Our collections include records from White Castle Systems, Dominion East Ohio Gas Company, Youngstown Sheet & Tube, Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, Roseville Pottery and the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation. Image: Chesapeake & Ohio Northern Railway Company Bridge, OVS 435.
The Gay Ohio History Initiative (GOHI) is a special initiative of the Ohio History Connection to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of LGBTQ+ Ohioans. Image: Ohio Gay Rights Coalition at the 1979 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, Michael O'Brien Collection, MSS 1669 AV.
We preserve the records of groups like the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, the Ohio Humanities Council, Ohio Alpha Delta Kappa, the Buckeye Trails Association, the Kit Kat Club and the founding chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Image: Red Cross Parade, 1918, Defiance, Ohio Collection, SC 2030.
Presidential and state elections and state and local politics have always attracted the interest of Ohioans. The Ohio History Connection captures that interest by collecting correspondence, diaries, and official papers of past and contemporary public officials, politicians, and political organizations. Image: Front Porch Campaign, Warren G. Harding Photograph Collection, P 146.
Women’s political achievements are well represented in the Ohio History Connection's archival holdings. Diaries, wartime correspondence, speeches given at temperance and suffrage rallies, and records of clubs and professional associations are all represented in the collection. Image: Women's March Collection, MSS 8687 AV.
Black Ohioans are represented in most collection categories at the Ohio History Connection, including business records, education, military papers, politics and religious organizations. Our collections also include specific materials documenting struggles for freedom rights and civil rights. Image: 4th Depot Hospital Detachment at Camp Sherman, World War I Photograph Collection, SAS 2728 AV.
These collections range in time from the Revolutionary War to recent conflicts in the Gulf War and Iraq and contain everything from letters and diaries to maps, pictures and ledgers. The scope of Ohio History Connection's Civil War collections is unmatched in the state of Ohio. Image: World War I soldiers returning to Defiance, Ohio, SC 2030.
Our distinctive holdings include the archives of photojournalist and environmental activist Joe Munroe, photographs of John and Annie Glenn, the Albert J. Ewing Collection, and the Baker Art Gallery Collection. Image: Joe Munroe Collection, P 400.
Matthew Benz has a master's degree in library science from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor's degree in journalism from Ohio Wesleyan University. Since joining Ohio History Connection in 1994, he has held the positions of reference archivist, business collections archivist and manuscripts curator. Matt has worked on archival projects for White Castle Systems, Inc.; the Columbus School for Girls; Columbus City Schools; and the University District Organization.
Daniel Willis curates and manages the Ohio History Connection's photograph, sound and moving image collections. He has enjoyed visiting museums and historical sites his whole life. He continued to pursue his love of history in college and earned a bachelor's in history from Miami University in 2019 and a master's in public history from Wright State University in 2021. He first started working with the Ohio History Connection as an intern in the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center archives while pursuing his master’s degree. After graduating, he continued to work with OHC as part of the Ohio History Service Corps between 2021 and 2022. In his time off, Daniel enjoys playing board games and reading science fiction.
