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Media contacts: Kim Schuette: 614.297.2314 or kschuette@ohiohistory.org
Kristin Strobel: 614.466.8060
For Immediate Release: Mar. 3, 2010
Ohio history advocates encourage Ohioans to visit sites and museums this spring and vote for who they think should stand for Ohio in Statuary Hall at the US Capitol
Columbus - As part of "Statehood Day" at the Ohio Statehouse, members of the Ohio National Statuary Collection Study Committee joined with Ohio history advocates to encourage all Ohioans, young and old, to visit Ohio historical sites and museums this spring and, while they are there, cast a vote for who they think Ohio should memorialize in Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol.
The National Statuary Collection Study Committee is a group of legislators from the Ohio House and Senate that has been charged with determining what individual from Ohio's proud history would best stand for Ohio in Statuary Hall. In 1864, a federal law granted each state in the union the opportunity to provide two statues in either marble or bronze to recognize a deceased resident for their "historic renown or for distinguished civic or military service." Ohio has long been represented by President James Garfield and former Ohio Governor William Allen, but there has been a movement to replace Allen in light of his views on slavery, which are inconsistent with Ohio's heritage as an abolitionist state. Last week, the Committee narrowed a list of more than 90 nominees to 10, and is actively seeking the input of all Ohioans in the final decision.
"The Committee feels strongly that whomever Ohio decides to send to Washington should embody the values of Ohioans. The best judges of that are Ohioans," Senator Wagoner, Chairman of the Statuary Committee said. "You may have to be 18 to vote in an election, but not in this process, and our hope is that our young people will take this opportunity to learn more about our history and make their voices heard."
"I am glad that we are opening up this debate to the public," State Rep. Letson said. "The person chosen will represent all Ohioans at the U.S. Capitol, and therefore it is only fair that every Ohioan has the chance to weigh-in on the decision. I have had the honor of speaking with many citizens who are passionate about our state's colorful history and I am grateful to be able to give them a chance to have their voices heard by a larger audience."
The Committee has partnered with the Ohio Historical Society, the Cincinnati Museum Center and the Western Reserve Historical Society to set up ballot boxes at 36 of Ohio's historical sites and museums from March 20 to June 12 in order to encourage participation in every corner of the state. Click here to see a map of the sites (406KB PDF will load in a new browser window and requires Adobe Acrobat ® Reader).. Ballots will also be available for download at www.legacyforohio.org, but in an effort to help ensure there is only one vote per person, printed ballots must be signed and returned to the Ohio Historical Society via mail or via scanned e-mail.
There are no age limitations for participating, but voters must be residents of Ohio and may only vote for one of the 10 finalists, which include: abolitionist and former member of Congress James Ashley; inventor Thomas Edison; former President of the United States and Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant; former congressman who led the fight to enact historic civil rights legislation William McCulloch; Olympic athlete Jesse Owens; astronaut Judith Resnik, who was killed while serving on the Challenger mission; Doctor Albert Sabin, who developed the Polio vaccine; Harriet Beecher Stowe, who authored "Uncle Tom’s Cabin"; suffragette Harriet Taylor Upton, and the Wright Brothers, who are credited with inventing, building and successfully flying the first airplane.
"This is an exciting opportunity for Ohioans to engage in history," said Burt Logan, executive director and CEO of the Ohio Historical Society. "By learning more about the contributions of these 10 great Ohioans and making their choice for the statue at historic sites and museums around the state, they'll be able to express their opinions of who they want to represent this great state in Statuary Hall."
"This project is a great way for children to learn about our shared history - and about some of the great leaders and historical figures that helped to shape who we are today," Doug McDonald, president and CEO of the Cincinnati Museum Center said. "The 10 candidates are great Ohioans - I'm excited to see who will be selected!"
To get kids more involved in the process, the Committee is also working with Paul LaRue, a history teacher from Washington Courthouse, Ohio, and his Washington High School students to develop lesson plans for Ohio teachers to engage other students around Ohio to learn more Ohio history and vote. LaRue was Time Warner Cable's Teacher of the Year and has worked with the History Channel to develop fun and interactive lesson plans designed to get young people excited to learn about history.
Though the ultimate decision will be up to the Statuary Committee, public input will be the single greatest factor in the final recommendation, which the committee hopes to make in July. From there, the members will introduce a formal resolution to get the approval of the full General Assembly.
The Ohio Statuary Hall Commission has been established to raise the private funding necessary to commission the new statue to send to Washington and make arrangements for bringing Governor Allen's statue home to Ohio. Doug McDonald will be chairing this effort.
"The work of the Ohio Statuary Hall Commission will begin in earnest as soon as a decision is made by the Committee and General Assembly to identify Ohio's next representative to National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. The Commission will then select the artist to create the statue and raise the monies necessary to complete the project," McDonald said.
"I sincerely want to thank those who work everyday to preserve and promote our heritage at historic sites and museums all across this state. I hope Ohioans will take this opportunity to visit not only the polling sites but the many other Ohio museums, big and small, to gain the same renewed pride in our heritage that our committee has throughout this process."
For more information about The National Statuary Collection Study Committee please contact Kristin Strobel in Senator Wagoner's office at (614) 466-8060. Regarding the Ohio Historical Society’s participation and the voting process, please contact Kim Schuette, (614) 297-2314. Regarding the Cincinnati Museum Center's participation, please contact Elizabeth Pierce at (513) 368-2139.
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