Description: Taken by photographer Louis Baus, this photographic reproduction shows a man and woman walking by the horse barn in Zoar, Ohio, on July 4, 1899. Led by Joseph Bimeler (sometimes spelled Bäumeler) in 1817, a group of Lutheran separatists left the area of Germany known as Wurttemberg and eventually established the small community of Zoar in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. 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, and in exchange for their work, the society would provide for them. Additional modifications to the society's organization were made in 1824 and a constitution established in 1833. In the decades following the establishment of the Zoar commune, the Separatists experienced economic prosperity. The community was almost entirely self-sufficient and sold any surpluses to the outside world. In addition to agriculture, Zoar residents also worked in a number of industries, including flour mills, textiles, a tin shop, copper, wagon maker, two iron foundries, and several stores. The society also made money by contracting to build a seven-mile stretch of the Ohio and Erie Canal. The canal crossed over Zoar's property, and the society owned several canal boats. The canal traffic also brought other people into the community, who bought Zoar residents' goods. By the second half of the nineteenth century, the community was quite prosperous. After Bimeler's death in 1853, the unity of the village declined, and by 1898 the Zoarites disbanded the society. The remaining residents divided the property, and the community continued to prosper in Zoar. Louis Baus was a prominent photographer in Cleveland, Ohio, who began his career with studio work, but in 1911 became a staff writer for the "Cleveland Advocate, " a local newspaper that was later purchased by the "Cleveland Plain Dealer." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00881
Subjects: Zoar (Tuscarawas County, Ohio); Society of Separatists of Zoar; Agriculture; Horses; Barns
Places: Zoar (Ohio); Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1890-1899, this photograph shows a man seated in the shade outside the horse barn in Zoar, Ohio. Led by Joseph Bimeler (sometimes spelled Bäumeler) in 1817, a group of Lutheran separatists left the area of Germany known as Wurttemberg and eventually established the small community of Zoar in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. 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, and in exchange for their work, the society would provide for them. Additional modifications to the society's organization were made in 1824 and a constitution established in 1833. In the decades following the establishment of the Zoar commune, the Separatists experienced economic prosperity. The community was almost entirely self-sufficient and sold any surpluses to the outside world. In addition to agriculture, Zoar residents also worked in a number of industries, including flour mills, textiles, a tin shop, copper, wagon maker, two iron foundries, and several stores. The society also made money by contracting to build a seven-mile stretch of the Ohio and Erie Canal. The canal crossed over Zoar's property, and the society owned several canal boats. The canal traffic also brought other people into the community, who bought Zoar residents' goods. By the second half of the nineteenth century, the community was quite prosperous. After Bimeler's death in 1853, the unity of the village declined, and by 1898 the Zoarites disbanded the society. The remaining residents divided the property, and the community continued to prosper in Zoar. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00864
Subjects: Zoar (Tuscarawas County, Ohio); Society of Separatists of Zoar; Agriculture; Horses; Barns
Places: Zoar (Ohio); Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: Sheep crowd around a rancher as he tries to fill the water trough via a pipe connected to a water truck, photographed by Joe Munroe, 1966. Sheep were very useful because they can graze on sparse land or fields that other animals could not, effectively turning wasted space into meat or wool. Joe Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B09_F04_001
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farms; Agriculture; Livestock; Sheep
Places: Idaho
 

Description: Dated ca. 1935-1940, the top photograph shows a herd of dairy cattle drinking in a stream or pond in Ohio. The second photograph shows a conservation project to prevent soil erosion in 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_B06F03_022_1
Subjects: Agriculture; Cattle; Rural life; Erosion
Places: Ohio
 

Description: Caption reads: "Trumbull Co Truck Farm. Pub in Warren O, Guide" View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B06F05_015_1
Subjects: Agriculture--Ohio--History--20th century.; Truck farming
Places: Trumbull County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows a rebuilt version of an original mill built on this site in the 1840s by Noah Hoover, President Herbert Hoover's great-uncle. The mill features a 27-foot waterwheel. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00382
Subjects: Mills and mill-work--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Business; Miami County (Ohio); Agricultural machinery;
Places: West Milton (Ohio); Miami County (Ohio)
 

Description: Forsyth's Mill on the Olentangy River, ca. 1886-1888. This photograph is part of a collection compiled by Henry Howe while researching the 1889 edition of "Historical Collections of Ohio." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00250
Subjects: Olentangy River (Ohio); Ohio Economy--Agriculture
 

Description: Two photographs of the 1969 Ohio State Fair document activities in Natural Resources Park. The first photograph shows a lumberjack show, while the second is a group of fair-goers canoeing. The slides measure 2" x 2" (5.08 x 5.08 cm). The Ohio State Fair provides an important opportunity for farmers to promote their crops and livestock and to learn about advances in agricultural machinery. The first state fair was held in Cincinnati in 1850. In the ten years that followed, Newark, Sandusky, Zanesville and Cleveland hosted the fair, before it settled permanently in Columbus. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3062_3670063_005
Subjects: Agriculture; Arts and Entertainment; Expositions and fairs; Canoes; Loggers
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Threshing grain on a farm in Ohio View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B06F02_014_1
Subjects: Agriculture--Ohio--History--20th century.; Threshing
Places: Ohio
 

Description: A photograph of a farmer controlling weeds with his horse and harrow. A harrow had tines or sharp points to break up the soil. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B06F03_034_1
Subjects: Agriculture--Ohio--History--20th century.
Places: Ohio
 

Description: Display of award winning canned goods at the Ohio State Fair, Columbus, Ohio, ca. 1992-1993. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL01044
Subjects: Ohio State Fair (Columbus, Ohio); Ohio Economy--Agriculture; Fairs--Ohio; Expositions and fairs;
Places: Columbus (Ohio)
 

Description: Threshing in Northern Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B06F04_010_1
Subjects: Agriculture--Ohio--History--20th century.; Harvesting
Places: Ohio