Fairgrounds in Columbus in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Flint: Ohio's State Gemstone

Specimen: Vanport flint

Photographed by Craig Doda, July 27, 2025

1. Flint: Ohio's State Gemstone Marker

Inscription. Flint is a variety of chert, a rock composed of extremely tiny crystals of the mineral quartz. Flint is hard, and owing to the way it fractures, it can be worked (knapped) to form sharp edges. Ohio flint was especially prized by Native Americans, who used it extensively to make tools, weapons, and other implements. Flint also was used by settlers to make grindstones. Today, it is used to make beautiful jewelry. To see flint in outcrop, visit the Flint Ridge area of Licking and Muskingum Counties.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Natural Resources.

Location. 39° 59.711′ N, 82° 59.345′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is in Fairgrounds. It is at the intersection of East 11th Avenue and Essex Avenue, on the right when traveling north on East 11th Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 632 E 11th Ave, Columbus OH 43211, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Scioto Valley.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Serpent Mound Impact Structure (here, next to this marker); Grindstones (a few steps from this marker); Geological Cross Section of Ohio (a few steps from this marker); Beneath Your Feet (a few steps from this marker); Mothman (within shouting distance of this marker); Ohio Buckeye (within shouting distance of this marker); Apple Tree (within shouting distance of this marker); History Of Trapping (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbus.

Photographed by Craig Doda, July 27, 2025

2. Flint: Ohio's State Gemstone Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 80 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 6, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.