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American Revolution in the Ohio Country - 250
Holiday Festival and Tree Lighting 2025
Holiday Santa Photos 2025Statehouse OPEN on Sunday, May 17
Parking is available May 17
STATEHOUSE NEWS
Carl Walz spacesuit
The Kent State University Museum, which holds one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of fashion, textiles and decorative arts, is bringing a spacesuit from its collection into the heart of Ohio’s Capitol, underscoring the power of museums to elevate Ohio stories and engage audiences across the state.
“This installation reflects the power of garments to tell stories about our histories, our accomplishments and our shared aspirations,” said Sarah Spinner, Ph.D., J.D., director of the Kent State University Museum. “The spacesuit honors one of our alumni’s extraordinary contributions to space exploration and shows how museums can bring those stories to life, inspiring connection and discovery.
The installation will be displayed in the Rotunda and features the spacesuit worn aboard the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA astronaut Carl E. Walz, a Kent State graduate who received his Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1977. Designed to counteract the effects of prolonged weightlessness, the suit uses a system of elastic straps and tensioning mechanisms to simulate the physical load of gravity, helping astronauts maintain muscle and bone strength during long-duration missions. Walz wore the suit during his six-month stay on the space station from December 2001 to June 2002, part of a career that included four space missions and 231 days in space.
“I’m honored that my suit will be displayed at the Ohio Statehouse,” Walz said. “I gave it to the Kent State University Museum to share the story of space exploration with students and future generations of explorers and innovators.”
The accompanying wall panels situate Walz’s career within Ohio’s broader history of flight and space exploration, from the Wright brothers to astronaut John Glenn. The installation is intended to amplify the “Ohioans in Space” painting by Bill Hinsch, commissioned by the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board and the Capitol Square Foundation, and installed at the Statehouse in 2024.
“The Ohio Statehouse is where we share the stories that define our state,” said Charles R. Moses, chair of the Capitol Square Foundation. “This installation highlights Ohio’s long-standing contributions to aviation and space exploration and helps connect visitors to that legacy of achievement and discovery.”
The spacesuit is presented alongside images from the James Webb Space Telescope, on loan from COSI: Center of Science and Industry, offering visitors a visual connection between human exploration and the wider universe.
“This is exactly the type of collaboration that brings the humanities to life,” said Rebecca Asmo, executive director of Ohio Humanities. “A fashion museum partnering with a science museum shows how Ohio institutions can work together to connect people to our shared history of exploration and the experiences that shape our state.”
A reception will be held at 5 p.m. in the Statehouse Museum, followed by a ribbon cutting at 6 p.m. in the Rotunda on May 19. The event will bring together leaders from across Ohio’s cultural, scientific and civic communities, including Charles R. Moses, chair of the Capitol Square Foundation; Rebecca Asmo, executive director of Ohio Humanities; Donna Collins, executive director of the Ohio Arts Council; Frederic Bertley, Ph.D., president and CEO of COSI: Center of Science and Industry; Capt. William F. Colleran, a pilot and Kent State alumnus; Donald Mason, mayor of Zanesville, Ohio, and vice chair of the Kent State Board of Trustees; and lawmakers State Sen. Kristina Roegner, State Rep. Heidi Workman and State Rep. Bill Roemer.
The spacesuit on view is part of the Kent State University Museum’s collection of more than 30,000 objects spanning fashion, textiles and decorative arts from the mid-1700s to the present. In November 2025, the museum, located in Portage County, was reaccredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition a museum can receive.
“Ohioans in Space” is part of a growing series of cross-disciplinary collaborations led by the Kent State University Museum, reflecting Spinner’s focus on broadening access to the museum’s collection and deepening its impact.
The installation and reception at the Statehouse are generously sponsored by Leslie Royce Resnik on behalf of the John P. Murphy Foundation.
About the Kent State University Museum
The Kent State University Museum houses one of the world’s most important collections of fashion, textiles and decorative arts, spanning the mid-1700s to the present. With more than 30,000 objects and seven gallery spaces, the museum serves students, scholars and the broader public through exhibitions, research and object-based learning. For more information, visit www.kent.edu/museum.
About the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board
The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) is responsible for maintaining the historic character of Capitol Square while providing for the health, safety and convenience of those who work in and visit the complex. CSRAB is charged with interpreting the role of Ohio's Statehouse in national and Ohio history, to celebrate its art and architecture and to highlight its ongoing impact on the daily lives of Ohioans and thereby inspire all Ohioans to participate in state government. For more information, visit https://ohiostatehouse.org/about/csrab.
Photo available.
1864 cannon
As part of the Ohio Statehouse’s Vintage Base Ball Game, Battery A will fire one of the Ohio Statehouse’s Civil War-era cannons from the West Plaza of Capitol Square on Tuesday at 5:25 p.m. and after 7:30 p.m.
These sounds can be startling, so we wish to give advance notice to everyone working on and near Capitol Square.
The Vintage Base Ball Game runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m on the Statehouse grounds. The Ohio Village Muffins will play the state senators and representative using old-fashioned rules of base ball (traditionally two words). The public is welcome to watch! Momma's Burger Bites food truck will be at the corner of State and High Streets on Tuesday evening.
For more details, visit OhioStatehouse.org.
bronze Civil War cannon at the Statehouse
Battery A is a 501(c)(3) Civil War reenactment unit attached to the Ohio Statehouse, with a mission to educate Ohioans about their history in the Civil War.
On Saturday, May 16, Battery A will participate in the USS Cleveland ship commissioning ceremony alongside fellow reenactors from Valley View, Ohio, who reenact the Cleveland based 19th Ohio Independent Battery.
Gun #179 is now stationed on the grounds of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. It was made for the state of Ohio in 1864 and issued to a Cleveland based unit, the 8th Ohio National Guard Independent Battery. This is the cannon that fired a salute at the funeral of President Lincoln in Cleveland on April 28, 1865.
The cannon will fire again in Cleveland, for a much happier occasion, during the ship commissioning ceremony which begins at 10 a.m. on May 16, 2026.
Contact: Duane Rezac
Captain, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A
740-503-8023
Duane.rezac@gmail.com
CLOSED May 10
The Statehouse Parking Garage will be accessible but all elevators in the garage will be out of service during this time.
We thank you for your patience while the Statehouse is closed.
Team Photo from 2024
A blast from the 1864 cannon will start the event with help from the Statehouse’s 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A.
The event is free and open to the public. Food and beverages will be available from Momma’s Burger Bites food truck.
This exhibition game involves rules and regulations from the 1860s, so some of them might appear unconventional. There are a few major differences between “base ball” and baseball that the audience should be aware of:
· The ball is pitched underhand from anywhere behind the pitcher’s line.
· If a ball is hit and caught on a bounce, it is an out.
· Base runners may not steal nor slide foot-first.
Experience the entertaining seven-inning affair, enjoy an outdoor meal and witness cannon firings all in one night.
To view photos of the 2024 “base ball” match, visit Vintage Base Ball 2024.
About the Ohio Village Muffins and Vintage “Base Ball”
Formed in 1981, the Ohio Village Muffins were the first vintage “base ball” team in the United States to play a set schedule of games. They also hosted the initial meeting of the Vintage Base Ball Association (VBBA). The uniforms are standard to the 1860s: plain pants, a white shirt with a bright shield containing the team emblem, a vintage cap, a leather belt and a red tie. Recreational activities for men and women, especially “base ball,” were becoming more ingrained in American society during the middle of the 19th century, so the Muffins represent a changing America. They highlight a game that would transcend all others and become America’s favorite pastime.
Support for this event is provided by the Ohio Lobbying Association, the Ohio Village Muffins and Lady Diamonds, and the 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A.
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half staff
All other public buildings and grounds throughout the state may fly the flags of the United States and the state of Ohio at half-staff at their discretion for the same time period.
Repose of Lincoln
The public is invited inside the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda and Atrium for the annual commemoration of the Repose of Lincoln with historical reenactors from 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A.
The day’s activities, without cannon firings, include Civil War reenactors, music, a video and a replica of Lincoln’s coffin on display in the Rotunda. The public is encouraged to join! Please visit OhioStatehouse.org for more details.
half-staff flags
All other public buildings and grounds throughout the state may fly the flags of the United States and the state of Ohio at half-staff at their discretion for the same time period.