History

  Western Female Seminary, which opened its doors in 1855, later became Western College for Women. The first college in the country to have an artist-in-residence, Western attracted national attention when it hosted civil rights training for Freedom Summer 1964. In 1974, the college became part of Miami University in Oxford.

“Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months.”

For 50 years, the Cincinnati Preservation Association has worked to identify and save some of the architectural and historic buildings in our city. In celebration of this anniversary, Paul Muller and Margo Warminski from the CPA join Jane Durrell to talk about the group’s mission, victories and focus for the future.

Northern Kentucky University

Many Americans tend to think of the Civil War as more glorious and less awful than its reality. In Living Hell: The Dark Side of the Civil War, Northern Kentucky University Regents Professor of History Emeritus Dr. Michael C. C. Adams gathers the voices of those who were on the firing line or in the hospital ward to create a far more realistic, and brutal, picture of the war. Dr. Adams is presenting a lecture on his work at 3 PM, April 10, in the Griffin Hall George and Ellen Rieveschl Digitorium on the NKU campus. For more information, call the NKU Department of History and Geography at (859) 572-5461.

The Threads of Heaven: Silken Legacy of China’s Last Dynasty exhibit is now on display at the Taft Museum of Art. The exhibit illustrates the culture of the Qing dynasty and the final days of empire in China through more than 100 rarely seen items, including imperial silk robes, hats, fans, sleeve bands, rank badges, jewelry, shoes, and wall hangings. Lisa Morrisette, Taft Museum manager of School and Docent Programs, gives us an idea of some of the many beautiful pieces on display. 

  Victorian, Art Deco, Federal, Italianate, German Gothic, Cincinnati’s downtown and surrounding neighborhoods are home to a variety of architectural styles.

Founded in 1880 by Maria Longworth in Cincinnati, Rookwood Pottery was soon recognized for its beautiful and distinctive pieces worldwide. In 1902 Rookwood began creating architectural pottery, and its tiles and custom designs adorned thousands of private homes and public buildings, from Carew Tower to Grand Central Station.

  Anyone who wants to dive deeper into Irish history and culture than what they’ll find on tap at the local taverns Monday should check out the University of Cincinnati Archives and Rare Books Library’s new website featuring its rare Irish literature collection. UC Rare Books Library Head Archivist Kevin Grace, and UC Student Melissa Schirmer, who put the site together,  give us a pre-St. Patrick’s Day primer on all things Irish.

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

  107 Northern Kentuckians lost their lives in combat in Vietnam.  An exhibit currently at the Behringer-Crawford Museum, “Vietnam: Our Story,” looks at the Vietnam experience through firsthand accounts of Northern Kentuckians who were involved in the conflict, both overseas and at home. Behringer-Crawford Museum Curator of Exhibits Tiffany Hoppenjans, Dr.

  Hate Crimes in the Heartland, a new documentary that explores the 250,000 hate crimes committed in the United States each year through the lens of two hate crimes in Tulsa, Oklahoma, premiers Monday night at the Freedom Center. Emmy Award-winning Film Maker Rachel Lyon discusses her latest documentary. To view a trailer of the film, click here.

Edward Roach is a historian at the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and author of The Wright Company: From Invention to Industry, which details Orville and Wilbur’s business side of building and selling airplanes. The author talks with our Lloyd Bryant about the post-Kitty Hawk business world of the Wright Brothers.

  In the first half of the 1900s racism and Jim Crow laws kept African-American baseball players from being on the same teams as white players. So in 1920 the Negro National League was formed, soon followed  by other rival Negro Leagues. An exhibit now on display at the Galleries at Sinclair in Dayton, Ohio, Shades of Greatness, is the first collaborative art exhibition inspired by the history of Negro Leagues Baseball.

  The Cincinnati Preservation Association (CPA) works to preserve the historic cultural buildings and sites in Cincinnati. To help celebrate its 50th anniversary, CPS is asking you to help select the 50 top historic buildings and sites that define Cincinnati. Union Terminal?  City Hall? Carew Tower?