Oct. 20 Day 59 Galloway, Ohio (12 miles from Columbus)
It rained all night and until noon, so we waited until the 2:00 tour of the "Statehouse." We parked in the garage under the capitol ($2/hour), and entered into what seemed like a bunker (Picture 1) and took the elevator up to the ground floor. The tour desk was by a beautiful marble map of the 88 counties; each county was a different color and type of marble, none of which were from Ohio.
Our guide, Thomas, was very passionate about Ohio, its history, and "The People's House." There are no metal detectors; they don't check your bags; they have always wanted to welcome everyone. It is a long-standing belief that government works best if people are involved.
Thomas impressed us with how important Ohio has been and continues to be in U. S. history. The day after the debates both President Obama and Governor Romney will be here, and Paul Ryan and Romney will be here the day after that, also. Ohio is seen as a very important swing state. No republican has ever won the presidency without Ohio, and only 2 Democrats have--Kennedy in 1960 and Truman in 1948. Every president of the United States since 1861 has made a visit and a speech at The Statehouse.
When it was built, the Statehouse was the largest building in the United States. However, 5 months later, the U. S. Capitol was built, and it moved Columbus to #2.
The ground floor originally was the heart of their central steam-heating system, where they had big boilers that produced massive amounts of steam. Cisterns on the roof caught rain, and they were the first capitol with flushing toilets. In each of the 4 corners of the building, they put in airshafts to bring in air and light.
Now, since there are no longer boilers, they have put in many displays about how government works. (Picture 2 & 3) This state seal was hung from the rotunda's dome from the 1920's to 1965. In 1989 it was discovered in a closet of the men's restroom of the Senate building, and it was restored in 1996. (Picture 3). We've heard this story repeatedly in capitols. It seems that some conscientious history-loving person wants to preserve history and "loses" pieces, which are then discovered when government starts renovating.
The cornerstone for the capitol was laid on July 4, 1839. However, shortly after that, they quit building. State coffers were empty because of the Financial Panic of 1837. Use of prison labor was very controversial. There was a cholera epidemic that killed off lots of labor. The state Constitution said that the capitol must be within 30 miles of the geographic center of the state. The capitol is right on the fringe. Louis Sullivan, a landowner, had donated the land for the capitol because he knew that he would be able to make tons of money from the increased value of his other land. They didn't resume building until they had some money in 1848. It wasn't completed until 1861. When it was completed, it was the largest building in the USA for 5 months until the US Capitol was completed. The House wing has been used continuously since 1857. The Senate wing has been used continuously since 1859.
They used 12 ton blocks of Columbus limestone blocks for the foundation, and a total of 55,000 tons of Columbus limestone. They built it block-on-block-on-block. There was no structural steel. Everything was supported by load-bearing arches. Just look at how thick these walls were (Pictures 5 & 6). They were even thicker than those in the missions, more than 2 feet thick.
From the lobby, if you turn left you are in the "new" Supreme Court Building, built in 1890. If you turn right, you are in the Statehouse. We went into the Statehouse wing and rode the elevator to the second floor. As we entered the rotunda, we looked up at the inside dome. There is an outside cupola over the inside dome. There is a glass state seal in the center of the dome. (Picture 7) The bottom of the dome is ornate (Picture 8). The sound of peregrine falcons is broadcast several times daily from the cupola to keep penguins away.
The marble floor under the dome has 300 hand-cut stones set in patterns that get progressively larger as they get further from the center. This signifies that the people of Ohio and their government go on forever and the infinity of possibility. (Picture 9)
Hanging on the wall is an oil painting of the Battle of Erie. In 1813 Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry of the USN (the man standing in the center of Picture 10) destroyed the British naval fleet at the Great Lakes. He sent the message, "We have met the enemy, and they are ours." In the right rear is a free African man names Hannibal with his red-sleeved arm raised. He was Perry's assistant. 18% of his men were free Africans. A duplicate of this painting hangs in the U. S. Capitol.
Lincoln's statue (Picture 11) is in the lobby because of the 3 important events that happened to him in Ohio. He made an important speech before the primary election, when he ran against Ohioan Samuel P. Chase for the republican nomination. He received the news that he had won the electoral college vote when he was visiting Governor Dickinson in his governor's office. His body lay in state here. At the bottom of the statue, you see the inscription about Vicksburg because General U S Grant led Ohioan troops there and accepted the British surrender there. 60% of eligible men from ages 18-45 served in the Civil War. General Sherman, an Ohioan, said when he saw Savannah, "Not even I can destroy something so beautiful." The Statehouse was used as a shelter for soldiers embarking on their enlistment, for soldiers who were camping, and as an infirmary during the Civil War.
"Greenback" Chase lost to Abe, but he did develop an impressive resume'. He established our current currency, and our $50,000 bill has his picture on it He established the Federal Reserve System. He was the first governor to have his office in the new capitol in 1857. He was the secretary of the treasury in the Civil War. He was a 2-time senator, a 2-time governor, and the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.
The painting of the "Signing of the Greenville Peace Treaty" celebrates the peace after the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. The Chippewa, Miami, Wyandotte, Cherokee, Bluejackets of the Shawnee, and the Delaware had gathered together to fight this battle. This treaty allowed for the development of the Northwestern Territories, which eventually became Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. It allowed the Native Americans to keep the land north and west of the Greenfield line (we all know how well that worked out for them!). On the right side of the painting is Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, William Henry Harrison when he was a military officer. It shows Mad Anthony Wayne accepting wampum from Little Turtle.
We got to see the Senate, but not the House. (Picture 13) As we entered, I noted the ornate doorknobs. Our guide told us that every doorknob and lamp in the Capitol has the state seal of Ohio. The lights were quite striking (Picture 14). Unfortunately, the original light fixtures, "gas-o-liers", were all trashed in the 1880's and 1890's when the put in electric lights. However, to cover their bases, they put gas tubing in the light fixtures in case this new-fangled electricity didn't work out! The carpet is a duplicate of the original carpet.
Senators and representatives earn $60,000 base salary plus lots of extra money for serving on committees and doing extra duties. Their calendar is very similar to the U. S. Congress; they serve full-time. There are 33 senators, who may serve two 4-year terms. There are 99 members of the House, who may serve four 2-year terms.
Again, we see another statue of Lincoln (Picture 15) above the chair of the President of the Senate, who unlike most states is elected by the senators, rather than being the lieutenant governor. Thomas says there is a lot of arm-twisting, , chit-exchanging and back-room politics involved in this process. Lincoln gave a 2-hour speech before the primary, when he ran against Chase, to a group of 720 people. Immediately after the election, 2 states seceded. 5 states seceded before Lincoln even got inaugurated.
Lincoln feared for his life so much that he didn't allow his family to board the same train with him when he came to visit Governor Dennison IN FEBRUARY. I'm going to have to find out when they changed the inauguration date because while he was meeting with the governor, a telegram came and Lincoln found out that he had won the electoral college and he was now President! Lincoln got 0 electoral votes from the states that seceded. There were only 4 years 2 months between his campaign speech and him being brought back here to lie in state after his assassination.
In Picture 15 we also see the national eagle and national shield. This serves as a reminder to the senators that federal law supercedes state law. As the guide spoke, we sat in the gallery on ORIGINAL benches.
When Nathan Kelly, the plasterer, finished the plastering of the House, the leadership told him that they couldn't afford all the frills. After all they were a poor state, so don't put so much into decorating the Senate. He cut back substantially, according to our guide, but he was fired because it wasn't plain enough. Look at the ceiling! (Picture 16) I know it isn't plaster, but talk about "ornate." The Edison light bulbs in this
By the time they built the Supreme Court wing, about 20 years after the Capitol, they had lots of money, so they spared no expense. The light fixtures are original. They used a lot of gold leaf to decorate. There were originally 6 State Supreme Court members, but now there are 7. Thomas, our guide, told us that there are now 10 chairs because they hold committee meetings here. The Supreme Court moved out in the 1990's, and moved again 5 years ago.
The 53 rooms of the original capitol were subdivided and in-between floors added so that it ended up having 300+ rooms. When they remodeled in 1980, they uncovered lots of great architecture and the color of the original paint. All of the marble floors had been covered by carpet, so they had to rip it out. The original Capitol cost $1.3 million. The renovation cost $150 million.
Our guide felt it was vital that we understand that Ohio is the greatest state. It has provided or is tied for the most presidents. Thomas Edison was an Ohioan, and his painting is in a stairwell. John D. Rockefeller was a poor man living in Cleveland when he founded Standard Oil (now BP--British Petroleum). And, of course, they
Ohio is "First in Aviation." The Wright Brothers had a bike shop in Akron, so he has a painting in a stairwell. And, of course, John Glenn, an Ohioan, was the first American to circle the Earth. And....Neil Armstrong, "One small step for man, a giant leap for mankind," even those not from Ohio!
We give each capitol a designation, and Columbus has to be "The Most Original with an Enthusiastic Tour Guide."
Staying at Alton RV Park--$36/night cash or $1 fee for credit card, 50 amps, FHU, really narrow spaces (no way could you put out an awning), great satellite reception, escort to site
