Author Archives: Betsy

What Cincinnati House Has Eight Landscape Murals Painted for a Viticulturist, One White Garden and Two Daguerreotype Exhibitions?

Posted on June 17, 2013

Where can you surround yourself with legendary artwork, sit for a spell in a pristine garden of all-white blooms, learn fascinating facts about Cincinnati history, and walk through beautifully decorated rooms? Join me on a visit to the Taft Museum! … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Cincinnati, Gardens, History, Museums, Ohio | Leave a comment

Lorenzo Langstroth Made Life Simpler for Beekeepers

Posted on June 14, 2013

Having had enough of being cooped up inside on one perfectly pleasant day last week, I bolted at quitting time and headed for Sharon Woods Metro Park to soak up the sun, revel in mild breezes, and watch members of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, History, Nature, Ohio, Ohio Historical Society | 1 Comment

A Herbarium Is One Reference Collection I Couldn’t Think of Weeding

Posted on June 13, 2013

Just as William Starling Sullivant’s pasture introduced him to botany, a recent field trip to The Ohio State University’s West Campus taught me about a unique reference collection called a herbarium. A herbarium is a collection of preserved plants that … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Flowers, Libraries, Ohio Historical Society, Special Collections | Leave a comment

My William Starling Sullivant Treasure Hunt Had All the Elements of a Thrilling Page-Turner

Posted on June 11, 2013

Green Lawn Cemetery contains many distinctive headstones. Two standing a few rows behind the burial plot of 23 of my Heinmiller ancestors took me on the kind of treasure hunt that Special Collections librarians love. Section P, Lot No. 1 … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Columbus, Flowers, History, Libraries, Museums, Nature, Ohio, Ohio Historical Society, Special Collections | Leave a comment

John Ruthven Must Be Proud of the Spiffed-Up Grant Boyhood Home

Posted on June 9, 2013

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, my parents and I would often drive to Lancaster on Friday evenings.  While we were there, we’d make a wish list of hand-stenciled Hitchcock furniture at Buchanan’s, have dinner at Shaw’s Restaurant, walk … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Birds, Books, History, Museums, Nature, Ohio, Ohio Historical Society | Leave a comment