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Reverend Anson Smyth Portrait
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Reverend Anson Smyth Portrait
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Description
Title
Reverend
Anson
Smyth
Portrait
Subject
Literary Ohio
Public libraries
Education
Religion in Ohio
Place
Cleveland (Ohio)
Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
Description
Although
he
is
referred
to as the "
Father
of the
Cleveland
Public
Library
" in
historical
accounts
,
Anson
Smyth
did
not
actually
found
the
library
, but
instead
helped
to
establish
Ohio's
public
library
system
. This
painting
,
done
in
oil
on
canvas
,
measures
31
by
26.75
inches
(78.7
by
67.9
cm)
.
Ralph
Eddy
Chapman
,
grandson
of
Smyth
,
donated
the
painting
to the
library
1969
in
honor
of its
100th
anniversary
and in
memory
of
Anson
Smyth's
son
,
William
Fitch
Smyth
,
who
worked
at the
library
for
36
years
.
It
is
part
of the
library's
archives
,
which
is
open
by
appointment
and
which
maintains
a
wide
range
of
materials
documenting
the
institution's
history
. The
first
effort
to
establish
public
libraries
in
Ohio
came
in
1853
,
when
the
General
Assembly
passed
a
law
providing
for a
mandatory
tax
of
one-tenth
of a
mill
to
support
the
purchase
of
library
collections
in the
schools
. This
law
was
repealed
in
1860
because
it
failed
to
provide
for the
maintenance
of the
libraries
.
Anson
Smyth
, as
superintendent
of
Cleveland's
public
schools
, was
one
of the
chief
supporters
of the
successful
drive
to
enact
a
new
law
in
1867
that
allowed
cities
to
levy
a
tax
for the
maintenance
of
free
public
libraries
. The
Cleveland
Public
Library
opened
in
1869
. The
tenth
of
twelve
children
of
pioneer
farmers
,
Anson
Smyth
was
born
in
1812
in
Franklin
,
Pennsylvania
.
When
still
a
boy
, he
moved
to
Milan
,
Ohio
to
attend
the
Milan
Academy
. He
continued
his
education
at
Williams
College
in
Williamstown
,
Massachusetts
and
Yale
Theological
Seminary
,
graduating
from the
latter
with
honors
.
Returning
to
Ohio
in
1847
,
Smyth
accepted
a
call
to the
pastorate
of the
Congregational
Church
in
Toledo
. There he
became
interested
in the
improvement
of the
city's
schools
. From
1850
until
1856
,
Smyth
served
as
superintendent
of
Toledo's
public
schools
. He
moved
to
Columbus
when
he was
elected
president
of the
Ohio
State
Teachers
'
Association
.
Shortly
thereafter
he was
elected
State
Commissioner
of
Schools
, a
position
he
held
for
six
years
. In
1863
, he
became
superintendent
of the
Cleveland
public
schools
,
where
he
introduced
new
modes
of
instruction
,
established
a
school
library
, and
eliminated
the
use
of the
rod
(a
stick
or
bundle
of
sticks)
as a
means
of
punishment
.
After
serving
for
five
years
,
Smyth
returned
to the
ministry
,
acting
as
pastor
of
Cleveland's
North
Presbyterian
Church
(still
active)
until
his
retirement
in
1872
. He
died
in
1887
and
is
buried
in
Cleveland's
Lake
View
Cemetery
.
Date of Original
1850
-
1887
circa
Collection
Cleveland
Public
Library
Archives
Source
Audiovisual material
Submitting Institution
Cleveland Public Library
Rights
For rights and reproduction requests, go to the Ohio Historical Society's Audiovisual and Graphic Reproduction Services page at
http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/audiovis/photodup.html;
Online access is provided for research purposes only. For rights and reproduction requests or more information, go to
http://www.ohiohistory.org/images/information
Type
StillImage
File Name
Om53_668812_003.tif
Image Height
1145
Image Width
1024
File Size
169.47 KB
Format
picture
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