Native American History in Ohio

Recent comments on the blog have showed concern about the lack of appreciation that Ohioans have for our Native American past.  Ohio has a rich history of mound-builders (some sites are on the list to become UNESCO World Heritage Sites) and more recent like Tecumseh.  The archaeologists at the Ohio Historical Society recently participated in a field school at the Pickawillany site.  You can see their full blog post on the Archaeology Blog that we’ve taken a brief excerpt from:

Because Pickawillany, as both a Miami Indian town and an English trading enterprise, existed for such a relatively short period of time, items recovered during our excavations provide small snapshots of interactions between Europeans and Native cultures at almost one particular instant of time. That is, of the European material culture being infused into and absorbed by the Native populations of the trans-Allegheny west. To date we have recovered nearly 1500 items from the site of Pickawillany but they are mostly things collected from the plow zone during out metal detector surveys as well as a few isolated surface finds. Our present excavations are the culmination of several years of mapping, metal detecting and comprehensive geophysical work (remote sensing) that included magnetometer, electrical resistance and ground penetrating radar surveys. Gone (hopefully) are the days of seemingly endless test pit excavating looking for something you may or may not be lucky enough to locate. When our data were complied and compared the same relatively small area of our 35 acre site repeatedly showed the best promise, no matter which type of survey was employed. It’s just not practical to go out and dig a hole at random hoping to get lucky nor is it sound or legitimate archaeological technique.
This year’s work centered on a number of large anomalies located within about 25 meters from one another that were identified during previous magnetometer surveys.

Click here to read the entire post

 

How can Ohioans pay more attention to this important part of our history?

Ohio’s habit of neglecting its history risks a severe memory lapse

Have you visited an Ohio historic site or museum lately? The Buckeye State is home to about 1,000 of them. Did you know that several prehistoric sites in Ohio are soon to be included on the World Heritage List, alongside the Egyptian pyramids and the Grand Canyon? Did you know that nearly 3,700 historic properties in Ohio are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the third most in the country? To read this editorial in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, click here.

Does History in Ohio Have a Future?

In an era dominated by technological changes, instant global telecommunications and educational emphases focused on science and math… do people still care about history, historic places or history organizations in the 21st century?

What do you think, Ohio?

Let’s be real. History and culture in Ohio are threatened, as they are elsewhere, by the economic realities of 21st century America. While Ohio is home to major cultural centers in its major cities, internationally renowned historic sites and museums, parks, world-class libraries and arts organizations, these cultural resources and institutions – as well as the travel and tourism industry that supports them – are reeling from a combination of economic woes exacerbated by huge state budget reductions.

The Ohio Historical Society and the Ohio Arts Council, for example, now receive about the same amount of annual state support they received in the mid-1980s. A lot of history has accumulated over the past quarter century. Resources have not.

Research indicates that there is a clear tie between those who say that history is important and civic participation. People connected to history are simply more engaged citizens. They are 23 percent more likely to do things like vote, join community organizations and find other avenues for civic engagement than those who say they do not think history is important. That’s good. Quite frankly, the future of history in Ohio is threatened and you are needed now more than ever.

The real stuff of history is located in your community and its institutions – the local archives, libraries, museums and the older buildings and neighborhoods throughout Ohio. Got any good stories? Tell us why history matters to you…