Description: Domed building constructed for the centennial of the Northwest Territory at the Ohio State Fair, held in Columbus, Ohio, 1888. 1888 marked the centennial of an important event in Ohio's history--the creation of the Northwest Territory. Ohio became the first state formed from the Northwest Territory in 1803. Ohio cancelled the State Fair in 1888 and held a celebration of the centennial of the Northwest Territory in its place. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04166
Subjects: Northwest Territory--History; Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Expositions and fairs
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of the Executive Journal of the Northwest Territory, 1788-1803. This journal served as a record of all official actions and communications of the territorial government, as kept by secretaries Winthrop Sargent from July 9, 1788 to May 31, 1798; by William Henry Harrison from June 28, 1798 to October 1, 1799 and by Charles Willing Byrd from December 31, 1799 to January 15, 1803. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL02976
Subjects: Northwest Territory--Politics and government; Ohio History
Places: Northwest Territory
 

Description: Caption below the photograph reads: "View of a special day parade, showing horse car blockade." Caption on back of the photograph reads: "One of numerous parades during Northwest Terr. Centenial Celebration (1888). Shows blockade of horse cars on High St." In 1888, Ohioans celebrated the centennial of the land that would become the State of Ohio. 1888 marked the centennial of an important event in Ohio's history -- the creation of the Northwest Territory. Ohio became the first state formed from the Northwest Territory in 1803. Ohio cancelled the State Fair in 1888 and held a celebration of the centennial of the Northwest Territory in its place. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F04C_004_1
Subjects: Northwest Territory; Parades & processions; Floats (Parades)
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image is an engraved portrait of Major Ebenezer Denny (1761-1882), Revolutionary War soldier and first mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In this portrait, Denny is wearing a ruffled shirt and a high-collared waistcoat and coat. This engraving appears opposite the title page of his book "Military Journal of Major Ebenezer Denny, An Officer in the Revolutionary and Indian Wars" (1859), published in Philadelphia. Denny was born March 11, 1761, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and joined the Continental Army in 1778. He witnessed the British surrender at the 1781 Siege of Yorktown (Yorktown, Virginia) and wrote a description of that event in his war journal. It is one of the most frequently quoted accounts of the event. After the Revolutionary War, Denny also witnessed two of the worst military defeats of U.S. military forces by American Indians: Harmar’s Campaign and St. Clair’s Defeat. Both events occurred in the Northwest Territory, in present-day Ohio. In fall 1790, Josiah Harmar, commander of the U.S. army in the Northwest Territory, was stationed at Fort Washington (present-day Cincinnati). He received orders from Secretary of War Henry Knox to end the threat of American Indian attack in western Ohio. Harmar marched from Fort Washington with 320 regular soldiers and roughly 1,100 militiamen, primarily from Pennsylvania and Kentucky. The militiamen were poorly trained and badly equipped, and the U.S. forces were soundly defeated in a series of battles with the American Indian forces led by Miami chief Mishikinakwa (Little Turtle). Following Harmar's defeat, native attacks against settlers increased. In 1791, Major-General Arthur St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory, led another campaign against the American Indian tribes in western Ohio, hoping to succeed where Harmar had failed. Lieutenant Ebenezer Denny was St. Clair’s aide-de-camp. St. Clair ordered the construction of forts in what is now western Ohio. He and his men left Fort Washington in September 1791. After a two-day journey, the troops stopped and built Fort Hamilton. Then they advanced forty-five miles northward and built Fort Jefferson. From the beginning of his campaign, St. Clair had trouble with his poorly trained and demoralized troops. Although it was still early fall, his men faced cold temperatures, rain, snowfall, and insufficient food. Despite these problems, St. Clair continued to advance against the Miami natives. By November 3, his men had arrived on the banks of the Wabash River, near some of the Miami villages. The next day Little Turtle, along with Shawnee chief Weyapiersenwah (Blue Jacket), led a large alliance of seasoned volunteer warriors from nine different American Indian tribes against the U.S. troops and soundly defeated them. In his account of the day’s events, Denny wrote, “The ground was literally covered with the dead.” The battle known as “St. Clair’s Defeat” remains the worst defeat of the U.S. Army at the hands of American Indians. On November 19, Denny left for Philadelphia, where he had the unenviable task of informing President George Washington and Secretary of War Knox of the defeat. Washington demanded that St. Clair resign from the army. St. Clair did so on April 7, 1792, but remained governor of the Northwest Territory. In 1794, Washington dispatched General Anthony Wayne to succeed where St. Clair had failed. Wayne defeated the Native Americans at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in August 1794. In 1795, most natives in modern-day Ohio signed the Treaty of Greeneville, relinquishing all of their land holdings in Ohio except what is now the northwestern corner of the state. Denny continued his military service until 1794, when he resigned his commission and settled near Pittsburgh. He entered local politics and held several offices before being elected the city’s first mayor in 1816. He resigned the office in 1817 because of ill health. He died in July 1822. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07028
Subjects: American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783; Kekionga, Battle of, Ohio, 1791; American Indians--Warfare; Northwest Territory--History; Veterans; Mayors
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania);
 

Description: This image is a reproduction of a print depicting the courthouse and jail in Marietta, built in 1798. The structure was built at the southeast corner of today's Second and Putnam Streets. (Original print is in "American Pioneer," opposite page 163, call number V 977.05 Am35 v. 1.) The caption reads: "Court House and Jail at Marietta, Ohio, Built in 1798." The two-story structure is surrounded by a fence. Three human figures are standing near the fence; a fourth figure and a horse and wagon are visible in the street. In the distance, several hills form a backdrop for other buildings. Originally known as Adelphia, meaning "brotherhood," Marietta was the first permanent settlement of the United States of America in the territory north and west of the Ohio River. It also was the first settlement founded by the Ohio Company of Associates in the Northwest Territory in 1788. The company's investors renamed the community after Queen Marie Antoinette of France, in honor of France's contributions to the U.S. victory in the American Revolution. The first settlers were led by Rufus Putnam, who was one of the Ohio Company's early investors. He chose a site along the Ohio River at its junction with the Muskingum River, not far from Fort Harmar. Originally, settlers from New England made up the population of Marietta. People from Virginia and Kentucky later moved to the area as well. On July 9, 1788, the Northwest Territory's first governor, Arthur St. Clair, came to Marietta. The territory was officially established, as was Washington County; Marietta became the county seat. As the population of the Northwest Territory grew, the people of Marietta hoped that their community would become the capital of the future state. They supported St. Clair's plan to divide the territory in a different way than the Northwest Ordinance had originally planned. They believed that the governor's plans would make Marietta more prominent. But in the end, St. Clair's plan was not accepted by Congress. Because of its location along the Ohio River, Marietta became a major trading center in the Northwest Territory and later in the state of Ohio. The community became one of the earliest settlements in Ohio to have a state-chartered bank in 1808. In addition to agriculture and trade with the East, Marietta was also known for its shipbuilding industry. Ships, barges and flatboats moved from Marietta down the Ohio River to the Mississippi River and then to New Orleans and to ports in the East. In spite of its early growth, Marietta was surpassed by other towns as other forms of transportation came to Ohio. Canals, the National Road, and the railroads made all parts of the state accessible. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05767
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government; Marietta (Ohio); Courthouses--Ohio--History
Places: Marietta (Ohio); Washington County (Ohio)
 

Description: Portrait of Winthrop Sargent by Gilbert Stuart. Winthrop Sargent (May 1, 1753 – June 3, 1820) was a United States politician, soldier and writer. He was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard University in 1771. With the outbreak of the American Revolution, he joined the Continental Army and attained the rank of major by the war's end. In 1786, Sargent helped survey the Seven Ranges of townships in what is now eastern Ohio. Using the knowledge that he had attained while surveying parts of the Ohio Country, he helped organize the Ohio Company and Associates. He also was one of the principal shareholders of the Scioto Company. He became secretary of the Ohio Company in 1787 and assisted Manasseh Cutler in securing land from the Confederation Congress. That same year, the Congress appointed Sargent as the secretary of the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio. He accompanied some of the first Ohio Company settlers to Marietta in 1788. During the late 1780s and early 1790s, Sargent played a major role in the governance of the Northwest Territory. Governor Arthur St. Clair was commonly away from his position, and Sargent served as de facto governor in his absence. He also served under St. Clair in his expedition against the American Indians living in western Ohio in 1791. At St. Clair's Defeat on November 4, 1791, Sargent was twice wounded but survived. In 1798, Winthrop Sargent resigned as secretary of the Northwest Territory to accept an appointment as the first governor of the Mississippi Territory. Sargent was a devoted member of the Federalist Party. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson, founder of the Democratic-Republican Party, became President of the United States. Jefferson removed Sargent from the governor's seat due to their differing political views. Sargent then retired from public life. He died in 1820 in New Orleans or aboard a steamboat on the Mississippi Rivers at Natchez, according to varying accounts. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07518
Subjects: Ohio History--Military Ohio; American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783; Ohio Company (1786-1795); Northwest Territory--History; Ohio--Politics and government
 

Description: Map showing the lands involved with General Anthony Wayne's campaign against American Indians in the Northwest Territory, 1793-1794. The map also includes the military traces of General Josiah Harmar (1790) and General Arthur St. Clair (1791). It was prepared by the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, drawn by Paul N. Haines in June of 1944, and approved by the Anthony Wayne Memorial Legislative Committee on June 16, 1944. Also included is an inset of the Toledo-Detroit area. General Wayne led a military campaign against American Indian tribes in the Northwest Territory that culminated with the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794 and the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. These events allowed for white settlement in the Northwest Territory which included Indiana and Ohio, and the forced removal of the tribes who had traditionally lived in these same lands. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MAPVFM0115_8_01
Subjects: Wayne, Anthony, 1745-1796; Greenville, Treaty of, 1795; Fallen Timbers, Battle of, Ohio, 1794; American Indians; Ohio History--Military Ohio
Places: Northwest Territory;
 

Description: The tomb of John Cleves Symmes (1742-1814). Symmes would come to be a prominent figure in the history of the early United States. He served some time in Congress and was also at one time a judge for the state of New Jersey. Symmes would eventually decide that it would be a good idea to start a settlement in what is today Ohio, pooling money together with others to acquire land out in the rugged frontier. Despite his good investment, there were glaring issues that soon cropped up and caused him trouble. Because of his disregard for policies about land ownership, there were cases where many people paid Symmes for land he didn't even own, which became a disaster for these settlers. Because of this disaster, private owners were no longer able to buy up land and then sell it. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06776
Subjects: Symmes, John Cleves, 1742-1814; Northwest Territory--History; Northwest Territory--Politics and government; Land settlement--Ohio
Places: Northwest Territory; North Bend (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1930-1943, this photograph shows a model of Gutzon Borglum's model for the Northwest Territory Monument. Gutzon Borglum was an American artist and sculptor famous for creating the monumental presidents' heads at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, the famous carving on Stone Mountain near Atlanta, as well as other public works of art. A note on the photograph's reverse reads "Code: D 11 Class: Colleges & Art Galleries Ident: Borglum's model for North-west Territory Monument, Marietta-a WPA project Location: Marietta." This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B10F04_040_001
Subjects: Northwest Territory; Monuments & memorials; Sculpture; Works Progress Administration
Places: Marietta (Ohio); Washington County (Ohio)
 

Description: This broadside, titled "Proposals for the Log Cabin," promotes the candidacy of William Henry Harrison, who went on to defeat President Martin Van Buren in the U.S. presidential election of 1840. The broadside bears the signatures of Harrison supporters who are advertising the availability of "13 numbers of a paper" titled "Log Cabin." The document is dated February 29, 1840. During the campaign, Harrison's supporters portrayed him as a common man who was born in a log cabin and liked to drink hard cider. It was not the first or last time that exaggerated and inaccurate claims have been made about a candidate by his friends. A rugged log cabin became the campaign's iconic symbol. William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) was an American political and military leader and the ninth President of the United States. Born in Charles County, Virginia, he graduated college and then studied medicine at his father’s insistence. After his father’s death in 1791, he joined the U.S. Army and served in the military until 1798. In the Northwest Territory he assisted General Anthony Wayne as an aide-de-camp. He participated in the Battle of Fallen Timbers and was present at the negotiating and signing of the Treaty of Greeneville. After leaving military service, Harrison was Secretary of the Northwest Territory and later represented the Northwest Territory in the U.S. Congress. He served as governor of Indiana Territory (modern-day Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan) from 1800 to 1813. While he was governor, Harrison also was the Superintendent for Indian Affairs in the American Northwest. He convinced many Native Americans to relinquish millions of acres of land in what is now the Midwestern U.S. Because the United States had reserved this land to the Native Americans in the Treaty of Greeneville, some Native Americans refused to forsake their claims. Chief among these people were the Shawnee, led by Tecumseh and the Prophet, Tecumseh's brother. These two men worked to form a confederation of all Native American tribes west of the Appalachian Mountains. Harrison marched against Tecumseh in late 1811. While Tecumseh was away seeking additional followers, Harrison attacked the Shawnees' major village, Prophetstown. On November 7, 1811, at the Battle of Tippecanoe, the U.S. army destroyed the village and hindered the success of the native alliance. During the War of 1812, Harrison rose to the rank of brigadier-general and commanded the Army of the Northwest. In October 1813 the Army of the Northwest fought a joint British and Native American force led by General Henry Proctor and Tecumseh in the Battle of the Thames. The British ran from the battlefield, leaving the Native Americans to fight on alone. The Americans defeated the Native Americans, killing Tecumseh. Following the War of 1812, Harrison returned to politics. He made his home at North Bend, just west of Cincinnati, Ohio. He represented Ohio in the U.S. Congress for two terms and also was U.S. ambassador to Colombia. In 1836 he ran as a Whig Party candidate for the presidency of the United States but lost to Martin Van Buren. With John Tyler as his running mate during the 1840 presidential campaign, Harrison emphasized his military record against Tecumseh and the British in the War of 1812. His famous campaign slogan was "Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too." The American voters elected Harrison with the wide margin of victory of 234 electoral-college votes for Harrison to Van Buren's sixty. The sixty-eight-year-old Harrison took office in 1841. He served the shortest time in office of any man elected to the presidency. He died of pneumonia on April 4, 1841, one month after taking office. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS4980_B58
Subjects: Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841; Broadsides--1800-1890; Political campaigns; Presidential campaigns; Propaganda; Presidents; Ohio History--Presidents and Politics
 

Description: This photograph shows a monument for General George Rogers Clark located at 930 Tecumseh Road in Springfield, Ohio, made by Charles Keck and placed at the site of the Battle of Piqua. The Battle of Peckuwe was the largest battle of the American Revolution west of the Allegheny Mountains. It stands among the 250 acres that is George Rogers Clark Historical Park. The monument reads: "Here General George Rogers Clark with his Kentucky soldiers defeated and drove from this region the Shawnee Indians August 8, 1780 thus aiding to make the Northwest Territory part of the United States. Erected by the Clark County Historical Society with the aid of the State of Ohio 1924." George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war. Clark is best known for his celebrated captures of Kaskaskia (1778) and Vincennes (1779), which greatly weakened British influence in the Northwest Territory. Because the British ceded the entire Northwest Territory to the United States in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, Clark has often been hailed as the "Conqueror of the Old Northwest." Clark County and Clark State Community College, in Ohio, were both named him. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B04F06_07_01
Subjects: Monuments--Ohio; Keck, Charles, 1875-1951; Clark, Geo. R. (George Rogers), 1752-1818; George Rogers Clark Memorial Park (Ohio); Piqua, Battle of, Piqua, Clark County, Ohio, 1780
Places: Springfield (Ohio); Clark County (Ohio)
 

Description: Mrs. Elmer Fulton, descendent, unveiling memorial marker to Governor Charles Willing Byrd, appointed Secretary of the Northwest Territory in 1798, then Governor of the Northwest Territory in 1802, October 19, 1941, Sinking Spring, Highland County, Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00288
Subjects: Northwest Territory--Politics and government; Ohio History--Settlement and Early Statehood
Places: Sinking Spring (Ohio)