Description: Dated 1930-1943, this photograph shows a worker silhouetted against white-hot molten metal being poured from a blast furnace into a ladle. This could be one of any number of steel mills in Ohio. In the early nineteenth century, there were a number of furnaces in Ohio that processed iron. These small industries were made possible by local iron ore deposits in southern and eastern Ohio. In addition, some parts of Ohio also had coal deposits that could be used to fuel furnaces. Because of their proximity to the state's iron manufacturing, by the second half of the nineteenth century communities such as Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and Youngstown had begun to emerge as major industrial cities. Railroads also encouraged the growth of the iron industry. After the American Civil War (1861-1865), iron manufacturers in Ohio began to introduce new processes to refine iron ore. The resulting product was steel, which was much stronger and more versatile than iron. Because Ohio companies such as the Otis Steel Company were quick to adopt new technology, Ohio became the second largest producer of steel in the nation by the 1890s. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the rapid growth of some steel companies led to a wave of mergers that created big businesses like the United States Steel Company (U.S. Steel), Republic Iron and Steel Corporation, and Youngstown Steel and Tube Company. Very often, smaller companies that had produced either iron or steel since the early 1800s were taken over or driven out of business because they were unable to compete with the large corporations. The developments in the steel industry helped to encourage construction of large buildings, such as skyscrapers, as well as bridges and other projects. The automobile industry also contributed to the growth of the steel industry in the early decades of the twentieth century. 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_B07F07_011_1
Subjects: Industries--Ohio; Factories; Steel-works--Ohio--Pictorial works; Blast furnaces--United States; Works Progress Administration of Ohio (U.S.)
Places: Ohio
 

Description: Dated ca. 1930-1943, this photograph shows a blast furnace delivering molten metal to the open hearth furnace in an unidentified Ohio factory. This could be one of any number of steel mills in Ohio. A note on the photograph's reverse reads "Hot metal direct from the blast furnace materially reduces the time required to make a heat in the open hearth furnace. Quite a saving in fuel over the old methods of charging cold pig iron." In the early nineteenth century, there were a number of furnaces in Ohio that processed iron. These small industries were made possible by local iron ore deposits in southern and eastern Ohio. In addition, some parts of Ohio also had coal deposits that could be used to fuel furnaces. Because of their proximity to the state's iron manufacturing, by the second half of the nineteenth century communities such as Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and Youngstown had begun to emerge as major industrial cities. Railroads also encouraged the growth of the iron industry. After the American Civil War (1861-1865), iron manufacturers in Ohio began to introduce new processes to refine iron ore. The resulting product was steel, which was much stronger and more versatile than iron; Ohio companies were quick to adopt new technology and as a result, Ohio became the second largest producer of steel in the nation by the 1890's. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the rapid growth of some steel companies led to a wave of mergers that created big businesses like the United States Steel Company (U.S. Steel), Republic Iron and Steel Corporation, and Youngstown Steel and Tube Company. 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_B07F11_008_1
Subjects: Industries--Ohio; Factories; Steel-works--Ohio--Pictorial works; Blast furnaces--United States; Works Progress Administration of Ohio (U.S.)
Places: Ohio
 

Description: Dated ca. 1935-1943, this photograph shows an unidentified man watching while white-hot molten metal is poured from a blast furnace into a ladle at an unidentified blast furnace in Ohio. A note on the reverse of the photograph reads "An awe-inspiring moment comes with the tapping of a heat in the open hearth, when, with a great flare, a hundred tons of molten metal plunges on its unobstructed way into the ladle." In the early nineteenth century, there were a number of furnaces in Ohio that processed iron. These small industries were made possible by local iron ore deposits in southern and eastern Ohio. In addition, some parts of Ohio also had coal deposits that could be used to fuel furnaces. Because of their proximity to the state's iron manufacturing, by the second half of the nineteenth century communities such as Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and Youngstown had begun to emerge as major industrial cities. Railroads also encouraged the growth of the iron industry. After the American Civil War (1861-1865), iron manufacturers in Ohio began to introduce new processes to refine iron ore. The resulting product was steel, which was much stronger and more versatile than iron. Ohio companies were quick to adopt new technology, and as a result, Ohio became the second largest producer of steel in the nation by the 1890's. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the rapid growth of some steel companies led to a wave of mergers that created big businesses like the United States Steel Company (U.S. Steel), Republic Iron and Steel Corporation, and Youngstown Steel and Tube Company. 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_B07F11_023_1
Subjects: Industries--Ohio; Factories; Steel-works--Ohio--Pictorial works; Blast furnaces--United States; Works Progress Administration of Ohio (U.S.)
Places: Ohio
 

Description: Dated ca. 1930-1943, this photograph shows a large machine with the word "Bliss" on the front. It appears to be a stamping press, which is used in the manufacture of everything from cars to home appliances. This could be the Frigidaire factory in Moraine, Ohio. 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_B08F01_016_001
Subjects: Industries--Ohio; Factories; Steel-works--Ohio--Pictorial works; Blast furnaces--United States; Works Progress Administration of Ohio (U.S.)
Places: Ohio
 

Description: Dated ca. 1930-1943, this photograph shows white-hot molten metal being poured from a blast furnace into a ladle. This could be one of any number of steel mills in Ohio. In the early nineteenth century, there were a number of furnaces in Ohio that processed iron. These small industries were made possible by local iron ore deposits in southern and eastern Ohio. In addition, some parts of Ohio also had coal deposits that could be used to fuel furnaces. Because of their proximity to the state's iron manufacturing, by the second half of the nineteenth century communities such as Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and Youngstown had begun to emerge as major industrial cities. Railroads also encouraged the growth of the iron industry. After the American Civil War (1861-1865), iron manufacturers in Ohio began to introduce new processes to refine iron ore. The resulting product was steel, which was much stronger and more versatile than iron. Because Ohio companies, such as the Otis Steel Company, were quick to adopt new technology, Ohio became the second largest producer of steel in the nation by the 1890s. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the rapid growth of some steel companies led to a wave of mergers that created big businesses like the United States Steel Company (U.S. Steel), Republic Iron and Steel Corporation. and Youngstown Steel and Tube Company. Very often, smaller companies that had produced either iron or steel since the early 1800s were either taken over or driven out of business because they were unable to compete with the large corporations. The developments in the steel industry helped to encourage construction of large buildings, such as skyscrapers, as well as bridges and other projects. The automobile industry also contributed to the growth of the steel industry in the early decades of the twentieth century. 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_B08F02_006_001
Subjects: Industries--Ohio; Factories; Steel-works--Ohio--Pictorial works; Blast furnaces--United States; Works Progress Administration of Ohio (U.S.)
Places: Ohio
 

Description: This unknown illustration was most likely one of the illustrations designed for The Ohio Guide. There are three images, none of which seem to be related. The first is of several townsfolk waving to a horse and carriage carrying a banner that says "The People is Oll Korrect", the second is of Native Americans and frontiersmen building a cabin together, and the third is of a train passing through the countryside. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F08_019_001
Subjects: Books Chapter-heading; Illustrations--1930-1940; United States. Works Progress Administration of Ohio; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project.
Places: (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "U.S. Housing project in Toledo, Ohio. Photo by Edwin Locke for the U.S. Film Service." This is a photograph of an unknown housing project in Toledo, Ohio. With the New Deal, $150 million of the Works Progress Administration budget was set aside for housing. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F11_007_001
Subjects: Public housing--Ohio; Apartment Architecture, Domestic--Ohio--Pictorial works.; United States. Works Progress Administration of Ohio; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project.
Places: Toledo (Ohio); Lucas County (Ohio)
 

Description: This unknown illustration was most likely one of the illustrations designed for The Ohio Guide. It depicts a forest scene of pioneers canoeing, camping and cooking around a pond somewhere in Ohio. More information needed. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B03F01_001
Subjects: Books Chapter-heading; Illustrations--1930-1940; United States. Works Progress Administration of Ohio; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project.
Places: Ohio
 

Description: This unknown illustration was most likely one of the illustrations designed for The Ohio Guide. It depicts a celebration or parade in front of a monument somewhere in Ohio. More information needed. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B03F01_026
Subjects: Books Chapter-heading; Illustrations--1930-1940; United States. Works Progress Administration of Ohio; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project.
Places: Ohio
 

Description: Inside view of Ohio Stadium (also known as the "Horseshoe" or the "Shoe" because of its unique horseshoe shape), the football stadium at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, ca. 1935-1943. Architect Howard Dwight Smith designed the plans for Ohio Stadium, earning him an award from the American Institute of Architects. Ohio Stadium was built in 1922 and is home to the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. The original stadium held 66,000 spectators. With renovations throughout the years, the stadium now has a seating capacity of 102,329. While in this image the south end of the stadium is open, in 2001 permanent stands were added to the south end closing the stadium off. This photograph is one of thousands collected for the Ohio Guide, part of the American Guide Series compiled by the Works Progress Administration from 1935-1942. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL02888
Subjects: History of the Ohio State University; Stadiums; Ohio State Buckeyes (Football team); Ohio State University--Sports--History; United States. Works Progress Administration of Ohio
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "W.P.A. Sewing Class, Toledo." Unidentified women pose for a photograph during a sewing class in Toledo, Ohio. Most women involved in the Works Progress Administration were part of sewing projects, like the one seen here. Women made up around fifteen to twenty percent of WPA-participants and almost every single one of them was involved in a sewing project of some sort. Most women at that time were still sewing by hand, so they received training in using sewing machines. Once they became skilled enough with the machines, they made clothing, bedding and supplies for hospitals and orphanages. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F11_014_001
Subjects: Sewing--1930-1940; Dresses; Sewing--United States--History--20th century; United States. Works Progress Administration of Ohio; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Toledo (Ohio); Lucas County (Ohio)
 

Description: Caption reads: "Lincoln Hill - Pomeroy. Both paving and sidewalk work was done by WPA craftsmen and laborers." View of Lincoln Hill Road in Pomeroy, Ohio with automobiles pictured in the background. This photograph was originally the 'before' photograph of a pair, with a caption glued between them. Pomeroy is located in southeastern, Ohio, along the Ohio River. During the late 19th century, Pomeroy was an important producer of coal and salt. The first coal barges on the Ohio River were loaded there. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F20_005_1
Subjects: Roads--Ohio; Automobiles; United States. Works Progress Administration of Ohio
Places: Pomeroy (Ohio); Meigs County (Ohio)