Description: This color image is a closeup of a paper sign taped to the door of a blue car. The sign reads: "Ohio State School for the Blind / 20 / Braille Rallye." A Braille Rallye is a competitive event in which a blind or visually impaired navigator is paired with a sighted driver. Driving directions and descriptions of landmarks are written in Braille, which the navigator reads and then imparts to the driver as they proceed along the course. Results of the competition are based on navigation and timekeeping. In 1835 Dr. William Awl of Columbus and Dr. Daniel Drake of Cincinnati recommended to the Ohio General Assembly that a residential school for the blind be established. On April 3, 1837, Ohio governor Duncan McArthur signed the legislation that created the nation's first public school for the blind. The Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind opened on July 3, 1837, with five students. It was the predecessor of the Ohio State School for the Blind. Any blind children residing in Ohio could attend the institution, which was located in downtown Columbus. The school initially had a maximum capacity of sixty students, but upon moving to a new building in 1874, more than three hundred students could attend at one time. Between 1839 and 1901, 2,058 students enrolled at the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind, with 339 attending in 1901 alone. In the early 1900s the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind became known as the Ohio State School for the Blind, and the Ohio Department of Education assumed control of the school. In 1953 the school moved ten miles north of its original location to its present home at 5220 North High Street. In 2005, 126 students enrolled in the Ohio State School for the Blind. Students as young as three and as old as twenty-one years of age attended the school. Students could receive their entire education, kindergarten through high school, at the institution. In addition, the Ohio State School for the Blind offered vocational training for its students. William Awl (1799-1876) was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He studied medicine at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and, in 1825, established a practice in Lancaster, Ohio. As a physician, Awl sought to improve medical care for the imprisoned, the blind, and the mentally ill. In 1833, the Ohio legislature appointed Awl as the physician of the Ohio Penitentiary. Two years later Awl helped organize the Ohio Medical Association. This organization lobbied the Ohio legislature to establish a state hospital for the mentally ill and a school for the blind. In 1837, they succeeded in convincing the legislature to establish the Ohio Lunatic Asylum. Awl served as the director of this institution until 1850. He believed that mental health problems were illnesses that physicians could treat. In 1868 he became the physician for the Ohio Institution for the Blind. Daniel Drake (1785-1852) was in New Jersey. His family was very poor and moved to Kentucky in 1788, hoping to improve its lot on the frontier. In 1798, Drake became a student of Dr. William Goforth, one of the first physicians in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1805 he received the first medical diploma granted west of the Appalachian Mountains. Drake played a major role in establishing the Medical College of Ohio, founded in 1819. He also helped create the Commercial Hospital and Lunatic Asylum for the State of Ohio in 1820. Drake contributed greatly to Ohio's development. His work helped provide Ohioans with capable doctors. He played a leading role in establishing several institutions of higher education. Drake also wrote numerous books on Ohio's animals, plants, and diseases. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06955
Subjects: Ohio State School for the Blind; Blind--Education; Awl, William M. (William Maclay), 1799-1876; Drake, Daniel, 1785-1852; Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image is a reproduction of a photograph depicting a view of the Ohio and Erie Canal at Millersport, Ohio, ca. 1906. The Ohio and Erie Canal was one of Ohio's most important canals during the mid nineteenth century. During the late 1810s, Governor Thomas Worthington and Governor Ethan Allen Brown both supported the development of canals. Both men believed that Ohioans needed quick and easy access to the Ohio River and to Lake Erie if they were to profit financially. Farmers and business owners would be able to transport their products much more easily and cheaply with canals rather than turnpikes. Canals would also possibly open up new markets for Ohio goods. In 1822 the Ohio legislature created a new Ohio Canal Commission, which eventually recommended two routes: a route that started at Lake Erie, passing through the Cuyahoga Valley, the Muskingum Valley, the Licking Valley, and then to the Ohio River along the Scioto Valley (Ohio and Erie Canal) and a western route along the Miami and Maumee Valleys (Miami and Erie Canal). In 1825 the Ohio legislature approved both routes, and work began immediately. On July 4, 1825, work began on the Ohio and Erie Canal at Licking Summit just south of Newark. The surrounding swamps were drained to create the Licking Reservoir, today known as Buckeye Lake, in order to supply adequate water for the canal going north to Coshocton and south to Circleville. After the canal route was established, the state engineers discovered that there was a ridge of hills located south of the proposed reservoir through which they would have to cut the canal. Because it was impossible to raise the reservoir’s level, the ridge had to be cut down to the level of the reservoir. This "Deep Cut" marks the deepest part of the canal at 32 feet and runs south from Millersport for nearly two miles. To finance the canals, the Ohio government relied on loans. Ohio received an initial loan of $400,000 from bankers and businessmen living along the East Coast. The canal commissioners estimated that the Ohio and Erie Canal would cost $ 2.3 million, but it actually cost roughly $10,000 per mile to finish. Although the construction of both canals nearly bankrupted the state government, the canals allowed Ohioans to prosper, beginning in the 1830s all the way to the Civil War. In 1830 the Ohio legislature earmarked funds for the Miami and Erie Canal's extension to Defiance and Lake Erie; by 1833 the Ohio and Erie Canal was complete. Once completed, however, the state’s canals still faced numerous difficulties. The effects of flooding and freezing could and often did seriously damage the canals. Usually canals in the northern half of the state were drained dry from November to April. These difficulties paled in comparison to the advantages of having the canals. The cost to ship goods from the East Coast to Ohio and vice versa declined tremendously, from $125 per ton of goods to $25 per ton of goods. Travelers who were willing to trade time for economy could save considerable money by taking a canal boat. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until the late 1800s. By the 1850s canals were losing business to the railroads, which offered several advantages. Railroads delivered passengers and goods more quickly, and they were not limited by a water source as canals were. Because of these advantages, railroads quickly supplanted the canals. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06109
Subjects: Ohio and Erie Canal (Ohio); Fairfield County (Ohio); Canals--Ohio--History--19th century; Transportation--Ohio--History; Ohio Economy--Transportation and Development
Places: Millersport (Ohio); Fairfield County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image is a reproduction of a photograph depicting a view of the Ohio and Erie Canal looking north from the the Pugh Locks at Millersport, Ohio, ca. 1906. Visible in the photograph are both banks of the canal and what appears to be the locks' structure. A caption handwritten in white reads: "The old canal from Pugh Locks looking north." The Ohio and Erie Canal was one of Ohio's most important canals during the mid nineteenth century. During the late 1810s, Governor Thomas Worthington and Governor Ethan Allen Brown both supported the development of canals. Both men believed that Ohioans needed quick and easy access to the Ohio River and to Lake Erie if they were to profit financially. Farmers and business owners would be able to transport their products much more easily and cheaply with canals rather than turnpikes. Canals would also possibly open up new markets for Ohio goods. In 1822 the Ohio legislature created a new Ohio Canal Commission, which eventually recommended two routes: a route that started at Lake Erie, passing through the Cuyahoga Valley, the Muskingum Valley, the Licking Valley, and then to the Ohio River along the Scioto Valley (Ohio and Erie Canal) and a western route along the Miami and Maumee Valleys (Miami and Erie Canal). In 1825 the Ohio legislature approved both routes, and work began immediately. On July 4, 1825, work began on the Ohio and Erie Canal at Licking Summit just south of Newark. The surrounding swamps were drained to create the Licking Reservoir, today known as Buckeye Lake, in order to supply adequate water for the canal going north to Coshocton and south to Circleville. After the canal route was established, the state engineers discovered that there was a ridge of hills located south of the proposed reservoir through which they would have to cut the canal. Because it was impossible to raise the reservoir’s level, the ridge had to be cut down to the level of the reservoir. This "Deep Cut" marks the deepest part of the canal at 32 feet and runs south from Millersport for nearly two miles. To finance the canals, the Ohio government relied on loans. Ohio received an initial loan of $400,000 from bankers and businessmen living along the East Coast. The canal commissioners estimated that the Ohio and Erie Canal would cost $ 2.3 million, but it actually cost roughly $10,000 per mile to finish. Although the construction of both canals nearly bankrupted the state government, the canals allowed Ohioans to prosper, beginning in the 1830s all the way to the Civil War. In 1830 the Ohio legislature earmarked funds for the Miami and Erie Canal's extension to Defiance and Lake Erie; by 1833 the Ohio and Erie Canal was complete. Once completed, however, the state’s canals still faced numerous difficulties. The effects of flooding and freezing could and often did seriously damage the canals. Usually canals in the northern half of the state were drained dry from November to April. These difficulties paled in comparison to the advantages of having the canals. The cost to ship goods from the East Coast to Ohio and vice versa declined tremendously, from $125 per ton of goods to $25 per ton of goods. Travelers who were willing to trade time for economy could save considerable money by taking a canal boat. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until the late 1800s. By the 1850s canals were losing business to the railroads, which offered several advantages. Railroads delivered passengers and goods more quickly, and they were not limited by a water source as canals were. Because of these advantages, railroads quickly supplanted the canals. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06110
Subjects: Ohio and Erie Canal (Ohio); Fairfield County (Ohio); Canals--Ohio--History--19th century; Transportation--Ohio--History; Ohio Economy--Transportation and Development
Places: Millersport (Ohio); Fairfield County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image is a reproduction of a photograph depicting a view of the Ohio and Erie Canal at Millersport, Ohio, ca. 1900. At the right edge of the image people can be seen walking on the canal towpath. The Ohio and Erie Canal was one of Ohio's most important canals during the mid nineteenth century. During the late 1810s, Governor Thomas Worthington and Governor Ethan Allen Brown both supported the development of canals. Both men believed that Ohioans needed quick and easy access to the Ohio River and to Lake Erie if they were to profit financially. Farmers and business owners would be able to transport their products much more easily and cheaply with canals rather than turnpikes. Canals would also possibly open up new markets for Ohio goods. In 1822 the Ohio legislature created a new Ohio Canal Commission, which eventually recommended two routes: a route that started at Lake Erie, passing through the Cuyahoga Valley, the Muskingum Valley, the Licking Valley, and then to the Ohio River along the Scioto Valley (Ohio and Erie Canal) and a western route along the Miami and Maumee Valleys (Miami and Erie Canal). In 1825 the Ohio legislature approved both routes, and work began immediately. On July 4, 1825, work began on the Ohio and Erie Canal at Licking Summit just south of Newark. The surrounding swamps were drained to create the Licking Reservoir, today known as Buckeye Lake, in order to supply adequate water for the canal going north to Coshocton and south to Circleville. After the canal route was established, the state engineers discovered that there was a ridge of hills located south of the proposed reservoir through which they would have to cut the canal. Because it was impossible to raise the reservoir’s level, the ridge had to be cut down to the level of the reservoir. This "Deep Cut" marks the deepest part of the canal at 32 feet and runs south from Millersport for nearly two miles. To finance the canals, the Ohio government relied on loans. Ohio received an initial loan of $400,000 from bankers and businessmen living along the East Coast. The canal commissioners estimated that the Ohio and Erie Canal would cost $ 2.3 million, but it actually cost roughly $10,000 per mile to finish. Although the construction of both canals nearly bankrupted the state government, the canals allowed Ohioans to prosper, beginning in the 1830s all the way to the Civil War. In 1830 the Ohio legislature earmarked funds for the Miami and Erie Canal's extension to Defiance and Lake Erie; by 1833 the Ohio and Erie Canal was complete. Once completed, however, the state’s canals still faced numerous difficulties. The effects of flooding and freezing could and often did seriously damage the canals. Usually canals in the northern half of the state were drained dry from November to April. These difficulties paled in comparison to the advantages of having the canals. The cost to ship goods from the East Coast to Ohio and vice versa declined tremendously, from $125 per ton of goods to $25 per ton of goods. Travelers who were willing to trade time for economy could save considerable money by taking a canal boat. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until the late 1800s. By the 1850s canals were losing business to the railroads, which offered several advantages. Railroads delivered passengers and goods more quickly, and they were not limited by a water source as canals were. Because of these advantages, railroads quickly supplanted the canals. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06108
Subjects: Ohio and Erie Canal (Ohio); Fairfield County (Ohio); Canals--Ohio--History--19th century; Transportation--Ohio--History;
Places: Millersport (Ohio); Fairfield County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows the American Insurance Union Citadel (LeVeque Tower) and the Ohio State Office Building (now Ohio Judicial Center) as seen from across the Scioto River. The Ohio State Office Building, located at 65 South Front Street was eventually renamed the Ohio Departments of State building, for a time, before becoming home to the Supreme Court of Ohio. It was designed by Henry Hake of Cincinnati in the Art Moderne style, a combination of the Modernistic style with Art Deco decoration. Groundbreaking took place on November 19, 1929 and construction began just after the collapse of the stock market, so delays were frequent. The building was completed in 1933 at a cost exceeding $6,500,000. Just before construction was complete, 11 people were killed and 50 injured during a natural gas explosion on April 14, 1932, which damaged the building all the way up to the 5th floor. Repairs cost an additional $750,000. The 14-story building is of Georgia marble, luxuriously decorated with metals, tiling, colored marbles, mosaics and numerous murals. The building initially housed the departments of: Aeronautics, Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Health, Highways, Public Welfare, Public Works, Industrial Relations, Taxation and the Industrial Commission. The Ohio State Library was located on the 11th floor and one of the largest of its kind in the country. The library and several of the hearing rooms, used as assembly halls, are adorned with panel murals of historical character, outstanding among them being works of John F. Holmer and H.H. Wessel of Cincinnati as well as Leroy Daniel MacMorris of and Rudolph Sheffler of New York. The building was used by the Ohio House of Representatives during the renovation of the Statehouse in the 1990's. In 1998, the Ohio General Assembly voted to bear the cost of the building's renovation. Renovation began in 2001 and was completed in January of 2004. The Ohio State Office Building was renamed the Ohio Judicial Center and was officially opened on February 17, 2004, winning several awards due to its superior architecture. The Ohio State Office Building, located at 65 South Front Street was eventually renamed the Ohio Departments of State building, for a time, before becoming home to the Supreme Court of Ohio. It was designed by Henry Hake of Cincinnati in the Art Moderne style, a combination of the Modernistic style with Art Deco decoration. Groundbreaking took place on November 19, 1929 and construction began just after the collapse of the stock market, so delays were frequent. The building was completed in 1933 at a cost exceeding $6,500,000. Just before construction was complete, 11 people were killed and 50 injured during a natural gas explosion on April 14, 1932, which damaged the building all the way up to the 5th floor. Repairs cost an additional $750,000. The 14-story building is of Georgia marble, luxuriously decorated with metals, tiling, colored marbles, mosaics and numerous murals. 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_B05F04A_011_1
Subjects: Columbus (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; Municipal buildings--United States; MacMorris, Leroy Daniel, 1893-1981; Leveque Tower (Columbus, Ohio); Crane, C. Howard (Charles Howard), 1885-1952; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: 3" x 4" photograph of an Ohio electrical map from a collection of models for the Ohio State School for the Blind. The map is constructed of one-quarter inch plywood. Grooved boundaries in the wood can be easily traced by a finger. County names are listed on the each side of map in braille. County seats are marked by a Mallory jack inserted in the plywood and wired to an electric buzzer. The Ohio map has 88 counties and county seats. Making a correct connection between the county and its county seat will result in a loud buzzer sound. For instance, placing of the plugs in the Columbus and Franklin county jacks will respond in a loud buzzer. No response is obtained if placed in the wrong jack. There was a similar electrical map of the United States. The model is width 59.5", height 49". Photographs and descriptions of models were included in the book "Models for the Blind," compiled by workers of the Ohio Writers' Program. The book was meant as a guide, to be used in the building and study of models, and as documentation of the achievements at the Ohio State School for the Blind. The models were a result of research, design and construction by employees of the Works Projects Administration. Models were made of durable materials to withstand regular usage. The average cost of labor for larger models was $45. A special room was built to store the models where teachers could borrow them to be used in classroom instruction. In 1837, the Ohio government established the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind. This institution was the predecessor of the Ohio State School for the Blind. It was the first public school for the blind in the United States. It was the first in the nation to be created and maintained entirely by the State government. The school opened its doors in 1839, and it was located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Any blind children residing in Ohio could attend the institution. Eleven students enrolled at the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind this first year. The school initially had a maximum capacity of sixty students, but upon moving to a new building in 1874, more than three hundred students could attend at one time. Between 1839 and 1901, 2,058 students enrolled at the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind, with 339 attending in 1901 alone. In the early 1900s, the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind became known as the Ohio State School for the Blind, and the Ohio Department of Education assumed control of the school. In 1953, the school moved ten miles north of its original location to its present home. In 2005, 126 students enrolled in the Ohio State School for the Blind. Students as young as three and as old as twenty-one years of age attended the school. Students could receive their entire education (kindergarten through high school) at the institution. In addition, the Ohio State School for the Blind offered vocational training for its students. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F02_012_001
Subjects: United States. Work Projects Administration; Blind--Education--Ohio; Ohio State School for the Blind; Maps
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: 7" x 4.5" photograph of a steel truss bridge from a collection of models for the Ohio State School for the Blind. The model is a replica of a highway bridge over the Wabash river in Mercer County, Ohio. The model is length 59.5", width 15", height 13.5". Photographs and descriptions of models were included in the book "Models for the Blind," compiled by workers of the Ohio Writers' Program. The book was meant as a guide, to be used in the building and study of models, and as documentation of the achievements at the Ohio State School for the Blind. The models were a result of research, design and construction by employees of the Works Projects Administration. Models were made of durable materials to withstand regular usage. The average cost of labor for larger models was $45. A special room was built to store the models where teachers could borrow them to be used in classroom instruction. In 1837, the Ohio government established the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind. This institution was the predecessor of the Ohio State School for the Blind. It was the first public school for the blind in the United States. It was the first in the nation to be created and maintained entirely by the State government. The school opened its doors in 1839, and it was located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Any blind children residing in Ohio could attend the institution. Eleven students enrolled at the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind this first year. The school initially had a maximum capacity of sixty students, but upon moving to a new building in 1874, more than three hundred students could attend at one time. Between 1839 and 1901, 2,058 students enrolled at the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind, with 339 attending in 1901 alone. In the early 1900s, the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind became known as the Ohio State School for the Blind, and the Ohio Department of Education assumed control of the school. In 1953, the school moved ten miles north of its original location to its present home. In 2005, 126 students enrolled in the Ohio State School for the Blind. Students as young as three and as old as twenty-one years of age attended the school. Students could receive their entire education (kindergarten through high school) at the institution. In addition, the Ohio State School for the Blind offered vocational training for its students. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F02_057_001
Subjects: United States. Work Projects Administration; Blind--Education--Ohio; Ohio State School for the Blind; Truss Bridges Ohio
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1935-1940, this photograph shows a section of the Ohio and Erie Canal near Circleville, Ohio, built in the 1820s and 1830s to haul freight. It was in use from 1827-1861. Today, a three mile stretch of the canal remains near Circleville. Work began on the Ohio and Erie Canal on July 4, 1825, at Licking Summit, just south of Newark, Ohio, and was completed in 1833. The Ohio and Erie Canal cost approximately ten thousand dollars per mile to complete, and the Miami and Erie Canal cost roughly twelve thousand dollars per mile to finish. The canals nearly bankrupted the state government, but they allowed Ohioans to prosper beginning in the 1830s all the way to the Civil War. Many recent immigrants to the United States, especially the Irish, survived thanks to jobs on the canals. Other people, like the residents of the communal society at Zoar, also helped construct canals to assist the survival of their community. Many of Ohio’s communities today, including Akron, began as towns for the canal workers. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until the late 1800s. There is a short stretch in the Muskingum Valley near Zanesville still in operation today. By the 1850s, however, canals were losing business to the railroads. 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_B10F13_004_001
Subjects: Canals--Ohio; Ohio and Erie Canal (Ohio); Circleville (Ohio); Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio
Places: Circleville (Ohio); Pickaway County (Ohio)
 

Description: 3"x 4" photograph of a steel truss bridge from a collection of models for the Ohio State School for the Blind. The model is a replica of a highway bridge over the Wabash river in Mercer County, Ohio. The model is length 59.5", width 15", height 13.5". Photographs and descriptions of models were included in the book "Models for the Blind," compiled by workers of the Ohio Writers' Program. The book was meant as a guide, to be used in the building and study of models, and as documentation of the achievements at the Ohio State School for the Blind. The models were a result of research, design and construction by employees of the Works Projects Administration. Models were made of durable materials to withstand regular usage. The average cost of labor for larger models was $45. A special room was built to store the models where teachers could borrow them to be used in classroom instruction. In 1837, the Ohio government established the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind. This institution was the predecessor of the Ohio State School for the Blind. It was the first public school for the blind in the United States. It was the first in the nation to be created and maintained entirely by the State government. The school opened its doors in 1839, and it was located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Any blind children residing in Ohio could attend the institution. Eleven students enrolled at the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind this first year. The school initially had a maximum capacity of sixty students, but upon moving to a new building in 1874, more than three hundred students could attend at one time. Between 1839 and 1901, 2,058 students enrolled at the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind, with 339 attending in 1901 alone. In the early 1900s, the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind became known as the Ohio State School for the Blind, and the Ohio Department of Education assumed control of the school. In 1953, the school moved ten miles north of its original location to its present home. In 2005, 126 students enrolled in the Ohio State School for the Blind. Students as young as three and as old as twenty-one years of age attended the school. Students could receive their entire education (kindergarten through high school) at the institution. In addition, the Ohio State School for the Blind offered vocational training for its students. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F02_019_001
Subjects: United States. Work Projects Administration; Blind--Education--Ohio; Ohio State School for the Blind; Truss Bridges Ohio
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows a canal boat on the Ohio and Erie Canal with its crew members standing on its roof and men in smaller boats in front. During the late 1810s, Governor Thomas Worthington and Governor Ethan Allen Brown both supported internal improvements, especially canals. Both men believed that Ohioans needed quick and easy access to the Ohio River and to Lake Erie if they were to profit financially. In 1822, the Ohio legislature realized the importance of internal improvements and created a new Ohio Canal Commission. The Canal Commission eventually recommended a route starting at Lake Erie, passing through the Cuyahoga Valley, the Muskingum Valley, the Licking Valley, and then to the Ohio River along the Scioto Valley. The Commission also recommended a western route along the Miami and Maumee Valleys. By 1833, the Ohio and Erie Canal was complete, followed twelve years later by the Miami and Erie Canal. Once completed, thirty-three of Ohio's eighty-eight counties either had portions of canals running through them or quarries to mine rock for construction. The canals had many advantages to Ohioans. Most importantly, the cost to ship goods from the East Coast to Ohio and vice versa declined tremendously from 125 dollars per ton of goods to twenty-five dollars per ton of goods. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until the late 1800s, their demise due in part to competition from the much speedier railroads. 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_B02F07_004_1
Subjects: Canals Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Piketon (Ohio); Pike County (Ohio)
 

Description: 3" x 4" photograph of a bolted house from a collection of models for the Ohio State School for the Blind. The bolted house model was designed to improve and demonstrate manual dexterity and coordination. A replication of most likely the most simple of the small, two-story gable houses. The model was small enough for a child to manipulate the parts; walls, roof, floor and chimney. The parts were made to fasten to one another by different-sized bolts and nuts. Each part had to be fastened in a particular order with the corresponding part. The chimney could only be fastened to the roof with the correct-sized bolt, and only after the roof was bolted in place. Likewise, the walls had to be bolted before the roof was bolted, and previously be bolted to the floor pieces. Two bolted house models were made. One had light gray walls and a green roof; the other had white walls and a blue roof. Both had a red chimney. All parts were made of wood. The model dimensions: length 18", width 7", height 12". Photographs and descriptions of models were included in the book "Models for the Blind, " compiled by workers of the Ohio Writers' Program. The book was meant as a guide, to be used in the building and study of models, and as documentation of the achievements at the Ohio State School for the Blind. The models were a result of research, design and construction by employees of the Works Projects Administration. Models were made of durable materials to withstand regular usage. The average cost of labor for larger models was $45. A special room was built to store the models where teachers could borrow them to be used in classroom instruction. In 1837, the Ohio government established the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind. This institution was the predecessor of the Ohio State School for the Blind. It was the first public school for the blind in the United States. It was the first in the nation to be created and maintained entirely by the State government. The school opened its doors in 1839, and it was located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Any blind children residing in Ohio could attend the institution. Eleven students enrolled at the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind this first year. The school initially had a maximum capacity of sixty students, but upon moving to a new building in 1874, more than three hundred students could attend at one time. Between 1839 and 1901, 2, 058 students enrolled at the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind, with 339 attending in 1901 alone. In the early 1900s, the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind became known as the Ohio State School for the Blind, and the Ohio Department of Education assumed control of the school. In 1953, the school moved ten miles north of its original location to its present home. In 2005, 126 students enrolled in the Ohio State School for the Blind. Students as young as three and as old as twenty-one years of age attended the school. Students could receive their entire education (kindergarten through high school) at the institution. In addition, the Ohio State School for the Blind offered vocational training for its students. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F02_036_001
Subjects: United States. Work Projects Administration; Blind--Education--Ohio; Ohio State School for the Blind; Model Architecture, Domestic--Ohio--Pictorial works.
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1935-1940, this photograph shows a waterfall and small building along the Ohio and Erie Canal near Circleville, Ohio. Today a three mile stretch of the canal remains near Circleville. Work began on the Ohio and Erie Canal on July 4, 1825, at Licking Summit, just south of Newark, Ohio, and was completed in 1833. The Ohio and Erie Canal cost approximately ten thousand dollars per mile to complete, and the Miami and Erie Canal cost roughly twelve thousand dollars per mile to finish. The canals nearly bankrupted the state government, but they allowed Ohioans to prosper beginning in the 1830s all the way to the Civil War. Many recent immigrants to the United States, especially the Irish, survived thanks to jobs on the canals. Other people, like the residents of the communal society at Zoar, also helped construct canals to assist the survival of their community. Many of Ohio’s communities today, including Akron, began as towns for the canal workers. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until the late 1800s. There is a short stretch in the Muskingum Valley near Zanesville still in operation today. By the 1850s, however, canals were losing business to the railroads. 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_B10F13_001_001
Subjects: Canals--Ohio; Circleville (Ohio)--History; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Circleville (Ohio); Pickaway County (Ohio)