From Ohio History Central The Historical and Philosophical
Society of Ohio was founded in the nineteenth century to
preserve and present the history of the State of Ohio. The first
attempt to create a historical society to document Ohio's
history occurred on February 1, 1822. The Ohio General Assembly
passed an act creating the Historical Society of Ohio. The
Society included Ohio political leaders like Jeremiah Morrow and
Duncan McArthur but it only held one meeting. In 1831, the Ohio
legislature authorized Benjamin Tappan to establish the
Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio. This organization
held meetings in Columbus, and its participants actively
documented Ohio's history. By the late 1830s, interest in the
society declined because of the Panic of 1837 and the difficult
economic times that followed. Between 1841 and 1848, members
convened meetings only twice. In a meeting held in 1848, Salmon
P. Chase suggested that the Historical and Philosophical Society
of Ohio move from Columbus to Cincinnati