A free walking tour connecting Grandview Heights and Marble Cliff to Ohio State University history is now available on the History Walks app.
The Grandview Heights Public Library and the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Historical Society announced ‘Buckeye Connections’ on Thursday, Oct. 22. The 2.4-mile self-guided tour features 11 stops highlighting ties between the local community and Ohio State, according to the library's announcement.
The stops span more than a century of Buckeye connections rooted in local soil.
Tad Weed, a 1951 Grandview Heights High School graduate, kicked for Woody Hayes' 1954 national championship football team at Ohio State. Hayes coached the Buckeyes from 1951 to 1978 and won five national titles. His 1987 funeral was held at First Community Church in Marble Cliff, where former President Richard Nixon delivered the eulogy.
The tour also highlights Perry Martter, a 1918 Grandview Heights High School graduate. Martter became one of the first two Ohio wrestlers to make a U.S. Olympic team in 1924, according to DubStat's Ohio wrestling history. He competed alongside Harry Steel of Canton McKinley at the Paris Games.
Another stop covers John Hussey, an Ohio State horticulturist and artist who created the first model of Ohio Stadium. The tour notes that both Ohio Stadium and Our Lady of Victory Church in Marble Cliff were built using limestone from Marble Cliff Quarry.
The route is not all architecture and athletics. Hugh Hindman, a former Woody Hayes assistant coach, also appears on the tour. Hindman later served as Ohio State athletics director and made the decision to fire the legendary coach after the 1978 Gator Bowl, as ESPN reported.
History Walks is a collaboration between the library and the historical society offering free, self-guided walking tours through Grandview Heights and Marble Cliff. The program launched its app in 2020 and has added themed tours over time. The historical society says its tours generally cover about two miles and take roughly 90 minutes on foot.
The app is free. Residents can download it on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and walk, bike or run the Buckeye Connections route at their own pace.
