Cleaning Up The Hay In The Fields - Circa 1865

Written / Photography

Andrew Livelsberger

 What's that?  Not enough hay in the loft!  Let's go back to the field and get some more!

Background:
Slate Run Metro Park while a fantastic local park in it's own right, also houses the wonderful Living Historical Farm.   We visit their quite often as there always seems to be something fun, exciting and educational there.
Slate Run Historical Farm Website

Impression:
On out most resent visit, we were lucky enough to get there at the end of the day when the farmers were taking the horses out for one last run through the north field, clearing the hay and bringing it back to the barn.

It is an interesting process and we put together a series of images that show some of the process!  We hope you enjoy it and are inspired to visit this great location.

1)  The horses are hitched to the wagon.  This wagon will hold the collected hay.

2)  Once in the field, the ramped machine that collects all the hay is connected to the wagon.  The farmer showed great skill in controlling the horses and getting the wagon backed into the perfect spot.

3) As they make rounds through the field, the machine pulls the hay to the top where operator at the back can pull it off and place it on the wagon.

4)  face showing a job well done!

Franklinton - The Origin Of Columbus

Written & Photos by:

Andrew Livelsberger

Background:

Lucas Sullivant lead a team of 20 men in 1795, commissioned to survey the west side of the Olentangy and Scioto river confluences.  Sullivant was paid in land, receiving 6000 acres.  Sullivant went to Kentucky, where he courted/marries the daughter of his mentor, Colonel William Starling(American Revolution).

After the marriage, he returned to Ohio and started laying out 220 plots of land in what is now Franklin County.  He named the settlement Franklinton, in honor of the recently deceased Benjamin Franklin.

Further information about the history of the settlement can be found here:

https://en.wikipedia..._Columbus,_Ohio

Impression:

Briefly, the area flooded a few years later and the settlement was moved a mile away.  The area was frequent to flood as that area was geographically in a lower elevation than the river.  Eventually, flood walls and better water management in the rivers have mitigated this flooding.

A once thriving part of Columbus, the Franklinton area is now referred to as "The Bottoms", not because of it's lower elevation, but because it became a destitute area.  There is a community organization in cooperation with the city of Columbus that is working to get the neighborhood revitalized.  Many of the condemned structures are in the process of either being re-built or torn down.  Business and artists are taking over some of the buildings and inviting all to come and bring the Franklinton area out of the slum like conditions it is in.

The included images in this article show some of the art work that the artists are putting up.  There are also some images of the state of some of the buildings as well.  Definitely a work in progress.

When I was down there, I could feel the energy of the city, it was all around you.  The businesses bustle with activity and you can tell that the revitalization efforts are working wonders to help bring this part of the city back to prominence.  These kinds of projects are never going to happen quickly.  If the surrounding communities support the activities, Franklinton can be a prospering mecca of arts and business.

Greenlawn Cemetery

Written and Photography by:

Andrew Livelsberger

Background:
Established in 1848 and located on Greenlawn Avenue in Columbus, you will be immediately taken by the layout and buildings of this local final resting place.
It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Ohio and the resting place of a few famous people as well.

Greenlawn Cemetery was setup as  a non-profit organization in 1848, and official information can be found at the website.

Impression:
The grounds are well maintained and kept, given the age.  Well manicured grass and plot maintenance are the first things we observed.

While this is a final resting place, there is a sense of calm and serenity here.  The mausoleums are impressive.

It is very easy to get lost here, so I recommend doing some research before visiting.  If you do get lost, you can use a GPS with a satellite mapping feature to help you get your bearings find the proper access road back to Greenlawn Avenue.

There are lots of birds here as well and they are all very active.

Below are just a few of the images we captured during our brief visit.  We plan on returning again to cover some other parts of the vast grounds, possibly to visit the sections where military veterans are interred.

As with any cemetery, if you choose to visit, please be respectful of the grounds and the other visitors.

The address for Greenlawn Cemetery is 1000 Greenlawn Avenue, Columbus, OH