STATEHOUSE NEWS

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A special commemoration of the death of Abraham Lincoln will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 27. The day will be marked with a Repose of Lincoln re-enactment and a photo exhibit. The event is free and open to the public.

Since April 29, the day Lincoln’s body lay in state at the Ohio Statehouse in 1865, falls on Sunday, the annual event will take place on Friday.

About the Repose of Lincoln
The 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A, a group of Civil War re-enactors, will provide an honor guard over a representation of Abraham Lincoln’s coffin and catafalque in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda. A changing of the guard is scheduled to take place every half hour. Members of the 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A will stand guard from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the Statehouse Rotunda on the exact spot where 147 years before stood military sentinels of another generation guarding the coffin of assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln died in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 15, 1865 after being shot a day earlier by assassin John Wilkes Booth. During the next 20 days, Lincoln’s body traveled 1,700 miles by train from Washington, D.C. to his burial in Springfield, IL on May 4, 1865. Along the way, state funerals were conducted in 12 major cities of the time. Columbus was the ninth city to host this solemn event.

The doors to the Ohio Statehouse opened on April 29, 1865 shortly after 9 a.m. A memorial service was held on the east plaza at 3 p.m. By 6 p.m. more than 50,000 people filed through the Statehouse Rotunda to see the President’s coffin. This was the highest attended event in Statehouse history until November 2, 2008 when Presidential candidate, Barack Obama drew 60,000 people to a rally on the Statehouse grounds.

The perimeter of where the coffin was positioned in the Rotunda will be cordoned off as a physical reminder that the President lay-in-state. A mourning wreath of mixed evergreens, magnolia leaves and white roses will be placed at the site.

Flowers will be placed throughout the Rotunda to add realism to event. The scent of the flowers played an important part on the overall setting and mood on April 29, 1865.

A historic depiction of the setting in the Ohio Statehouse on April 29, 1865 went on to say: “The platform, tastefully carpeted, the rise of each step dressed in black, was ornamented with emblematical flowers and plants in vases so arranged as to present, with their impression of beauty, the sorrow for the dead. At the corners facing the west entrance, were large vases containing beautiful specimens of amaranth, and midway between them a grand central vase glowing with the richness and beauty of the choicest flowers of the season. A similar disposition of vases faced the east entrance, from the corner ones the flowers of the emblematical Justitia, reaching to the height of the dais. Around these large vases, were grouped smaller ones, rising in gradations of beauty with the steps of the platform.” Also, at the foot facing the west entrance was “a graceful swell of a bed of white roses, immortelles and orange blossoms, the pure white relieved only by the deep fresh green of the leaves and spring accompanying [them].”

The Repose of Lincoln is designed to portray the indelible, personal loss experienced on this historic day by the people of Columbus and in the Statehouse. The Repose of Lincoln has been conducted every year on April 29 (held on a Friday if April 29 falls on the weekend) since 2001.

About the Photo Exhibit
A special exhibit of images from the Library of Congress will be on view in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda on Lincoln’s assassination and the men and women named as conspirators along with their fate. This exhibit is for mature audiences.

Lincoln-Vicksburg Memorial
Visitors will also have the opportunity to view the Lincoln-Vicksburg Memorial, which is on display in the Rotunda. In addition, viewers may download a free podcast from iTunes to an iPod or other digital device. The podcast uses music and photographs to outline the history of the Lincoln-Vicksburg Memorial. The Memorial was sculpted by T.D. Jones and was the second piece of art commissioned for the Statehouse by the Ohio General Assembly. The Memorial bears one of the only sculptures of Lincoln that was created from a live sitting with the President. Jones, a native of Granville, took temporary residence in Springfield, IL and had the unique opportunity to spend time each day with President-Elect Lincoln from November 1860 to February 11, 1861.

Images of the Repose of Lincoln are available at: http://www.ohiostatehouse.org/Multimedia/MediaLibrary/Collection.aspx?start=1&collectionId=107844


To 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:

The Repose of President Lincoln
Replica Lincoln's Coffin and Photo Exhibit on View
April 27, 2012; 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Ohio Statehouse Rotunda & Atrium, Broad & High Streets; downtown
Columbus
Free!

The 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A, a group of Civil War re-enactors, will provide an honor guard for a representation of Lincoln’s coffin and catafalque from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The event takes place on the site where the slain President lay in state in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda on April 29, 1865. A special exhibit of images from the Library of Congress will be on view in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda on Lincoln’s assassination and the men and women named as conspirators along with their fate. This exhibit is for mature audiences.

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The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board and the Ohio National Guard have partnered to present a free public program to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s “Great Locomotive Chase” and the Andrews Raiders. The program will take place on Thursday, April 12 at 10:30 a.m. in the Museum Gallery on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Program participants include Cpl. Ron Rosser, one of only two living Ohio Medal of Honor recipients who was awarded the distinction for his actions during the Korean War, and Major General Deborah Ashenhurst, Ohio’s Adjutant General. The ceremony will honor the 19 Ohio soldiers and two civilians who volunteered for the most daring raid in military history. The program takes place 150 years to the day after the event took place during the Civil War. For their courage, these Ohioans became the first recipients of the Medal of Honor. The ceremony will conclude with a three-round cannon firing on the West Plaza (High Street side) of the Ohio Statehouse. The Civil War-era cannon will fire the three rounds between 11:15 and 11:30 a.m.

The ceremony will be Web streamed live on the Internet at www.ohiochannel.org for classrooms across the state. Ohio students of all ages, teachers and administrators are invited to participate in this virtual program by watching the event during a live Web stream. During the program, students will learn about the Andrews Raiders and the historical importance of the event during the Civil War. Educators are encouraged to use this moment to help students learn about the history of the Civil War and its connection to Ohio. Viewing instructions are available at www.ohiostatehouse.org. This virtual educational program is presented in partnership with the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio Government Telecommunications.

The Andrews Raiders historic marker plaque and Medal of Honor belonging to former US Army soldier Ron Rosser for his actions during the Korean War will be on public view throughout the day in the South Light Court.

About the Andrews Raiders
On April 12, 1862 during the Civil War, James J. Andrews, a civilian scout for the Union Army, led a band of 20 enlisted men and one other civilian from various Ohio regiments deep into Confederate territory. There were two other enlisted men who started with the group but who did not get into Georgia with the remainder. Their plan was to board a train headed north out of Atlanta for Chattanooga, capture the train and continue steaming north, stopping frequently to cut telegraph lines and burn bridges, thereby disrupting Confederate lines of communication and aiding the Union Army's drive on Chattanooga.

Unfortunately, the plan went awry, and all the men were captured. Eight, including their civilian leader, were executed in June, 1862, in Atlanta. Eight more escaped from jail in Atlanta in October of that year. Then on March 17, 1863, nearly a year after their adventure began, the remaining six Raiders were exchanged via City Point, Virginia. When they arrived in Washington on March 25, 1863, Secretary Stanton sent word that he would like to see them. He was particularly impressed by Jacob Parrott, at age 19, the youngest of the group. Parrott calmly recited the major details of the raid, then related the story of the brutal beatings he had suffered at the hands of his captors. After listening to their hair-raising tale, Stanton praised Parrott's devotion to duty, then turning to an aide, selected a black morocco leather case. "Congress has by recent law, ordered medals to be prepared on this model and your party shall have the first; they are the first that have been given to private soldiers in this War, " he said as he pinned the medal to the left breast of Parrott's uniform. The remaining five men were also presented medals as of March 25, 1863.

Eventually 19 of these men were awarded the Medal of Honor. The official citation for their award is: "Nineteen of twenty-two men (including two civilians) who, by direction of General Mitchell (or Buell), penetrated nearly 200 miles south into the enemy's territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, Georgia, in an attempt to destroy the bridges and track between Chattanooga and Atlanta."

There have been few awards of the Medal of Honor that attracted so much attention over the years as those awarded to the Andrews Raiders.

To 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:

Honoring Andrews Raiders
First Medal of Honor Winners
April 12, 2012; 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Ohio Statehouse, Broad & High Streets; downtown Columbus
www.ohiostatehouse.org
614/752-9777
Free!

Honor and celebrate the heroism of the first Medal of Honor recipients during an education program. The program takes place 150 years to the day after the event took place during the Civil War. The event will be Web streamed Live at www.ohiochannel.org. For more information, visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

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The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) conducted a successful drill of the Ohio Statehouse 'Code Adam' emergency response system earlier today. CSRAB utilizes the Code Adam emergency response system to continue to ensure a safe environment for the tens of thousands of school children that visit the Ohio Statehouse each year. A child abduction has never been attempted at the Statehouse.

CSRAB works with the Ohio Highway Patrol to conduct an annual drill of the Code Adam emergency response system prior to the busy school group tour season. The drill allows legislators and Capitol Square staff to practice the procedures and protocols that are in place to ensure the safety of the Capitol's young visitors.

The safety of visiting children is taken very seriously at the Ohio Statehouse. The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB), in cooperation with the Statehouse Command Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, has implemented this Code Adam program to find children who are reported lost or missing while in the Ohio Statehouse.

Code Adam is a nationally-recognized 'missing child' safety program used throughout the United States since 1994. It is named in memory of Adam Walsh, the six-year-old son of John Walsh, who was abducted from a department store in Florida and was later found murdered in 1981. The Ohio Statehouse along with many museums, department stores, retail shops, shopping malls, supermarkets and amusement parks participate in the Code Adam program.

To 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 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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The Ohio Statehouse will celebrate Earth Day by offering a FREE fossil tour on Capitol Square. The special tour will take place on Friday, April 20 from noon until 1 p.m. The tour will depart from the Map Room, located on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse. Participants will explore the building stones that make up the Ohio Statehouse and Senate Office Building. The tour will be conducted by Dale M. Gnidovic, Curator of the OSU Orton Geological Museum, and E. Mac Swinford, Assistant State Geologist at ODNR Division of Geological Survey. While the event is free, participants are asked to RSVP to Luke Stedke at lstedke@csrab.state.oh.us or 614/728-2697.

Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the planet's natural environment. The Ohio Statehouse is an ideal place to celebrate Earth Day, as the building is a natural classroom and laboratory to view fossils.

The Ohio Statehouse is constructed of Columbus Limestone. Columbus Limestone is of the Middle Devonian age and was named for the city where it has long been quarried. The Columbus Limestone crops out in a north-south line from Kelleys Island in Lake Erie to south of Columbus. The limestone was formed in a clear, shallow, tropical sea that covered the state almost 400 million years ago. Fossils of marine animals are abundant in the Columbus Limestone and can be seen throughout the Capitol Square complex.

To 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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Members of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) will meet Thursday, April 19, 2012 at the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus. The business meeting will be held in the State Room (Room 108) and will begin at 10 a.m. The meeting is open to the public.

The CSRAB will review 2012 Great Ohioan nominations, create a new Board committee and review its financial report and other pertinent business of the agency. A detailed agenda of the CSRAB meeting will be available after April 16 by contacting the CSRAB office at 614/752-9777.

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.

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.

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

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The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board continues to move forward with plans for the installation of a new automated payment system in the underground parking garage at the Ohio Statehouse.

The installation of equipment will begin next week. The north entry and exits to the Ohio Statehouse underground parking garage will be CLOSED to all vehicles on Tuesday, April 3 and Wednesday, April 4. Both south entries and exits will remain open. In addition, access to the Statehouse loading dock will not be affected by the north end garage closure. The closure will allow for the installation of the new automated parking system gates and other equipment. The new equipment on the north end of the parking garage will be in place and operational on Thursday, April 5.

CSRAB is working with several contractors to ensure that the switchover is done as quickly as possible. The entire system will be in place and operational no later than Thursday, April 12.

Parkers will be required to take their parking ticket with them and use any one of the five “Pay-on-Foot” payment machines prior to exiting the Statehouse parking garage. Pay-on-Foot payment machines will be located throughout the green level of the parking facility. The Pay-on-Foot machines will be located near the north and south garage entrances to the Statehouse and the stairwells to Broad and High Streets, State and High Streets and the garage office area. The machines will accept cash and MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover Card credit cards.

Upon completion, the Ohio Statehouse Parking Garage will be among the state of the art parking facilities in Columbus. The new system will be user friendly, easy to use and accommodate high volume use with speedy transactions. The system will function 24 hours a day.

FOR MONTHLY PARKERS: The new system will provide monthly parkers with a new AVI (Automated Vehicle Identification) pass. The new pass will no longer require monthly parkers to stop, roll down their window and a scan parking card. This will allow for much faster entry and exit to and from that Statehouse parking facility.

FOR DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS SPECIAL EVENT PARKING: The Ohio Statehouse will offer “event parking” during large downtown events, including events held at the Ohio, Riffe Center and Palace Theatres. Special event parkers will “pre-pay” with parking garage staff using cash or credit cards as they enter the Statehouse garage. Parkers will then be able to exit quickly, without stopping at the exit gate, after large downtown events

How the new process will work for Ohio Statehouse parkers:
1. Enter Ohio Statehouse Underground Parking Garage and take parking ticket from machine. (Gate goes up)
2. Proceed to parking stall on any of the three levels.
3. When leaving vehicles, parkers must take their parking ticket with them.
4. Complete task, meeting, event or reason for parking in Statehouse parking garage.
5. Proceed to any one of the five conveniently located Pay-on-Foot payment stations, located throughout the Green Level of the parking facility.
6. Insert parking ticket and make payment with cash or credit card.
7. Remove parking ticket and receipt. (Upon payment, parkers have 15 minutes to exit the parking garage).
8. Proceed to gate and insert parking ticket into machine and exit. (Gate goes up)

If additional assistance is needed, drivers may press the intercom button at each Pay-on-Foot payment station and exit gate for assistance.

Substantial signage reminding drivers to “pay for parking prior to exiting” will be located on all levels throughout the parking garage and within the Statehouse.

Drivers will be introduced to the automated system by signs placed throughout the parking facility and throughout the Capitol Square complex. The automatic, centralized Pay-on-Foot stations placed throughout the Green Level of the parking garage will optimize CSRAB staffing resources. While the new system is intended to save money on employment costs over time, no CSRAB parking attendants will lose employment with the agency. While the system will no longer require staff to serve as cashiers, current parking garage cashiers will serve as “ambassadors” for the first 30 days, helping to familiarize parkers with the new system. After the first 30 days, some cashiers will be reassigned to other CSRAB positions within the Capitol Square complex.

The Ohio Statehouse Parking Garage offers convenient, affordable and sheltered parking with direct access to the Ohio Statehouse and Senate Building, Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, James A. Rhodes State Office Tower and the Huntington Center. More than 1,000 public parking spaces are available daily. The Statehouse parking garage is open to the public 24 hours a day and can accommodate vehicles under 6’6’’ in height. Emergency call buttons are located throughout the facility if assistance is needed. The Statehouse Parking Garage is patrolled by the Ohio Highway Patrol 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Statehouse is located in downtown Columbus on High and Broad Streets. Vehicles can access the Statehouse parking garage from Broad, State or Third Streets (there are no High Street entrances). For more information, contact the Statehouse Parking Garage at 614/728-2557, or visit the parking garage office located on the green level at State and Third Streets. A complete list of parking rates is available at www.ohiostatehouse.org.

To 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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The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board announced plans for a new and easy way to pay for parking at the Ohio Statehouse today. A new automated payment system is projected to be in place and in service on April 14, 2012 in the underground parking facility. Drivers who utilize daily parking services in the Ohio Statehouse underground parking garage will no longer make their payment with a cashier at the exit booth.

Projected to be in service on April 14, parkers will be required to take their parking ticket with them and use any one of the five “Pay-on-Foot” payment machines prior to exiting the Statehouse parking garage. Pay-on-Foot payment machines will be located throughout the green level of the parking facility. The Pay-on-Foot machines will be located near the north and south garage entrances to the Statehouse and the stairwells to Broad and High Streets, State and High Streets and the garage office area. The machines will accept cash and MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover Card credit cards.

Upon completion, the Ohio Statehouse Parking Garage will be among the state of the art parking facilities in Columbus. The new system will be user friendly, easy to use and accommodate high volume use with speedy transactions. The system will function 24 hours a day.

“The new system will allow visitors to the Ohio Statehouse and downtown businesses to pay for parking inside the garage using automated machines and exit the parking garage more quickly and easily”, said Senator Richard Finan, CSRAB Chairman. “It’s part of our continuing effort to make using the Statehouse’s parking facility as convenient as possible for our tenants and visitors.”

FOR MONTHLY PARKERS: The new system will provide monthly parkers with new AVI (Automated Vehicle Identification) pass. The new pass will no longer require monthly parkers to stop, roll down their window and scan parking card. This will allow for much faster entry and exit to and from that Statehouse parking facility.

FOR SPECIAL EVENT PARKERS: The Ohio Statehouse will offer “event parking” during large downtown events, including events held at the Ohio and Palace Theatres. Special event parkers will be able to “pre-pay” with parking garage staff using cash or credit cards prior to entering the Statehouse garage. Parkers will then be able to exit quickly, without stopping at the exit gate, after large downtown events

“The new automated parking payment system will increase customer satisfaction by allowing parkers to exit the garage more quickly,” said William E. Carleton, CSRAB executive director. “The system is designed to end the aggravation that some Statehouse parkers experience when busy entry and exit lanes back up, and seconds feel like minutes.”

How the new process will work for Ohio Statehouse parkers:
1. Enter Ohio Statehouse Underground Parking Garage and take parking ticket from machine. (Gate goes up)
2. Proceed to parking stall on any of the three levels.
3. When leaving vehicles, parkers must take their parking ticket with them.
4. Complete task, meeting, event or reason for parking in Statehouse parking garage.
5. Proceed to any one of the five conveniently located Pay-on-Foot payment stations, located throughout the Green Level of the parking facility.
6. Insert parking ticket and make payment with cash or credit card.
7. Remove parking ticket and receipt. (Upon payment, parkers have 15 minutes to exit the parking garage).
8. Proceed to gate and insert parking ticket into machine and exit. (Gate goes up)

If additional assistance is needed, drivers may press the intercom button at each Pay-on-Foot payment station and exit gate for assistance.

Substantial signage reminding drivers to “pay for parking prior to exiting” will be located on all levels throughout the parking garage and within the Statehouse.

Drivers will be introduced to the automated system by signs placed throughout the parking facility and throughout the Capitol Square complex. The automatic, centralized Pay-on-Foot stations placed throughout the Green Level of the parking garage will optimize CSRAB staffing resources. While the new system is intended to save money on employment costs over time, no CSRAB parking attendants will lose employment with the agency. While the system will no longer require staff to serve as cashiers, current parking garage cashiers will serve as “ambassadors” for the first 30 days, helping to familiarize parkers with the new system. After the first 30 days, some cashiers will be reassigned to other CSRAB positions within the Capitol Square complex.

The Ohio Statehouse Parking Garage offers convenient, affordable and sheltered parking with direct access to the Ohio Statehouse and Senate Building, Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, James A. Rhodes State Office Tower and the Huntington Center. More than 1,000 public parking spaces are available daily. The Statehouse parking garage is open to the public 24 hours a day and can accommodate vehicles under 6’6’’ in height. Emergency call buttons are located throughout the facility if assistance is needed. The Statehouse Parking Garage is patrolled by the Ohio Highway Patrol 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Statehouse is located in downtown Columbus on High and Broad Streets. Vehicles can access the Statehouse parking garage from Broad, State or Third Streets (there are no High Street entrances). For more information, contact the Statehouse Parking Garage at 614/728-2557, or visit the parking garage office located on the green level at State and Third Streets. A complete list of parking rates is available at www.ohiostatehouse.org.

To 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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In commemoration of Ohio’s founding on March 1, 1803, the Ohio Statehouse will host a small exhibit in the Statehouse Rotunda February 28 through March 2. The Statehood Day exhibit will include the looping film, “The Debate Over Statehood,” which depicts the struggle for Statehood between Arthur St. Clair and Thomas Worthington. The display will also include the original portraits of St. Clair and Worthington and a model of the original Columbus Statehouse.

“The Debate Over Statehood” will highlight to viewers how Ohio became a state through an interesting tale of political intrigue between Jeffersonians who wanted Ohio’s seats in Congress, and Federalists who wanted to delay Ohio’s statehood. Theatre style seating will be available for comfortable viewing.

Thomas Worthington emerged as a political leader in the Northwest Territory upon arriving in Ohio in 1796. Worthington built his home, Adena, near Chillicothe. From 1799 to 1803, Worthington served in the territorial legislature. A committed member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Worthington became a major opponent of the Northwest Territory’s Governor Arthur St. Clair and the Federalist Party. St. Clair actively opposed Ohio’s admittance to the United States. He hoped that Ohio would not become a single state but rather two states.
Worthington and several others urged President Thomas Jefferson, to make Ohio a state. Worthington personally traveled to Washington, D.C. to urge Ohio statehood. Jefferson responded by approving the Enabling Act of 1802. This act called on the people of Ohio to form a constitutional convention and to fulfill the other requirements of the Northwest Ordinance to become a state. St. Clair denounced the Enabling Act, prompting Jefferson to remove St. Clair as territorial governor. Ohio became the seventeenth state of the United States on March 1, 1803.

Worthington served in the Ohio General Assembly briefly in 1803 but became one of Ohio's first two United States Senators in that same year. He served as a senator until 1807. He then became a member of the Ohio General Assembly for the next two years. In 1810, he returned to the United States Senate. While in the Senate, Worthington urged the United States government to send military assistance to the settlers of Ohio to aid them against the Indian forces of Tecumseh and the Prophet. He also believed that the United States was too weak to defend itself adequately against the British and opposed the War of 1812. He resigned his senate seat in December 1814 to become governor of Ohio. He was reelected governor in 1816.

Dates Leading Up to Statehood
• November 29, 1802, Ohio adopted its first state constitution and ratified that of the United States.
• February 19, 1803, when the Congress of the United States passed the Enabling Act recognizing Ohio's statehood and establishing the United Stated District Court for Ohio.
• March 1, 1803, when the first General Assembly convened in Chillicothe.

About Early Ohio History
Ohio’s first inhabitants were prehistoric Native Americans. According to archeologists, these early Ohioans lived in the area as early as 13,000 B.C.E. and were Stone Age hunters and gatherers. More advanced Native American cultures, notably the Adena and Hopewell, appeared in the Ohio area later, about 1,000 and 100 B.C.E., respectively. By the time Europeans (first the
French, then the British) began entering the Ohio region in the late 1600s, these and later prehistoric Native American cultures had disappeared, but in the 18th century, the Miami, Wyandot, Ottawa, Delaware, and other tribes moved into the area.

In the mid-1700s, competition between the French and British for trade with Ohio Native
Americans grew increasingly bitter. The spread of British settlement westward alarmed both the French and the Native Americans, and the French and Indian War ensued, resulting in a victory for the British and their control of the Ohio region. Tensions remained, however, between the British and the Native Americans. The Native Americans were bitter about the defeat of their French allies. Through trade regulation and licensing as well as restriction of westward movement imposed on her colonists, Britain continually attempted to quell Native American hostility. Many colonists, however, felt that the British were protecting their own interests at the colonists’ expense. Conflicts between Britain and the colonies intensified, culminating in the American Revolution, which lasted from 1775 to 1783 and secured independence for the United States.

After the war, the U.S. Congress intended to convert the public domain into organized states. The area now known as Ohio became part of the Northwest Territory, the land north and west of the Ohio River. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 provided for an orderly administration of this territory and its transformation into settled states. By 1802, the population of the eastern division of the Northwest Territory had reached 45,000, and Congress authorized an election of delegates and the drafting of a state constitution in preparation for Ohio’s admission to the Union. A constitutional convention held in Chillicothe in November 1802 drafted Ohio’s first constitution.

After elections held in January 1803, the first Ohio General Assembly convened in Chillicothe. Ohio entered the Union on March 1, 1803, as the 17th state.

When Ohio joined the Union in 1803, a two story stone building in Chillicothe served as the state capitol. In 1810, for political reasons, the General Assembly moved the capital temporarily to Zanesville, holding sessions in the new brick courthouse. Legislation enacted on February 20, 1810, provided for the selection of a permanent site for a capital “not more than 40 miles from what may be deemed the common center of the state,” ruling out both Chillicothe and Zanesville.
In 1812, the General Assembly restored Chillicothe as a temporary capital until the new capital could be built.

Images are available upon request or on line at:
http://www.ohiostatehouse.org/Multimedia/MediaLibrary/Collection.aspx?collectionId=102203.

To 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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