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Ohio History Connection

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History

In its early history, Ohioans made several attempts to establish a formal historical society. On February 1, 1822, the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation creating the Historical Society of Ohio. Well-known Ohio political leaders at the time, Jeremiah Morrow and Duncan McArthur, were members. The society's formation was brief, however, as it held only one meeting. The state legislature made another attempt in 1831, when it authorized Benjamin Tappan to form its replacement. He established the Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio, which met regularly in Columbus. Participation declined sharply following the Panic of 1837, and the organization decided to move to Cincinnati in 1848 in hopes that the city's larger population would help revive interest. The decision led to a period of prosperity for the organization, and it worked closely with the Cincinnati Historical Society for many years.

In 1875, a new organization called the Archaeological Society was founded in the home of Brigadier General Roeliff Brinkerhoff in Mansfield, Ohio. The Ohio state legislature had procured $2,500 in funds, at the request of General Brinkerhoff, to finance the creation of an exhibit for the upcoming Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 in Philadelphia. The society was active until 1883 when its secretary, Professor John T. Short of the Ohio State University, died. It was revived two years later at the request of Governor George Hoadly, who organized two meetings in the state's capital with scholars and professors from around the state. Sixty men attended the second meeting which had sessions spanning two days. On March 13, 1885, the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society was officially incorporated. Allen G. Thurman was elected its first president.

The state government began appropriating funds to assist the private organization in 1888. This led to a closer partnership with the state, in which the government was permitted to appoint six of the fifteen members serving in the board of trustees. It also led to the organization being granted oversight responsibilities for historical sites across Ohio, beginning with Fort Ancient State Memorial in 1891.

The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society was originally headquartered at the Ohio Statehouse but later moved to Ohio State University's Orton Hall in 1894. On May 30, 1914, the organization dedicated the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society Building, a large museum building by Orton Hall. The society stayed at the building until 1970, when the facility became part of OSU and was renamed Sullivant Hall.

In 1954, the organization's name was shortened to Ohio Historical Society. It was changed again to the Ohio History Connection in 2014, after research suggested that "society" carried a negative connotation. The organization's image as a whole was perceived as "exclusive, inaccessible and antiquated", and the rebranding was an attempt to better reflect the organization's mission from a modern perspective and appeal more inviting to the state's citizens. The change was also part of a national trend that saw historical societies across the United States drop "society" from their title.

The organization began reaching out to federally recognized tribal nations in 2009, in an effort to incorporate Native American perspectives. The Ohio History Connection holds more than 7,100 Native American remains that are subject to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which was passed in 1990. The organization reaches out to the 45 federally recognized American Indian Tribes who are descendants of the parties who signed the Treaty of Greenville (Aug. 3, 1795), as outlined in its American Indian Relations Policy. This list is expanded based on Tribal interests and affiliations, and as new claims and research are made available. The Ohio History Connection has been actively working since 2016 to reconnect Ancestors with federally recognized Tribes.

As of April 2014, the Ohio History Connection manages 58 museums and historical sites across Ohio, spanning 40 of the state's 88 counties. This includes approximately 1.6 million artifacts, 70,000 cubic feet (2,000 m3) of stored records, and 250,000 images. Also from 2010 to 2014, membership of the nonprofit organization increased more than 20 percent to a total of 7,563.

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