The 2021 theme for the Ohio Archives Month poster was Ohio’s Wonderland: Unboxing The Great Outdoors. For the past year and a half, many have been cooped up indoors and apart from others more than ever before, but the outdoors have always offered an escape! The SOA Advocacy and Outreach Committee invited repositories and institutions across the state to submit their photographs, documents, or other graphical materials that highlight Ohio’s outdoor spaces. (Download the poster as a PDF.)
We received submissions on the theme from 23 institutions, for a total of 65 photographs and documents! The submissions were compiled, and 10 images were selected as winners through online voting by you. We were able to feature 3 of these images on this year’s Archive Month poster.
Images on Poster | Other Winning Submissions | Text of Poster
Thank you to the following institutions for their participation: Bowling Green State University; Cincinnati Art Museum; Clark County Historical Society; Cleveland Metro Parks; Dawes Arboretum; Dayton Metropolitan Library; Defiance College Archives; Greene County Archives; Heritage Commission Corporation in South Charleston; Kettering Foundation; Lloyd Library and Museum; Logan County Historical Society; Medway Area Historical Society; New Carlisle Historical Society; Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey; Ohio Department of Transportation; Ohio Outdoor Sculpture Project; Ohio University; Summit Metro Parks; University of Dayton.
Images Selected for the Poster
The Beach at Cedar Point, circa 1910. Sandusky Library.
Akron youths climbing a tree overhanging the Little Cuyahoga River in Elizabeth Park, Akron, Ohio, circa 1950s-1960s. Photographer: Opie Evans, from the Opie Evans, Papers 1940-1990. University of Akron.
Serpent Mound Aerial Photograph. Ohio History Connection.
The Other Winning Submissions
Pictured in about 1890, a group of students from the Art Academy of Cincinnati take a break from their classes to enjoy the school’s setting in picturesque Eden Park. Cincinnati Art Museum.
Pictured in 1954, Larry French, age 9, sketches the Cincinnati skyline from the grounds of the Cincinnati Art Museum in Eden Park. He attended the museum’s Saturday morning art classes for children and, on the Monday following each class, he would give his own art lessons to his school classmates. Cincinnati Art Museum.
Boating on the Maumee River, circa 1918. Defiance College Archives.
Defiance College students Julia Rex and Maxine Smart at Pontiac birthplace in Defiance, circa 1939. Defiance College Archives.
Nicknamed “Ohio’s Million Dollar Playground” Indian Lake in northwest Logan County had several swimming areas like the Avondale Bathing Pool on the north side of the lake. Logan County Historical Society.
Ohio’s geology is stunning and diverse represented here by Rock House cavern in Hocking Hills State Park, January 29, 2014. (0223). Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey.
Fishing from the Pony Blimp, July 23, 1920. From the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company Records, 1898-1993. University of Akron.
Poster Text
OHIO’S WONDERLAND
ARCHIVES MONTH IN OHIO OCTOBER 2021
UNBOXING the GREAT OUTDOORS
For those looking to get outside, or find inspiration from nature, Ohio’s outdoor spaces can be explored through archives all across the state. Whether it is swimming, hiking, enjoying a picnic, or other outdoor fun, the archives of Ohio allow a glimpse of all the outdoor wonder Ohio has to offer. You can experience the great outdoors without the sunburn or mosquitos!
1. The Beach at Cedar Point, circa 1910. Sandusky Library.
2. Akron youths climbing a tree overhanging the Little Cuyahoga River in Elizabeth Park, Akron, Ohio c.1950s-1960s. Photographer: Opie Evans Papers 1940-1990. University of Akron.
3. Serpent Mound Aerial photograph. Ohio History Connection.
Ohio Archives Month is sponsored by the Society of Ohio Archivists and the Ohio History Connection.
Visit us online at www.ohioarchivists.org
Questions? Contact the Advocacy and Outreach Committee Cochairs Natalie Fritz and Jenifer Baker.
Last Updated on October 29, 2021 by janet_carleton