Tag: history
History of the Ohio Division of Wildlife: The birth of conservation
As deforestation, dam construction, and industrial pollution threatened Ohio's natural resources in the 19th century, public outcry forced state leaders to take action. Jim Abrams traces early game laws, fish passage mandates, and the 1873 founding of the Ohio Fish Commission.
Finale: Civil War letters home
A chance discovery of Civil War letters in a local library uncovers the poignant story of Jeromesville's Boyd brothers. Through their own words, a local writer traces the brothers' service, the tragedy of wartime disease, and the lasting legacy marked on a hilltop cemetery monument.
Pressing clothes was an onerous chore for pioneer women
Before electric appliances, pressing clothes was a backbreaking pioneer chore. Columnist Paul Locher explores the history of early laundry technology, from heavy cast-iron sad irons and interchangeable slug irons to specialized tabletop gophering irons used for fluting ruffles.
The many lives of Fort Laurens
Fort Laurens, Ohio’s only Revolutionary War fort, reveals soldiers’ hardships and new excavations as crews work to rebuild part of the stockade by 2028.
Part 4: Civil War letters home send hope that the war...
In part 4 of Civil War letters home, 18-year-old Stephen Boyd of Ashland County, Ohio, writes from Tennessee about camp conditions, the fall of Vicksburg, Morgan's Raid, and his optimistic hopes that the war will end in time to return to Jeromesville for the fall corn harvest.
Civil War letters home, part 3
In new Civil War letters home to Jeromesville, Ohio, the Boyd family faces heartbreak after learning of 21-year-old James's death at Vicksburg. Meanwhile, eldest brother John writes from a hospital bed and Stephen shares updates on camp life and Southern politics.
How the 1833 washboard patent changed early American laundry
The patenting of the washboard in 1833 inspired tinsmiths, potters, and wood turners across Ohio to craft early laundry devices. Explore the history of handmade washboards, possers, and the weekly frontier tradition of "Blue Monday."
Part two: Civil War letters home
In letters home to Jeromesville, Ohio, Union soldiers John and Stephen Boyd share the realities of Civil War camp life—from treasured boot shipments and home-cooked treats to draft dodgers, sibling squabbles, and the deep desire for news from home.
Coming clean about clothes washing chores in the early Ohio Country
Before modern washing machines, early Ohio Country pioneers faced the grueling task of cleaning clothes in creeks and iron kettles. Columnist Paul Locher dives into the smelly history of 19th-century laundry chores and the evolution of the scrub sticks and patented washboards that followed.
Jeromesville honors Civil War heroes at heritage tree dedication
As part of the America 250-Ohio celebration, Jeromesville dedicated a native white oak tree to its history. In this column, the keynote speaker shares the moving stories and letters of three local Civil War brothers who left their Ashland County farm to fight for the Union.
