Lincoln's Funeral at the Ohio Statehouse: 150 Year Anniversary

On Wednesday this week the volunteer organization at the State House, which represents Battery A, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, put on an encampment and demonstrations to commemorate the 150 year anniversary of the visit to Columbus of President Lincoln's funeral train, and his lying-in-state under the Statehouse Rotunda.

The morning was lovely and warm, and I brought my son along--who is just up to toddling-- in a stroller. The Military Telegraph Corps station was particularly interesting. I learned that operators became skilled enough to pace around and listen to several different keys tapping at once, and decode the messages in their heads. Most operators developed recognizable "voices" and could be distinguished from each other at the other end of the line!

The centerpiece of the encampment was the section of two brass guns manned by the 1st Light Artillery. These guns were originally cast by a foundry in Cincinnati in 1864 and actually fired the original salute to President Lincoln, but in Cleveland.

Movie Night at Columbus' Historic Mausoleum

Last night I found myself sitting in the darkness amid flickering shadows, in front of a half lit marble clad tomb, just down the street from the sprawling necropolis that is Greenlawn Cemetary. The occasion was the last in this year's summer outdoor movie series at Greenlawn Abbey, a beautiful if somewhat run down mausoleum that is home to such famous deceased persons as Thurston the Magician, the Sells brothers (of the Sells Brothers Circus), and the Swisher brothers (of Swisher Sweets cigars) built in 1927. A nonprofit group, the Greenlawn Abbey Preservation Association has taken up the challenge of repairing the building and its fantastic stained glass windows. They raise funds by hosting events at the Abbey, such as this film screening.

The film itself matched the cool, early autumn night and the jazz-age, macabre setting: Lon Chaney as The Phantom of the Opera from 1925. A silent movie, the soundtrack was provided live by an organist who sat at a vintage electric organ plugged into an extension cord. Before the main feature started, the organizers screened some old Alice cartoon shorts-- some of Walt Disney's earliest work.

 The Abbey itself was open for curious visitors to look around beyond iron gates that are rarely unbarred for the public. If you're interested in events at the Abbey (there are two more this year), check out their website at http://www.greenlawnabbey.org/ or their facebook page.

Progress on Columbus' Oldest House

This weekend I got bored, and drove down to Franklinton to see what was doing around the old Deardurff House, the oldest standing log structure in Columbus (it dates from perhaps 1807 or so). Log post office is a bit of a stretch: postmasters before the 1840s were simply local citizens who got an appointment from the government, and then received letters at a store or tavern.

It looks as if the owners have taken off much of the siding (the house was occupied until the 1960s!), so at this point you can see the wood siding, the logs underneath, and a bit of the interior lathing between the window and door on the first floor. Hopefully gutting is the first step to a speedy reconstruction!

The New Olentangy River and an Ancient Mound

The weather in Columbus this afternoon was beautiful. I took the opportunity to  explore some places around town that I know pretty well, but haven't visited for a while.

The Fifth Avenue Dam removal project has transformed the Olentangy River near the OSU campus. I am curious about the effect that this civil engineering project will have on the river's current downstream of the dam.

I drove to the 3rd Avenue bridge. On the mud flats upstream of the bridge there is usually a small homeless encampment. The water level seems the same as before down here, although around the 5th Avenue bridge and extending up to Lane Avenue the Olentangy has changed immensely. Where there was a fat, stagnant pool of water before, now there's a rapid little stream cutting its way around mud piles.

My main concern is for the homeless. If there's no dams along the river, will there be any hurdle for flood waters come Spring? What about Franklinton, which was flooded several times earlier in the century? Although most of the articles that I've read have cited civil engineers saying that the Olentangy water levels will decrease rather than increase, the wilder sections of the river between Worthington and Delaware give a hint at what the river downstream will look like during the next rainy season.

After visiting the river, I drove west over the Scioto to visit Shrum Mound. This is one of the few ancient Indian mounds remaining inside the borders of Franklin County. The land on which it sits (about a square acre) is literally surrounded on three sides by empty space... because it juts out into an enormous abandoned quarry.

The quarry is interesting in itself. Having been on the bottom I can attest that it looks and feels very much like being on the surface of a martian crater (or how I imagine that must look and feel). An anonymous source tells me that the man-made crater is used to discard surplus equipment owned by the city government: office desks, tools, even dump trucks. The training camp for the Columbus police stands nearby, and I imagine the SWAT people have used the quarry for interesting training scenarios. The gap in the chain link fence around the edge of the cliff had been mended, but the more adventurous urban explorers could probably dismantle the gap handily.

Columbus Bicentennial

Today Columbus is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the city's founding. (The capital was established Feb 14 1812, but organized as a borough on Feb 10 1816.) Created by the state legislature as the capital of Ohio in 1812, there were no settlers here as late as January 1813. That soon changed, as within a year there were newspapers and stores on the site of modern-day downtown Columbus. Samuel R. Brown's Western Gazetteer, a guidebook for people migrating west in 1817, provides a fascinating overview of a growing "metropolis".

William C. Mills and the Lost Ruins of Columbus

William C. Mills in his office at Oxley Hall.

The Ohio Archaeology Blog recently posted an article about William C. Mills, an OSU professor and archeologist of the late 19th and early 20th century. Sullivant Hall, the big neoclassical edifice next to the Wexner Center, was originally the building that housed the Ohio State Museum of which he was curator. Mills was the also first director of the Ohio Historical Society, as well as (simultaneously) the director of the Ohio State Athletic Association, in charge of football, basketball, &c.


His masterwork, however, was the publication of an archeological atlas of Ohio in 1914. It provides a pretty comphrehensive guide to the distribution of prehistoric Indian earthworks and villages in Ohio, county by county. There are a lot of earthworks that have been plowed under, either by farming or for development (even as late as the 1950s). What's more, Mill's book provides a glimpse of Columbus as it was a century ago, when it was still quite a small city.

The modern area of metro Columbus now fills the area covered by this map. The red triangles represent archeological sites.

Some of the sites present in Franklin Co. There were a total of 186 works discovered, mostly along the Scioto valley below Columbus.

Christmas in 1812 and Columbus' First Night

This coming year is the bicentennial of Columbus, which was established in 1812 as the capital of Ohio. Since there was a war on that year, Chillicothe remained the state capital for several years.

What most people have forgotten is how the War of 1812 shaped the new town. Franklinton, a settlement that had been established in 1797 as the first white town in the area, became a boom town during the war as supplies and troops moved north along the Whetstone River towards the front lines in Northwest Ohio.

We have a few accounts of how Christmas and New Years Eve was celebrated by the troops:

Lt. Joseph Larwill's Journal-- "Friday, Dec. 25, 1812 This being the post day, I sent several letters to my friends... We enjoyed ourselves as much as possible, took dinner in camp with Capt. Cushing, Lt. Meek, Maddes, Doctor Marvin, and my brother Wm., had a fine turkey for dinner..."

"30th This day we prepared a march. In the evening get an invitation by the citizens to go to a ball at Mr. Broderick's. Capt. Cushing, Lieuts Meek, Maddes, and self go. Find two married ladies, 5 or 6 young women and two small girls. Number of gentlemen, say 30. The room was small where the ball was held. Sometime in the evening Doct. Marvin and brother Wm. came up but did not join the party. I danced 4 times. About 11 o'clock Capt. C., Lts. Meek, Maddes, Dr. Marvin, and self returned to camp."

"31st Prepare for march... Pay my bill at Brodericks. Find the charge for the ball which was $1.50. The whole bill was $6.00. They had charged for a bill I before paid. Return to camp, fire a fue de joue for the old year."

"January 1st, 1813 About 12 O'clock we march, all being in the high spirits. Fire the cannon 7 rounds. We cross the river below the town, had considerable of difficulty to get Need, a private, along--he being very drunk... We passed through the seat of government, Columbus."

Captain Daniel Cushing's diary-- "December 8th.-- From the first to this day we have been engaged in fixed the building for the artificers and putting down mill dams, and sending a boat up the Scioto, and repairing a flat to cross the river with public stores (the first bridge over the Scioto between Franklinton and Columbus wasn't built until after the war. It was a toll bridge, closed on Sundays except to people going to worship. The builder closed it even to them after a while, when it became apparent that too many "worshipers" were going to the Franklinton taverns! --DW). General Harrison left this camp for the upper Sandusky on the 9th with all his suite, and gave me full command of all the troops at this place. All things went on well until the 25th, Christmas day, when the devil got into the soldiers..."

"January 1, 1813.--I left Franklinton with my company for Upper Sandusky by the way of Worthington and Delaware... It commenced raining early in the morning--continued all day. We moved off the old camp ground at 12 o'clock, marched four miles, our two wagons, one ammunition, the other baggage; both got stuck in the mud and could not move any further that night..."

Next American City » Buzz » The Real Reason Why Bicycles are the Key to Better Cities

I thought I'd take a break from War of 1812 history and post a link to an article about the prospects of an urban future. Kasey Klimes' article on bicycles and urban living is really thought-provoking:

Yes, the bicycle is a stunningly efficient machine of transportation, but in the city it is so much more. The bicycle is new vision for the blind man. It is a thrilling tool of communication, an experiential device for the beauty and the ills of the urban context. One cannot turn a blind eye on a bicycle - they must acknowledge their community, all of it.

Next American City » Buzz » The Real Reason Why Bicycles are the Key to Better Cities

Anyone who's tried to cycle around Columbus (which is a typical Midwestern city) can attest to the fact that it was designed-- or grown, without premeditated design--  from the perspective of the automobile. The ring of highways that get us from place to place also hem us in. The large green spaces (Metroparks) are all marooned outside the ring roads. There are green corridors, mainly the "trunk road" bicycle/multi-use trail that runs alongside the Olantangy/Whetstone River from downtown to Worthington. However, only a fraction of the urban sprawl exists in any sort of proximity to these routes.

If we think of local history as a continuous body, or DNA, of a city, with a little imagination we can create the future of Columbus as an extension of its past. Whereas in 1812 roads were hacked out of the oppressive, endless forests of the frontier, now an urban wilderness separates Franklinton from Worthington, and Worthington from Delaware. Maybe in the future we will plant green highways of trees and arterial bicycle trails to reconnect the sprawling suburbs to the core, mirroring the process of settlement.

Renaming Rivers

One question that's been bugging me lately is the renaming of rivers. In the early 19th century, the Maumee River in Toledo was known as Miami of the Lakes, and the Olantangy River in Columbus was known as the Whetstone. Why were the names of these respective rivers changed, and by whom? A cursory look through Google books and wikipedia.org lead to this hint:
"In 1833, the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation intending to restore the original Native American names to some Ohio waterways, but mistakenly gave Whetstone River the name "Olentangy"—Delaware for "river of the red face paint"—which had actually belonged to what is now known as Big Darby Creek."
(from  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olentangy_River).

Worthington Western Intelligencer

Terms of this Paper.
1. To be published weekly, on the most amiable day for the arrival and departure of the mail... on a good type, and paper of a royal (illegible).

2. The price, two dollars per annum if paid in advance--two dollars and fifty cents, at the end of six months--or three dollars at the end of the year.

3. No subscription recieved for less than twelve months unless paid in advance--nor will any paper be discontinued until all arrearages are paid.

4. A failure to notify a discontinuance of the paper at the end of the time subscribed for, will be considered a new engagement.

(pointing finger icon) Fur, Deerskins and country produce will be received in payment, delivered at the office.

(Masthead of the Worthington, OH Western Intelligencer, 1813)

I'm back

I'm back, but not sure what I should do with this blog. I'll continue to post interesting bits from my reading, and perhaps updates on my fiction and nonfiction research projects. Now that I'm done with school, I shall have more time to produce both sorts of posts. I'll also post some reviews and examinations of certain types of objects that I have come to use in my daily life-- this last requires some explaination.
...
I have come to realize that many of the items our culture uses in daily life have substituted convenience for elegance, and disposablity for practicality. Take men's shaving. The Sears Robuck Catalogues of 1905 or so displayed about 20-30 kinds of straight razors, and one or two safety razors, which consist of a handle and guard to which you attach a disposable single- or double-bladed razor. Safety razors really took off during the First World War, when Gillette sold safety razor sets to servicemen who could not keep a straight razor in the trenches. The safety razor was and is an elegant alternative to the highly involved process of straight razor shaving (which requires a sharpening stone, leather strop, and steady hand).


Modern disposable razors (like the Mach 3) have become expensive, premium goods. A month's supply of razors might cost 20-30 dollars. I used these sorts of razors for years before discovering the safety razor. Double-bladed safety razors are an example of an older technology that performs just as well as its successor, but that is cheaper and more elegant. It's one example of a lifestyle that I've come to aspire to-- the incorporation of older techniques and artifacts alongside contemporary or cutting-edge culture. Thus, I use an entire spectrum of writing tools, from Word 2006 to dip nib pens and goose quills. I keep a leather-bound commonplace book, as well as blogs.

At any rate, for content, here's a post from my commonplace book:

When I opened my office in Franklinton in 1811, there was neither church nor school nor pleasure carriage in the country, nor was there a bridge over any stream within the compass of an hundred miles... Goods were imported, principally from Philadelphia in wagons; and our exports, consisting of horses, cattle and hogs, carried themselves to market. The mails were brought to us once a week on horseback, if not prevented by high water.

Judge Gustavus Swann, in Fitzpatrick and Morris, Franklinton Centennial (1897).

The bicentennial of the City of Columbus is approaching in 2012, as is that of the War of 1812. Two centuries ago there was a small village at Franklinton and another at Worthington. It's interesting to visit these two places now, when they have long since been swallowed up by the relentless growth of the city. Franklinton has changed for the worse: known as "the Bottoms" because 20th century dam projects have raised the water level of the Olantangy and Scioto rivers, causing floods in that low lying area, its one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city for crime. By contrast, Worthington is still as bourgeois as its New England founders must have intended, and many of its older brick structures recall the industrious town of Col. Kilbourne. 

Worthington Western Intelligencer

Looking upriver at Fort Meigs today
Worthington Western Intelligencer Article from May 5th, 1813:

Pittsburgh, April 18

A letter from Fort Meigs, dated in the afternoon of the 9th of April, says-- “Four American citizens of Detroit made their escape from the enemy, and arrived here the 4th inst. They confidently state that this garrison will be attacked in 7 or 8 days. The fort has accordingly been placed in the best possible state of defense, and we hope to give a good account of them, should the attack be made.
Col. Stevenson has arrived with 100 men and Maj. Ball, with his squadron of 200. Col. Miller’s regiment is hourly looked for, and have with them 18 pieces of cannon, four of which are 18 pounders.
One the morning of the xth three privates of Capt. Langham’s company went about 20 perches up the river from the lower blockhouse, were surprised by the Indians, one killed and scalped one taken prisoner, and one escaped. Capt. Langham pursued them with his company for about x miles, but could not overtake them.
On the morning of the 8th the Indians surprised Capt. Cushing’s company of artillery, about 2 quarters of a mile from the Fort, killed 1 and took two prisoners. Three parties were immediately sent in pursuit of the Indians, one to the eastward, another down the bank of the river, and the third under the command of Capt. Peters, with 10 French Canadians in batteaux…

In a letter to Lt. Joseph Larwell on April 23rd, Captain Daniel Cushing explained what happened next-- (edited a bit for clarity)

Peters and 11 Frenchmen jumped into a boat parked down the river, came upon the Indians 15 in number killed six and wounded 2 mortally—one shot through the breast the other through both arms and breast, the Frenchmen had 7 wounded 2 mortally—died the next day, the other 5 are well or near it, our little Frenchman, quite a lad, discharged his piece 4 times at the Indians after he was shot through the arm, this fight was in the boats… The Indians had two boats, 5 in each boat and five on land behind the trees, these fellows did wonders.

Earlier in the same letter, he wrote:

The damned Indians have killed one of my men and taken two others, they killed Felix Rudes tomahawked and scalped him on the 8th, also took Joseph Patterson and John Kelly prisoners, they were in the woods after punching with two tenns (?), there was 4 more with them which did but just make their escape.

Major Amos Stoddard’s general orders the next day made sure that the men of the garrison would take better care:

No fatigue party is to be sent from the garrison without a guard with it--
One subaltern, one noncommisioned officer and twenty privates of the dragoons will be kept in as much readiness as practicable to make a sudden pursuit of the enemy on proper occasions…
No men are to straggle along the river more than three hundred yards either above or below the pickets without the written permission of the officer commanding the corps to which they belong…

Cell Phone Pics

I use my cell phone camera quite a bit. Oftentimes it works simply as a memo pad, to record something I want to remember for later, like the title of an interesting looking book. Since I rarely bring a camera with me when I go places or travel, when I want to record a moment or an object, out comes my low-resolution camera. The pictures are usually pretty blurry, but at least its some kind of record of the subject.
(fig. a)

(fig. b)

(fig. c)

(fig. d)

(fig. e)

(fig. f)

(fig. g)

(fig. h)

(fig. i)

Fig. a: A small songbird found dead next to a cigarette. Smoking kills, kids.
Fig. b: Composition notebook found at the Blackburn House bus stop.
Fig. c: View of University Hall from the upper floors of the Thompson Library, OSU campus.
Fig. d: Geocache found in Westerville.
Fig. e: Graffiti on the GAR Monument at Fort Meigs, Perrysburg Ohio.
Fig. f: Display summarizing the economic geology of Ohio, Mendenhall Labs, OSU campus.
Fig. g: 5.5 inch howitzer, Fort Meigs.
Fig. h: Three officers of French Hussar Regiments, Osprey book.
Fig. i. Pan and lock of 1795 pattern Springfield Arsenal musket, before being cleaned.

Ohio Interurban Line

This is the text of a historical plaque in Canal Winchester, near Columbus Ohio:

Erected in 1905 by the Scioto Valley Traction Company, this station served as a terminal for passenger and freight service as part of an electric railway that connected Canal Winchester with neighboring towns in central Ohio. Known as the interurban, its arrival signaled the end of the gaslight era in the village. Regular service was maintained from 1904-1930 when improved roads and affordable automobiles rendered the system obsolete.

This historical marker stands in the original path of the interurban track that once ran parallel to the station along the north side of the Ohio and Erie Canal. Direct current from the "third rail" provided power to the interurban trolley cars to achieve speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour. Passengers could purchase a ticket to ride from here south to Lancaster or north to Columbus via Obetz Junction where a transfer could take travelers southwest as far as Chillicothe. (Accessed here).

It’s interesting how the idea of light rail for public transportation was successfully implemented over 100 years ago. Another prominent relic of the Interurban system is the Interurban Bridge at Roche de Boeuf  near Waterville, Ohio.

Utility of Bike Trails

Columbus Dispatch 15 March "Recession put brakes on miles of new bike trails" by Bill Bush.

I would argue that building new bike trails is not only important from a parks and recreation point of view, but that bike trails such as the extensive network along the Olantangy River are good transportation alternatives. 100 years ago it was far more common to see crowds of commuters cycling to work and back. In less than a decade we might see the same thing. Adding bike trails can provide cyclists with more options. However, it is just as important to incorporate cycling into city planning in other ways: places to park and lock bikes can be few and far between: often one is forced to resort to railings, fences, or sign posts. Building hard points for locking bikes should be a standard part of commercial zoning codes, as should incorporating shelter such as roofs to prevent rain and weather from wetting bike seats and rusting chains, shifters and other exposed components. Everyone should remember that barring a really efficient, really cheap development of battery technology for cars we will increasingly be using bikes anyway. When city money goes to build new cycling infrastructure it's an investment in the near future.