Description: Photograph of the family of William Thorne, whose home was an Underground Railroad station at Selma, Clark County, Ohio. Mary C. Thorne and her husband William are the seated individuals in the photograph. The individuals standing in the photograph are Mary C. Thorne's son and a mixed-race slave who escaped on the Underground Railroad and was taken in by the Thorne family. The image was collected by Ohio State University professor Wilbur H. Siebert (1866-1961). Siebert began researching the Underground Railroad in the 1890s as a way to interest his students in history. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03116
Subjects: Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Underground Railroad--Ohio; Antislavery movements--Ohio--History--19th century; Ohio women; Abolitionists;
Places: Selma (Ohio); Clark County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph taken for the Columbus Free Press ca. 1972 at the Columbus American Indian Center, located at 1525 S. High St. in Columbus, Ohio. The women pictured are Carol Walker (right), Gale Lochlear (center) and Brenda Aldenderfer (left). They are of Sioux and Cherokee heritage. On the table are containers of beads used to teach traditional beading. The Columbus American Indian Center, now the Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio (NAICCO), was founded in 1975 by Selma Sully-Walker of the Dakota Tribe. Sully-Walker's photograph can be seen framed on the table. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05847
Subjects: American Indian women; Cultural heritage; American Indian history and society;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Traditional women's dance performers at an annual powwow held at Edgewater Park in Columbus, Ohio, on September 5, 1987, taken by a photographer for publication in the Columbus Free Press newspaper. The women are identified as Selma Walker, directory of the Columbus Native American Center, and Little Star Woman Two Hawks Van Scyoc and Medicine Wind Two Hawks Karus, vice president and president of the West Virginia Native American Association. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1301AV_B02F15_06
Subjects: American Indian women; Cultural heritage; American Indian history and society; Dancers;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph is a full-length portrait of Zoar community member Selma Ruof, ca. 1880. The small community of Zoar was founded by a group of German separatists in 1817, who later became known as the Zoarites. Originally from the state of Wurttemburg, Germany, the group moved to Philadelphia after facing persecution for separating from the Lutheran Church in their native state. The group's leader was Joseph Bimeler. With financial assistance from the Society of Friends (Quakers), the group was able to purchase land in eastern Ohio. The community’s first buildings were constructed in Ohio in 1817 and the following year marked the arrival of approximately two hundred members. The separatists chose to name their town Zoar after the Biblical account of Lot, who escaped to Zoar from Sodom in the book of Genesis. Zoar means “a sanctuary from evil.” The community of Zoar was not originally organized as a commune, but its residents had a difficult time surviving in 1818 and early 1819. As a result, on April 19, 1819, the group formed the Society of Separatists of Zoar. Each person donated his or her property to the community as a whole. In exchange for their work, the society would provide for them. Both men and women signed the original document creating the society. Women had equal access to political leadership and had the right to vote in elections. Women also were not prohibited from holding office in the society, although no women were ever elected to these positions. Additional modifications to the society’s organization were made in 1824 and a constitution established in 1833. Joseph Bimeler died in 1853. Even though Zoar was economically prosperous, the members’ commitment to the society’s original goals began to deteriorate in the second half of the nineteenth century. Over time, many of the original residents died. The younger generation did not have memories of the persecution back in Europe or the society’s early struggles in Ohio. The outside world influenced the Zoarites more and more, as strangers traveled to Zoar and stayed in the town’s hotel. In 1898, the remaining members decided to dissolve the society, and its property was divided among the Zoarites. It was an end to the communistic experience at Zoar. Throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Zoar has continued to exist as a small town in rural eastern Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05978
Subjects: Society of Separatists of Zoar
Places: Zoar (Ohio); Tuscarawas County (Ohio)