Description: Taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing on December 4, 1901, this photograph shows the students of Last Chance School near the unincorporated community of Walker in Wood County, West Virginia, posing outside their one-room schoolhouse. The small chalkboard in front of the students reads "Last Chance School, Mrs. Ramsey, Teacher, December 4, 1901," and the sign above the schoolhouse door reads "Last Chance, Walker, Sub Dist[rict] no. 13." Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed "Ewing Brothers" and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Albert J. Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio Historical Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_b12_f688
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Portrait photography--United States--History; Education; School children United States; School buildings
Places: Wood County (West Virginia)
 

Description: George McCormick made this four-drawer bureau for Ohio political leader Thomas Worthington's home Adena. It is made from cherry wood and has bracket feet. The bureau measures 73" by 20" by 38" inches (185 by 50 by 97 cm). McCormick, a native of Virginia, worked on the construction of the nation's capitol building in Washington, D.C. under the direction of architect Benjamin Latrobe. It is believed that Worthington brought McCormick to Ohio around 1805 on the advice of Latrobe to work on Adena, which was also designed by Latrobe. McCormick remained in Chillicothe to build furniture for Worthington. After he completed work at Adena, he moved to Columbus, where he worked on the Ohio statehouse. He also was involved in Franklin County politics. Thomas Worthington (1773-1827) was a native of Charles Town, Virginia (later West Virginia) who moved to the Northwest Territory in 1798 and settled in Ross County, where he quickly became a leader in the Ohio statehood movement. He was a strong opponent of Territorial Governor Arthur St. Clair, who wished to delay Ohio's entrance into the Union. Worthington emerged as a principal figure in the 1802 Constitutional Convention and spent much time in Washington lobbying for statehood. Politically active throughout his life, Worthington served as one of the first two U. S. senators from Ohio and as governor. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1494_1170044_001
Subjects: Ohio Government; Daily Life; Clothes chests; Furniture; Worthington, Thomas, 1773-1827
Places: Chillicothe (Ohio); Ross County (Ohio)
 

Description: This color image shows the S-Bridge in Muskingum County, outside of New Concord, Ohio. The S-bridges were single-arch stone bridges, which crossed small, curving streams with uneven banks. Here the road over the bridge merges with a four-lane highway (U.S. 40). This bridge is known by several names: Fox Run S-Bridge; Fox Creek S-Bridge, and S-Bridge II. S-Bridges were a type of bridge used on the National Road, one of the first paved (gravel) roads to cross the Appalachian Mountains. The United States Congress authorized construction of the road in 1806. In 1811 the Congress awarded contracts to private builders to construct the road. The War of 1812 prevented construction from beginning until 1815. Construction began in Cumberland, Maryland, and the contractors completed the road to Wheeling, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia), in 1817. Eventually, the federal government extended the road to near St. Louis, Missouri. Construction of the National Road occurred in Ohio from 1825 to 1838. In 1926 the National Road became part of U.S. 40. The S-Bridge, when viewed from above, resembles the letter "S." Workers made the bridges out of cut stone, which proved to be a more durable material than wood. The reason for the unusual shape was to make construction easier for the workers. When the National Road crossed a creek or stream at an angle, the workers built the bridge's supporting arches at a right angle to the stream. This process allowed water to flow through the arches more easily and also allowed workers easier access to build the bridges from each side of a creek or stream. Some people claim that the S-Bridges were designed to stop runaway horses, but there is no supporting evidence for this claim. A total of five S-Bridges existed along the National Road in Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06952
Subjects: Bridges--Ohio; National Road; Muskingum County (Ohio); New Concord (Ohio)
Places: New Concord (Ohio); Muskingum County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a photo of a construction site at the Wheeling Steel Corporation in Steubenville, Ohio. The construction was being done by The Koppers Construction Company in 1926. Construction items can be seen all over the ground, including steel beams, pieces of pipe, and wood. A crane is also in view. Several men can be seen looking at whatever building is currently being worked on. The Wheeling Steel Corporation, founded in 1920, was located at 227 South Third Street at Bates Street and was one of the largest plants of its kind in the Ohio Valley. Covering an area a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide, the plant produced raw steel, coils, bars and sheet pipe. Included in the equipment are private railroad tracks and locomotives, two blast furnaces with a daily capacity of 1, 600 tons, 11 open hearth mills, and a hot strip mill. Steamboats and barges owned by the company plied the river between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Memphis, Tennessee. In addition, a company owned bridge almost a mile long connects with a large byproduct plant on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River. In December 1968, Pittsburgh Steel Company was merged into Wheeling Steel Corporation to form the Wheeling-Pitt. Esmark, Inc. engaged in a successful proxy takeover battle for Wheeling-Pitt in 2005 and formally took over the steelmaker in November 2007. In August 2008, Severstal acquired Esmark's Wheeling-Pitt steel holdings for $1.25 billion. The plant was closed, supposedly temporarily, on April 3, 2009. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F11_017_1
Subjects: Industries--Ohio; Steel-works--Ohio--Pictorial works; Wheeling Steel Corporation; Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation; Steubenville (Ohio)--History--Pictorial works; Construction--1920-1930; Works Progress Administration of Ohio (U.S.)
Places: Steubenville (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a photo of a construction site at the Wheeling Steel Corporation in Steubenville, Ohio. The construction was being done by The Koppers Construction Company in 1926. Construction items can be seen all over the ground, including steel beams, pieces of pipe, and wood. A crane is also in view. Several men can be seen looking at whatever building is currently being worked on. The Wheeling Steel Corporation, founded in 1920, was located at 227 South Third Street at Bates Street and was one of the largest plants of its kind in the Ohio Valley. Covering an area a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide, the plant produced raw steel, coils, bars and sheet pipe. Included in the equipment are private railroad tracks and locomotives, two blast furnaces with a daily capacity of 1, 600 tons, 11 open hearth mills, and a hot strip mill. Steamboats and barges owned by the company plied the river between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Memphis, Tennessee. In addition, a company owned bridge almost a mile long connects with a large byproduct plant on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River. In December 1968, Pittsburgh Steel Company was merged into Wheeling Steel Corporation to form the Wheeling-Pitt. Esmark, Inc. engaged in a successful proxy takeover battle for Wheeling-Pitt in 2005 and formally took over the steelmaker in November 2007. In August 2008, Severstal acquired Esmark's Wheeling-Pitt steel holdings for $1.25 billion. The plant was closed, supposedly temporarily, on April 3, 2009. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F11_001_1
Subjects: Industries--Ohio; Steel-works--Ohio--Pictorial works; Wheeling Steel Corporation; Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation; Steubenville (Ohio)--History--Pictorial works; Construction--1920-1930
Places: Steubenville (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio)
 

Description: Taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912, this photograph shows an elderly couple, younger couple, and a boy standing outside a wood frame house. There is an illegible note etched on the glass plate negative at the top. Like most of Ewing's work, it was likely taken in southeastern Ohio or central West Virginia. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed "Ewing Brothers" and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society (now the Ohio History Connection) received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Albert J. Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio Historical Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_b15_f924
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Portrait photography--United States--History; Families; Winter; Rural life
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: Taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912, this photograph shows two women, one identified as Mattie Blackshere, standing outside a wood frame house in Big Bend, West Virginia. A calf stands by the fence. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed "Ewing Brothers" and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society (now the Ohio History Connection) received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Albert J. Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio Historical Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_b15_f923
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Landscape photography; Women; Rural life; Cattle
Places: Big Bend (West Virginia)
 

Description: Taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912, this photograph shows an elderly man and woman sitting in front of a wood pile. Like most of Ewing's work, it was likely taken in southeastern Ohio or central West Virginia. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed "Ewing Brothers" and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Albert J. Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio Historical Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_B14_F761
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Portrait photography--United States--History; Families
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: This photograph of three women and two men posed in a yard near a wood swing was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. Behind them is a large, steep grassy hillside. One of the women is identified on the negative as Judith Ruckman, but the others are unidentified. Like most of Ewing's work, the photograph was likely taken in the region of southeastern Ohio and central West Virginia. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed "Ewing Brothers" and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society (now the Ohio History Connection) received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio History Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_B24_F2133
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Photographers--Ohio; Portrait photography--United States--History
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: Portrait of an older woman seated in a bent wood chair in front of a home. She wears a matching checked blouse and skirt and eyeglasses, and holds a fan. This photograph was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. Like most of Ewing's work, it was likely taken in southeastern Ohio or central West Virginia. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed "Ewing Brothers" and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society (now the Ohio History Connection) received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Albert J. Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio History Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_B25_F2201
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Portrait photography--United States--History; Women; Clothing and dress
Places: Ohio; West Virginia