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

Ohio State School for the Blind

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, April 21, 2016

1. Ohio State School for the Blind Marker

Inscription. In 1835, Dr. William Awl of Columbus and Dr. Daniel Drake of Cincinnati presented recommendations to the Ohio General Assembly to establish a school for the blind. Legislation, signed by then governor of Ohio Duncan McArthur on April 3, 1837, provided funding to create the first state-supported residential school for the blind in the United States. The Institution for the Education of the Blind opened July 4, 1837, with five students. A year later, the first permanent structure, housing 60 students, was built on a nine-acre tract of land on the eastern edge of the city, and that was followed in 1874 with a larger facility near Fulton and Main streets. The school was honored and recognized in 1937 as being one of the finest schools for the blind in the country. In 1953, a new school for the blind was built at the present location at 5220 North High Street.
( Ohio Bicentennial logo)

Erected 2003 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission The Longaberger Company Ohio State School for the Blind Alumni Association The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 60-25.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is

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listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Education. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1835.

Location. 40° 4.15′ N, 83° 1.14′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is in Sharon Heights. It is on High Street (U.S. 23), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5220 N High Street, Columbus OH 43214, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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

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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Beechwold Pillars (approx. 0.6 miles away); Ohio School for the Deaf (approx. 0.7 miles away); Lewis Noble House

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, April 21, 2016

2. Ohio State School for the Blind Marker

(approx. 1.1 miles away); Beechwold / The Cottages (approx. 1.1 miles away); New England Lodge No. 4, F. & A. M. (approx. 1.2 miles away); Worthington Masonic Museum (approx. 1.2 miles away); Doctor Longenecker Office Building (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Old Rectory (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbus.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Brigadier General Roswell Sabin Ripley, CSA (was approx. 1.2 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, April 21, 2016

3. Ohio State School for the Blind Marker

Marker at a distance, looking west from driveway towards High Street

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, April 21, 2016

4. Ohio State School for the Blind Marker

Sign, on opposite side of driveway

Photographed by Craig Doda, April 3, 2026

5. Ohio State School for the Blind Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 22, 2016, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 708 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 22, 2016, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. 5. submitted on April 4, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.