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Ohio's
Bicentennial Is Here!
Andrew Cayton Tells
Ohio’s Story
New Miami Indian
Historical Repository
Ohio's Bicentennial Is Here!
A host of projects commemorating Ohio’s Bicentennial have been underway throughout the state during the past year, including historical marker dedications, the casting of Bicentennial Bells for each county, and the Bicentennial Barn project—few motorists traveling Ohio’s highways will have missed spotting one of the 20-by-20-foot red-white-and-blue logos decorating 88 barns across the state.
The centerpiece of the 2003 Bicentennial celebration is a series of five “signature” events:
Inventing Flight: The Centennial Celebration, July 3-20. This Dayton-area event includes an air show, an international blimp meet, and performances and events to honor the Wright Brothers and the history of flight.
Celebration of Lake Erie Heritage: Ohio Bicentennial Tall Ships, July 9-20. The largest gathering of Tall Ships in Ohio since the 1800s, the Tall Ship Challenge will encompass all suitable North Coast ports from Cleveland to Toledo.
Tall Stacks on the Ohio River, October 15-19. This event hosts 20 riverboats from 11 states for five days of riverboat cruises and races, on-shore exhibits and activities, and musical entertainment.
The Path to Statehood: Bicentennial Wagon Train, June-July. The wagon train event along Ohio’s U.S. 40 will recreate the journey many early pioneers experienced in settling Ohio and points west.
Columbus Celebrates Ohio Bicentennial, July. Initial plans call for fireworks, a street festival, parades, and live music.
Another program that may interest OAH members is the Ohio and the World Lecture Series, sponsored by The Ohio State University, The Ohio Bicentennial Commission, and the Ohio Humanities Council. The lectures, which began in March and run through June 2003, are designed to combine intellectual inquiry and public outreach, and to place Ohio history within a regional, national, and world context. The lecturers are distinguished researchers in their field, including R. David Edmunds, James O. Horton, Eric Foner, Kathryn Kish Sklar, and James Patterson.
For more information on Bicentennial events and projects, call the Ohio Bicentennial Commission at 1-888-OHIO-200, or visit www.ohio200.com.
Andrew Cayton Tells Ohio’s Story
Miami University historian Andrew Cayton was commissioned by the Ohio State University Press to write Ohio: The History of a People ($34.95) for the state’s bicentennial celebration. Using memoirs, diaries, letters, novels, and paintings, the 472-page book presents the state’s history as a collective biography of its inhabitants,.
Reviewers have responded with praise. Alan Miller of the Columbus Dispatch described the book as “rare among Ohio history books . . . because it is inclusive and steeped in rich content. With drama and whimsy, (Cayton) uses the words of individuals—from presidents to common folks—to paint a picture of how the state grew. . . . The story should be read by all Ohioans.” Randy McNutt of the Cincinnati Enquirer called the book a “compelling, well-written narrative.”
Cayton, whom Miami named “Distinguished Professor of History” in 2000, is also providing editorial supervision to Ohio Bicentennial Minutes, which are being heard on participating radio stations throughout the state, including WCPN (Cleveland), WCBE (Columbus) and WGUC (Cincinnati). The segments, produced by WMUB-FM, Miami’s public radio station, with major support from the Ohio Humanities Council, provide glimpses into the history and culture of Ohio, from movie stars to presidents and from the Wright Brothers to the pop-top can. Ohio: The History of a People is available at bookstores throughout the state or from the Ohio State University Press, 1-614-292-6930.
New Miami Indian Historical Repository
The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Miami University have signed an historic agreement to establish a central repository for Miami Indian historical, cultural and linguistic resources.
The “Myaamia Collection at Miami University” will serve as the country’s primary research collection on the Miami Indians, accessible to the Miami tribal community, academic researchers and the general public.
Collection materials such as paper records, photographs and maps will be housed in the university libraries, while cultural and patrimonial objects will be housed in Miami’s art museum. Patrimonial objects include funerary, ceremonial and religious objects central to the Miami Indian culture. The repository will also house duplicates of tribal records.
“We are happy to be a party to such an agreement between an institution of higher learning and a Native Sovereign Nation,” said Floyd Leonard, chief of the Miami Tribe. Believed to be the first agreement of this type in the country, it is hoped that the Myaamia Collection can serve as a model for other tribes and universities, according to Daryl Baldwin, director of the Myaamia Project for Language Revitalization. The collection will be developed by a review board comprising members from the tribe and from the university.
In conjunction with the Myaamia Project, an exhibition organized between the art museum and the Miami Tribe is scheduled for fall 2003. The exhibition will showcase, for the first time, contemporary art of the Miami Nation.