Ohio

The statue of Arnold Schwarzenegger sits outside the Greater Columbus Convention Center, where it has stood since 2014. The bronze sculpture was originally erected outside the Franklin County Veterans Memorial in 2012, before being relocated and rededicated to its current location. Schwarzenegger, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman attended the ceremony.

During the Civil War, Camp Chase, named for Salmon P. Chase, the Secretary of the Treasury under President Abraham Lincoln and a former governor of Ohio, was home to a military training camp for Union troops and one of the largest Confederate prisons. The first occupants of Camp Chase’s prison were political prisoners, but during the Civil War, as many as 25,000 Confederate soldiers passed through the camp, which was built to house 3,500-4,000 prisoners. By the end of January 1865, the prison held more than 9,400 prisoners. Today, the only remnant of the camp are the graves of 2,260 Confederate soldiers, buried in quarters so tight their headstones nearly touch one another. In the middle stands a monument — with the word “Americans” engraved into its “memorial arch.”

The Columbus Firefighters Memorial, designed by Lieutenant Ed Nothacker and erected in 1958, commemorates firefighters who died while serving. The memorial was dedicated on April 13, 1958, and rededicated on October 16, 1988. The monument, which features an eternal flame on top of Greek columns, was surveyed by the Smithsonian Institution’s “Save Outdoor Sculpture!” program in 1993.

The Denison University Cemetery, also known as College Cemetery, was established in 1833 for presidents and professors who want to be interred on campus.

Malcolm Cochran created “Field of Corn (with Osage Orange),” which debuted in 1994 and as part of a project commissioned by the Dublin Arts Council. The field features 109 rows of corn measuing six feet tall or taller. Sam Frantz, a pioneer of hybrid corn and his wife, Eulalia, previously owned the land and grew corn here. Since debuting, the project wasn’t without its share of controversy.

Arizona artist Barbara Grygutis created the Garden of Constants, located at the College of Engineering. The garden, installed in 2004, features two main elements: 10 large number sculptures numbers and symbols set into the pavement. The Ohio State University Percent for the Arts commissioned the sculpture. The work is located outside of Dreese Lab, home to the Computer and Information Science and Electrical Engineering departments.

Hoover Dam dams the Big Walnut Creek, forming the Hoover Memorial Reservoir, which holds 20.8 billion gallons of water. Construction began during 1953; the dam was dedicated in 1955 and officially opened in 1958. It was named for brothers Charles P. Hoover and Clarence B. Hoover in honor of their careers with the City of Columbus Waterworks.

McFerson Commons is a 2.2-acre park in Columbus’ Arena District. McFerson Commons was previously named Arena Park. The park’s centerpiece is the Union Station arch. Daniel Burnham & Co. designed Union Station. The arch was salvaged before the demolition of the station in the 1970s.

Construction on the Ohio Statehouse started in 1839, and the structure was completed in 1861 and is considered to be a significant architectural accomplishment. The edifice, the seat of Ohio’s government, has been restored to its 1861 appearance. To learn more about the Buckeye State can venture to the Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center on the ground floor of the statehouse. Visitors can participate in a tour or wander the museum at their own pace. A monument to President William McKinley, a native of Niles, Ohio, stands in front of the statehouse.

The Old Colony Burying Ground was established in 1805 and is the final resting place of many early Granville pioneers. The first burial was in 1806, and the oldest surviving gravestone is dated 1808. It is the resting place for veterans from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War, along with ministers, farmers, industrialists, physicians, mothers, children, and other citizens of Granville.

The Granville Opera House was destroyed by fire on April 7, 1982. The historic edifice was built in 1849 as a Baptist Church and moved to a location at the corner of Broadway (Ohio Route 661) and Main Street in 1882. The church tower’s bell is still on display in a park built on the site of the Opera House. The bell first rung on June 29, 1872, to announce the death of the Reverend Samson Talbot, Denison University’s fifth president. The bell was also know for sounding on the hour and as the fire alarm.

Shrum Mound was likely built between 800 BC and 100 AD. At approximately 100 feet in diameter and 20 feet tall, Shrum Mound is said to be “one of the last remaining conical burial mounds” in Columbus. The grass-covered mound features a path leading to the top. The mound is located in Campbell Park, named for former Ohio Gov. James E. Campbell who later served as president of the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society. The mound derives its name from the Shrum family, which in 1928 donated the land where the mound sits to the Ohio Historical Society.

The 23-foot-tall, 24-foot-wide World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock was built in 1972. The clock sits in the heart of the Swiss-themed village of Sugarcreek, Ohio. The town is sometimes called “The Little Switzerland of Ohio.” A cuckoo bird pops out of the clock every 30 minutes, and a small automated band performs Swiss polka music as a couple dances. The Guinness Book of World Records featured the clock on its cover in 1977. It moved to its current location in 2012.