History Collections

History objects in all shapes and sizes--from the W.P. Snyder Jr. riverboat to hat pins and political buttons--illustrate life in Ohio from early statehood to the present.

Collecting is a key function that allows Ohio History Connection to tell the story of Ohio and its residents. Historic objects are primary sources that can tell us much about the past, just like the written documents in archival and library collections. Objects bridge the gap to the past and connect us to those who came before in personal and tangible ways. Through preservation, exhibits, research, writing and programs, curators make these important objects available to the public and preserve them for countless generations of Ohioans in the future.

The History Collection contains over 100,000 objects that range from tiny buttons to automobiles and planes. You can learn about many of these objects and see their photographs in the online object catalog by clicking on the link below.

Ceramics

The ceramics collection includes both utilitarian and decorative objects, including pitchers, crocks, vases, figurines and plates. The collection consists of stoneware, earthenware, yellowware, whiteware, art pottery, ceramic tile and porcelain made by individuals and companies throughout Ohio. The manufacturing dates for objects in this collection span the history of the state. The collection also has tools for making ceramics, such as ceramic molds and machinery. While focused on Ohio-made ceramics, the collection contains some imported English and other European ceramics commonly used in Ohio.

Clothing

The clothing collection focuses on garments and accessories made or worn in Ohio. It includes outerwear, underwear, headgear, footwear and accessories for men, women and children. Notable collections include clothing related to the Zoarites, Quakers, Zane Grey, Warren G. Harding and the wives of Ohio governors.

The collection contains items dating from the 18th century to the present, but it is strongest in women’s garments and accessories from the late-19th and early-20th centuries.

Flags

Ohio History Connection has over 800 flags, making this one of the largest flag collections in the country. The collection includes the Statehouse Battle Flag Collection of 553 national and regimental colors, state flags, foreign flags, military signal flags, commemorative flags and service flags. The earliest flags in the collection are from the Mexican War, 1846-1848, while the most recent ones are from the Iraq War.

The pride of the collection is the very first Ohio flag. The Ohio legislature adopted its distinctive design on May 9, 1902.

Furniture

The Ohio History Connection has a large collection of furniture dating from early settlement to the 20th century. Much of the furniture in the collection has been used to furnish our extensive network of historic sites rather than as part of a broader Ohio furniture collection. As a result, most of the pieces date to the first half of the 19th century and are exhibited at many of our sites. Though the collection contains a wide range of Ohio-made furniture, Ohio History Connection also collects many pieces produced outside of the state that Ohioans did or would have used.

Gay Ohio History Initiative (GOHI)

The Gay Ohio History Initiative is a special initiative of the Ohio History Connection. GOHI began in 2005 when Outlook Media donated a full run of Outlook periodicals to the Ohio History Connection. This project is designed to preserve Ohio’s LGBTQ+ history by building a collection of items that tell the story of the LGBTQ+ community in Ohio.

GOHI works to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of LGBTQ+ Ohioans. It is one critical way the Ohio History Connection’s fulfills its mission to Spark Discovery of Ohio’s Stories by embracing the present, sharing the past and transforming the future.

Glass

The glass collection features early-19th-century free-blown and pattern mold glass from Zanesville, Mantua, Kent and several other places in Ohio. The collection includes large quantities of pattern glass goblets and glass made by Ohio companies like Erickson and Federal Glass. The majority of the collection was intended for utilitarian use. It includes tools used to manufacture glass. The manufacturing dates of objects in the glass collection span the state's history.

John and Annie Glenn Collection

Military

The military collection includes a wide range of objects used by Ohio's military members, such as firearms, edged weapons, uniforms, medals, buttons, insignia, belts, cartridge boxes, canteens, backpacks and other personal gear. The objects in the collection range from the American Revolution to the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Much of the collection is devoted to objects used in conflicts; the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Americans Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War are all represented. In addition, the collection has peace-time military uniforms and objects related to the ROTC, Ohio National Guard and Ohio militia.

Quilts

The quilt collection includes nearly 500 quilts dating from 1750 to the present, with the majority dating to before 1940. The collection includes quilts that represent almost every style and technique of quilt making: pieced, appliqué and whole-cloth; hand- and machine-stitched; and album, raffle, crazy, red-work, compass, basket, figural and wedding ring patterns. This collection documents everyday living and showcases traditional quilting techniques and styles. The collection is strong in red and green quilts from the mid-1800s. It also has a good selection of crazy quilts from the late 1800s. Approximately 80% of the quilts have a documented connection to Ohio.

Transportation

The transportation collection contains planes, streetcars, automobiles and many other vehicles that helped Ohioans get from one place to another for work or play. A tiny tin car, an open-air trolley, a single-passenger jet and a horse-drawn hearse straight out of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol are just a few of the many vehicles in the collection. Our partner sites help us to tell the story of transportation in Ohio. For instance, the National Road Museum focuses on our early highways and the people who traveled them, while the Armstrong Air and Space Museum’s Gemini capsule shows how Ohioans explored outer space.

Meet our History curators

Becky Preiss Odom, Ph.D., History Curator/Manager, Curatorial Department

Becky Odom has a bachelor's degree in history from Haverford College and a master's degree in history museum studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program. She earned her doctorate in American studies from Saint Louis University. Her research and teaching focused on material and visual culture, clothing in American society and American cultural history from the Gilded Age to the Great Depression, particularly World War I and German-American identity. She has worked extensively in museum education and collections and with quilts, costumes and furniture at numerous museums.

Becky joined the Ohio History Connection in 2014, and she curates the quilt, textile, fine art, and decorative arts collections. Becky has contributed to several exhibits at the Ohio History Connection’s 50 plus sites throughout the state of Ohio, including the traveling exhibit Ohio Women Vote: 100 Years of Change; Lilly’s World: Decorative Art and the Art of Lilly Martin Spencer, 1840-1900 at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio in Lancaster, Ohio; Creative Ohio: Artists, Artwork, and Their Inspiration at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio; and Zanesville Art Pottery: Mass Production and the Craft Tradition at the National Road and Zane Grey Museum in Zanesville, Ohio. You can also see Becky speaking about the collections or historical topics such as the art of Elijah Pierce, caring for your wedding dress and World War I posters on numerous episodes of WOSU's Broad and High and Columbus Neighborhoods.

Benjamin Baughman, History Curator

Benjamin Baughman holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Marietta College and a master’s degree in public history from Washington State University. In graduate school, he focused on 19th century American history and wrote his thesis on the American Fur Trade.

A native of Ohio, Ben spent eighteen years working in museums throughout the state of Georgia. Most recently, as curator of the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History, he managed Civil War and southeastern railroad-related collections and contributed to several exhibitions including Slavery & the Civil War, The Railway Mail Service and Civil War Past Perspectives: 1865-present.

Ben joined the Ohio History Connection in 2022 and oversees the political, military and civics collections.

Cliff Eckle, History Curator

Cliff Eckle received a bachelor's degree in history from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Cliff has worked at the Ohio History Connection since 1987, first as a cataloger, then a collections specialist and now a curator for the History Collection. He has worked extensively with political memorabilia, currency, military collections, commemorative items, firearms and flags.

Cliff has contributed to numerous exhibits at the Ohio History Center, including Ohio and the Civil War; Controversy: Pieces We Don’t Normally See; the traveling exhibit Ohio and the Civil War: 150 Years Later; and Controversy 2: Pieces We Don’t Talk About. He led the exhibit teams for Follow the Flag that showcases Civil War battle flags carried by Ohio troops and The War of 1812: Ohio on the Front Line.

Cliff has also assisted with restoration projects and exhibit development at multiple Ohio History Connection sites, including the Adena Mansion and Visitor Center in Chillicothe; Fort Meigs Visitor Center in Perrysburg; the Ulysses S. Grant Birthplace in Point Pleasant; the Grant Schoolhouse and the Grant Boyhood Home, both in Georgetown; and most recently the Rankin House in Ripley, Ohio.

Marlise Schoeny, History Curator

Marlise Schoeny has a bachelor’s degree in history from Miami University and a master’s degree in textiles and clothing from The Ohio State University. Her graduate studies focused on the history of clothing, particularly the relationship between clothing and identity in the nineteenth-century, and the interpretation of clothing artifacts in museums.

Marlise joined the Ohio History Connection in 2022, and curates the costume collection. Prior to joining the Ohio History Connection, Marlise was the Assistant Curator for The Ohio State Historic Costume & Textiles Collection for ten years. While at OSU, Marlise worked extensively with OSU faculty to incorporate historic textiles and clothing into the classroom. Additionally, she researched and worked with Curator Gayle Strege, to mount numerous exhibitions. These included The Columbus Fashion Story, History’s Closet: Teaching History Through Clothes, And the Bride Wore…, Campus Fashion: 150 Years of College Style, and Fashion & Music among others. Marlise can often be found giving invited presentations on the history of the white wedding dress and the history of dress reform in the nineteenth century.

Preserve your family treasures!

Heirlooms are the objects that connect us to our family histories. Over the years, a combination of time and the elements can wear these objects out, making them too fragile to handle or destroying them altogether. But there are some simple steps you can take to slow this deterioration and extend the life of these objects for future generations of your family.

General Tips:

Store your objects in a cool, dry place--avoid attics, basements and garages.
Avoid using old cardboard boxes for storage.
When storing newspapers, textiles or other flexible materials, package them loosely with as few folds as possible.
Label photographs with a pencil or an archival pen.
Use archival- or museum-quality materials to store photographs and objects.
For more helpful information about specific objects and artifacts, check out our Preservation Resources LibGuide.

FAQ

How can I get an image of a museum object?

Contact Ohio History Connection’s Digital Services department at 614.297.2530 or by sending a message using the Contact Us page and selecting "Images-Rights, Permissions and Image Ordering." Be sure to include the catalog number of the object that interests you. There may be costs and fees associated with your request that vary with the intended use.

Can I arrange to see an object from the museum collections if it is in storage?

While we prepare to move our collections to a new facility, the History Collections will not be accessible. We look forward to having you visit our new facility once the move is complete.

Can I take my own photographs of museum objects?

Yes, you can take photographs of objects on display for personal use. If you make an appointment to see a museum object in storage, you can also take photographs. There may be costs and fees associated with your photography request that vary with the intended use.

Can Ohio History Connection staff tell me how much an object is worth?

For ethical and professional reasons, Ohio History Connection staff cannot provide monetary values of historic materials. To find an appraiser, you can consult the membership directories of the American Society of Appraisers, International Society of Appraisers or Appraisers Association of America. Find more information on appraisals here.

Where can I get information or assistance to preserve objects?

A great deal of credible information about the care of historic materials is available on the web. Visit our LibGuide for links to our favorite online materials.

Can objects from the Ohio History Connection’s collections be borrowed for exhibits by other organizations?

While we prepare to move our collections to a new facility, the History Collections will not be accessible or available to borrow. We look forward to working with you in the future once the move is complete.

Are all of Ohio History Connection’s museum objects on exhibit?

A large portion of Ohio History Connection’s museum objects is on display at Ohio History Center in Columbus and Ohio History Connection's network of more than 50 museums and historic sites throughout the state. When objects are not on display, they are stored in Ohio History Connection's highly secure, temperature-controlled collections facility. Although Ohio History Connection would love to have all of our objects on exhibit at all times, it is necessary to rotate items on and off exhibit for their long-term preservation. Many of the items in our museum collection can be viewed in our online catalog.

What happens to objects that are donated to the Ohio History Connection?

Donated objects are preserved for the education and enjoyment of all Ohioans. They are available for use in exhibits and educational programs at the Ohio History Center in Columbus and the Ohio History Connection's network of more than 50 museums and historic sites. You can find information describing many of our objects in Ohio History Connection's online collection catalog. Images of a growing number of objects are accessible through the Ohio Memory digital repository .

Are you accepting new donations of museum objects?

Yes! The history curators at Ohio History Connection are continually seeking quality objects to add to the museum collections. See our Donations Guide for more information on what we accept and how to contact us.

Do you ever purchase objects for the museum collections?

Ohio History Connection has limited funds to purchase museum objects and occasionally acquires items from auctions and private individuals. If you know of an item that Ohio History Connection may be interested in purchasing, please contact the Curatorial Department at 614.297.2535 or by sending us a message using the Contact Us page and selecting "Collections" from the drop down menu.

I have a piano that I no longer want, but it has very little connection to Ohio. What can I do with it?

Many organizations in Ohio are willing to take donations of pianos. Try contacting churches, schools or other organizations in your area to see if they need a donated piano.

Ohio History Connection's Most Significant History Collections