Primary Sources >
Ohio Historical Society Web Sites

The Ohio Historical Society's Archives Library offers a vast array of primary source documents in its collections... a selection of which has been digitized and made available on the web. Additional materials are accessible during open hours of its research and microfilm rooms. Many of these links are especially suitable for classroom use and cover a broad range of topics...and periods of history. All of the links, listed below, are Ohio specific and relate to a variety of benchmarks and grade level indicators identified by the Ohio Department of Education. Each site includes primary source materials ranging from historic photographs and images to manuscripts and documents located in the Ohio Historical Society's Collections.

The following links will load in new windows.

African-American Experience in Ohio
This extensive site highlights specific moments in the history of Ohio African-Americans and provides an overview of their experiences from 1850 - 1920 in the words of people who lived them. Manuscripts, newspapers, pamphlets, and photographs are among the primary sources found here.

Fundamental Documents of Ohio
The documents that helped shape the state are all here...the 1787 Ordinance of the Northwest Territory, the Executive Journal of the Northwest Territory (1788-1803), the State Constitutions, and biographical sketches of the Governors of Ohio.

Civil War Guide Project
The Ohio Historical Society's Archives/Library Division possesses a significant collection of materials pertaining to the Civil War and Ohio's participation in the conflict. The site primarily lists the available collections with brief descriptions and provides a good starting point for teachers interested in researching more on the topic

Ohio History Day

Diary and Letters of Rutherford B. Hayes
President Hayes wrote in diaries since the age of twelve, and was one of only three Presidents to keep a diary while in office. Teachers...and students...who are interested in Rutherford B. Hayes, his presidency, and the social and political history of his time will find this site particularly interesting.

Joe Monroe
This helpful site features historic paintings and photographs from the Society's collections, dating from the early nineteenth century to the present. Each of the exhibits offers unique examples in which to study the people, places, and events of the past. The exhibits include "Selections from Joe Munroe Archives," "On The Road: Travel Photographs," and "Paintings by Ohio Artists."

Ohio Memory: An Online Scrapbook of Ohio History
This site is an impressive collection of primary sources (which includes objects as well as paper archives) from libraries, historical societies, and museums that document Ohio's past from prehistoric times to the present. Explore by categories that range from American Indians in Ohio to Ohio Government.

Ohio Pix: Picturing Ohio's History
Photograph selections from the Ohio Historical Society's own collections are featured in this useful site. You can browse by People, Places, Objects, Events, or Galleries. The Galleries section is especially helpful for fourth-grade Ohio History teachers. Topics in the Galleries include "Famous Ohioans," "Ohio Originals," "Ohio Women," and "Settlement and Early Statehood."

Fight For The Colors: The Ohio Battle Flag Collection
This informative site offers more than information about the Society's vast battle flag collection. The category, "Behind The Lines" tells true stories of soldiers and civilians who fought to preserve the colors both in war and in peace. Historic images, photographs, and documents illustrate the narrative text, with stories ranging from the Civil War to World War I and II. The "On-Line Relic Room" provides a virtual display area to view flags from the Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish American War, and World Wars I and II.

Kilroy Was Here: The 1940s Revisited
One of the most popular exhibits at the Ohio Historical Center, the exhibit "Kilroy Was Here," featured the changes that occurred in American culture as a result of our involvement in World War II. This accompanying web site provides some of the highlights, including topics "On the Eve of the War," "The War Years," and "After the War." The site also features the Society's outstanding World War II poster collection. Teachers also will find the "Resources" category helpful.

Ohio History Works