Ghosts of Statehouse Past

by Dye Mad Yarns

$28.00

The last scheduled day of session for the Ohio General Assembly is December 21st, so after that they’re gone! They’re done! (At least the ones that aren’t coming back) What havoc did they manage to wreak before Christmas? This color is inspired by the Ohio Statehouse, one of the oldest working statehouses in the US. 

The Statehouse is situated on a 10 acre parcel of land that was donated by four landholders in the Franklinton area on the west side of the Scioto River. Construction actively began on July 4, 1839 with the ceremonial laying of the cornerstone. The structure would be completed much later, in 1861. Prison labor from the Ohio Penitentiary was used to construct the foundation and ground floors of the building. It is with the building of the Ohio Statehouse by prison labor that we see some of Columbus' first stirrings of a labor movement - Objections from local tradesman led to changes for the remainder of the building process. 

Most 19th century labor organizing efforts in Columbus happened because of convict labor. The earliest labor organization here was formed as artisans, manufacturers, and mechanics joined together across class lines, in the Mechanics Beneficial Society in the 1830s. Its main goal was to petition the state to abolish the current penitentiary system and find a new solution that didn’t involve prisoners taking jobs from local workers and profits from local owners.

The Statehouse's progress was essentially ignored until 1848, and then suffered another delay in its building due to a cholera outbreak that summer, a common occurrence in the city at the time. Residents fled to the surrounding countryside, but once the epidemic subsided, construction continued interrupted by intermissions by harsh winters. It was finally completed in 1861. 

Most of the building is made of Columbus limestone, taken from a quarry on the west banks of the Scioto River.

Our Ghosts of Statehouse Past is a marbled grey, like much of the Ohio Statehouse itself, with speckles of cranberry and pine. 

 

 

BASES:

Hattie Floof: 50g, 459 yards, 72% mohair/28% silk (lace weight)
Chester Sock: 100g, 437 yards, blend of 75% superwash merino/25% nylon
Gladys Shawl: 100g, 438 yards, single ply blend of 70% superwash merino/30% silk
Tortie Sport: 100g, 287 yards, 80% alpaca/20% silk
Minnie DK: 100g, 246 yards, 100% superwash merino wool 
Genny Worsted: 100g, 191 yards, 80% superwash merino/20% alpaca
Chubby Trevor: 115g, 136 yards, 100% superwash merino
Chunky Trevor: 100g, 76 yards, 80% superwash merino/20% nylon, single ply
Summer Fingering: 65% silk/35% linen, 115g skein, approximately 438 yards
Summer DK: 65% silk/35% linen, 115g skein, approximately 246 yards
Summer Worsted: 65% silk/35% linen, 115g skein, approximately 181 yards