Ohio Historical Markers Application
Thank you for your interest in Ohio History Connection’s Historical Markers program. Please complete this
application to apply for official state historical markers: an Ohio Historical Marker or an Ohio Corporate Limit
Marker. Application deadline: July 1
For additional assistance and information on completing this application, please refer to the “Ohio Historical
Markers Guidelines.”
Most information is required. Missing information may slow the review of the application. Use the checklist
at the end of the application to ensure it is complete. Optional information is indicated with an *asterisk.
While submission of an application does not guarantee that a marker will be awarded, the markers program
appreciates your efforts to provide the information needed.
Questions? Contact the Ohio History Connection’s Local History Office: (614) 297-2341, toll-free 1-800-8586878, e-mail localhistory@ohiohistory.org or go to www.remarkableohio.org or
http://www.ohiohistory.org/preserve/local-history-office/historical-markers
___ Check if applying for funding through Ohio Historical Markers Grants Program. Deadlines for
applications for grant funding is July 1 (same deadline as for marker applications). Funding is competitive. For
more information about the markers grant program, go to www.remarkableohio.org or
http://www.ohiohistory.org/preserve/local-history-office/historical-markers
1. Title of Marker: _______________________________________________________________________
This title or edited version thereof will appear at the top of the marker and be used to identify it once erected.
Keep titles short and interesting. It is recommended that you finalize the title after you draft your Statement of
Significance and Suggested Marker Text, below.
2. Subject of Marker: ____________________________________________________________________
It is suggested that you fill in this blank after you draft your Statement of Significance and Suggested Marker
Text, below. Briefly summarize the subject of the marker. Examples: “Union general,” ”Historic building,”
“Natural disaster.”
3. Location of the Proposed Marker
Include a written description, a marked map showing proposed placement of marker, and a photograph of the
location. Note the relationship of the location to the site being marked.
Property Name (if applicable):_______________________________________________________________
Street and Number:______________________________________________
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City or Village: _____________________ County: ________________ State & Zip: ____________________
(Include 9 digit Zip code)
*Marker GPS coordinates (if known): Latitude: _ _. _ _ _ _ _ _
Longitude: (-) _ _. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Indicate relevance of location to subject of marker: ________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Owner of Property upon which marker is to be erected
When a marker is to be erected on property not owned by the applicant (section #12 below), the owner must
grant permission in writing. Please include a copy of the grant of permission with this application.
Name:_________________________________________
Signature:_________________________________
Street and Number:__________________________________________________________________________
City / Village:_
___
State & Zip:________________________________
Telephone: (_______)____________________________
*Fax: (_______)_____________________________
E-mail:________________________________________
*Website:_________________________________
OWNERSHIP OF PROPERTY (Check one)
_public, local _public, state _ public, federal __not for profit
private, individual __private, business
5. Type of Marker (Please check one)
_____ HISTORICAL MARKER
or
_____CORPORATE LIMIT MARKER(S)
_____ Number of markers requested
If HISTORICAL MARKER selected, please indicate size of letters in text and length of marker text:
Size of letters in text:
Length of marker text:
_____ 1” Letters (up to 90-100 words per side) OR
Same text each side OR
_____ 5/8” Letters (up to approx. 130 words per side)
Different text each side
Note: Word counts do not include the title of the marker or the sponsor lines at the bottom.
Note: Ohio CORPORATE LIMIT MARKERS are limited to approximately 15 words
ART WORK (for Ohio Historical Markers only)
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Metal plate photo to be included (prices vary)
Custom art work to be included (prices vary)
Attach all proposed art work
Y
Y
N
N
See price list for costs of markers with different letter sizes and text lengths. Historical markers with
smaller letters and longer texts are more expensive than those with larger letters and shorter texts. Art
work is at additional cost, must be “camera-ready,” and will reduce the number of words per side of a
marker. Pictures are sometimes, however, worth a thousand words.
6. Funding sponsor of the marker
Applicant or sponsor is responsible for funding the marker. This includes the purchase of the marker and other
costs associated with the installation of the marker.
Name of Organization:_______________________________________________________________________
Contact Person:_____________________________________________________________________________
Street and Number:__________________________________________________________________________
City / Village:_
___
State & Zip:________________________________
Telephone: (_______)____________________________
*Fax: (_______)_____________________________
E-mail:________________________________________
*Website:_________________________________
Tax-Exempt: Y or N
Tax-Exempt Number: ___________________________________
_
Note: the organization indicated above will be listed on the bottom of the marker as its lead sponsor. If more
than one organization is to be credited, please list the names of the organizations under “Additional funding
sponsor” below. Because of space limitations at the bottom of marker, no more than 4 sponsors total will be
listed: lead sponsor, additional funding sponsor(s) and the Ohio History Connection.
*Additional funding sponsor:__________________________________________________________________
*Additional funding sponsor:__________________________________________________________________
7. Maintenance of the marker
Organization responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the marker.
Name of Organization:_______________________________________________________________________
Contact Person:_____________________________________________________________________________
Street and Number:__________________________________________________________________________
City / Village:_
___
State & Zip:________________________________
Telephone: (_______)____________________________
*Fax: (_______)_____________________________
E-mail:________________________________________
*Website:_________________________________
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8. Shipping Address A commercial address with the name of an office or shop open between 8 am – 5 pm,
Monday – Friday. It is the responsibility of the receiver at the shipping address to inspect the marker prior to
accepting delivery.
Name of Organization:_______________________________________________________________________
Contact Person:_____________________________________________________________________________
Street and Number:__________________________________________________________________________
City / Village:_
___
State & Zip:________________________________
Telephone: (_______)____________________________
*Fax: (_______)_____________________________
E-mail:________________________________________
*Website:_________________________________
9. Tentative Marker Dedication Date: __________________________________________________________
Because of the number of applications the program receives, applicants should allow a minimum of six months
for the review, manufacture, and delivery of a marker, starting from the time the Local History Office
acknowledges receipt of a complete application. It is advisable to set a firm date for a dedication ceremony
after the office has confirmed the anticipated delivery date, or after the marker has been delivered to you.
If an exact date is has not been identified above, enter a month and year of the anticipated dedication. Do not
enter seasons” (spring” or” fall”). Annual review of marker applications will not begin until after the July 1
deadline of each year. Advance knowledge of tentative dedication dates, however, helps the marker program
meet your expectations and ensures that applicants will receive their markers on time.
10. Statement of Significance
Attach to the application a separate piece of paper; explain why the person, place, event, or thing to be
marked deserves recognition on an Ohio Historical Marker. We suggest that you begin the first sentence of
this section as follows: This subject merits recognition on an Ohio Historical Marker because…”
Support all statements of fact with creditable sources. Sources from the time of the subject being marked
(primary sources) are strongly preferred over those that describe the subject years after the fact (secondary
sources). Document all statements of fact in the statement of significance with footnotes or endnotes1. The
purpose of footnotes/endnotes is to tell others where you found the facts in the suggested marker text.
1
This is a footnote. Please make sure each note includes the following information: AUTHOR of source, TITLE, PLACE OF
PUBLICATION, DATE OF PUBLICATION, and PAGE NUMBER.
This format, for example, is the one typically used in historical writing: Charles Van Tassel, Story of the Maumee Valley, Toledo and
Sandusky Region (Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1929), pp. 18-19. However, the markers program is more concerned with
knowing the sources the information rather than the formats of footnotes or endnotes. Whatever format is used, a good
footnote/endnote answers these questions: “What is the source of this fact?” and “What source must I consult to find this fact for
myself?”
If the source is a web page, please include the link in your footnote, for example: “Ohio City (City of Ohio)” Encyclopedia of Cleveland
History at http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=OC1
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STATEMENTS OF SIGNIFICANCE MUST BE TYPEWRITTEN. Please limit the statement of significance to one or
two typed 8.5 x 11 pages.
11. Suggested Marker Text
On a separate piece of paper, draft a suggested marker text of between 70 - 130 words per side. Suggested
texts in excess of 160 words per side may be returned to the local sponsor for further editing before review by
the markers program. Suggested texts for Ohio Corporate Limit Markers should not exceed approximately 15
words.
The text must be historically accurate, informative, and concise. All suggested texts are subject to revision at
the discretion of the markers program to insure these goals are met.
Document all statements of fact in suggested marker text with footnotes or endnotes, as in the Statement of
Significance above. Including footnotes/ endnotes in the suggested text aids the process of reviewing and factchecking. Please note that footnotes/endnotes will NOT be included on the finished marker.
SUGGESTED TEXTS MUST BE TYPEWRITTEN.
12. Sources and Bibliography
On a separate piece of paper, please list the publications or other references cited in the footnotes/endnotes in
questions #10-11 above. Also attach to your application photocopies of the relevant pages (not the whole
book).
For each reference, note the name of the author, the title of the source, its place and date of publication, and
page numbers. Be sure to match which footnote/endnote goes with what photocopied source attached.
If it is impractical to photocopy the source, please indicate where it may be found so that it may be consulted
when this application is reviewed. Applications missing sources and a bibliography will be returned.
13. Application Check List:
Use this checklist below to insure your application is ready to submit. Applications that do not include the
following information may be delayed or returned.
___ Map showing placement of proposed marker
___ Address of proposed marker
___ Owner of property
___ Letter from owner granting permission to erect a marker if property not owned by applicant
___ If applicable, tax exempt number of funding sponsor of marker. If no tax exempt number is given,
Franklin County sales tax will be added to the cost of the marker.
___ Shipping address and contact information. See the application for important requirements regarding
shipping address.
It is not necessary to repeat information if your referring to the same source many times throughout your suggested text, just
include the author, title, and page number. Using the example above: Van Tassel, Story of the Maumee Valley, p. 28
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___ Contact name, address, telephone number, and email in these sections: Owner of Property, Funding
Sponsor, Maintenance of Marker, “Application Submitted By” (below)
___ Tentative marker dedication date (minimum six months from time complete application received)
___ Statement of significance, attached. Statement begins: “This subject merits recognition with an Ohio
Historical Marker because…”
___ Suggested text of marker, attached
___ Initial draft of text does not exceed maximum length by 30 words (or 15 words for an Ohio Corporate
Limit Marker).
___ Bibliography of sources cited for Statement of significance and suggested text, attached
___ Copies of sources used to document facts in suggested marker text
14. Application Submitted By:
Please note: All applicants must complete Section 14
By completing this section, I agree that:
 I have verified that the above information is accurate and correct to the best of my knowledge.
 I, or the organization I represent am authorized to commit the person or organizations named above to
fund and maintain the marker.
 For the purpose of creating the marker, I will serve as the contact person between the local sponsor(s)
of the application and the Ohio History Connection’s markers program. If I cannot serve in that
capacity, I will inform the markers program who is so authorized and share that person’s contact
information with the program.
Signed:________________________________________
Date:_____________________________________
Printed Name: _____________________________________________________________________________
Name of Organization:_______________________________________________________________________
Contact Person:_____________________________________________________________________________
Street and Number:__________________________________________________________________________
City / Village:_
___
State & Zip:________________________________
Telephone: (_______)____________________________
*Fax: (_______)_____________________________
E-mail:________________________________________
*Website:_________________________________
Send or e-mail completed application and supporting materials to:
Historical Markers Program Coordinator
Local History Office
Ohio History Connection
800 E 17th Avenue
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Columbus, Ohio 43211-2474
localhistory@ohiohistory.org
Questions? Call (614) 297-2341 or toll-free 1-800-858-6878, or email localhistory@ohiohistory.org
or go to our websites at www.remarkableohio.org or www.ohiohistory.org/local-history-office/historicalmarkers
__________________________________________________________________________________________
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY. To be completed by Historical Markers Program Coordinator.
Complete Application Received: ____________________ Acknowledgement sent:
_________________________
Marker(s) Erected:
Y
N
Date:
Applied for Funding: Y
N
Received Funding:
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Y
N
Date: