© 2007 The Ohio Secretary of State & The Ohio Public Library Information Network
 

Ohio Statehouse, Franklin County
The Ohio Statehouse represents one of the country’s finest examples of Greek Revival civic architecture and is one of the oldest working statehouses in the United States. The structure was built over a period of 23 years and cost $1.3 million. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright described it as “the most honest of state capitols, sincere and forthright.” Visitors to the building in the heart of downtown Columbus can see where and how the vital business of Ohio’s government has been, and is currently, conducted.

Ohio River Museum, Washington County
The Ohio River played an integral role in the population boom that resulted in statehood for this area of the Northwest Territory, and trade and travel flourished on the waterway helping Ohioans prosper in their new home. The museum consists of three buildings: one which houses displays depicting the origins and natural history of the river, the second which highlights the golden age of steamboats, and the third which focuses on the relationship between man and the river. Visitors to the museum can also take a tour of the W.P. Snyder Jr., the last intact steam-powered, steam-wheeled towboat in the United States, as well as visit the Tell City pilothouse and a full-scale reproduction of a flatboat.

Professional Football Hall of Fame, Stark County
The city of Canton was chosen for the Professional Football Hall of Fame because it was the site of meetings in 1920 that resulted in the formation of the American Professional Football Association, the direct forerunner of the National Football League. The hall opened in Canton in 1963 and has expanded over the years to become a five-building complex that honors professional football’s greatest players. Featured at the hall are exhibitions including: a chronicle of professional football’s first 100 years; winning photographs from the hall’s annual photo contest; mementos of today’s star performers and record holders; memorabilia and photos depicting each of the members of the Hall of Fame; and an NFL Films Theater, where a different NFL film is shown every hour.

For more information about Ohio tourism, call 1-800-BUCKEYE or visit www.discoverohio.com.

1962 - John Glenn, of New Concord, becomes the first American to orbit the earth.

1963 - Professional Football Hall of Fame opens in Canton.

1967 - Great Seal of Ohio is standardized.