A Capitol Idea in Columbus

This week we ushered in a new era in American history with the swearing in of the nation's first African-American president. Ohio, as she has been historically, was an important part of the election process. While millions gathered this week in the nation's capital, let's take a peek at Ohio's capitol, the Ohio Statehouse.




Ohio's first capital was in Chillicothe, followed briefly by Zanesville before finally settling in Columbus in 1816. Above left, President McKinley stands in front of the entrance on High Street.

Nestled among towering office buildings today, the current Statehouse dates to 1816 and offers grand vistas both inside and out of the building. While most state capitol's feature a dome similar to the U.S. Capitol building, Ohio's statehouse features more of a cupola and is unique. Standing beneath the rotunda the stained glass artwork features the Great Seal of Ohio (see Adena blog entry) (left, click to enlarge).


The grounds surrounding the Statehouse offers several statues situated among its two acres. Located in the largest city bearing the name of Christopher Columbus, the southwest corner of the statehouse bears a statue in his honor (see right, click to enlarge).



Another statue located north of the Columbus statue, right at the foot of one of the High Street entrance pays tribute to soldiers from Ohio during the Spanish-American War in 1898. Called "The Spirit of '98", the soldier symbolically guards the entrance to the building (see left, click to enlarge).

Ohio had a significant place in the Civil War, sending more men to fight than any state other than Pennsylvania and New York. It was also a state that saw many men take arms against kin. The southern part of Ohio was settled largely by Virginians, and until West Virginia was granted statehood during the Civil War, bordered the Confederacy. An historical marker on the grounds of the Statehouse shares the relevance of Ohio in the Civil War (see above right, click to enlarge).

On the northwest corner is a statue praising Ohio's own during the tumultuous Civil War era. "These are my Jewels", designed by Civil War veteran Levi Tucker Scofield, personifies Ohio's place in the forefront of political and military leadership in the 1860s (see left, click to enlarge). Encircling the statue are Ulysses S. Grant (born in Point Pleasant), William Tecumseh Sherman (Sherman House, city of Lancaster), James A. Garfield (residence in Mentor) and Philip Sheridan (raised in Somerset), all Ohio military contributors to the Civil War, and Salmon Chase (gained notoriety in Cincinnati) and Edwin Stanton (born in Steubenville), who were members of President Lincoln's Cabinet serving as Secretary of Treasury and War respectively.

Lincoln also has his ties to Ohio. Following the fame he garnered from the legendary Lincoln-Douglas debates in his failed attempt to win a U.S. Senate seat, Lincoln spoke at on the statehouse grounds in 1859. That spot is now part of the Atrium of the Statehouse and is noted by a historical marker (see left, click to enlarge). It is not easy to find in a casual walk-through of the building and is often in the background of press conferences that are sometimes conducted in this area of the grounds.








There is more to see inside and and below the Statehouse than outside of it. Tours of the Statehouse yield history of both the state and the nation. One of the more popular stops is the Map Room (see right, click to enlarge) located in the lower levels of the building. It shows all 88 counties using 5 types of marble from around the world.


Located right off one of the entrances is the George Washington Williams Room, in honor of Ohio's first African-American state lawmaker. A Civil War veteran and ordained minister, Williams was elected from the Cincinnati area in 1880. The room is exquisitely decorated and is used for several purposes (see left, click to enlarge).

The Crypt below the statehouse has many display cases of Ohio artifacts, a museum store, cafe, other governmental offices and a restored stagecoach (see right, click to enlarge), which gives a greater sense of the method of travel of the mid 1800s through Ohio and points west. Noticeably missing on the stagecoach are shock absorbers and only the smallest hint of springs to make a ride on unpaved roads tolerable.

But perhaps the most intriguing items to look for upon wandering the Capitol building itself is the attention to detail in the architecture. Even a visit to the Ohio Senate Chamber can yield monumental minutiae. The lighting fixtures, once used for gas lighting, are now electric.

But they have been lovingly cared for and the original fixtures still remain, evident is the knobs used to open and close the gas valve. Less evident, unless upon greater inspection, is that the Great Seal of Ohio (see Adena blog entry) is stamped on each of the light's gas valves (see left, click to enlarge). And there are more than a few of these lights.

While a tour of the U.S. Capitol building is certainly a must for any Washington, D.C. visitor, so must be the Ohio Capitol tour if passing through Columbus. A tour of the nation's capitol will whisk you through the building after a long wait in line, Ohio's capitol tour features a less harried pace and much less of a wait to tour. And with Ohio's statehood occurring a mere 27 years into our nation's history, nearly as much history has passed here as has there.

- J.