Ohio is Like No Other State by Tamera Lynn Kraft

I was born in Ohio and have lived here all my life. Ohio truly is the heart of the nation in many ways. It has a bit of everything: big city life, sports teams small quaint towns, Amish Country, mountains, grassy plain, a great lake, and a mighty river. Most people don’t know the rich heritage Ohio has to offer.

Ohio has a historical heritage like no other state. Throughout history, this Midwest state that has roots in New England and West Virginia has been in the thick of things. During the days of the US Revolution, England wanted to keep the colonies from settling in the West otherwise known as Ohio. Schoenbrunn Village, the first settlement in Ohio, was a missionary village to the Lenape Indians and had the first coed and multi-racial school in America. During the days leading up to the Civil War, Ohio led the way for abolitionists and rebel rousers such as John Brown from Akron. The rescue of a fugitive slave in Oberlin, Ohio almost caused Ohio to leave the Union because of the Fugitive Slave Law two years before the Civil War broke

out. In the early days of Women’s Suffrage, Ohio again was in the middle of things hosting a conference that featured Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman” speech. During the mid-twentieth century, Ohio was a leader in industry with Cleveland, Akron, and Dayton playing major roles. In today’s world, Ohio is still leading the way in deciding elections and public opinion.

Ohio is the state of presidents. Most people don’t know this, but more presidents claimed Ohio as their home state than any other state including Virginia. Virginia had more presidents actually born in the state, but William Henry Harrison, the first Ohio president, was born in Virginia and moved to Ohio to make the state his home. Other presidents from Ohio were Ulysses S. Grant (the Civil War general), Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison (grandson of William Henry Harrison), William McKinley

(assassinated in office), William Howard Taft, and Warren G. Harding. There were eight presidents from Ohio and seven who were born in Ohio. Harding, Hayes, and McKinley have historical sites you can visit.

Ohio is the state of inventors. Many inventers were born in Ohio. Wilbur and Orville Wright, the inventors of the airplane, lived near Dayton. Charles Kettering invented the electric engine starter for cars and the cash register. Granville Woods, an African American born in 1856, invented overhead electric train wires, the train telegraph service, automated railroad breaks, and the egg incubator. Garrett Morgan, another African American, invented the stoplight and the gasmask. Thomas Midgley invented ethyl gasoline. There were many more inventors from Ohio. Probably the man who invented more devices than any other, Thomas

Edison, was born in Milan, Ohio in 1847. You can tour the Thomas Edison Birthplace Museum in Milan, Ohio.

Ohio is a state of tourism. There is plenty to do and see in Ohio. Ohio has one of the great lakes, Lake Erie, bordering its northern border. To the south, is the Ohio River which feeds into the Mississippi. To the southeast are the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Hocking Hills has caves and hiking trails to explore. To the northeast are the Cuyahoga Valley National Metro parks and canals. If you’re not into nature, you

can spend a relaxing day shopping in Amish Country and eating at one of our many Amish Restaurant. Ohio is the state with the largest Amish Community. You could also go to Cedar Point Amusement Park with the most roller coasters in the world, the Cincinnati or Cleveland Zoos, the Canton Football Hall of Fame, or the Cleveland Rock Hall of Fame. You can top off your visit with the Dayton Wright Patterson Airforce Base. It has more historical airplanes than even the Smithsonian. Make sure you allow yourself two days to see it all.

Prizes: This week I’m giving away a paperback copy of my new novella, Resurrection of  Hope, and a jar of Apple Butter from the Amish Door Restaurant in Wilmot Ohio to one lucky winner (US only). To enter the drawing, tell me which place in Ohio you would love to visit or something about Ohio that surprised you.

To learn more about me and my books, click on this link. http://tameralynnkraft.net or you can find me at these sites.

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