Ohio History Connection

Ohio History Center Visitor Parking Announcement: June 25–27

A large event at the Ohio Expo Center will result in increased traffic and parking activity June 25–27. Ohio History Connection Members should show their membership card to the parking attendant to access the parking lot. Museum and Archive Library visitors should let the attendant know they are visiting the Ohio History Center to access the parking lot and museum. It is advised to stay to the far right upon entering to avoid entering the Expo Center parking lots. Please allow extra travel time and use caution as traffic will be heavier than usual.

Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to your visit.

Be a tourist in your own town during Columbus Member Advantage Program (CMAP) Week, June 22–28! Ohio History Connection members can enjoy special discounts at CMAP attractions across central Ohio. See the full list at ohiohistory.org/reciprocal.

Visiting from another CMAP organization? Welcome! We’re excited to share Ohio’s stories with you at the Ohio History Center. During CMAP Week, you’ll receive $4 off up to four general admission tickets and 10% off in our museum store.

Spend the week exploring Central Ohio! Where will your CMAP Week adventure take you?

Our annual meeting, Midsummer at the Center: Double Feature, was a box office hit! Thank you to our board and all the wonderful members who joined us. We hope you enjoyed the evening as much as we did!

Thank you to our partners at America 250-Ohio for making this event possible.

Have you heard of the Columbus Member Advantage program?

If you’re a member of any of the following organizations, you can save $4 off admission to Columbus Museum of Art—and now through June 28, enjoy 10% off in the Museum Store:
• Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
• COSI - Center of Science and Industry
• The Dawes Arboretum
• Franklin Park Conservatory
• Legoland Discovery Center Columbus
• National Veterans Memorial and Museum
• Ohio History Connection
• The Works: Ohio Center for History, Art & Technology

CMA Members also receive $4 off admission at participating partner institutions year-round. Just show your valid CMA membership card to redeem.



Photo by JToland Photo

🎙️ NEW PODCAST: Keepers of the Culture

Hosted by Columbus's own Angela Pace, Keepers of the Culture is a new intergenerational podcast exploring how stories, traditions, and experiences are preserved and passed from one generation to the next.

Produced in partnership with Ohio History Connection and the Poindexter Village African American Museum , the podcast celebrates the voices that help preserve history, culture, and community for future generations.

As part of America 250-Ohio's Under-Told Stories initiative, Keepers of the Culture reminds us that every story shared strengthens our collective heritage.

Learn more on the Under-Told Stories page of our website. (Full podcast also linked in the comments below.)

It was a great pleasure to be able to hear from tribal partners at the Summer Solstice today. Chief Glenna Wallace (Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma) and Chief Ben Barnes (Shawnee Tribe) spoke to visitors about the history of their tribes. We were lucky to catch this photo of Chief Wallace from the Solstice sunset.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Juneteenth Jubilee Day Festival at the Ohio History Center!

🔍 Museum Mystery Monday Reveal! 🔎
Last week’s mystery item was a painting of the Washington Gladden House, which once stood at 623 East Town St., Columbus!

Painted by Columbus artist Ralph Fanning between 1940-1955, this home was originally owned by Rev. Dr. Washington Gladden, a longtime Columbus minister and leading social reformer known as the “Father of the Social Gospel Movement.”

Gladden worked closely with Black leader Rev. James Poindexter to challenge school segregation, helping secure public school integration in Columbus decades before Brown v. Board of Education. He was also friends with national figures like President Theodore Roosevelt, advocating for reforms, including women’s suffrage, and was even nominated for president of The Ohio State University by President Rutherford B. Hayes.

While his home was demolished to make way for I-71, Gladden's impact endured through the Gladden Community House, which he founded to serve those in need.

To learn more about Rev. Washington Gladden, visit https://ow.ly/YGgj50ZaGAX.

Congratulations to Terry Miner-Ball, this week’s winner! Send us a DM to claim your prize.

Did we stump you? A new mystery drops next Monday — stay tuned!

Photo: Former president Theodore Roosevelt with Reverend Washington Gladden on the steps of Gladden's home, February 1912.