Ohio Interest

Ever look at a modern skyscraper or a vacant lot and wonder what was there before? Or maybe you have passed an old house and been curious about who lived there long ago. This richly illustrated new book celebrates Columbus, Ohio's, two-hundred-year history and supplies intriguing stories about the city's buildings and celebrated citizens, stopping at individual addresses, street corners, parks, and riverbanks where history was made. As Columbus celebrates its bicentennial in 2012, a guide to local history is very relevant.

Like Columbus itself, the city's history is underrated. Some events are of national importance; no one would deny that Abraham Lincoln's funeral procession down High Street was a historical highlight. But the authors have also included a wealth of social and entertainment history from Columbus's colorful history as state capital and destination for musicians, artists, and sports teams.

The book is divided into seventeen chapters, each representing a section of the city, including Statehouse Square, German Village, and Franklinton, the city's original settlement in 1797. Each chapter opens with an entertaining story that precedes the site listings. Sites are clearly numbered on maps in each section to make it easy for readers to visit the places that pique their interest. Many rare and historic photos are reproduced along with stunning contemporary images that offer insight into the ways Columbus has changed over the years.

A Historical Guidebook to Old Columbus invites Columbus's families to rediscover their city with a treasure trove of stories from its past and suggests to visitors and new residents many interesting places that they might not otherwise find. This new book is certain to amuse and inform for years to come.

The heart of the book is the identification, description, and interpretation of some 83 arches and 18 pillars known to occur in the state. Background information about the bedrock geology of Ohio, the methods of measuring and describing natural arches and pillars, the processes by which these features can be formed, and the ways that they are eventually removed from the landscape provide interesting and valuable context for better understanding the creation, destruction, and study of these unusual elements of the geological landscape. The names and locations of publicly accessible arches and pillars are given. Rainbows of Rock, Tables of Stone is the most extensive statewide review of natural arches and pillars known, and it will almost certainly become a model that will inspire and influence similar compilations for other states.