Description: The Ohio National Guard Armory in Marietta. The early 19th Century saw the creation of what was then the Ohio Militia, this would be the predecessor to what is today the Ohio National Guard. Militias were quite common in this era, and served a purpose much like the National Guard does today, though militias were more localized and served only their own state rather than being a national organization able to be sent abroad. Militias were essential during this time period with the ever looming threat of being attacked by the native people of the region, and the possibility of a rebellion. In the aftermath of the War of 1812, in which Ohioans participated, the militia was not nearly as needed as it once was. The resistance of the native people had been broken in Ohio, and for a time things were quiet in the United States as a whole except for the war with Mexico during the 1840s. The militia had been in disuse for some time until the American Civil War plunged a now divided nation into chaos and war. Suddenly there was now a need for great numbers of men to serve as combatants and defend their country. Despite the waning effectiveness of the militia over the years, they were once again organized and fought against the southern rebellion. Once again, things became relatively quiet for Ohioans and there was little need to have a trained force of men ready at any given time to defend their state, as little threat existed to Ohio. Things changed when the 20th century came around, the National Guard was formed to replace the state militias, once again in a state of disrepair. With the creation of the National Guard, what was once simply meant to protect the state was now able to be sent throughout the country or even overseas if need be. Today many Ohioans proudly serve in the National Guard and continue the tradition of the Ohio militia. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06737
Subjects: Ohio. National Guard--Facilities; Ohio. National Guard; Ohio. Militia; Ohio. Militia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Places: Marietta (Ohio); Washington County (Ohio); Ohio
 

Description: Postcard with image of Ohio governor George K. Nash (1842-1904), Charles F.W. Dick (then a Congressman from Ohio and also a major general in the Ohio National Guard), and staff at Ohio National Guard encampment, Newark, Ohio. The picture shows a group of men, the majority in military uniform, standing in front of two tents in a wooded area. Dick (1858-1945), chair of the House Committee on Militia Affairs, co-sponsored the Militia Act of 1903 (also called the Dick Act), which created the National Guard from the organized state militias. The legislation gave state militias federal status and funding; in turn, the U.S. Army now had a pool of reserve units that could be mobilized for various emergencies and military needs. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05890
Subjects: National Guard; Ohio--Militia; Nash, George Kilbon, 1842-1904; Dick, Charles, 1858-1945; Ohio History--Military Ohio
Places: Newark (Ohio); Licking County (Ohio)
 

Description: Ohio National Guard Soldiers who were members of 2nd A.W. Battalion, 174th Artillery practicing a riot control formation while on standby riot control duty in Athens, Ohio, 1968. Ohio National Guard troops were in Athens in response to student protests against the military conflict in Vietnam. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05180
Subjects: Ohio National Guard; Soldiers--Ohio; Ohio History--Military Ohio; Riot control; Protests and protestors
Places: Athens (Ohio); Athens County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows the National Guard clearing debris after the 1974 tornado. On April 3, 1974, an F5 category tornado struck Xenia, Ohio. The tornado that struck Xenia was just one of at least 148 tornados that occurred in the South and Midwest in a twenty-four hour period. This was the worst outbreak of tornados recorded in the twentieth century. The tornado that struck Xenia had maximum winds of three hundred miles per hour. It destroyed more than one thousand homes and businesses. Hardly any buildings remained standing in Xenia's downtown. Thirty-three people died in the storm, with approximately another 1,150 people injured. President Richard Nixon visited Xenia a week following the tornado. He stated, "It's the worst disaster I've ever seen." Xenia rebuilt quickly. By April 3, 1975, eighty percent of the destroyed homes and forty percent of the businesses had been rebuilt. It would take until 1984 for all structures to be repaired or rebuilt, but as bumper stickers that appeared within days of the tornado stated, "Xenia Lives!" View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07696
Subjects: Tornadoes--Ohio--Xenia; Tornado damage; Natural disasters; Xenia (Ohio)--History; National Guard
Places: Xenia (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)
 

Description: Ohio National Guard troops on Wooster Avenue in Akron, Ohio, 1968. They were likely responding to a civil disturbance, due to the fact that they are wearing riot gear like gas masks and carrying rifles. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05177
Subjects: Soldiers--Ohio; Ohio History--Military Ohio; Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century; Riot control; Ohio National Guard
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Ohio National Guard troops pitching tents inside a stadium, Akron, Ohio, 1968. The stadium pictured is possibly the stadium at the University of Akron. The troops were likely in Akron in response to a civil disturbance. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05178
Subjects: Ohio National Guard; Soldiers--Ohio; Ohio History--Military Ohio
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Three photographs show the National Guard cleaning up debris after the 1974 Xenia tornado. The slides measure 2" x 2" (5.08 x 5.08 cm). On April 4, 1974 an F5 tornado (the most intense tornado, reaching speeds of over 261 miles per hour) hit Xenia. It touched down at 4:30 p.m. nine miles southwest of Xenia and entered town at 4:40 p.m. Of 25,000 residents, 33 were killed and 1600 were injured. More than 1400 buildings were damaged or destroyed and total estimated damages exceeded $400 million. Xenia was declared a national disaster area, and the American Red Cross, as well as several hundred Ohio National Guard troops, moved into Xenia for several weeks to assist with the rescue and clean up. The Xenia tornado was the deadliest and most damaging of storms that comprised the "Super Outbreak" that occurred April 3 and 4, 1974, when 148 storms hit thirteen states. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3127_3729294_008
Subjects: Military Ohio; Climate and Weather; Tornadoes; Debris; National Guard; Soldiers
Places: Xenia (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)
 

Description: Five photographs document damage to the home of the National Guard Unit Company A, 166th Infantry following the Xenia tornado of 1974. The slides measure 2" x 2" (5.08 x 5.08 cm). On April 4, 1974 an F5 tornado (the most intense tornado, reaching speeds of over 261 miles per hour) hit Xenia. It touched down at 4:30 p.m. nine miles southwest of Xenia and entered town at 4:40 p.m. Of 25,000 residents, 33 were killed and 1600 were injured. More than 1400 buildings were damaged or destroyed and total estimated damages exceeded $400 million. Xenia was declared a national disaster area, and the American Red Cross, as well as several hundred Ohio National Guard troops, moved into Xenia for several weeks to assist with the rescue and clean up. The Xenia tornado was the deadliest and most damaging of storms that comprised the "Super Outbreak" that occurred April 3 and 4, 1974, when 148 storms hit thirteen states. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3127_3729308_015
Subjects: Military Ohio; Climate and Weather; Tornadoes; Debris; National Guard
Places: Xenia (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)
 

Description: Views of Camp Bushnell, a military camp in Columbus, Ohio, where companies of the Ohio National Guard assembled during the Spanish-American War. Two smaller photographs show officers in camp, accompanied by a label identifying the camp and a roster of the Ohio National Guard units that were present, while the panoramic photograph shows an elevated view of the camp. Camp Bushnell was established in Columbus as a training camp for Ohio National Guard troops that volunteered for federal service for the Spanish-American War. Columbus Bullet Park, in the present day suburb of Bexley, was renamed Camp Bushnell in honor of Ohio governor Asa Bushnell. The camp was established April 28, 1898, and abandoned May 29, 1898. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS_7247
Subjects: Spanish-American War, 1898; Military encampments; Camp Bushnell (Ohio); Military officers; National Guard;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Three photographs show angry protestors and National Guard troops outside the Fayette County courthouse during a riot in 1894. The first photograph measures 4 x 6 (10.16 x 15.24 cm); the others are 8" x 10" (20.32 x 25.4 cm). Rioting erupted at the courthouse following the trial of William Dolby, a biracial man accused of raping a white woman in Washington Court House. Dolby pleaded guilty and was sentenced to twenty years at the Ohio Penitentiary. The crowd, however, demanded that Dolby be lynched for the crime. Governor William McKinley, who later became president of the United States, sent out the National Guard to protect Dolby. On the morning of October 17, 1894, the National Guard troops, led by Colonel Alonzo B. Coit, ordered the crowd to disperse. The crowd continued to shout and began ramming the courthouse doors. Coit and his troops fired at the crowd through the doors of the courthouse, killing six men and wounding a dozen others. Bullet holes are still visible in the wooden doors of the courthouse. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3120_3738008_001
Subjects: Military Ohio; Architecture; Ohio Government; Courthouses; National Guard; Riots; Justice--Administration of
Places: Washington Court House (Ohio); Fayette County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph of Ohio National Guardsmen marching in Athens, Ohio was taken in May 1970. Ohio University closed on May 15, 1970. Anti-Vietnam War protests increased in Ohio after President Richard Nixon announced that United States troops had entered Cambodia on April 30, 1970. Riots erupted at many college campuses, including Kent State University, where four students were killed on May 4, 1970. By the end of May, all of Ohio's public universities except Bowling Green State University were closed. The photograph measures 4" x 6" (10.16 x 15.24 cm). View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3106_3675644_001
Subjects: Presidents and Politics; Military Ohio; Civil Liberties; Education; Vietnam War; Students; Universities and colleges; Kent State University Riot, 1970 (May 4); Ohio National Guard
Places: Athens (Ohio); Athens County (Ohio)
 

Description: Ohio National Guard troops outside the Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio, March 1884. Troops were brought to bring an end to riots sparked by public outrage over the outcome of a murder trial. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL01164
Subjects: Ohio National Guard; Soldiers--Ohio; Ohio History--State and Local Government
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio)