STATEHOUSE NEWS

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The Ohio Statehouse will celebrate and honor important women in the history of Ohio during Women’s History Month, March 1 – 31, 2012, with tours of the Ladies’ Gallery, a special exhibit and program featuring women that served throughout America’s global conflicts.

An exhibit will feature campaign items of Florence Harding and some of the first women to vote in a presidential election. A looping silent video of historic film footage will highlight a suffragette parade, Florence and Warren G. Harding campaigning, and the couple voting in the presidential election in Marion in 1920. The exhibit will be on view in the Ohio Statehouse Map Room on the ground floor throughout March.

Special tours of the Ladies’ Gallery will be offered to Statehouse visitors throughout March. The Ladies’ Gallery is a place of honor and learning in the Ohio Statehouse. The Ladies’ Gallery pays homage to Ohio’s first six women legislators who paved the way for women in government. The room also honors all women who have served in the Ohio General Assembly.

Women’s History Month is the perfect time to visit www.OhioLadiesGallery.org. The Web site and its content are dedicated to the first six Ohio women legislators and the women’s suffrage movement during the turn of the 20th century. The Web site further enhances the educational efforts of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board and is designed to provide valuable information to legislators, educators, history buffs, media and anyone interested in the women in Ohio government. It features an attractive design, easy to use navigation, photo and video gallery and a database of every woman to serve in the Ohio General Assembly.

A free program, featuring five brave Ohio women veterans who served in the military during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm and the Iraq War, will be presented on March 16 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Museum Gallery on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse. The program will focus on the contributions women have made, and continue to make, in the military.

The presentation is free and open to the public; however an RSVP is required due to limited seating. Interested participants may RSVP by emailing Karen Kish at karen.kish@dvs.ohio.gov or by calling 614/752-8941.

The presentation is sponsored by the Ohio Department of Veterans Services.


About the Ladies’ Gallery
Taking their historic seats for the 1923-1924 Ohio General Assembly session were six courageous, capable and determined women elected by their home districts to serve in the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate. Serving in the 1923 Ohio House of Representatives were Nettie McKenzie Clapp, Cuyahoga County; Lulu Thomas Gleason, Lucas County; Adelaide Sterling Ott, Mahoning County; and May Martin Van Wye, Hamilton County. Serving in the Ohio Senate were Nettie Bromley Loughead, Hamilton County; and Maude Comstock Waitt, Cuyahoga County.

The Ladies’ Gallery’s enduring goal is to inform and inspire all who visit – especially young women and girls – to take an active role in democracy. The room portrays the comprehensive impact women had on the most controversial and cutting-edge issues of the time – issues that changed the culture of American and Ohio life. The room contains an interactive kiosk, historic items, clothing, photos, banners and artifacts pertaining to the first women legislators and the history of the Suffrage movement in Ohio.

The view this press release and others, visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

The Ohio Statehouse is more than a monument to our past; it's where history happens! The Ohio Statehouse is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed holidays. The Ohio Statehouse Museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends from noon to 4 p.m.; closed holidays. Admission is free. Free guided tours are offered weekdays on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and weekends from noon to 3 p.m. Tours depart from the Map Room easily accessible from the Third Street entrance. Groups of 10 or more are requested to call in advance to ensure a guide is available. Contact 888/OHIO-123 for more information or to schedule a group tour. For more information about the Ohio Statehouse visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

The Ohio Statehouse is handicapped accessible and senior friendly. The Capitol Square complex was restored to allow for greater access by individuals living with disabilities. Ohio Statehouse public programs and events are held in accessible and barrier free areas of the building so that everyone can participate. Ohio Statehouse visitors needing disability-related accommodations in order to fully participate in an event may contact the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board at statehouse@csrab.state.oh.us or 614/752-9777 to communicate special needs. Please allow three weeks for arrangements to be completed.

The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) is responsible for maintaining the historic character of the Statehouse and Capitol Square while providing for the health, safety and convenience of those who work in or visit the complex. The Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center coordinates tours of Capitol Square and provides information about the buildings, their history and Ohio's government.

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Calendar Listing:

Women’s History Month at the Ohio Statehouse
March 1 - 31, 2012
Ohio Statehouse
Broad & High Streets; downtown Columbus
www.ohiostatehouse.org; 614/752-9777
Free!

The Ohio Statehouse will celebrate and honor important women in the history of Ohio during Women’s History Month, March 1 - 31. Special tours of the Ladies’ Gallery and a small exhibit in the Ohio Statehouse Map Room will focus on women who are important to Ohio history.
Five brave Ohio women veterans who served in the military during many of the past wars will be present for a free program on March 16 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Please RSVP by emailing Karen Kish at karen.kish@dvs.ohio.gov or by calling 614/752-8941.