Description: This photograph shows a group of five African American teenagers or young adults posing for a portrait outdoors. It 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 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_b02_f144
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Portrait photography--United States--History; African Americans--History
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: Illustration of an African American soldier insisting that General Grant put out his cigar while near ammunition, published in "A Personal History of Ulysses S. Grant" by Albert Deane Richardson in 1885. Ulysses S. Grant was born Hiram Ulysses Grant in Point Pleasant, Ohio. During the U. S. Civil War, Grant was promoted to the rank of General and granted command of the Union army by President Abraham Lincoln. After the victory of the Union over the Confederacy, Grant's popularity led to his election as the 18th President of the United States in 1868. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04579
Subjects: Grant, Ulysses S., 1822-1885; Ohio--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Ohio--History, Military; African Americans; Presidents--United States; Soldiers
 

Description: Nationally-known Civil Rights spokesman, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, on the right, is seen addressing a news conference on June 12, 1974, in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1984 and again in 1988, Jackson ran for the Democrat nomination for President, but failed in both attempts. Later, as the leader of Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Jackson assembled a movement to further the civil rights goals of militant labor unionists, feminists, gay activists, blacks and others. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV3_B04F10_01
Subjects: Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century; African Americans; Cincinnati (Ohio)--History; Social movements; Activists;
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Illustration depicting the marks of punishment inflicted upon an an enslaved person in Richmond, Virginia. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: NAM_SC18_B01F16
Subjects: Slavery; Ohio History -- Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; African Americans--History
Places: Richmond (Virginia)
 

Description: Photograph showing a house that was once used as a station on the Underground Railroad. The description on the back of the photograph reads: "Another of the Winder stations in North Lewisburg." The Underground Railroad was a system of safe houses and hiding places that helped fugitive slaves escape to freedom in the northern United States or across the border in Canada. Thomas Winder, a Quaker, was an operator who helped escaped slaves in the North Lewisburg area of eastern Central Ohio, along with other members of his family. Quakers were strongly opposed to slavery and offered help to slaves seeking their freedom as early as the late 1700s. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC1338_003_001
Subjects: Underground Railroad--Ohio; Quakers; Abolitionists; African Americans--History; Houses; Antislavery movements--Ohio--History--19th century;
Places: North Lewisburg (Ohio); Champaign County (Ohio)
 

Description: Portrait of John P. Green, who served as a state representative and senator in the late 19th century, and was the first African American elected to office in Cuyahoga County as Justice of the Peace in 1873. As a representative, Green introduced legislation to establish Labor Day in Ohio. Green was appointed by William McKinley in 1896 as a Government Stamp Agent. He returned to Cleveland in 1905 and practiced law with his sons, William and Theodore. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03885
Subjects: African Americans; Ohio History--State and Local Government; Labor Day
Places: Cleveland (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a photograph of Top and Susan Hawkins, two ex-slaves who lived at 809 Sebert Street in Springfield, Ohio, standing in front of their home. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F05_011_001
Subjects: Ohio--History--Pictorial works; African Americans--Photographs; African American women--Ohio--Photographs; African American Ohioans; Slavery; Freedmen; Works Progress Administration; Ohio Federal Writers' Project
Places: Springfield (Ohio); Clark County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a photograph of Lucy Ann Warfield, an ex-slave who lived at 1874 South Limestone Street in Springfield, Ohio, sitting on her porch. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F05_012_001
Subjects: Ohio--History--Pictorial works; African Americans--Photographs; African American women--Ohio--Photographs; African American Ohioans; Slavery; Freedmen; Works Progress Administration; Ohio Federal Writers' Project
Places: Springfield (Ohio); Clark County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a photograph of Julia Ann James, an ex-slave who lived at 232 Buxton in Springfield, Ohio, sitting on a chair in a garden. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F05_018_001
Subjects: Ohio--History--Pictorial works; African Americans--Photographs; African American women--Ohio--Photographs; African American Ohioans; Slavery; Freedmen; Works Progress Administration; Ohio Federal Writers' Project
Places: Springfield (Ohio); Clark County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of the John P. Parker House, located in Ripley, Ohio, at 300 Front Street. John Parker (1827-1900) was a former slave who lived in the house from around 1853 until his death. He established a successful foundry behind the home, and was one of the few African Americans who received patents for his inventions during the 19th century. Parker was also an active conductor on the Underground Railroad in southern Ohio. The house has been designated a National Historic Landmark. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06718
Subjects: African American Ohioans; African Americans--History; Inventors; Underground Railroad--Ohio; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Ripley (Ohio); Brown County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows Ohio National Guard troops and police officers in a crowd outside of Westside Barber Shop in Akron, Ohio, 1968. The National Guard troops were likely in Akron in response to a civil disturbance, and the soldiers nearest the camera can be seen holding rifles. The crowd in the center seems to be engaged in a non-violent protest. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05179
Subjects: African Americans; Soldiers--Ohio; Ohio History--Military Ohio; Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century; Protests and protestors
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph taken during the dedication of the Landing Monument to Underground Railroad heroes along the Ohio River in Ripley, Ohio, ca. 1912. The monument is draped in an American flag before its unveiling. Located along the Ohio River in Brown County, the town of Ripley was an active location on the Underground Railroad, followed by fugitive slaves crossing the river from Kentucky on their journey to Canada. Because Ohio was a free state, communities like the one pictured here sprang up as homes for freed and formerly enslaved African Americans and their families. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC652_06
Subjects: African Americans--History; Underground Railroad; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Monuments & memorials
Places: Ripley (Ohio); Brown County (Ohio)