Description: This is a photograph of the champion steer and his owner accepting their prize at the Ohio State Fair in 1968. Governor James Rhodes is pictured at left. The Ohio State Fair is an annual exhibition held at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus that showcases Ohio farming and commercial products and achievements. In the 1840s, farmers began to join agricultural organizations and the state of Ohio began to take an interest in the challenges that farmers faced. As a result, the state government created the Board of Agriculture in 1846. The Board of Agriculture planned to hold the first statewide fair in 1849, but a cholera epidemic forced the fair's cancellation. The first Ohio State Fair was held the next year instead. The city of Cincinnati hosted the fair in 1850, which went on for three days. Ultimately, the Board decided that the state capital should be the permanent site for the state fair, and it moved to Columbus in 1874. By the 1870s, the state's railroad system had improved significantly, and it was much easier to travel from all parts of the state. The current fairgrounds, known today as the Ohio Expo Center, were completed in 1886. The Ohio State Fair has been held at these fairgrounds ever since. This photograph is part of the Ohio Expositions Commission Photograph Collection, a series of black and white photographs, the majority of which were taken between 1955-1968, which consist of livestock at fairs, primarily horses, and documents many types of State Fair activities, especially horsemanship and livestock activities. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA768AV_B01F03_001
Subjects: Ohio State Fair; Expositions and fairs; Livestock; Prizes; Cattle; Agriculture--Ohio;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This portrait was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. Like most of Ewing's work, it was likely taken in southeastern Ohio or central West Virginia. 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 (now the Ohio History Connection) received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio History Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_b20_f1576
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Photographers--Ohio; Portrait photography--United States--History; Natural features; agricultural equipment;
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: This photograph showing a boy standing on a hillside next to two cows yoked to a plow was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. Like most of Ewing's work, it was likely taken in southeastern Ohio or central West Virginia. 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 (now the Ohio History Connection) received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio History Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_b20_f1543
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Photographers--Ohio; Livestock; Agriculture; Rural life; Children
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: Panoramic group portrait of employees of the Ohio Farm Bureau, pictured outside their office at 620-632 East Broad St. in Columbus, Ohio, on September 4, 1936. The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) formed in 1919. Its original purpose was to lobby local, state, and federal leaders to pass legislation to assist farmers. Other early goals included providing electric service to rural areas and crop insurance. Not only did the OFBF want to provide farmers a political voice, but it also hoped to convince farmers to work together in planting, caring for, and harvesting their crops to reduce production costs. In 1926, the the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation established the Farm Bureau Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, which in the 1930s began offering policies to farmers in several other states and to urban dwellers, and also expanded to fire and life insurance . In 1955, the company changed its name to Nationwide Insurance. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS7170
Subjects: Ohio Farm Bureau Federation; Ohio History--State and Local Government; Employees; Agriculture--Ohio;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows water buffalo in Vietnam running away from photographer and U.S. Army medic Charles Tweel, towards several rice patties. This photograph is part of the Charles Tweel Collection (AV 324) at the Ohio History Connection. Charles Tweel grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and attended The Ohio State University. After graduation in 1968, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a non-combatant, first training as a medic at Fort Sam Huston, followed by nine months of additional training at Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He finished his training as a Specialist 3 and 91C, MOS, and went on to serve in Bamberg, Germany, with combat engineers for one year. In January 1971, Tweel served in Vietnam with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion (Air Mobile), 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, based out of Camp Evans near Phu Bai, north of Hue, until December of that year. Tweel spent most of his service on various firebases as the medic in charge, and occasionally shared firebases with South Vietnamese soldiers. He also visited MedCAP stations (Medical Civic Action Programs) where he treated civilians. Tweel received the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement, and was promoted to Specialist 5 in 1971. After discharge from the Army, he went to medical school and was in private practice as a family practitioner from 1979-2016, and now works part-time in inner city medical clinics in Columbus, Ohio, and Charleston, South Carolina. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV324_B01F08_018
Subjects: Vietnam War (1961-1975); United States. Army. Airborne Division, 101st; Agriculture; Cattle
Places: Vietnam
 

Description: Taken in 1971 by U.S. Army medic Charles Tweel, this photograph shows three people wearing rice hats working in a field. This photograph is part of the Charles Tweel Collection (AV 324) at the Ohio History Connection. Charles Tweel grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and attended The Ohio State University. After graduation in 1968, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a non-combatant, first training as a medic at Fort Sam Huston, followed by nine months of additional training at Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He finished his training as a Specialist 3 and 91C, MOS, and went on to serve in Bamberg, Germany, with combat engineers for one year. In January 1971, Tweel served in Vietnam with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion (Air Mobile), 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, based out of Camp Evans near Phu Bai, north of Hue, until December of that year. Tweel spent most of his service on various firebases as the medic in charge, and occasionally shared firebases with South Vietnamese soldiers. He also visited MedCAP stations (Medical Civic Action Programs) where he treated civilians. Tweel received the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement, and was promoted to Specialist 5 in 1971. After discharge from the Army, he went to medical school and was in private practice as a family practitioner from 1979-2016, and now works part-time in inner city medical clinics in Columbus, Ohio, and Charleston, South Carolina. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV324_B02F12_020
Subjects: Vietnam War (1961-1975); United States. Army. Airborne Division, 101st; Agriculture; Civilians in war
Places: Vietnam
 

Description: These two cartoons appeared in "The Ohio Farmer" on September 12 and 26, 1936. In the first, an elderly farmer rejects a salesman's corn harvesting machine in favor of an old-fashioned corn knife. He is unwilling to spend money "just to save a little work." At the end of an exhausting day in the fields, he has reconsidered and is calling the salesman to buy the machine. In the second cartoon, the same farmer and his two helpers are breaking their backs digging potatoes until he decides to buy a mechanized potato digger. Though still horse-drawn, this bit of technology makes his day much easier. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: 630_5_Oh5_v178_01
Subjects: Farming; Agricultural machinery; Agriculture--Ohio; Crops; Harvesting;
Places: Ohio
 

Description: Taken in 1971 by U.S. Army medic Charles Tweel, this photograph shows crop fields in the lowlands of Vietnam. Workers work in the fields to the right, and on the left a child rides a water buffalo. This photograph is part of the Charles Tweel Collection (AV 324) at the Ohio History Connection. Charles Tweel grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and attended The Ohio State University. After graduation in 1968, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a non-combatant, first training as a medic at Fort Sam Huston, followed by nine months of additional training at Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He finished his training as a Specialist 3 and 91C, MOS, and went on to serve in Bamberg, Germany, with combat engineers for one year. In January 1971, Tweel served in Vietnam with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion (Air Mobile), 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, based out of Camp Evans near Phu Bai, north of Hue, until December of that year. Tweel spent most of his service on various firebases as the medic in charge, and occasionally shared firebases with South Vietnamese soldiers. He also visited MedCAP stations (Medical Civic Action Programs) where he treated civilians. Tweel received the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement, and was promoted to Specialist 5 in 1971. After discharge from the Army, he went to medical school and was in private practice as a family practitioner from 1979-2016, and now works part-time in inner city medical clinics in Columbus, Ohio, and Charleston, South Carolina. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV324_B01F03_019
Subjects: Vietnam War (1961-1975); United States. Army. Airborne Division, 101st; Agriculture; Farming
Places: Vietnam
 

Description: Taken in 1971 by U.S. Army medic Charles Tweel, this photograph shows a rice field in Vietnam. This photograph is part of the Charles Tweel Collection (AV 324) at the Ohio History Connection. Charles Tweel grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and attended The Ohio State University. After graduation in 1968, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a non-combatant, first training as a medic at Fort Sam Huston, followed by nine months of additional training at Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He finished his training as a Specialist 3 and 91C, MOS, and went on to serve in Bamberg, Germany, with combat engineers for one year. In January 1971, Tweel served in Vietnam with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion (Air Mobile), 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, based out of Camp Evans near Phu Bai, north of Hue, until December of that year. Tweel spent most of his service on various firebases as the medic in charge, and occasionally shared firebases with South Vietnamese soldiers. He also visited MedCAP stations (Medical Civic Action Programs) where he treated civilians. Tweel received the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement, and was promoted to Specialist 5 in 1971. After discharge from the Army, he went to medical school and was in private practice as a family practitioner from 1979-2016, and now works part-time in inner city medical clinics in Columbus, Ohio, and Charleston, South Carolina. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV324_B01F01_024
Subjects: Vietnam War (1961-1975); United States. Army. Airborne Division, 101st; Agriculture
Places: Vietnam
 

Description: Protestors carry signs in support of migrant farm worker rights and calling for a boycott of grapes and lettuce outside of a Kroger grocery store in Columbus, Ohio. This photograph was taken for publication in the Columbus Free Press newspaper. 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_B04F08_01
Subjects: Protests and protestors; Demonstrations; Activism; Labor movement--United States--History--20th century; Agriculture;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows a group of men at harvest time on the Goodhold farm in Mentor, Ohio, in the 1930s, and documents the increasing mechanization of farming that took place in the 20th century. Although horses were still being used as motive power for the wagons to bring wheat from the fields, steam power is being used for threshing, the process of separating the wheat from the chaff. This photograph was to be included in the Cleveland Guide, one of several guides on selected American cities to be published by the Federal Writers' Project. The Federal Writers' Project was a Depression-era program created to employ writers, under the umbrella of the Works Progress Administation. Most of the work for the Cleveland Guide was complete when the program was abolished in 1943, but the Cleveland Guide was not published. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1038AV_B01F04_01
Subjects: Agriculture--Ohio; Agricultural machinery; Farming; Federal Writers' Project;
Places: Mentor (Ohio); Lake County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph from the Columbus Free Press Collection showing visitors outside of the Dairy Products Building at the 1985 Ohio State Fair. A banner advertises the Butter Cow sculpture inside, as well as available dairy products including milk, ice cream, cheese and milkshakes. The "butter cow" has been a tradition sponsored by the Ohio State University and Dairy Processors of Ohio at the State Fair since the early 1900s. 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_B02F09_10
Subjects: Ohio State Fair; Agriculture--Ohio; Dairy industry; Dairy products; Cows;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)