The Ohio Story

The Ohio Story was a scripted U.S. radio and TV program broadcast live to a network of radio and TV stations in Ohio from 1947 to 1961. The series aired for 15 years and, at the time, is thought to have held the record for the longest-running regional scripted program in the nation. When the series ended, 1,309 radio and 175 TV episodes had been produced.^[1]

The series sought little-known but important people and facts in Ohio history, including sharpshooter and exhibition shooter Annie Oakley; famed African-American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar; the abolitionist and author Harriet Beecher Stowe; President William McKinley; television host and media mogul Merv Griffin; Victoria Claflin Woodhull, the first woman to run for president; Civil War-era financier, Jay Cooke, and cartoonist Milton Caniff.

Siedel loved to tell the Tale of Lottie Moon, a Confederate spy from Ohio. The first time Lottie’s story appears is in a 15-minute Ohio Story radio episode broadcast live in 1945. In 1950, Siedel reworked the story for the Cavalcade of America radio show. Lucille Ball read the part of Lottie Moon. The show aired live on June 13, 1950. In 1950, Siedel included the tale of Lottie Moon along with a number of Ohio Story episodes in his 1950 book, The Ohio Story. Siedel told the tale one last time in the TV Version of The Ohio Story, which aired on November 22, 1957.

The first Ohio Story radio show, Knowest the Land, introduced what the series would be about.

“The Ohio Story, then, will be a record of achievement, a narrative account of a free and progressive people. Its purpose: to provide good listening, to increase understanding, to promote a respect for the past, an appreciation of the present, and a hope for the future. In the weeks and months to come, we hope to earn a regular welcome into every Ohio home. We promise to be a polite and interesting guest.”[2]

Great care was taken to balance the episodes geographically and report carefully. Before each episode was run, the Ohio State Historical Society reviewed the scripts for accuracy.^[3]

Frank Siedel created the series and wrote most of the 1,309 radio and 175 TV scripts. A small number of scripts were written by William Ellis, known for his Rivers of America series, Lee Templeton, and Jan Hostetter.

In an interview with the TV & Radio Editor of the Columbus Evening Dispatch, Siedel was asked how he could possibly come up with so many scripts on Ohio. Siedel said:

“There are nearly 9 million people in Ohio, and every one of them is worth a story. Most of our leads, though, are more obvious. If you keep your eyes open. One of the best leads is the plaques you see in public buildings. Usually, they go unnoticed by the passerby, but they were put up there for a reason. Generally, there’s a story behind them."

Siedel cited the case of the bronze locomotive on the wall near the High Street entrance of the Ohio Statehouse. Very few people ever notice it, but Siedel did. It led him to the story of Andrews’ Raiders, a group of Ohioans who stole a locomotive and raised havoc throughout the South during the Civil War. Siedel said the story of “The General” was produced by Walt Disney under the title “The Great Locomotive Chase,” but the story was first presented as an Ohio Story.^[4]

The Ohio Story and Out of the Midwest, two of Frank Siedel's books, and The Bounty Lands, a book by Bill Ellis, were offshoots of the radio series.

Stuart Buchanan, the series producer, said.

“There never has been-or will be-a radio series that commanded the respect and attention of this state or, for that fact, the nation. The Ohio Story reached its peak in the heyday of radio… the late 1940s. Only one show in the nation had a higher rating —that was the Jack Benny Show. I guess of all the things I’ve done in my lifetime, I’m most proud to have had a hand in developing and producing The Ohio Story.”

Tom Field read the Bell Telephone commercials embedded in the radio episodes.

In the later years, Nelson Olmsted, a California-based actor, narrated about 300 of the radio shows and almost all of the television episodes.

Every Ohio Story radio and most TV episodes opened and closed with the Di Provenza score from Verdi's opera La Traviata. Earl Rohlf played the score on a Hammond organ on every live episode for the first five years. After the radio series switched to a pre-recorded format, Rohlf was no longer mentioned in the show credits. An orchestra played the score when the show switched from radio to television.

Anson Hardman, General Advertising Manager of Ohio Bell Telephone, coordinated the first five years of the radio series. Ohio Bell sponsored the entire series run and used it to launch many new telephone features.^[5]

The radio series began in 1947 as a three-times-a-week evening radio show broadcast live from the WTAM studios in Cleveland to a statewide network of radio stations.^[6]

In 1952, the radio episode format was changed from 15 minutes to 10 minutes a night, and the shows were pre-recorded for distribution over a 26-station network. The last radio show, Captain Dodge's Uncommon Courage, aired on December 29, 1955.

In 1947, Robert Waldrop left his job as a staff announcer with NBC in New York to become the radio series announcer. Waldrop announced the series for nine years, 1947 to 1955. John Shurtleff, who previously worked on the Jack Benny and Gene Autry radio shows, handled the sound effects for the radio series.

A 1953 Ohio Bell press release claimed the radio series earned more awards than any other regional program nationwide.^[7]

Although the radio scripts are preserved, few recordings of radio episodes have been found.^[8]

The Ohio Story TV series began its run with a show titled The House that Jack Built, the story of the devotion of a man for his mule. The 10-minute episode premiered on October 4, 1953.

Moving from a radio program to a TV format required a lot of additional but necessary effort. Whereas the radio programs merely required a writer, a narrator, a cast, a researcher, and someone to distribute the shows, the latest TV format also required sets, a director, camera operators, sound technicians, props, and film editors, as well as labs to process the film. TV added considerable cost and time to produce a story.

By 1958, the Ohio Story was broadcast over an 8-station TV network. The episodes were often used to fill airtime after a 20-minute news block.

Storycraft, Frank Siedel's scriptwriting firm, noted that The Ohio Story television episodes consistently earned “an 18 rating across the state,” as high as the series did in its heyday in the days of radio.”^[9] They attributed the success of the TV series to the fact that the program has evolved with the changing techniques used on Television.

“The men behind the Ohio Bell series have always been willing to experiment with better production techniques. The early television shows used a type of still-animation with voice over narration. “While the show itself achieved a good audience, the artwork method was rather inflexible to produce. Shortly thereafter, the animation method was dropped in favor of an all dramatic presentation, using local talent, including Cleveland Play House personnel, in the featured roles

Twenty-six Ohio Story TV broadcasts a year were produced the first few years, dropping later to 13 a year. Only six TV shows were made in 1960. The last Ohio Story TV episode aired on WSTV in Steubenville, Ohio, in May 1961.

In 1957, Ohio Bell aired a 10-minute television “Ohio Story Anniversary” episode on “Ohio Story” week in Ohio. The episode highlights how the series began and what the kind of stories they planned to do in the future.

Nelson Olmsted, a famous Hollywood actor and the host for some of the radio episodes and almost all of the television episodes, noted that the children that were two years old when the series began are now in college and beginning to write their own The Ohio Story. This episode is on the Hagley Library web site.^[10]

In 1961 The Ohio Story radio and television series came to an end. C.O. Poleni, Assistant VP of Ohio Bell Telephone, explained it this way: "the time has come to change the direction of our television programming. The advantages gained by our co-sponsorship of the Bell Telephone Hour and by use of more flexible, local television attractions are among the major considerations in this decision.”^[11]

The TV programs continued to be available for loan through libraries and shown at Rotary, Elks Lions and other fraternal group meetings, and in-school classes for years after.^[12]

• "A" IS FOR AX — William Holmes McGuffey of Warren, Ohio, changed the elementary education structure for the entire nation. 1954, Episode #1146TV. Aired: May 2, 1954.
• ABOARD A LAKES FREIGHTER — The Ohio Story takes you aboard the Charles White of the Republic Freight of ore carriers as it plies its way through 900 miles of freshwater from Ohio ports to loading docks along Lake Superior.
• ACCOUNT PAYABLE — Negligence of the Northwest Territory to repay Governor Arthur St. Clair.
• ADAMS’ ‘RINOS - How Ohio resident Seth Adams imported the first Merino sheep to the United States from Spain in the early 1800s. Aired: May 5, 1959.
• ALWAYS READY — That is the motto of the Marblehead Coast Guard Station. In this chapter of The Ohio Story, we will visit the Marblehead Coast Guard on some of their rescue operations.
• AND PASS THE AMMUNITION —
• ANNIE OAKLEY — The remarkable story of an unknown girl from Greenville, Ohio, who became an international idol, exhibiting her sharpshooting skill. Episode #1065TV. Aired: Oct. 25, 1953
• ANOTHER MAN'S SON — The heartwarming story of a confederate soldier in Ohio territory. Another man's son helped him see the war in a more personal light.
• ANTARCTIC FLIGHT — Lincoln Ellsworth of Hudson, Ohio, and his daring trip to the Antarctic.
• ART FOR EVERYONE — The Toledo Museum of Art was the first of its kind to offer a free art educational program. It sponsors art classes for everyone.
• ARTIST IN GLASS — Displays the timeless art of stained glass making in Cleveland Studio of Rudolph Sandon.
• BACKSTAGE AT THE BIG TOP — A visit to the winter quarters of Ohio's Mills Brothers Circus at Jefferson.
• BALLOON OVER OHIO — Free ballooning across Ohio with all the fun and glamour of a Jules Verne novel. This story will take you for a ride in Ohio's only free balloon, one of only two in the country.
• BEAUTIFUL DREAMER — Merv Griffin, plays Stephen Foster in a musical dramatization of Stephen Foster’s years in Cincinnati, Ohio. Aired: Nov. 1, 1958.
• BEE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD — Shows how candles are made in Medina, Ohio. It also shows the hand painting and decorating of the famous Easter Paschal candles. Aired: Oct. 22, 1955
• BELLS OF KENYON — The story of Peter Neff's defeat in his court battle with the bells of Kenyon.
• BIG DAY AT THE FAIR — A visit to the Ohio State Fair in Columbus. This is a contest of professionals — a proving ground for ideas and theories.
• BIG TIMBER IN OHIO — The entire operation of growing, cutting, and sawing trees for shipping. There are nearly 1800 sawmills in Ohio.
• BIGGEST LITTLE SHIPS IN THE WORLD — The story of tug boats on the Great Lakes.
• BIRTH OF A GAS STATION — The story of the courageous pioneer, Harvey Wickliffe, who opened the first gasoline station in the country at Columbus, Ohio. Episode #1122TV. Aired: Mar. 7, 1954.
• BOYSTOWN, OHIO A visit to an Ohio Boystown where you see government by and of the young boys who participate in its activities. Aired: 28 Feb. 28, 1957.
• BRADY'S LEAP The story of the dramatic leap by Sam Brady, a famous Indian fighter, which gave the name to Brady's Lake near Ravenna, Ohio. Episode #1083TV. Aired: Dec. 6, 1953.
• BUCKEYE SHEPARD — In Wooster, Ohio, a breed of intelligent dogs is raised under conditions similar to those of their native Scotland. This episode is about a Border Collie named Toto and how he herds sheep on a farm in Wooster, Ohio. Toto and his master, Mr. Bell, demonstrate the dog's ability to herd an entire flock of sheep while the audience learns Border Collies' facts.
• BY HEAVEN WE CAN —
• CASE OF SIMON GIRTY — The evidence about a man who has become a legend in Ohio history.
• CHRISTMAS TREE FARM — Over and above its sentimental and seasonal values, the Christmas tree plays a vital role in Ohio's billion-dollar farm economy.
• CLARENCE DARROW AND THE HARNESS — Darrow of Kinsman, Ohio, was a lawyer who spent nine years fighting a case that involved a $30 harness and a principle of justice that lives to this day.
• CLEVELAND'S PLAY HOUSE — Brings you the inside story of this dedicated theatre company and why it has earned the right to be called the "world's outstanding Community Theatre. Aired: Dec. 17, 1956
• COL. GIBSON’S FLOUR BARREL — The story of a barrel of flour, the last of Ft. Laurens meager supply, and the unexpected manner in which it saved the outpost on the Tuscarawas from certain death. Alan Alda played an indian in this episode.
• CONSPIRACY ON THE OHIO —
• COONSKIN LIBRARY — The story of how the thirst for knowledge in Amesville started the world-famed library.
• CRIB — Story of Ohio's human-made Rock of Gibraltar in Lake Erie.
• CROWN JEWELS OF OBERLIN — The tale of two men and a quest began in 79 A. D. and ended in Oberlin, Ohio, nearly two thousand years later. In 1881 Charles Martin Hall and Frank Manning Jewett labored together, and finally, Hall produced a few beads of aluminum. Episode #1143TV. Aired: Apr. 25, 1954
• DARLING NELLIE GRAY — Between 1830 and 1860, more than 40,000 slaves escaped across the Ohio River; Ben Hanby saw this happen and was inspired to write the famous Civil War Song, "Darling Nellie Gray."
• DAY AT ROSEMARY — A visit to the Rosemary Home for Crippled Children in Cleveland, Ohio. These children are taught the regular school courses and also learn to walk, talk and play.
• DAY WITH THE FISHING FLEET — The story of commercial fishing, as done in Sandusky, the world's leading freshwater fishing port.
• DEATH RAY — Dr. Thomas, a physics professor at Ohio State University, realized that X-Ray might prove harmful to the human body. He set out to "tame" the ray to serve humankind. Episode #1077TV. Aired: Week of Dec. 5, 1954.
• DEPARTMENT OF LIFE AND DEATH — Documentary of the Ohio Department of Health's services and activities, the State Department that continuously safeguards every minute of every Ohioan's life.
• DINE — The story of the great Mt. Vernon song-writer, Dan Emmett, creator of the first minstrel show. Episode#1219TV. Aired: Week of Dec. 5, 1954.
• DOC BEEMAN'S PEPSIN — Doc thought of himself as a scientist. One day, he became famous — not because of his contributions to science, but because he discovered Pepsin chewing gum.
• DOWN BY THE OLD STREAM — Tells the story of the writing of this song by Tell Taylor, the boy from Findlay, Ohio. Episode #1068TV. Aired: Nov. 1, 1953.
• DRIVERS WITH DIPLOMAS — Filmed at Rocky River High School. A 60-hour course is taught in many Ohio High Schools. Since 1947, 170,000 students have been trained to be skillful, safety-minded drivers.
• DRUMMER BOY OF SHILOH —
• EARL SLOAN'S LINIMENT — The success story caused a bottle of ointment to build the best small-town library in the United States at Zanesfield, Ohio. Episode #1092TV. Aired: Dec. 27, 1954.
• EARTHQUAKE REPORTER — A story about the seismograph at John Carroll University in Cleveland, telling how it records earthquakes all over the world.
• TED ALLEN’S BIGGEST DEAL — The Story of the founder of the Society for Crippled Children. Ed Allen's first hospital was built in his hometown, Elyria, Ohio, and today there is a chain of such hospitals throughout the world. Episode#1074TV. Aired: Nov. 15, 1953.
• FALSE WITNESS — The strange story of David Wyrick, noted engineer—archaeologist. Wyrick claimed evidence found in Newark's Indian mounds proved the American Indians migrated here from Asia and were descended from Israelites. Aired: Jan. 24, 1956.
• FARMING BY AIR — A flying farmer shows how the airplane has become a vital piece of Ohio farm machinery.
• FIELD TRIALS — Ardent sportspeople put their prize hunting dogs through their paces at the Ohio Field Trials.
• FIRE ENGINE CALLED JOE — The exciting advent of the first fire engine in the United States at Cincinnati on January 1, 1853. This was the beginning of paid fire departments and the end of political gangs who controlled volunteer fire companies in the big cities. Episode #1125TV. Aired: Mar. 11, 1954.
• FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE — Dramatizes the acceptance of the custom of trimming an evergreen at Christmas time.
• FIVE PANELS FOR GARFIELD — The story is told by the five stone panels on the Garfield Monument in Cleveland. The panels mirror a remarkable life, from school teacher to President of the United States. Episode #1131 TV. Aired: Mar. 28. 1954.
• FLIGHT WITHOUT POWER —
• FOREST FIRE CONTROL — Keeping Ohio’s five million acres of forest lands green is the task of Ohio’s Division of Forestry.
• GARDEN OF EVIL — The story behind Ohio State University’s fascinating and weird cultivation of the most poisonous plants common to Ohio.
• GENERAL THE — The story of the little locomotive immortalized in a bronze plaque at the Ohio State Capitol in Columbus. The engine won its fame during the Civil War when it was a principal factor in the desperate dash of 22 Union soldiers through Confederate lines. Episode #1104TV. Aired: Jan. 21 1954.
• GENTLE JOHNNY APPLESEED — Johnny was born Jonathan Chapman near Boston in 1775 and came to Ohio in 1800 with a canoe-load of apple seeds. He wandered through the countryside planting the seeds, and as the years went by, Johnny's apple orchards sprang up all over Ohio. Episode #1116TV. Aired: Feb. 21. 1954
• GEORGE HOPPER AND THE TRAMP — The poorest man in Unionville, Ohio, was always willing to share his food and give shelter to the less fortunate. He accidentally achieved great wealth and success after sheltering a tramp who gave him the formula to prevent oil barrels from leaking.
• GIFT OF SONG — Depicts the life of the famed Negro poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar,
• GLASS BLOWERS OF BREMEN — Shows how "freehand" glass is still being made in Bremen, Ohio, by Carl Erickson and his skilled craftsmen.
• GOVERNMENT IN ACTION. The story of your child in school.
• GRAPES OF WRATH — The story of a bitter feud — back in 1820, and how the Delaware grape got its name.
• HEALTH MUSEUM — What’s the breathing capacity of your lungs? This and many other mysteries are explained as you take an enlightening and fascinating trip through the Health Museum.
• HERE COME THE MOUNTIES — This shows the behind-the-scenes training of the Cleveland Mounted Police Troop A Division, the only mounted troop left in Ohio and the most famous troop in the world.
• HERE COMES THE SHOWBOAT — The "Majestic," the only showboat left, proudly travels the river from June to September with her crew — the Hiram College Players.
• HOLE IN THE EARTH — Using the studio space ship, the unusual theory of what exists under the earth's surface put forth in 1818 by John Cleves Symmes of Hamilton, Ohio, is explored. Episode #1152TV. Aired: May 16, 1954.
• HOME TOWN PAPER — A day in the life of the editor of a small-town newspaper, the Medina County Gazette.
• HORNS O' PLENTY — A visit to the H.N. White Company in Cleveland, makers of fine band instruments.
• HORSESHOE JUSTICE — Two men were falsely accused of robbing Jennie Archer of $300. They might have spent the rest of their lives in the prison had it not been for Colonel Ferguson, attorney for the defense, who reviewed the facts and eventually tracked down the real criminals.
• HOT DOG! — Tells how a Columbus ballpark concessionaire's ingenuity and a Tad Dorgan cartoon combined to create a great American institution, the "Hot Dog."
• HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT — Tells about the unusual circumstances that caused a man to build a home for a mule near Bellaire, Ohio, 83 years ago. Episode# 1056TV. Aired: Oct. 4, 1953.
• HOW THE NICKEL PLATE GOT ITS NAME — The story of the feud between Norwalk and Bellevue's citizens in 1881 when the railroad was being built. Episode #1098TV. Aired: Week of Jan. 10, 1954.
• ICE DETECTIVE —
• I WONDER I WONDER — The Lake Erie Junior Museum, a kind of open doorway through which children can pass into the wonderful world of nature.
• INNER-CITY — Spotlights the work of the "Inner City" Protestant Parish in Cleveland.
• JAY COOKE — FINANCIER — A business tycoon whose political genius kept the Union on its feet at one time during the Civil War.
• JOHNSON'S ISLAND — The historical plot to free some 3,000 Confederate prisoners from a stockade on Johnson's Island in Sandusky Bay during the Civil War. Episode# 1059TV. Aired: Oct. 11, 1953.
• JUGGLER AND THE STATIONMASTER — Heartwarming drama of a $10,00 loan to W. C. Fields by a stationmaster in Kent.
• KIDRON AUCTION — The story of Cy Sprunger, auctioneer. It's a real Ohio success story — about a man who started a prosperous business with a five-dollar bill.
• KING OF THE KEELS — This is the story of Mike Fink, King of the Keelboat men, in the days when hard-fighting, Swashbuckling keelboat men ruled the Ohio River.
• LADY FROM CINCINNATI — The story of a remarkable horse that couldn't pace and a trainer who wouldn't admit defeat.
• LAND BILL ALLEN — The story of the untiring efforts of Bill Allen, an Ohio peddler, to popularize the Homestead Act and the effect of his work on the development of our country. Episode#1200TV. Aired: Week of Oct. 17, 1954.
• LAND UNDER GLASS — The story of how fresh vegetables are raised during the winter in Cleveland's huge greenhouse industry.
• LANTERN TO MY FEET This Ohio Story will present a warm drama of the selfless organization in Columbus, Ohio — Pilot Dogs, Inco Lantern to My Feet will show the behind-the-scenes training that transforms a playful boxer into a qualified guide dog for a blind student.
• LIFELINE OF THE ISLANDS — Unfolds a 25-year legend of one of the world's shortest and most vital airlines, the Island Air Service, which serves as a lifeline for the isolated Lake Erie island country. The film contains some of the dramatic incidents which this aviation operation shares with the daily life of the Lake Erie islands.
• LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS — The story of children who are taught to live in a world of blindness. It was filmed at the Ohio State School for the Blind, located in Worthington.
• LITTLE BROWN JUG — Shows the world's richest harness race, held annually in Delaware, Ohio.
• LITTLE LEAGUE — Baseball youth organization explained through the eyes of a Little League volunteer manager. Aired: 25 Apr. 25, 1959.
• LITTLE SWITZERLAND — The finest cheese in the world is made by the Swiss who left Europe to settle among the gently rolling hills of Wayne, Holmes, and Tuscarawas counties.
• LONG LONG TRAIL OF JAMES BROWN — Historical drama of famous Smith County counterfeiter and his Pony Express method of passing counterfeit money.
• LOW WATERMARK OF SAMUEL VNTON — The dramatic story of an Ohio Lawyer who changed Ohio's southern boundary in a Virginia courtroom.
• MAGNIFICENT FAILURE Tells of a humble Ohio plowboy who became a brilliant general and served two terms as President of the United States (Ulysses S. Grant.) Episode #1221TV. Aired: Week of Dec. 12, 1954.
• MAIL DETECTIVE — Cites the courage and ingenuity employed by federal agent John Wheeler in solving a series of thefts on the Cleveland to Columbus stage line. Episode#1197TV. Aired: Week of October 10.
• MAN IN STATUARY HALL One of the most colorful characters in Ohio was a man called "Rise-up" William Allen. He was the congressman, governor, and conscience of the state.
• MAN WHO WRECKED THE TEMPLE — The story behind the famous painting "A Stag at Sharkey's" that hangs in the Art Museum in Cleveland. The portrayal of a prizefight painted by George W. Bellows. Episode#1062TV. Aired: Oct. 18, 1954.
• MAPLE SUGAR FESTIVAL — High spot in the spring calendar is maple syrup boiling time and Geauga County’s annual maple sugar festival in Chardon.
• MATTER OF REVENGE — James Copus and frontier justice in Ashland County.
• MILTON CANIFF STORY — In an interview with Nelson Olmsted, Steve Canyon's creator, Milton Caniff, tells of his Ohio background.
• MINUTEMEN WITH WINGS — Features the Ohio Air National Guard and a trip to Collins Air Force Base — Alpena, Michigan.
• MISSION ACCOMPLISHED — Sequel to "Strategic Air Command" jet engine reconnaissance mission; bombers scout targets all over the world on training missions.
• MISSION IN MARIETTA The inspiring story of Catherine Fay of Marietta, Ohio. Her remarkable courage in the face of the opposition gave her strength to found the first orphan home in the United States.
• MONUMENT TO A BROKEN ARM Some 66 citizens of Gallipolis lost their lives when Yellow Jack came calling up the river. Episode#1211TV. Aired: Week of Nov. 14, 1954.
• MONUMENT TO A PIG — The story behind a plain marble monument found in the little Southern Ohio Village of Blue Ball. (The Shaker Colony). Episode #1149TV. Aired: May 9. 1954
• MORGAN’S ESCAPE — Rebel leader, John Hunt Morgan, escapes from the Ohio State Penitentiary in a historical drama.
• MOTHER MOLLY — The story of Molly Bawn, the mother of the Holsteins in Ohio. Molly was Ohio's first imported cow from Holland, brought to Wellington, Ohio, in 1881. Episode #1107TV. Aired: Jan. 31, 1954.
• MOTHER THOMPSON AND THE MEANEST MAN IN OHIO — Tells of the crusading days of early Ohio prohibitionists. Episode #1128TV. Aired: March 21, 1954.
• MOUND BUILDERS - 2700-year-old burial mounds are excavated and explored at the Niles Wolford site near Circleville.
• MR. LINCOLN'S RIGHT-HAND Edwin Stanton was vain, stubborn, unjust, and cruel. But without his chapter, all the Ohio story pages since 1861 might have been written very differently.
• MRS. STOWE'S WAR — A frightened, half-frozen slave girl named Eliza helped precipitate the war between the states, as Harriet Beecher Stowe's early days in Cincinnati inspired "Uncle Tom's Cabin," the most controversial book of its time.
• MUSIC TO SEE BY —
• MYSTERY OF MR. RAREY — The story of the internationally acclaimed horse trainer, John Rarey, won lasting fame for his simple yet effective principles. Episode #1140TV. Aired: Apr. 18. 1954.
• NIKE: GUARDIAN GODDESS OF OHIO — Describes in detail how Nike missiles are prepared to protect Ohio in the event of an attack.
• NINTH PRESIDENT — Edward James Roye of Newark, who became President of Liberia.
• OBERLIN ART DETECTIVE — Under Richard Buck's direction, the laboratory at Oberlin examines and refurbishes the lovely works of art.
• OH, SAY CAN YOU SEE? — This film documentary describes the research Dr. Samuel Renshaw, Professor of Physics at Ohio State University, is doing to improve our way of life through proper use of our God-given senses.
• OELO GRIT — Today in South Amherst, the world’s largest sandstone quarries produce stone for factories, homes, churches, etc. This film shows the process of mining and cutting the sandstone.
• OHIO—MICHIGAN WAR — Started in 1835 when two armies marched on Toledo, ended when a clerk put a court record in his hat and is revived each fall when eleven representatives of each state meet in Ann Arbor or Columbus to commit collegiate mayhem on each other.
• OHIO HAS SAVED THE NATION — Historical drama of turbulent Ohio gubernatorial campaign during the Civil War which prompted President Lincoln to send his famous telegram "Ohio Has Saved the Nation."
• OHIO STATE BAND — Even if the well of football talent would run dry, the fans would still flock to the stadium on Saturday afternoons in autumn. Episode #1225 TV. Aired: Week of Dec. 26, 1954.
• OHIO STATE HIGHWAY PATROL — The story of this fast-moving patrol that supervises almost 86,000 miles of highways. Its activities are unlimited — in the Sandusky Bay area, the patrol is seaborne. The airborne patrol does Aerial Surveys, and the highway patrol is responsible for law enforcement on the highways.
• OHIO STORY ANNIVERSARY — COMMEMORATES THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OHIO STORY PROGRAM.
• 150,000 ORCHIDS — Shows how the breeding and cultivation of orchids in Gates Mills, Ohio, has become a multi-million-dollar business.
• OUT OF THIS WORLD — A visit to the Ohio State School for the Deaf. The school staff's dedicated people carefully train the deaf children to take their place in the "outer world."
• PASSPORT TO WAITING WORLDS — Diary of the second largest library in the country, Cleveland Public Library.
• PERKINS EQUATION How astronomy professor Hiram Perkins was able to donate a quarter of a million dollars for an observatory even though he never received a salary exceeding $1,800 a year, because of a fortune that was built through his famous equation for raising hogs at a profit.
• PLATT SPENCER'S SYSTEM — The story of the man who taught the whole country to write beautiful letters that are "Plain to the eye and gracefully combined to train the muscles and inform the mind." Episode#1155TV. Aired: Week of May 23, 1954.
• PORT OF TOLEDO — The story of why a river town in the Midwest happens to be the world's coal shipping capital. Episode#1208TV. Aired: Week of Nov. 7.
• POSTBOY OHIO — The story of Ralph Johnson and his near-tragic part in the naming of the crossroads settlement of Postboy, Ohio. His identification of a murderer at his hanging is the powerful climax to this story. Episode #1194TV. Aired: Week of Oct. 3, 1954.
• POWER SQUADRON — Safety afloat demonstrated by Ohio Chapters of the US Power Squadron.
• PRICE OF FREEDOM — The story of another century when the city of Zanesville, Ohio, helped provide and preserve the dollars and cents for ex-slave George Root to buy his last son's freedom. Episode #1217. TV Aired: Week of Nov. 28, 1954.
• PROSECUTOR — The story of Tom Erving, the bold young prosecuting attorney from Lancaster, who later became a United States Senator and then President Harrison's Secretary of Treasury.
• READIN', RITIN’ AND TV — Thousands of children in Cincinnati, Ohio, have schoolwork TV lessons. From first grade arithmetic to high school chemistry, lessons are piped into the classrooms.
• RETURN OF THE ZANES — The famous tales of the Old West by Zane Grey were inspired in an attic in Zanesville, Ohio, years ago. Episode#1086TV. Aired: Dec. 13. 1953.
• REVOLT OF LUCK? STORE —
• 'RITHMETIC RAY — The remarkable story of the man who revolutionized the teaching of mathematics. 1954. Episode #1137TV. April 11. Joe Ray, the man who wrote the books that taught this whole nation its arithmetic.
• SAFE SAFES —The Mosler Safe Co.
• SCARLET CARNATION — The strange story of a red carnation's role in the life of Ohio's martyred president, William McKinley. Episode #1095TV. Aired: Jan. 3, 1954.
• SCHOOL FOR THE BLND — At the Ohio State School for the Blind in Columbus, Ohio, great emphasis is placed on vocational training. Every opportunity is given to the students to help themselves and, when they graduate, to face the outside world.
• SEAWAY TO OHIO — The day when foreign ships can sail directly to Ohio Ports is not far away. By 1960, life in Ohio will see many changes due to the St. Lawrence Seaway.
• SHAKESPEARE UNDER THE STARS Visit the campus of Antioch College, the home of a drama festival that has gained international recognition.
• SHERIDAN'S RIDE — The link between history and literature was never stronger than on the November night in 1864 when Cincinnati poet, Thomas Buchanan Read, immortalized Somerset, Ohio's General Phil Sheridan and his famous ride to Winchester.
• SHOES — The early settlers of Mesopotamia, Ohio, overcame most of the hardships they were forced to endure. The problem of shoes proved almost too much for them until Hezekiah Sperry, the founder of the town, finally found the answer for them. Episode #1119TV. Aired: Feb. 28. 1954.
• SILENT WITNESS — This story takes you behind the Cleveland Police Bureau of Scientific Identification scenes to show how Dave Cowles and his crack crew of crime fighters bring speedy justice to lawbreakers.
• SILVER ON SALT CREEK — Bits of Silver in Sam Chandler's new well started the Ohio silver rush and proved a silver dollar can go a long way, especially when it is fired down a well. Episode #1203TV. Aired: Week of October 24, 1954.
• SON OF MOTHER MACHREE — Merv Griffin is cast as Cleveland composer Ernest Ball who wrote over 40 popular songs.
• SOUNDS FROM THE STARS — The story is set in Columbus, Ohio State University, where radio can be received from many planets and stars in our universe.
• SPIRIT OF ARCHIE WILLARD The famous painting, "The spirit of 76" hanging in the Cleveland City Hall, was inspired by vivid tales of the revolutionary war — as told to Archie Willard, the Bedford boy. Episode #1101TV. Aired: Jan. 17, 1954.
• STAND OF CAPTAIN McCONNELL — The courageous captain who saved three Indian prisoners accused of murdering a group of settlers from mob violence.
• STORM, THE — On November 18, 1913, 36 ships and 136 seamen were lost in one of the worst hurricanes ever to strike the Great Lakes. This is the story described by Milt Smith, assistant engineer of the ill-fated Chas. S. Price. Episode #1205 TV. Aired: Week of Oct. 31, 1954.
• STORYTELLER OF SPRING STREET — A true "O. Henry" story enacted in Columbus, Ohio, years ago. When O. Henry, then known as Will Porter, was serving a term in the Ohio State Penitentiary 50 years ago, he participated in a dramatic incident in which a safecracker named Dick Price opened a safe to foil a stock promotion swindle. From this affair, the writer created the Jimmy Valentine story. Episode #1080TV. Nov. 29. 1953.
• STRANGE REUNION – A long-lost Indian captive is reunited with her mother. Aired: Week of 14 Nov 1959.
• STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND — Filmed at Lockbourne Air Base in Columbus, Ohio. Shows the operation of SAC's "RB 47's, the jet bombers that range the far corners of the globe.
• TAMING OF LOTTIE MOON — The famous Confederate spy, Lottie Moon, is outmaneuvered in every way.
• TENTH FRENCHMAN — The story of buried treasure said to be hidden away for nearly 200 years near Minerva, Ohio. A letter written in 1755 describes the treasure as the French Army's gold taken from Fort Duquesne when the British attacked that stronghold. Episode#1071TV. Aired: Nov. 8, 1953.
• THE TOLEDO MALL.
• TRANING FOR TOMORROW — A visit to the new Industrial Arts School in Parma, Ohio. Here, young artisans are learning how to become citizens of an industrial age and an industrial world.
• TREES FOR TOMORROW — Forest Conservation — our Forest Rangers' efforts in the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy to save our beautiful woodlands.
• TRIAL BY DEATH —
• TRIAL OF DORSEY VIERS — After the acquittal of the murder of Rupert Charlesworth, the accused, Dorsey Viers, finds the hangman's noose would have been more merciful.
• UPON THE HOUSETOPS — Ben Hanby, a young minister in New Paris, Ohio, whose gift to the children on Christmas Eve long ago —— was the happy song "Up on the Housetops." Episode #1089TV. Aired: Dec. 20. 1954.
• VICKIE FOR PRESIDENT — Historical drama of the life of Vickie Claflin, first woman presidential campaign.
• VIOLIN MAKERS OF MAIN STREET — A visit to the only American violin manufacturing company in the US, the Jackson-Guldan Company in Columbus, Ohio.
• VOLUNTEERS — A visit to a small town to pay tribute to the volunteer firemen.
• WANTED, A HOME — A visit through Cleveland's Animal Protective League kennels with director "Uncle Henry" Leffingwell and a young client. Episode #1214TV. Aired: Week of Nov. 21, 1954.
• WHEN OLD BETSY SPOKE — The story of a cannon that stands today in Birchard Library Park in Fremont, but which back in 1813 played a significant role in ensuring the young American Republic's survival.
• WHO IS THERE TO MOURN FOR LOGAN? — Chief Logan made one of the most eloquent speeches of all time.
• WINTERTIME ZOO — The Ohio Story takes you behind the scenes at the Toledo Zoo,
• WITCHCRAFT ON TRIAL — Humorous dramatization of Ohio's only witchcraft trial in 1823.
• WRECK OP THE SHENANDOAH — The story of the tragic wreck of the dirigible, Shenandoah, near Ava, Ohio, in 1925. Episode #1113TV. Aired: Feb. 14 1954.
• X-RAY INCIDENT — The first medical X-ray picture was taken by Dr. George W. Crile and Professor Dayton Miller of Cleveland.

• At least two libraries in Ohio, the Columbus Public Library and the Ohio Genealogical Society Library, have digitized the radio scripts and posted them on their websites.^[1]