Weird Ohio Explorations

A number of regular Twelve Mile Circle readers track to IP addresses in Ohio. With that in mind I thought I’d throw something special their way, a Google Maps compilation that I recently stumbled across called “Weird Ohio Explorations.”

I’ve had some fun poking around the waypoints the developer included on the map. You probably don’t even have to have a connection to Ohio to appreciate many of them although it might be useful.

Have any of the Ohio readers seen these sights?

It’s a little heavy on spooky supernatural stuff that doesn’t hold much appeal to a skeptic such as myself. Thankfully, however, there are enough boldly wacky and tacky spots to hold my interest. I’ve reproduced some of the attractions the developer mentioned in visual format for your amusement.


Tower of Power

Giant Pumpkin. Photo by oomni; (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Here’s a water tower shaped like a pumpkin in Circleville, Ohio (map).


A-Tisket, A-Tasket

Longaberger Basket Office Building. Photo by ohkylel @twitter; (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

This isn’t just some large basket, rather it’s an entire functional building shaped like a basket. It’s the headquarters of the Longaberger Basket company in Newark, Ohio (map). They made it of stucco formed over steel.

UPDATE: The company left the building in 2016 and sold it in 2017.


How Corny

Field of Corn. Photo by Scott Beale; (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

This compilation led to an entire park filled with concrete corncobs in Dublin, Ohio (map). Good lord, it’s is so bizarre it borders on the brilliant.


Not So Weird

furnace. Photo by Harold; (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Here I’ve sneaked in something historical. It’s not weird at all but I like historical sites so I’m invoking Writers Prerogative. It’s part of the Hope Iron Furnace complex (circa 1854-1874) in Allensville, Ohio (map).

If you would like me to focus some attention on your state our country please let me know and perhaps offer some suggestions. I get great tips from viewers and love to explore areas I haven’t covered before.


Completely Unrelated

One of the search engines forwarded a viewer to my site earlier this evening under the search term “nice big mounds.” Do you think the viewer may have been a tad bit disappointed when the image he requested produced the following?

Nice Big Mounds at Effigy Mounds National Monument, Iowa. Photo by howderfamily.com; (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

These, of course, are ancient conical mounds found at Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa. The complex dates to before the arrival of Europeans in North America (featured in Wisconsin’s Great River Road, Day 2).

They are indeed nice big mounds.


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5 responses to “Weird Ohio Explorations”

  1. Greg Avatar
    Greg

    This is fantastic, I didn’t know that site existed!

    I was just on North Bass Island (just west of Canada’s southernmost point) a couple days ago, and I heard that the two school-aged residents of the island have to be flown to the nearest school in Put-In-Bay on South Bass Island every day, and sometimes in the dead of winter the students drive [sic!] themselves there over the ice. I don’t know how common such arrangements are in other states, but it’s definitely unique here in Ohio.

    Link to germane article: http://www.nspraohio.org/Downloads/No%20school%20is%20an%20island.pdf

    1. Twelve Mile Circle Avatar

      I recall something similar between Madeline Island (the only one of the Apostle Islands not part of the National Park) and Bayfield on the mainland, in Wisconsin. There is regular and frequent ferry service so there’s no flying of school children back-and-forth. However, because of its northern climate the ice road can exists for several months of the year. I was there in the middle of summer but I’ve been wanting to go back in Winter someday so I can drive that ice road!

  2. Alger Avatar

    If you want to ride the ice road out of Bayfield, WI, you have to hurry. It’s that there global climate change, donchaknow.

    http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jglr.2008.11.002?cookieSet=1&journalCode=jglr

  3. Rachel Avatar
    Rachel

    I’m from Ohio, we have a place in a marina on East Harbor and I’ve seen Giant Jacques of Marblehead, although I didn’t know he had a name. My mom and I took pictures with him this summer, in case he ever gets destroyed or otherwise falls apart.

  4. Ruby Storms Avatar
    Ruby Storms

    Your reference to the Hope Furnance is wrong. It is located in Zaleski, Ohio, not Allensville, Ohio. I grew up in Vinton County, OH and am delighted that you chose to post some of the history! =0)

    Ruby Storms

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