From the Collections Blog

We've merged our natural history, archaeology and history curatorial blogs into one. From the Collections is your gateway to the archives and objects that preserve our shared history. Read on and explore what makes Ohio’s story so compelling.

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June 9, 2025

Collections Spotlight: Ohio’s Covered Bridges

By David A. Simmons Throughout the 19th century, covered bridges existed largely on a practical level. Designed and erected as utilitarian structures in a larger highway system, they had none of the romanticized imagery that have today come to be associated with them. But even with the passage of time, they exist on multiple levels, […]

June 2, 2025

Youngstown Nurses on Strike

By Susan Lowery Reference Archivist, Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor Mid-century America was a pivotal moment for civil rights and women’s liberation. Amid these movements, working women felt the strain of being under-appreciated by their employers. After years of unions being formed by men, women were now building their own platforms to advocate […]

May 27, 2025

Colwell Porter, Ohio Civil War Soldier

By Benjamin Baughman, History Curator During the Civil War, nearly 320,000 Ohioans served in the U.S. military; of those, over 35,000 lost their lives. One Ohio soldier who gave his life to preserve the Union was Colwell Porter, a private in Company F of the 171st Ohio Voluntary Infantry. In 1999, the Ohio History Connection […]

May 12, 2025

A Brief History of the Golden-winged Warbler: Part I

By Erin Cashion, Curator of Natural History At first glance, it appears to be only a brownish wad of grapevine bark strips and old beech leaves. Its age alone (and the person who collected it) make it a specimen of high historic and scientific significance. But this plain-seeming clump of old leaves has an even […]

May 5, 2025

4-H Collections: Sewing

The Ohio History Connection seeks to shine a spotlight on 4-H and the hard work of Ohio young people by highlighting 4-H collections.

April 28, 2025

Now on Exhibit: Ohio Bell Telephone Truck

By Benjamin Baughman, History Curator The Ohio History Center in Columbus recently included a new addition to its transportation exhibits: an Ohio Bell Telephone repair truck manufactured by the White Motor Company of Cleveland, Ohio. The truck, built in 1919, was restored by the Ohio Bell Telephone Company in the early 1970s and donated to […]

April 21, 2025

New Digs at Fort Laurens

How often do you see a specific moment in time? This Revolutionary War period musket ball from Fort Laurens was found during Heidelberg University’s Center for Historic and Military Archaeology’s 1999-2000 research project. Check out the ricochet scar on the upper right side, it has the appearance of a cresting wave. Someone in the […]

April 14, 2025

Did We Really “De-extinct” the Dire Wolf?

By Erin Cashion and David Dyer On April 7, the story in Time magazine was posted everywhere: we had brought the extinct Ice Age Dire Wolf, Aenocyon dirus, back from the dead. Alongside this unbelievable headline came the video of two adorable white, fluffy canines in the hands of a human caregiver. These two pups […]

April 7, 2025

New Collection Spotlight: Justice; Clothing Just for Girls

The Ohio History Connection is thrilled to have recently obtained a collection of over 60 items of Justice and Brothers clothing ranging from 2008 to 2017.

March 24, 2025

The Archaeology Catalogs: From the Beginning

By Sara Polk, Assistant Curator of Archaeology Catalogs are essential records of objects in museum and library collections. Catalog numbers document objects in collections and the data associated with them, such as where they came from and what material they’re made of. Museum curators and collections staff maintain catalogs to help people access and use […]

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