Description: This femur, or thigh bone, of an American mastodon (Mammut americanum) is one piece of a partial skeleton excavated from a farm in Champaign County in 1978. The femur is 38 inches (96.52 cm) long, and 10-12 inches (25.4-30.48 cm) in diameter. Fossilized mastodon bones have been found in 60 of Ohio's 88 counties. Mastodons are extinct elephant-like animals with shaggy coats and long tusks. Adult mastodons grew to be 8 to 10 feet in height at the shoulder and about 15 feet long. They weighed about 4-5 tons. Mastodons were shorter in overall height and had shorter and thicker legs than their mammoth relatives. Compared to living elephants, American mastodons tended to have straighter tusks and shorter, longer bodies. Modern African elephants also tend to be somewhat heavier than the American mastodon. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1403_1262459_00152740
Subjects: Plants and Animals; Bones; Mastodons; Extinct animals
Places: Champaign County (Ohio)
 

Description: Caption reads: "Picture of Leo the Lion at Zoo, Cincinnati, Ohio." On September 18, 1875, the Cincinnati Zoological Garden (now known as the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden) opened its doors. The zoo’s collection was very small, originally consisting of just eight monkeys, two grizzly bears, three deer, six raccoons, two elk, a buffalo, a hyena, a tiger, an alligator, a circus elephant, and over four hundred birds, including a talking crow. The zoo began earlier in the decade through the efforts of Andrew Erkenbrecher, a German immigrant. Influenced by European zoos, Erkenbrecher and the other trustees planned to place their animals in naturalistic, more rural settings than the menageries of New York or Chicago. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F04_005_001
Subjects: Plants and Animals; Arts and Entertainment; Zoos; Zoo animals; Lions
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: A man stands besides fallen trees and near a horse and buggy. Many trees have fall on what appears to be a road or alley, possibly from a storm. This photograph was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. 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_b09_f533
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Animals; Landscape photography
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a hawk was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. It was identified by archeologist William C. Mills as an eagle. Made of light gray or pale brown coral limestone, the curvature of the pipe platform is greater than other effigy pipes found within Tremper Mound. The pipe measures approximately 2.2" x 2.15" x 4.88" (5.5 x 5.2 x 12.3 cm). This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large--the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1357_1763334_017
Subjects: American Indians in Ohio; Plants and Animals; Arts and Entertainment; Geography and Natural Resources; Hopewell culture; Mounds (Burials); Pipes (Smoking); Hawks; Birds
Places: Rush Township (Ohio); Scioto County (Ohio)
 

Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a quail was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. The bird stands on the platform. The bowl of the pipe was wrapped with copper in prehistoric times, and the eyes were likely inset with copper. The pipe, which measures approximately 1.75" x 1.45" x 2.9" (4.5 x 3.6 x 7.4 cm), is made of a very dark gray stone. This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large--the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1357_1764244_056
Subjects: American Indians in Ohio; Plants and Animals; Arts and Entertainment; Geography and Natural Resources; Hopewell culture; Mounds (Burials); Pipes (Smoking); Quails; Birds
Places: Rush Township (Ohio); Scioto County (Ohio)
 

Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a raccoon was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. The animal is seated on its haunches with its left paw in a crayfish hole. The raccoon's eyes are drilled and set with copper. The tip of the nose and right ear have been restored, as has the left side of platform. The pipe measures 1.5" x 2" x 3.5" (3.81 x 5.08 x 8.89 cm). This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large--the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1357_1136415_064
Subjects: American Indians in Ohio; Plants and Animals; Arts and Entertainment; Geography and Natural Resources; Hopewell culture; Mounds (Burials); Pipes (Smoking); Raccoons
Places: Rush Township (Ohio); Scioto County (Ohio)
 

Description: A group of people enjoy a sunny day outside. One man stands on a horse-drawn sled with a dog. Another man holds a banjo and sits with a woman on a blanket, while two other women face one another. This photograph, taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing ca. 1896-1912, has significant emulsion damage. 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_b09_f546
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Portrait photography--United States--History; Animals; Families;
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a wildcat was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. The cat crouches on platform with legs flexed. One ear projects from head. Some parts of the pipe have been restored. Made of olive-gray stone with black and brown mottling, the pipe measures approximately 1.67" x 1.45" x 3.5" (4.15 x 3.6 x 8.8 cm). This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large--the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1357_1764596_085
Subjects: American Indians in Ohio; Plants and Animals; Arts and Entertainment; Geography and Natural Resources; Hopewell culture; Mounds (Burials); Pipes (Smoking); Felidae
Places: Rush Township (Ohio); Scioto County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of what appears to be an oil drilling site. This photograph was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. 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_b09_f550
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Laborers; Animals; Oil wells
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: This partial skull of an adult Ice Age giant beaver measures 10.75 x 6 x 4.5 inches (28.4 x 16.3 x 11.0 cm) and was found seven feet below ground in a swampy area of Williams County, Ohio, that was being excavated for a farm pond. The giant beaver (Castoroides ohioensis) first became known to science from a specimen found while digging the Ohio Canal near Nashport, Ohio (northwest of Zanesville). Its scientific name reflects its similarity to the modern beaver (Castor canadensis) and the state where it was discovered. When mature, this extinct animal from the Late Tertiary (3 million years before present) through the Pleistocene Era (10,000 years before present) was nearly as large as a modern black bear. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1467_1499984_001
Subjects: Plants and Animals; Beavers; Skulls; Extinct animals; Williams County (Ohio); Ohio History--Natural and Native Ohio
Places: Williams County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a portrait of a young girl holding flowers, a kitten at her feet. 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 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: AL05054
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Portrait photography--United States—History; Animals; Children; Clothing and dress; Flowers
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: Made of dark gray sandstone, this pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a squirrel was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. The squirrel is seated erect with its head forward and forelegs against its chest. Slight modeling suggests hind legs. The paws on all four feet are identified by parallel incised lines. The squirrel's tail is erect against the back, and the hairs of the tail are indicated by parallel oblique incised lines. The mouth and eyes are shown as incised lines, and its ears project above the head. The effigy was broken off the platform, and a slight amount of restoration was done on animal's right pelvis and on underside of platform at mouthpiece end. The effigy pipe measures approximately 1.5" x 3.5" x 1.25" (3.81 x 8.89 x 3.18 cm). This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large--the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1357_1136476_071
Subjects: American Indians in Ohio; Plants and Animals; Arts and Entertainment; Geography and Natural Resources; Hopewell culture; Mounds (Burials); Pipes (Smoking); Squirrels
Places: Rush Township (Ohio); Scioto County (Ohio)