed as we speak and a new Goodyear Blimp being christened - that it was only natural that Goodyear is based in Akron.

Based at Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake Airship facility in Suffield, Ohio the Spirit of Goodyear often flies the skies over the home of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, which has its headquarters in nearby Akron.

While it is reported to be nearly impossible to schedule a ride on the blimp, I am sure it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Either way, just visiting the air-station and seeing the hangar and the Spirit of Goodyear should be an exciting point of my trip. It seems like the Lighter-Than-Air Society should be my point-of-contact, along with Goodyear.

New-Born Blimp, originally uploaded by Darren C.

]]> GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY
1144 EAST MARKET STREET
AKRON, OH 44316
Phone 330-796-7972

Manager: THOMAS B. RILEY- DEPT 778
841 WINGFOOT LAKE ROAD
MOGADORE, OH 44260

]]> tag:www.88in24.com,2006://17.3969 2006-03-08T03:14:59Z 2006-03-21T03:34:11Z
When in Northeastern Ohio, if you have time, a visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton (Stark County). Why is the National Football League's Hall of Fame here? I don't know. All I do know is that...
gk

When in Northeastern Ohio, if you have time, a visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton (Stark County). Why is the National Football League's Hall of Fame here? I don't know. All I do know is that the region goes absolutely nuts over football - pro or not. Nearby Massillon is a continual powerhouse of High School football. But the Hall of Fame website gives us three good reasons why the Hall of Fame is in Canton:

(1) the American Professional Football Association, later renamed the National Football League, was founded in Canton on September 17, 1920. (2) the Canton bulldogs were an early-day pro football power, even before the days of the NFL. They were also the first two-time champion of the NFL in 1922 and 1923. The great Jim Thorpe, the first big-name athlete to play pro football, played is first pro football with the Bulldogs, starting in 1915. (3) Canton citizens early in the 1960's launched a determined and well-organized campaign to earn the site designation for their city.

Expanded four time (check out the photos) the Hall of Fame is a palimpsest of the last forty years, and a fixture of the region. Every preseason, Canton hosts the Hall of Fame Game - a AFC-NFC game where the year's inductees (who are "enshrined") are honored

Pro Football Hall of Fame 1, originally uploaded by ironchapman

]]> 2121 George Halas Drive NW
Canton, Ohio 44708
(330) 456-8207
Memorial Day through Labor Day - Daily 9:00-20:00
]]> tag:www.88in24.com,2006://17.3966 2006-03-07T04:30:25Z 2006-03-21T03:35:10Z
Southern Ohio has a rich history of craftsmanship and industry - coal was king and all of the necessary secondary industry flourished in support of coal's extraction. I remember driving to Nelsonville, Ohio to visit relatives for years, and...
gk

Southern Ohio has a rich history of craftsmanship and industry - coal was king and all of the necessary secondary industry flourished in support of coal's extraction. I remember driving to Nelsonville, Ohio to visit relatives for years, and going by the old depot. The depot belonged to the Hocking Valley Scenic Railwaya shortline "tourist raolway" which was formed from vestiges of the Hocking Valley Railway:

The route we currently operate over between Nelsonville and Logan was once a part of the original Hocking Valley Railway's Athens Branch. The Hocking Valley was eventually merged into the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in 1930, with the Athens Branch slowly becoming "dead weight" to the ever-expanding C&O. Thus the HVSR purchased the current route in 1985.

The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway offers diesel-powered rides through the beautiful, rolling hills of Southeastern Ohio aboard vintage equipment. The coaches used were built in 1927 for commuter service around Chicago and the primary diesel locomotive we use was built back in October of 1952. The coaches are heated in the winter, so a comfortable and enjoyable ride is to be had with Santa Claus during our annual Santa trains.

While I have no intention of riding the "Santa Train" a train ride through the rolling hills of Southeastern Ohio sounds like a wonderful afternoon. Check out the Operations page for times and the route map.

photo by Hocking Valley Scenic Railway

]]> Hocking Valley Scenic Railway
33 W Canal Street
Nelsonville, OH 45764
map
800-967-7834
]]> tag:www.88in24.com,2006://17.3965 2006-03-06T04:34:30Z 2006-03-21T03:36:11Z
One year I took a drive from Cincinnati to Portsmouth - for no particular reason, and on the return trip wound up in Ripley, Ohio for the annual Tobacco Fair. Which was awesome. Everything was tobacco-themed, from the obvious...
gk

One year I took a drive from Cincinnati to Portsmouth - for no particular reason, and on the return trip wound up in Ripley, Ohio for the annual Tobacco Fair. Which was awesome. Everything was tobacco-themed, from the obvious (cigarettes) to the uncommon, ice cream, sno-cones, and hot dogs. It was the perfect combination of small-town fair combined with a product which has become, if not verboten, downcast - yet still a huge part of this community.

So, while the The Ohio Tobacco Museum might capture part of the magic of the Tobacco Fair, it has a large bill to fill:

This two story brick house is of Federal and Georgian style architecture. This 1850s home was once owned by the Espey family, owners of Espey Heavy Munition Works in Cincinnati. This company produced Ripley's three cannons for protection during the Civil War. The historic home became the site for the Ohio Tobacco Museum in 1988 and stands as the only such museum in the state of Ohio. The contents of the museum have been provided through public and private donations and represent the story of Ripley's unique southern Ohio agricultural history. Tobacco was a huge crop, and even Thomas Jefferson grew tobacco.

Hopefully someone can point me out to a local grower for a visit - I've never been on a tobacco farm.

]]> 703 S. Second Street
U.S. 52 East
Ripley, OH 45167 (map)
10:00-16:00 sat, 13:00-16:00 sun, & by appointment
937-392-9410
]]> tag:www.88in24.com,2006://17.3964 2006-03-05T22:23:21Z 2006-03-06T04:38:34Z
Did you know that Ohio has the second largest collection of relics and reliquaries in the nation? Me 'neither. The Sisters of the Precious Blood in Mercer County, located in Stein, Ohio has been in operation since 1875 and...
gk

Did you know that Ohio has the second largest collection of relics and reliquaries in the nation? Me 'neither.

The Sisters of the Precious Blood in Mercer County, located in Stein, Ohio has been in operation since 1875 and houses over 1000 relics.

From the Sister's website:

he National Marian Shrine of the Holy Relics was founded in 1875 when Father J.M. Gartner entrusted his collection of relics to the Sisters at Maria Stein.

Housed in a beautiful chapel built in 1892, the collection, with over 1000 relics on display, represents the second largest collection of its type in the United States (after St. Anthony’s Chapel in Pittsburg). The Shrine was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The primary display of relics is in an altar that was hand-carved especially for this purpose. Four beautiful stained-glass windows imported from Munich, Germany and hand- carved woodwork also adorn the Relic Chapel.

While I am not Catholic, this is a fascinating find and will no doubt be an excellent stop in Mercer County.

photo by Maria Stein Center & Shrine of the Holy Relics

]]> 291 St. Johns Road
P.O. Box 128
Maria Stein, OH 45860-0128
map
(419) 925-4532
09:00-16:30
]]> tag:www.88in24.com,2006://17.3954 2006-03-02T04:49:55Z 2006-03-02T04:50:12Z
Where to start? What time of the year should I go? August is just fine in Ohio – still reeking of Balmy summer nights and thrashing of corn, but spring time in Ohio is like no other. Yet, there is...
gk Where to start? What time of the year should I go? August is just fine in Ohio – still reeking of Balmy summer nights and thrashing of corn, but spring time in Ohio is like no other. Yet, there is something special that happens in Ohio communities during the harvest time, when the elided to notion of winter creeps into the collective consciousness. When children, restless from the long summer days become excited for school – or at least the reunification of old friends. Ohio does summer better than the other three seasons – perhaps because agrarian life is not so many steps away from any given family.

So if an August start – or perhaps a late July start – is agreed upon, then how do you cover 88 counties in 24 days shooting and recording life in Ohio without going insane? That’s 4 counties a day! Which counties get the short-shift and which to dwell upon?

The Big three – Franklin County, Hamilton County, and Cuyahoga County are all prime candidates for full-day, or even extended-day trips. Is part of the fun to not cross through a county more than once? Without backtracking?

Will this just become one of my flavors of the month? Who will buy a book, or see a show, or support the cause? how much will it cost (88 in 24 Expenses)? Who knows?

How to frame narritive? Red and Blue State? Americans? The Heart of it All?

So many questions, and I don’t have many answers.

]]>