Ohio History Connection

OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION

Part of a Network of Sites

Fort Meigs is locally managed by the Fort Meigs Association but it is also part of a wide network of sites across the state that make up the Ohio History Connection. The Ohio History Connection exists to help people connect with Ohio’s past in order to understand the present and create a better future.

Humble Beginnings

In 1885 a group of Ohioans established the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, proclaiming in its charter the goal of preserving aspects of the state’s past. They were concerned that, without a statewide organization dedicated to the preservation of Ohio’s history, much of the physical evidence of Ohio’s past would be, at best, preserved by museums and libraries outside the state, or at worst, lost entirely.

Present Day

Today, the Ohio History Connection conducts an expanded range of activities related to interpreting, collecting and preserving the state’s heritage. In the last century, the organization has collected approximately 2 million items pertaining to Ohio’s history, archaeology, and natural history. One of the largest state historical organizations in the country, the OHC now has membership of over 7,600.

A private, not-for-profit organization, the Ohio History Connection serves as the state’s agent in historical matters in return for financial subsidy support that constitutes two-thirds of the OHC operating budget. By statute, the State contracts with the Ohio History Connection to provide a variety of history-related services to the State including managing state archives, administering the state’s historic preservation office, assisting the efforts of local historical associations, providing history services to the state’s schools, and operating a network of over fifty historic sites and museums.

"Ohio stands conspicuous for the great zeal and promptness for which her Citizens have yielded the Comforts of private life for the toils and privations of the Camp"

~ Brigadier-General Green Clay
August 4, 1813

Photo credit: Tedd Long