History--Local History: OH State Resources

The Ohio History Connection, formerly the Ohio Historical Society, is a statewide history organization with the mission to spark discovery of Ohio’s stories. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization chartered in 1885, the Ohio History Connection carries out history services for Ohio and its citizens focused on preserving and sharing the state’s history. This includes housing the state historic preservation office, the official state archives, local history office and managing more than 50 sites and museums across Ohio.

Established in 2000, Ohio Memory is the collaborative statewide digital library program of the Ohio History Connection and the State Library of Ohio. On this free website, you can explore digital content from over 390 cultural heritage institutions representing all 88 of Ohio’s counties covering a wide range of topics from prehistory to present day.

Ohio Memory contains over 1,000,000 digital images from a variety of primary and secondary source image types, including:

Photographs, maps, drawings and paintings
Manuscripts, letters, diaries and journals
Archaeological artifacts, natural history specimens and historical objects
Newspapers, books and e-publications
Audio and video
Materials are selected for inclusion on Ohio Memory based on their historical significance, scanning potential, complementary value, and ownership and copyright.

In brief, the Cleveland Memory Project, launched in 2002, is a freely searchable online collection of digital photos, texts, oral histories, videos and other local history resources, built by the Michael Schwartz Library at the Cleveland State University in collaboration with a host of community partners around Northeast Ohio.

Founded in 1867, Western Reserve Historical Society is the oldest cultural institution in Northeast Ohio, the region’s largest American history research center, and one of the leading genealogical research centers in the nation. Additionally, WRHS operate
Founded in 1867, Western Reserve Historical Society is the oldest cultural institution in Northeast Ohio, the region’s largest American history research center, and one of the leading genealogical research centers in the nation. Additionally, WRHS operates the Hale Farm and Village interpretive site in Bath, Ohio, Shandy Hall in Geneva, Ohio, and Loghurst in Canfield, Ohio.

The historical society collects, preserves, and presents the history of the Western Reserve, including Cleveland. It houses the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum, the Halle Costume Wing, the Hay-McKinney Mansion, and the WRHS Library.