Introduction A monument is a curious way to record history. It is the oldest, most ancient form of

history writing (what else is a pyramid or a statue but a memorial of some past?) and still remains a popular means of expressing historical ideas. Like the ancients, our society still etches its feats and stories in stone and metal.

A historical monument is a particular means of marking history. Unlike our other methods of remembering - through writing or speaking - a monument permits no dialogue. It stands, immovable, unalterable, silent and alone, speaking and never hearing. A speaker in a lecture hall can be interrupted, questioned, debated with. A book can be challenged by reviewers and argued with by other books that will stand shoulder to shoulder with them down through time on the shelves of our libraries. But a monument dominates its place. It has endurance - it shouts out during all the hours of the day and all the days of the year, year after year, to all who pass by "this is the way things have been - these are the things that are most important - and you should remember and honor them."

A monument's claim can only be challenged by illegal acts of defacement or by the placement of another monument nearby. Monuments are made of stone and bronze, not only because these materials will last through time, but also because they take great effort to alter and because they are expensive. To debate a monument with another monument is costly, though it is sometimes done (the A.C.L.U.'s Bill of Rights monument was placed a dozen yards from the ****'s Ten Commandments on the Lucas County Courthouse Square). It’s more common for individuals to attempt to add a comment to one already standing, though these vandal scrawlings carry

none of the credibility of a monument's precisely chiseled letters. Perhaps it is because historical monuments are the most one-sided means of remembering the past that they have been continuously used for over ten thousand years.

One of the purposes of this exhibit is to allow everyone the opportunity to argue with their monuments. Each monument or marker has been given its own page upon which is displayed its text and image. Alongside these words are blank spaces upon which anyone may inscribe their own responses, arguments, or memorials. Through this means the monopoly of history that monuments represent is at least partially overturned.

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The power of a monument, unlike other types of history remembering, is drawn from its surroundings, its place. Some monuments are placed in an important, and highly trafficked public place as a way of emphasizing the importance of a person or event. The manicured flowerbeds and classical architecture of the Lucas County Courthouse not only serves as a backdrop to the William McKinley Monument, they dramatically add to its air of dignity and importance. In contrast, the historical marker that notes the location of the city's first hospital

sits on a traffic island in the middle of a hospital's busy driveway. The only way to actually read the sign is to park illegally, partially blocking traffic, and walking across a swath of grass. (Within five minutes of my making this trek to read the sign, hospital security was deployed to tell me that this was private property and that I needed written permission to be where I was.) Such an inaccessible location says to the world, 'something once happened here, but it’s not of much importance.'

Where things are placed can have political dimensions as well. For example, it is interesting that the Spanish-American War Veterans Monument, also located on the courthouse square, is situated on the opposite side of the building so that it is impossible to view both monuments simultaneously. Though

the deaths of the soldiers remembered on one side of the building was the result of orders given by the man immortalized on the other, this relationship is guiltily hidden by the visual separation of the two.

It is for this reason that merely photographing the monuments themselves cannot reveal their entire meaning. Rather, the monuments and their surroundings must be shown together, a task that traditional photography has only a limited ability to do but that computers now make possible in new ways. VR panorama photography allows for the capturing of a complete three hundred and sixty degree view of a landscape. Viewed on a computer these panoramas are seamless and controllable by the viewer and reveals more than what the monument tells you to look at.

Finally, this exhibit is also an inventory of what generations of people in Toledo and Lucas County have considered worth remembering. The list, what has been marked and monumental, reveals more about what each generation has valued than what of historical importance has actually occurred in the area. Ironically, when people of a certain age construct a monument to the past, they are in fact not immortalizing the past, but preserving a piece of themselves.

- Timothy Messer-Kruse, University of Toledo, September 11, 2000

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Bank Row Location: Foot of Madison Avenue, Toledo This two block strip of Madison Avenue was Toledo's financial district. On this corner in the summer of 1931, thousands of panicked depositors crowded to remove their savings from the city's banks. All but one bank closed their doors and liquidated in the Great Depression.

Bicentennial Trees Location: Civic Center Plaza This grove of trees was presented by the Standard Oil Company of Ohio in Celebration of the nation's Bicentennial.

Bill of Rights and 10 Commandments Location: Adams and Erie Streets (located within yards of each other)

Built: 1957 The topic of numerous legal battles, the Ten Commandments monument has been in place for more than five decades. The monument was donated to the city Fraternal Order of the Eagles in 1957.

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Civil War Urn

Location: Civic Center Plaza

Dedicated to the Memory of Our Fathers, 1861-1865. Erected by the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Regiment No. 66.

Dorr Street

Location: Dorr runs from Washington St. West to the city limits.

Dorr Street was the commercial heart of the African American community until it was destroyed in a fit of "Urban Renewal" in the late 1960s. Residents were displaced amid promises to "rebuild" the community. Even today, thirty years later, much of the area remains empty grassy lots.

Fort Lawrence & Port Industry, 1805

Location: NE corner of Summit and Monroe Streets, Toledo

This pioneer village, which was united with its downriver rival, Vistula, to be incorporated as Toledo in 1837, was platted by Cincinnati businessmen in 1817. The "Panic" of 1819 caused the enterprise to default. The village was re-platted in 1832. A two-story log warehouse along Swan Creek was the first important structure. The village was named for Captain James Lawrence, War of 1812 naval hero.

On the site, July 4, 1805, a treaty was concluded with the

T o l e d o ’ s A t t i c E s s a y S e r i e s P a g e | 5 chiefs of the Ottawa, Chippewa, Pottawatomie, Shawnee, Muncie, and Delaware tribes. The Indians ceded their title to over 2.7 million acres in the Firelands, now Erie and Huron counties, and the Connecticut Western Reserve. Little else is known about "Fort Industry", which appears as a symbolic blockhouse on Toledo’s official seal and flag.

General Steedman Memorial

Location: Galena and Summit Sts.

Carrick's Ford - Chickamauga - James B. Steedman, Major-General, U.S.V. - Born 1817, Died 1883 - Erected by W.J. Finlay, 1888.

Government Center

Location: In front of Government Center, Jackson Blvd., Toledo

After consolidation of the villages of Fort Lawrence and Vistula, the City of Toledo was incorporated in 1837. Originally named "Toledo" in 1833, the site became part of Ohio when the "Toledo War," a bloodless boundary conflict with Michigan, was resolved by Congress in 1836. Settlers were attracted by the commercial potential of the Maumee River, called "Miami of the Lake," and later the Miami-Erie Canal.

With water and rail transportation, Toledo developed into a major trade center and world port. Before 1900, Toledo manufactured large numbers of bicycles and wagons. In this century, Toledo has become a major automotive manufacturing center. The glass industry was attracted to

T o l e d o ’ s A t t i c E s s a y S e r i e s P a g e | 6 Toledo in 1888 by the discovery of natural gas south of the city. Since then, Toledo has been widely known as "Glass Capital of the World."

Willys-Overland/Jeep Parkway Location: Jeep Pkwy, Toledo Text: In 1909, John North Willys moved the Overland Auto Co. from Indianapolis to the former Pope-Toledo plant on Central Avenue. As Willys-Overland, the company expanded its facilities and ranked second in annual auto production nationwide from 1912 to 1916. Here were developed and produced various models of the Overland, Willys-Knight, Whippet, Willys, and Jeep vehicles. In 1940, Willys engineer Delmar "Barney" Roos, developed a prototype for a rugged, lightweight vehicle for the Army. Production began in 1941. Of the 651,068 Jeeps produced during World War II, Toledo’s Willys-Overland Motors assembled 57% of them, one every 1 1/3 minutes. By the war’s end (1945) the versatile Jeep (General Purpose Vehicle) was known the world over.

Memorial Hall Monument Location: Central Library, Toledo

This marker commemorates the old Soldier's Memorial Hall that stood near this site until the 1950s. Memorial Hall was built by the donations of Civil War veterans and included both a Civil War museum and a public meeting hall that hosted many famous speakers.

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Port of Toledo Maritime Display Location: Beneath the west approach of the Cherry Street Bridge Toledo and the River - Ships and the River - People and the River This display has been developed through the courtesy of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority; text and graphics by the Institute for Great Lakes Research, Bowling Green State University. Design by Joseph Vecchio. Artifacts donated by Columia Transportation Division/Oglebay Norton Company and Ninth United States Coast Guard District/Aids to Navigation.

Richard Gosser Memorial Location: Ashland Avenue Richard T. Gosser - Labor Leader - Vice President - U.A.W. - 1947-1962

T o l e d o ’ s A t t i c E s s a y S e r i e s P a g e | 8 River Walk - Central Plaza Location: Summit and Washington Sts. The year 1817 marks Toledo's origin. In that year Cincinnati businessmen purchased land along the Maumee River and at the mouth Swan Creek and platted Port Lawrence in what was presumed to be the Territory of Michigan. The first important building was a two-story log warehouse, built near this spot on the west bank of the creek. . . A financial panic two years later caused the community enterprise to default. The village was replatted in 1832. A rival village of Vistula was established just downstream from Port Lawrence in 1833 by Benjamin Stickney and Edward Bissell. Both towns competed for growth and the lake trade.

River Walk - The Middle Grounds Location: Summit and Washington Sts. The Middle Grounds served as the nucleus for Toledo's commercial development. In the city's

early years it was first called the Middle Ground due to its location between Swan Creek and the Maumee River. Landfill expanded this area which was originally a narrow strip of land adjacent marshes. Docks, warehouses, grain elevators, and the city's train depot were all built on and along the Middle Grounds. There were even hotels, boarding houses and a church for railroaders and sailors. The historic Oliver House (1859) sets on the area's highest elevation.

In 1840 the Hotel sight [sic] had been designated as Courthouse Square. The major means of transportation of the day, lake vessels, canal boats and railroads, all converged at the middle grounds creating an area of great commercial activity. The destructive 1883 flood changed the face of this area forever. The train depot was moved to higher ground and in time the area was relegated to use for rail yards and

T o l e d o ’ s A t t i c E s s a y S e r i e s P a g e | 9 warehousing. Declining use of the Erie Canal, which terminated at Swan Creek, forced grain elevators to relocate upriver.

By the 1880's this once busy commercial area fell into neglect and was all but forgotten. An attempt at residential development failed in the early 1990s. In 1997 Owens-Corning Corporation dedicated its corporate headquarters on the middle grounds with a dramatic contemporary building bringing new faces and a new life to the historic area.

River Walk - The Warehouse District Location: Summit and Washington St.s

West of this site on can see a number of older buildings of varying size and design. This area, adjacent to downtown Toledo, served as a center for wholesale warehousing, storage, and shipping for many years.

The growth of this area was largely due to the close proximity of Swan Creek which was commercially navigable at that time. This waterway also served as the northern terminus of the Miami and Erie Canal from Cincinnati until 1913, thus providing access for both lake and canal shipping. Major rail lines including The Clover Leaf Division of the Toledo, St. Louis and Western R.R. (later the Nickel Plate R.R.) offered, direct rail service to the

major businesses and warehouses. An electric interurban line and trucking facilities also operated from the area.

Swayne Field Location: Monroe and Detroit Avenues, Toledo Swayne Field was the home field of the Toledo Mud Hens. Over this wall flew balls hit by many baseball legends.

T o l e d o ’ s A t t i c E s s a y S e r i e s P a g e | 10 The Blade Location: Toledo The Toledo Blade is the city’s oldest continuing business. The newspaper was first published on December 19, 1835, during the Ohio-Michigan boundary dispute known as the "Toledo War." The name is derived from that conflict and the famous swords of Toledo, Spain. A copy of the first edition and two gift swords from that Spain city are displayed inside the Blade Building. David Ross Locke, editor (1865-1888), made The Blade nationally known. Using the pseudonym, Petroleum V. Nasby, Locke gained fame for his satirical Nasby Letters and advocacy of social reforms. On May 1, 1927, President Coolidge assisted Paul Block, Blade publisher (1926-1941), by touching a gold key at the White House to officially start the presses at this location.

The Toledo Zoo & Toledo’s Canals & The New Deal in Toledo Location: The Anthony Wayne Trail entrance to the zoo

Now ranked among the country’s finest, the zoo began in 1900 with one large woodchuck in a box at Walbridge Park. After the organization of the Toledo Zoological Society, 1905-10, the zoo began its steady growth, particularly after 1923 under the leadership of Percy C. Jones. An ambitious federal construction program during the Great Depression of the 1930s provided several major structures.

The Anthony Wayne Trail, constructed in the 1930s, was built over much of the shared route of two canal systems: The Wabash and Erie, which joined Toledo with Indiana and operated from 1843 until 1874; and the Miami and Erie, which joined Toledo with Cincinnati and operated from 1845 until 1913. These developments in the Maumee Valley were responsible for the creation of the Great Lakes port city of Toledo.

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Hard hit as any city by the Great Depression of the 1930s, Toledo benefited greatly from the federal "New Deal" programs. Construction of several zoo buildings was only one of the public works that transformed the city. Federal and local projects provided two high school stadiums, nine elementary schools, park shelter houses, highways, and an architectural landmark, the Toledo Public Library.

The University of Toledo-Bancroft Campus The University of Toledo began in 1872 as a private arts and trades school offering painting and architectural drawing as its only subjects. In the 125 years since, the university has grown into a

comprehensive institution offering more than 250 undergraduate and graduate programs to over than 20,000 students from around the world.

The campus is on more than 200 acres with many new and beautifully restored buildings. The campus is located in one of Toledo's finest residential sections, it provides a suburban atmosphere, yet is an integral part of the civic, cultural and commercial life of the city.

T o l e d o ’ s A t t i c E s s a y S e r i e s P a g e | 12 Highlights UT is a State University located in Northwest Ohio, USA UT has eight colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Health and Human Services, Law, Pharmacy, and the University College UT has professional accreditation in many areas including: Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, American Bar Association, Computer Science Accreditation Commission and many other areas UT has over 20,000 students - 900 international students from 102 countries. UT has 82 computer labs on campus UT libraries hold over 2 million volumes The fall 15th day enrollment for the 2004-2005 academic year was 19,480 students. UT offers more than 250 programs of study in eight colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Health and Human Services, Law, Pharmacy, and University College. The University of Toledo holds a "Doctoral/Research Extensive" classification from the Carnegie Foundation. The University of Toledo is listed in the most recent edition of the "100 Best Colleges for African-American Students."

The University of Toledo Location: Scott Park Campus The Toledo University of Arts and Trades was established in 1872 with an endowment of 160 acres of land from Jesup W. Scott, local pioneer, publisher, and real estate broker. Scott envisioned Toledo as the "Future Great City of the World" and wanted an institution to train young people to fulfill their roles in the city’s bright future.

The University changed its name several times — to the Manual Training School (1884), The Polytechnic School (1900), and The University of the City of Toledo

T o l e d o ’ s A t t i c E s s a y S e r i e s P a g e | 13 (1921). It changed locations many times as well, until President Henry Doerman brought it to this location in 1931. The University was supported by the city from 1883 to 1967, when it joined Ohio’s system of state universities.

In 1872, Jesup W. Scott donated 160 acres at this site as an endowment for a university to train "artists and artisans" to assume important roles in a growing industrial Toledo. The University held classes at Scott Park from 1922 to 1931. In 1969, the site of Scott’s land donation became the site of the University’s Community and Technical College.

The Valentine Theatre Location: St. Clair and Adams Sts. Artful theater beats in the heart of downtown Toledo at the Valentine Theater, located in the

Renaissance Building. This beautiful theater features

art deco/Victorian design and provides a glamorous venue for several arts organizations and special events. This 900-seat theater features a single screen, state of the art environment complete with top notch lighting and sound systems. The Valentine Theater is located on the corner of Superior Street and Adams Street in Toledo, Ohio, within the historic Renaissance Building in downtown Toledo.

This historic theater has become the headquarters of the local

theater art scene. Visitors enjoy several productions every year including the traditional Christmas Carol production every December. The Toledo Symphony, the Toledo Ballet and the Toledo Repertoire Theater all utilize main stage, three rehearsal halls and several offices within the Valentine Theater.

The Valentine Theater had the largest stage in the country when it opened in 1895 and experienced its first major interior renovation in the early 1940s. The Valentine experienced major renovations again in the 1960s and 1996. Then the theater completed an extensive restoration in October 1999. Many of these projects would not have been completed without the outstanding support from community members and sponsors. For more information on The Valentine Theatre, go to http://www.valentinetheatre.com/.

T o l e d o ’ s A t t i c E s s a y S e r i e s P a g e | 14 Toledo Fire Fighter's Memorial Location: Huron and Beech Sts. T.F.D. Last Alarm. We dedicate this memorial to perpetuate the memory of those firemen who have answered their last alarm. I.A.F.F. Toledo Fire Fighters 92. (Following this is a list of 41 fire fighters killed in the line of duty and 6 killed in military service.)

Toledo Museum of Art Location: On museum grounds, Toledo

Founded in 1901 under the leadership of Edward Drummond Libbey, who established the glass industry in Toledo, the Museum building was designed by the architect Edward Green. It was completed in three stages in 1912, 1926, and 1933. From the outset the Museum has aimed to be a community and educational resource in the visual and performing arts.

Libbey, who died in 1925, left his collection to the museum and generous endowment. Under museum directors, Blake-More Godwin (1927-1958), and Otto Wittman (1959-1977) continued the efforts to build a collection that would be known for the quality of its carefully selected works of art. By the time Wittman retired, the museum had tripled in size. Roger Mandle, director from 1977 to 1988, was responsible, working with curators, for a series of outstanding acquisitions in virtually every

field in which the museum collect, with an emphasis on seeking major twentieth century works. David Steadman became director in 1988.

Ranked among the country's top fifteen art museums, the Toledo Museum of Art pleasantly surprises many visitors, who discover treasures from ancient Egypt, Greece and

T o l e d o ’ s A t t i c E s s a y S e r i e s P a g e | 15 Rome; paintings by such Old Masters as El Greco, Rubens, Rembrandt, Gainsborough and Turner; decorative arts, African and Asian art; and works by modern masters as Matisse, Picasso, Hopper, and Nevelson.

Toledo Police Memorial Location: Civic Center Plaza

Toledo Police Memorial Garden - Dedicated May 13, 1981 - In Memory of those City of Toledo policemen who gave their lives in the line of duty. Made possible by generous contributions of concerned citizens, organizations, and businesses and through the special efforts of Patroman Harry W. Broadway.

IN MEMORIAM - Toledo Police Department - Killed in Action

T o l e d o ’ s A t t i c E s s a y S e r i e s P a g e | 16 Toledo’s First High School & Toledo-Lucas County Public Library Location: Grounds of the main library, Michigan Street, Toledo Text: Toledo High School opened in 1854 on the site of the city’s first log schoolhouse. After an 1895 fire, it was rebuilt and named Central High School. The facility closed in 1914 with the opening of Scott and Waite high schools. It reopened as Woodward Technical School and later became Vocational High. The building was razed in 1938 for construction of the Toledo Public Library.

Although Toledo has a subscription library as early as 1838, the city’s first free public library opened in 1873 at Madison and Summit streets. The library constructed a building at Madison and Ontario streets in 1890. The Public Works Administration helped finance the present building which was dedicated on September 4, 1940. The county’s three library systems merged in 1970.

Toledo’s First Hospital Location: By St. Vincent Medical Center near the Cherry Street entrance to the parking area opposite Frederick Street, Toledo Text: St. Vincent’s Hospital, renamed the St. Vincent Medical Center in 1983, was founded in 1855 by the Sisters of Charity of Montreal, the "Grey Nuns." They came, following the 1854 cholera epidemic, in answer to a plea from a local Catholic priest "to raise orphans and help cure the sick." The facility has been located at this site since 1858. St. Vincent’s has pioneered many of Toledo’s medical "firsts", among which are: 1869: First school of nursing which was Ohio’s first Catholic school of nursing. 1915: First hospital to install x-ray equipment.

T o l e d o ’ s A t t i c E s s a y S e r i e s P a g e | 17 1955: First hospital to have a department of nuclear medicine. 1967: First Burn Unit in NW Ohio. 1975: First to have hospital-based alcoholism treatment center. 1979: First area Life Flight service.

Toledo's Labor Temple Location: Corner of 10th and Adams Sts., Toledo

Built with the individual donations of thousands of Toledo's trade unionists, the old Labor Temple was the site of many events in the city's industrial and social history.

Vistula Historic District Location: southwest corner of Summit and Lagrange streets Text: The pioneer village of Vistula is now bounded by Walnut, Champlain, Chestnut, Magnolia, and Summit streets. Established in 1833 by Benjamin F. Stickney and Edward Bissell, Vistula was merged with its rival, Port Lawrence, and in 1837 both villages were incorporated as Toledo. The Vistula Historic District, Toledo’s oldest neighborhood, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.