BY RANDY McNUTT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Interest in Ohio history is at an all-time high, and it will skyrocket as the state closes in on its bicentennial in 2003, officials say.
At historic sites throughout the state - from pioneer museums to ancient Indian mounds - attendance has jumped by 20 percent in 1998 from a year ago. The unprecedented pace is attributed to a newfound passion and interest in regional history, experts say.
"Heritage tourism is one of the most popular types of tourism in the country, and it's growing," said James Strider, a spokesman for the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus. "We've increased visitation time in our reading room, even though we have the Internet and e-mail. It's difficult to get a handle on history's popularity because there are so many new ways to find it."
![[logo]](/editions/1998/11/25/anothertime_120x73.gif)
|
5-PART SERIES
In the past eight years, thousands of new residents have relocated to Southwestern Ohio and Southeastern Indiana. Their arrival has turned once-isolated farms into sprawling subdivisions, and small towns have struggled to maintain public services to the residents.
Also threatened have been the rich pasts and historical icons found in Butler, Warren, Clermont and Warren counties in Ohio, and Dearborn, Switzerland and Ohio counties in Indiana.
Today through Sunday, Enquirer reporters will profile historic people and places in the region. It's an opportunity to tell new and old residents alike of the area's famous and sometimes forgotten past.
Today: The legacy of the Shakers of Warren County.
|
A perfect example: the historical society's Columbus library. Three years ago, 32,000 people visited and tapped into its vast reference material. That number surged to 45,900 in 1997, and leaders expect a similar jump in 1998 when final attendance figures are added.
"As the bicentennial draws closer, history will be more apparent to people and on their minds a lot more," said Kim McGrew of the Campus Martius Museum in Marietta.
At Fort Ancient State Memorial in Warren County, a new museum has revived interest in the ancient American Indian site - 50 percent more than projections, Mr. Strider said.
Last March, the historical society opened its $3.5 million renovation of the Museum at Fort Ancient - dubbed the state's "Gateway to American Indian Heritage." The site tripled its museum space to 9,000 square feet.
"It paid off in more visitors," said museum attendant Patty Doyle. About 42,000 people visited Fort Ancient from March 22 to Oct. 31. The park will close Nov. 29 and reopen March 1.
Nationally, history is more visible these days, with Ken Burns' Public Broadcasting System specials, programming by cable television's A&E Network and the History Channel, and new historic sites.
"I've read that some of the larger, well-known national sites have had a small decrease in attendance," Mr. Strider said. "Our feeling is that's because there are so many more places to go and see today. There's competition in our business, too."
Kentucky history, too
Officials in Kentucky also are enjoying a bump in history-related tourism business.
This month, Kentucky announced plans to keep its popular Fort Boonesborough State Park open all year. Previously, when open April through October, the fort along Interstate 75 south of Lexington drew about 43,000 visitors annually.
"So far, our response has been good," manager Phil Gray said. "From Nov. 1-22, 727 people came in for self-guided tours through the fort, cabins and museum gift shop.
"We think our year-round opening will tie in with more interest in history. I'm not sure why this interest is happening. Maybe it's our generation and the times. But there is a resurgence. We're fortunate because we're only five miles off I-75."
He expects more people to stop when the park's Kentucky River Museum opens in summer 1999.
Big Bone Lick State Park near Union also has seen more crowds recently.
The prehistoric site was home to the ancient giant mammoths, mastodons, ground sloths and bison that roamed through mineral springs and swamps 12,000 to 20,000 years ago. Many of the prehistoric giants became trapped and died in the quagmire surrounding the swamps' ancient sulfur springs.
Dozens of families were checking out the park Tuesday. One was the Sawicki family of Delhi Township. Sharon Sawicki, 40, was hiking at the park with daughters, Sara, 10, and Hannah, 8, and her father, Al Weingart, 67, of Huron, Ohio.
Mrs. Sawicki is also a Girl Scout leader, and she said she heads for the park about once every two weeks.
"It's more fun to go out looking at nature and getting some exercise than going to the mall," she said.
At Serpent Mound in Locust Grove, Ohio, in rural Adams County, attendance has been steady over the last several years, despite the site's inconvenient location in a rugged area about 70 miles east of Cincinnati.
"We still average 40,000 to 50,000 visitors a year," said Serpell Adkins, site manager. "A lot of people want to see the serpent." Increased tourism probably has a lot to do with remodeling at Flint Ridge, Fort Ancient and other historic sites, said Tammy Brown of the Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism.
"We work closely with the historical society to promote our heritage," she said. "Heritage tours are popular."
A look in to the 1780s
At Campus Martius Museum, a history museum near the Rufus Putnam Home in historic Marietta, 18,000 people have come through the museum so far this year - an increase of 1,000 over last year's figure. Rufus Putnam was a Revolutionary War brigadier general who in the 1780s led expeditions into the virgin frontier along the Ohio River that later became Ohio. He was part of the group that settled Marietta in 1788.
"Schoolchildren come in to learn to spin and weave and enhance their education," Ms. McGrew said. "The idea is that children will cultivate an interest in history, and return to museums and historic places as adults.
"Actually, we hope children will bring the adults. In this day, children often determine where families vacation."
Ray Schaefer contributed to this report.
