For the Random Columbus Photos 9 edition, we take a not-so-distant look back for a change.
Photo Location: High and Broad intersection, looking north. Photo Date: August 31, 1991 Photo History: The Celebrate Them Home Columbus parade occurred as an event to honor returning Gulf War and Operation Desert Storm veterans, as well as veterans of previous wars. The event was held only one time. National patriotism was unusually high during this short war, and helped to revive Lee Greenwood’s 1984 song “God Bless the USA”, which often played on the radio during the conflict. Contrary to what may be popular belief, the Beetle Bailey character represented in the balloon does not date back to WWII. Instead, he first appeared in comic strips in 1950 and continues to run today.
The same view today. Not much has changed since the 1991 photo. A few buildings have been renovated and the streetscape has seen improvements, but otherwise, the view is largely the same.
Photo Location: West Broad Street at Grubb Street, looking east. Photo Date: 1937 Photo History: Franklinton was bustling in this pre-WWII era-photo of Broad Street. It had been 24 years since the Great Flood, and the neighborhood was reaching for its historic population high along with the rest of the urban core. Unfortunately, within 2 decades, the neighborhood would be devastated by yet another flood and would be followed by 50 years of stagnation and decline.
In this short edition of Strange Columbus Things, we look at Ohio’s atomic bomb evacuation routes. Back in the 1950s, many were still grappling with the implications of the birth of the Atomic Age. The US was busily testing bombs both on and outside of US soil, and souring relationships with international adversaries presented the threat of nuclear war. In March, 1955, the director of Ohio’s Civil Defense, Major General Leo M. Kreber, release evacuation routes for Ohio’s major cities should an attack take place.
For Columbus, it was either north or south. In the description of why these directions are preferred, it was suggested that it was to prevent conflict with evacuees from the Dayton area to the west, but in reality, the truth is much darker. In the event of a nuclear attack, it wouldn’t just be Columbus. Dayton and Cincinnati would also be hit, and due to prevailing winds in this part of the world, fallout would generally move eastward. Therefore, the safest routes were thought to be up towards Morrow County or south and southeast towards Hocking County. The logic hasn’t changed much in the past 70 years. North and south would still be the safest evacuation routes. However, evacuation from targeted locations would only offer temporary refuge. The cruel reality is that in the event of a true, global nuclear war, few places anywhere on the planet would be left unscathed. If not destroyed by bombs or irradiated by fallout, nuclear winter would bring incredibly devastation to most of the planet, even those completely untouched by bombs. As true today as it was in 1955, the only way to really be safe is for no one to ever push the button.
At 9:23PM on Saturday night, the 28th of February, 1925, Columbus- along with the rest of Ohio and most of the Eastern US- experienced an earthquake.. The epicenter wasn’t particularly close, as it was located in the Charlevoix-Kamouraska area along the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. However, due to the geology of eastern North America, the 6.2 magnitude earthquake’s energy spread out for significant distances.
Around the epicenter, there was moderate damage to buildings, including collapsed chimneys and walls. Further out, the earthquake caused chaos and problems in many eastern US cities. In Detroit, hotel and theater guests ran into the streets, many mistaking the earthquake for a nearby explosion. In New York City, the earthquake’s tremors lasted between 2-3 minutes and were said to be the strongest the city had ever felt up to that time. In Washington DC, the 25-second movement became strong enough to knock the seismograph needle off its track. In Louisville, a telegraph operator’s equipment was shaken loose from its table.
In Columbus, meanwhile, residents were startled to feel their homes and apartment buildings begin moving. Pictures rattled on walls, light fixtures swayed and loose objects tumbled from shelves.
At the State School for the Blind Downtown, the superintendent reported that walls and windows shook for at least 2 minutes. Residents were alarmed by the movement and rushed about in panic in all directions, thinking the building might collapse on top of them.
At the Dennison Hotel, patrons reported that at least 3 separate shocks hit the building. The first lasted between 30-45 seconds, with two additional movements of shorter duration. A woman there reported a “peculiar sound” during the quake, equating it to the sound of “heavy fire trucks” moving past.
Elsewhere in Ohio, a train in Zanesville noticeably trembled while in motion, and passengers had to transfer to other lines as there were unconfirmed reports that tracks had been damaged near Trinway. In Lancaster, pool balls in billiard rooms rolled about on tables and rocking chairs moved about. In Cleveland, the offices of the Cleveland Plain Dealer shook for a least a minute, while in Canton, the 3 distinct shocks swayed buildings several inches.
Despite the movement and relative long duration of the shaking, damage in Columbus- and Ohio in general- was limited to a few broken items that had fallen from cabinets and shelves.
This occasional series will focus on interesting or important dates in Columbus history, with today’s being the 1919 Prohibition Party Convention.
February 22, 1872 A convention of the Prohibition Party was convened at the Opera House to discuss ways in which to enact legislation banning the manufacturing and sale of alcohol. Such conventions had taken place at least 8 times in the previous 40 years, but was the first such event since 1869. The 1869 event in Chicago formed the Prohibition Party itself, so the Columbus event could be described as the first convention of the new political party.
The event was attended by about 25 delegates from 12 states. Those in attendance included Gideon T. Stewart, then a prohibition candidate for Ohio governor. Stewart gave the welcoming speech. In it, he described the prohibition movement as an attempt to “protect the interests of humanity” and that due to the government’s involvement in the sale of liquor, was “fast verging towards the precipice over which other governments have swept to destruction”.
Gideon Steward around 1900.
Stewart was elected as the party secretary during the convention. The 1872 convention was also the first the party nominated candidates for US president.
During the event, it was ironically noted that Columbus itself benefitted greatly from alcohol sales, and functioned as “one of the foremost benefactors of the world” in that regard. Columbus did have multiple breweries at the time- most in the Brewery District, of course- but it cannot be verified if Columbus was indeed special in either its alcohol consumption or sales compared to other cities. In 1919, the Prohibition Party was ultimately successful in establishing nationwide prohibition by assisting in the passage of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. This victory, however, proved somewhat pyrrhic in nature as the 18th was repealed by 1933 and the Party suffered a long-lasting blow to its reputation. It was never again quite able to gain such a prominent role in leading national public policy. For a political movement driven by such a singular issue, it is perhaps surprising that the Prohibition Party is still in existence today, though its influence even as a 3rd party is now virtually non-existent.
