Description: Sketch of the Worthington Female Seminary in 1846. The seminary was run by the Ohio Methodist Conference and was located in downtown Worthington, Ohio. In the 1850s, more women chose to go to the new Ohio Wesleyan Female College in Delaware and the seminary was closed. In the 1870s, it became a "Normal School" that trained teachers, as Ohio realized the need to have better trained teachers in the state. This image is from "Historical Collections of Ohio" by Henry Howe, 1952. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04060
Subjects: Women--Education - Ohio; Worthington (Ohio); Education, Higher--Ohio--History; Teachers--Training of
Places: Worthington (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Thomas W. Harvey (1821-1892) was an accomplished Ohio educator who is best remembered for his contributions to textbooks during the mid-to-late nineteenth century. After graduating from the Western Reserve Teachers' Seminary in Kirtland, Ohio, in 1844, Harvey established Geauga High School in Chardon, Ohio. In 1848, he accepted a position as principal of a private academy at Republic, Ohio, and in 1851, he became superintendent of Massillon schools, a position he held for fourteen years before becoming the superintendent of Painesville's schools. In 1871, Governor Rutherford B. Hayes appointed Harvey as the Ohio State Commissioner of Public Schools. Harvey held this position for the next three years. Upon completion of his term, he returned to Painesville and assumed his position as superintendent. During his career, Harvey also helped establish the Ohio State Teachers' Association and the Northeastern Ohio Teachers' Association. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04126
Subjects: Education--Ohio; Teachers--Training of; Educators; Schools--Ohio
Places: Painesville (Ohio); Lake County (Ohio)
 

Description: "Ohio Central Normal School, or Worthington Female Seminary" illustration from "Historical Sketches of the Higher Educational Institutions, and also of Benevolent and Reformatory Institutions of the State of Ohio," 1876. The Ohio Central Normal School, formerly the Worthington Female Seminary, was founded in 1839 and was the first female seminary of the Methodist Church west of the Alleghenies. The seminary was originally located in the Masonic Temple New England Lodge No. 4, located at 634 High Street in Worthington, Ohio. Students from Worthington and surrounding communities--as well as a few from around the country, primarily Methodist ministers' daughters--were educated at the seminary. It was initially very successful, often having as many as one hundred and fifty students, but after the establishment of the Ohio Wesleyan Female College in 1853, the Worthington Female Seminary lost support and closed in 1857. The building became home to the Ohio Central Normal School in 1871, providing training for kindergarten, primary, intermediate, and secondary teachers. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04162
Subjects: Worthington (Ohio); Cultural Ohio--Education; Women--Education - Ohio; Teachers--Training of
Places: Worthington (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: The Combined Normal and Industrial Department was established by the state of Ohio to provide teacher training and other vocational skills through Wilberforce University. It had a separate 9 member board of trustees, pictured in this 1893 photograph. Wilberforce University was established in 1856 in Greene County under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was named for William Wilberforce (1759-1833), an English abolitionist. The African Methodist Episcopal Church purchased the university in 1863, making it the first to be owned and run by African Americans. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1277_780190_126
Subjects: African American Ohioans; Education; Universities and colleges; Teachers--Training of; Vocational education
Places: Wilberforce (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)
 

Description: This engraved portrait depicts Joseph Ray, a famous educator best known for writing mathematical textbooks. Born in Virginia on November 25, 1807, Ray graduated from Franklin College in New Athens, Ohio, in 1828, and from the Medical College of Ohio in 1831. In 1832, he helped establish the Western Literacy Institute and College of Professional Teachers, which helped teachers become more professional and better-trained and provided them with the latest teaching techniques. Ray died from tuberculosis on April 11, 1855. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04174
Subjects: Education--Ohio; Educators; Teachers--Training of
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing on May 4, 1909, this photograph shows the students of Mt. Zion Normal School posing for a group portrait. The small chalkboard in front of the students reads "Mt. Zion Normal, 55/4/09, Br[..] teacher." A normal school is a school or college for the training of teachers. 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_b15_f864
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Portrait photography--United States--History; Education; School buildings; Teachers--Training of
Places: Mt. Zion (West Virginia)
 

Description: Photograph of the Combined Normal and Industrial Board at Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, Ohio, 1913. The Combined Normal and Industrial Department was established by the state of Ohio to provide teacher training and other vocational skills through Wilberforce University. It had a separate board of trustees, pictured in this photograph. Some of the men are identified on the reverse of the matted photograph. They are: 1. Unidentified; 2. President William S. Scarborough, PhD.; 3. Dr. Galloway, M.D.; 4. Bishop J. H. Jones, D.D.; 5. Unidentified; 6. Reverend Charles Bundy, D.D.; 7. Superintendent W. A. Joiner; 8. Dr. Johnson, M.D.; 9. Unidentified; 10. Major W. T. Anderson. Wilberforce University was established in 1856 in Greene County under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was named for William Wilberforce (1759-1833), an English abolitionist. The African Methodist Episcopal Church purchased the university in 1863, making it the first to be owned and run by African Americans. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC1489_01
Subjects: African American Ohioans; Education; Universities and colleges; Teachers--Training of; Vocational education
Places: Wilberforce (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)