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The Ohio Historical Society welcomes you to this electronic window onto our collections, programs, facilities, and services. We expect that our Website will enable us to become even better acquainted with the many persons who already know us through their travels and visits. We also hope to engage many others who, because of time, distance, or other obstacles, have not heretofore availed themselves to the rich array of material preserved and presented by this highly-regarded institution.
As you browse our screens and, more especially, as you use the information we are presenting, please give us the benefit of your reactions as to what is particularly useful and well-presented. Similarly, your suggestions about how we might enhance the presentations will be appreciated and carefully considered.
If you are attracted by the images and information depicted here, you may wish to explore a more formal linkage with the Society through membership I invite your consideration of all that we offer here and all that we will be adding in the future. Your interest in and use of this mode of communication is a very important form of encouragement.
William K. Laidlaw Jr.
Our History:
In 1885 a group of Ohioans established the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, proclaiming in its charter the goal of preserving aspects of the state's past. These citizens realized that Ohio's numerous earthworks and significant ancient artifacts offered eloquent testimony about its prehistoric heritage. In addition, they wanted to document Ohio's contributions to the nation's growth and development. They were concerned that, without a statewide organization dedicated to the preservation of Ohio's history, much of the physical evidence of Ohio's past would be, at best, preserved by museums and libraries outside the state, or at worst, lost entirely.
Today, the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) conducts an expanded range of activities related to interpreting, collecting and preserving the state's heritage. In the last century, the society has collected more than 1.5 million items pertaining to Ohio's history, archaeology, and natural history. One of the largest state historical organizations in the country, OHS now has membership of over 9,000.
A private, not-for-profit organization, the society serves as the state's agent in historical matters in return for financial subsidy support that constitutes two-thirds of the OHS operating budget. (The remaining revenues are obtained from varied sources such as grants, private and corporate gifts, and earned revenue from admissions and gift shop sales.)
By statute, the State contracts with the Society to provide a variety of history-related services. Click here for a listing of the mandated services outlined in the Ohio Revised Code, Section 149.30.
Services provided to the state include managing state archives, administering the state's historic preservation office, and operating a network of historic sites and museums. The state's interests in the Society's activities are represented by nine trustees appointed by the Governor. Nine other trustees are elected by the board of trustees.
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