Description: This image of the Avery-Downer House in Granville, Ohio, was among the photographs produced by the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1935 and 1943. The house was built in 1842 in the Greek Revival architectural style for Alfred Avery from designs by Minard Lafever. It subsequently served as a home for the Spelman (1845-1873), Downer, and Cole families (1873-1902); and the Phi Gamma Delta (1902-1930) and Kappa Sigma (1930-1956) fraternities. Historian and antiquarian Robbins Hunter, Jr., who occupied the house from 1956 to 1979, bequeathed the house to the Licking County Historical Society. This historic house museum is on the 19th-Century National Register of Historic Places. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06385
Subjects: Greek revival (Architecture); Granville (Ohio); Lafever, Minard; United States. Work Progress Administration; Architecture--Ohio; United States. Work Projects Administration; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Granville (Ohio); Licking County (Ohio)
 

Description: 3"x 4" photograph of an Eiffel Tower replica from a collection of models for the Ohio State School for the Blind. The Eiffel Tower is a 984-foot symbol in the capital city of Paris, France. It was built between 1887 and 1889 by designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel. It was erected as a central identifying feature of the Paris Exposition of 1889. It has three levels. Stairs are available to reach the first two levels. However, visitors must take an elevator to reach the third level. The highest level reaches a height equal to that of a 90-story skyscraper. The Eiffel Tower's metal structure, consisting of steel and iron, weighs 7,300 tons. The total weight is 10,100 tons. The model is length 24", width 24", height 66". 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. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F02_039_001
Subjects: United States. Work Projects Administration; Blind--Education--Ohio; Ohio State School for the Blind; Tour Eiffel (Paris, France)
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin 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: 3" x 4" photograph of Monticello replica from a collection of models for the Ohio State School for the Blind. The home of Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, stands on top of a "little mountain," 600 feet high. Jefferson designed Monticello, meaning "hillock" or "little mountain" in Italian, that took more than 40 years to build. Monticello is an example of neoclassical design; a fine example of Roman neoclassicism. The first design rendered 14 rooms total on three floors; now 33 rooms on four floors. The site of Monticello, located on a large plantation of 5,000 acres, had been in the family since 1735. The Virginia State Capitol and the University of Virginia were also designed by Thomas Jefferson. The model is length 36", width 41", height 16.5". 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_043_001
Subjects: United States. Work Projects Administration; Blind--Education--Ohio; Ohio State School for the Blind; Monticello (Va.)
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Original description reads: "Project #16-31-1126. Federal archives survey. Photograph of one of many store rooms attached to the internal revenue office. The project started March 3, 1936, employs and average of 11 persons. A total of $3,902 has been furnished by the W.P.A. for the project." The Survey of Federal Archives (SFA) was organized in January 1936 as Federal Project No. 4, with the National Archives as cooperating sponsor. It became part of the Historical Records Survey, on a reduced basis, in June 1937. It was finally terminated on June 30, 1942. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B03F11_027_1
Subjects: Archives; United States. Work Projects Administration; Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of a Queen Mary replica from a collection of models for the Ohio State School for the Blind. The Queen Mary, of the once Cunard-White Star line, a British company, is a retired ocean linear that sailed the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967. In 1936, the Queen Mary held the world's record for speed in both east and west Atlantic crossings, averaging 30.63 knots an hour. The main dining room was 160 feet long and 118 wide, extending through three decks. It took 24 large boilers heated by 200 oil burners to generate steam for the turbines. Fumes from the boilers were carried off by the three funnels. During World War II, the Queen Mary, its running mate Queen Elizabeth, and Normandie were converted to be used as troopships. Queen Mary's hull, superstructure and funnels were painted navy gray in the conversion. In December 1942, she carried 16,082 American troops from New York to Great Britain. The Queen Mary still holds the standing record for the most passengers ever transported on one vessel. Before World War II, the ocean liner could accommodate 1,995 passengers with 421 cabin-class suites and rooms, 300 tourist class staterooms and 214 third-class rooms. On September 19, 1967, after 1,001 crossings of the Atlantic, Queen Mary retired. The Queen Mary now resides in Long Beach, California. Model dimensions: length 46", width 6", height 11". 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. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F02_047_001
Subjects: United States. Work Projects Administration; Blind--Education--Ohio; Ohio State School for the Blind; Queen Mary (Steamship); Ship models
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: 3" x 4" photograph of a Monitor replica from the collection of models for the Ohio State School for the Blind. The Monitor, an iron-clad warship, is famous for its duel with the Merrimac, in the American Civil War. The Battle of Hampton Roads, often called the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimac, received worldwide publicity as the first fight between two iron-clad ships. The Monitor, an iron-clad ship of unique design, was described by people as a "cheese box on a raft." The ship had a low deck, 172 feet long and 42 feet wide, that water easily rolled over it. At its center, was a revolving circular turret, 20 feet in diameter and 9 feet high, with two powerful XI-inch Dahlgren, smooth-bore cannons that could pour fire in all directions. Neither ship was materially damaged in the battle, but a lucky shot by the Merrimac through a sight-hole blinded the commanding officer of the Monitor. The inconclusive battle ended when the Monitor withdrew, as did the Merrimac shortly after. Model dimensions: length 14.5", width 3.5", height 3.5". 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. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F02_044_001
Subjects: United States. Work Projects Administration; Blind--Education--Ohio; Ohio State School for the Blind; Warships Models
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of a model frontier town from a collection of models for the Ohio State School for the Blind. The typical frontier town, a fortified town of log cabins, was similar to the Roman forts built in the wooded sections of North Europe. A formidable wall around the settlement was built from sharpened wooden posts. A blockhouse, usually built in a corner of the settlement, provided storage room and as a place of last defense. The corner placement of the blockhouse, allowed access to both the inside and outside for better defense. Firing platforms could be found in the corners of the palisades. A settlement, had to have a good water supply, or could not survive. The stream in the model was probably from a spring inside the town, since streams could be polluted and diverge from their courses. Model dimensions: length 24", width 30", height 6.5". Photograph is 4.5" x 7". 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. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F02_051_001
Subjects: United States. Work Projects Administration; Blind--Education--Ohio; Ohio State School for the Blind; Models and modelmaking
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of a spinning wheel from a collection of models for the Ohio State School for the Blind. A spinning wheel is a tool used to spin thread or yarn from natural or synthetic fibers. Photograph is 5" x 7". Photographs and descriptions of a few 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. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F02_068_001
Subjects: United States. Work Projects Administration; Blind--Education--Ohio; Ohio State School for the Blind; Models and modelmaking; Spinning-wheel
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of an American Indian bark house from a collection of models for the Ohio State School for the Blind. The bark house is similar to an Iroquois longhouse, but not as long. Among the tribes who lived in bark houses, or "lodges" were the Iroquois, Shawnee, Wyandotte, Delaware, Seneca, and Chippewa. Framework for the lodge was formed from stout poles, over which was placed an outer covering of bark, in horizontal strips, sewed on to the frame with bone punches and tough-fibered inner bark. In the spring, bark was peeled from elm trees, flattened by weights, and cut in sheets four by six or eight feet, before being used. A bark house structure was about 15 feet high at the ridge of the gable, just over 15 feet wide and sometimes 100 feet long or more. The roof rafters were reinforced with scores of small sapling poles and log "stingers" were used to anchor the bark on top of the roof. The inside of the bark house consisted of a row of bunks on each side of the lodge. Beds were formed with several layers of bark, covered with soft, hairy pelts. Chains of corn and fruit to be dried were strung on poles between the aisles. Firepits were placed in a prominent place in the aisle, where most of the cooking was done and light obtained at night. Smoke escaped from holes in the roof, that could be covered with bark panels when it rained. The lodge doorways were high and wide, and covered with an animal skin neatly laced to the door post. Model dimensions: length 40", width 20.5", height 17". 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. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F02_052_001
Subjects: United States. Work Projects Administration; Blind--Education--Ohio; Ohio State School for the Blind; Indians of North America--Dwellings
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image of the First Congregational Church in Tallmadge, Ohio, was among the photographs produced by the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1935 and 1943. The First Congregational Church of Tallmadge was established by Reverend David Bacon in 1809. For the first several years, the congregation's services were held in Reverend Bacon's cabin. In 1821 local landowners donated timber to build this church, designed and constructed by one of Ohio's first architects, Col. Lemuel Porter. Dedicated on September 8, 1825, the structure is considered to be a perfect example of the pure Connecticut-type of Federal architecture. The Historic Tallmadge Church is currently maintained by the Ohio Historical Society. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06383
Subjects: First Congregational Church (Tallmadge, Ohio); Architecture--Ohio; Federal Writers' Project; United States. Work Projects Administration
Places: Tallmadge (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio); Portage County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated August 15, 1936, this photograph shows Works Progress Administration workers beginning construction on the amphitheater at University of Cincinnati in Hamilton County, Ohio. The photograph's original caption reads "Open air theater at the University of Cincinnati, 45% completed Aug. 15, 1936." The amphitheater is no longer part of the campus. 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_B03F13_018_1
Subjects: Amphitheaters--Ohio; College campuses--Ohio; United States. Work Projects Administration; Architecture
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)