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Columbus Name
Originally called Tiptona to honor Gen. John Tipton, a reputable American veteran of the War of 1812, this city later selected a name that remembered Christopher Columbus, aka Cristoforo Colombo, the Italian mariner who sailed to the New World in 1492.
According to some authorities, Columbus was a free-thinking hero responsible for opening a suddenly spherical Earth to constructive human expansion. Others consider Columbus a villain who ruthlessly exploited the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
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Columbus is the Latinized version of Colombo, which is Italian and once referred to the occupation of "dove keeper."
Historical Significance of Columbus
Columbus owns an international reputation as a haven for exemplary architecture. As recently as 2003, a New York Times piece noted that new builders were immensely reluctant to erect a common blemish or "eyesore" amid so many "world-class" structures.
Columbus Landmarks
The Cleo Rogers Memorial Library was named to honor a peerless area librarian. Designed by renowned Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei, the building features a spectacular rear terrace and strikingly recessed windows.
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A national historic landmark, one of six in Columbus, the First Baptist Church was designed by Harold Weese, the Illinois architect who also designed the U.S. embassy in Accra, Ghana, and Orchestra Hall in Chicago. Completed in 1965, the church is considered one Weese's finest works.
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Another NHL, the First Christian Church represents the artistry of Eliel Saarinen, the Finnish architect known for his art nouveau, or "new art" structures. The church features one of the largest religious tapestries in the U.S. Woven by the architect's wife, Loja Saarinen, the tapestry illustrates the Sermon on the Mount. The church's 18-story bell tower rings true as a trademark feature of the Columbus skyline.
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Designed by Eero Saarinen, the son of Eliel Saarinen, the Irwin Union Bank, another NHL, was one of the first U.S. banks to champion an architectural theme that rejected neoclassical intimidation in favor of a low-slung glass exterior that attracted and comforted customers. Saarinen is most famous for designing the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
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Greatly appreciated for its stunning hexagonal roof with a 192-foot central spire, the North Christian Church represents another noteworthy work by Eero Saarinen. Circular onion rows of pews engulf the altar, emphasizing the developmental concept that religious worship should form the core purpose of any Christian lifestyle.
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The National Park Service selected the Mabel McDowell Adult Education Center as an NHL in 2001. The creation of U.S. architect John Carl Warnecke, the school merged the pleasing openness of the Indiana farmscape with the welcoming confinement of a purposeful educational setting.
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Columbus was home to Atterbury Army Air Field, which was named for Brig. Gen. William Wallace Atterbury, who functioned as chief of transport in Europe during WWI. In 1954, the USAF changed the name to Bakalar Air Force Base to eliminate confusion with Camp Atterbury, a training and mobilization center in Indiana, and to honor Lt. John "Buck" Bakalar, a Mustang fighter pilot shot down in France in 1944. The base closed in 1970 when the military could no longer justify $3 million annual maintenance costs.
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The Booker T. Washington School was Columbus' only African-American school (grades 1-7). By circa 1899, the town's African-American population had increased enough to qualify for a separate school under 1869 Indiana law. Like other African-American schools around the state, it was a symbol of community pride and achievement; however, it closed in 1922. (Historical Marker located at NE corner 14th & Union Streets.)
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The Second Baptist Church, formed in 1879, was reorganized in 1882 by the Reverend John R. Miller and a core of determined members. The present building, formerly a theater, was acquired in 1913. This African-American church, like many others, has served its members as not only a religious institution but as an educational and social foundation as well. (Historical Marker located at 1328 9th Street, at Reed Street.)
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Fire Station No. 4 in Columbus was designed by Robert Venturi, the pop art architect who penned Learning from Las Vegas. Venturi subscribed to the Charles Jencks school of architecture, which stipulates that "Less is bore."
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The administration of Columbus Regional Hospital picked top-drawer architect Robert A.M. Stern to create a medical center that appeared less like a sterile, soul-crushing institution and more like a family home stocked with beaming and helpful relatives. Using self-contained pavilions geared to reflect the natural landscape, Stern focused on a theme that stressed the hospitality facet of a hospital while downplaying the jarringly clinical often excruciating aspects of medical care. Purposely located at the hospital entrance, the Dining Pavilion exemplifies the concept of a "Welcoming Wing" by offering patients and their visitors access to an outdoor eating terrace.
Prominent People in Columbus
Kermit "Tex" Maynard, a Columbus actor, appeared in 270 movies and TV programs. He started out in Wanderer of the West in 1927 and finishing up with Birdman of Alcatraz in 1962. Maynard's brother Ken, also an actor, started out in Brass Commandments in 1923 and finished up with The Marshal of Windy Hollow in 1972. Both brothers were accomplished stuntmen.
Industry in Columbus
Headquartered in Columbus, the Flambeau Products Corporation provides children of all ages and nationalities with an incredible array of unrivaled Duncan yo-yos. D.F. Duncan Sr. did not invent the yo-yo, which first debuted more than 2,500 years ago in Greece, making it the second oldest toy in human history, but he feverishly promoted the yo-yo until the stringy gadget became an indestructible national fad. Duncan yo-yos come in many varieties, including the Tin Whistler, Space Needle Seattlite, Disney's Wonderful World of Color, and Crossed Flag Jeweled Tournament.
Columbus Inventions
Automobile pioneer Milton Othello Reeves, aka M.O., invented the first variable speed transmission. Reeves operated the Reeves Pulley Company in Columbus, churning out the incomparable Octoauto, an eight-wheeled prototype car, from 1909 until 1912. He also developed the Sextoauto, a six-wheeled vehicle that was the "easiest riding car in the U.S." Extra costs linked to multiple axles precluded mass production, leaving Reeves locked in the trunk of a budding U.S. auto industry.
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Diesel king Clessie Cummins, the founder of the Cummins Engine Company in Columbus, filed 33 U.S. patents for his various inventions In 1929, he produced the first diesel-powered automobile. A Cummins diesel racecar was the first entrant to finish the Indy 500 without a pit stop.
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Perhaps by accident, James Vanoy, a mill worker in Columbus, invented Cerealine, a white-flake corn product that became, after rolled oats, the second human breakfast cereal to appear on Earth. Initially used to make beer, Cerealine didn't arrive as a bona fide cereal on grocery store shelves until 1884.
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