Travel in any direction throughout Northwest Ohio, and it won’t be long before you come upon a historical marker of some kind. Since the latter nineteenth century, thousands of such markers, from grand monuments to humble plaques, have been dedicated by communities across Northwest Ohio to commemorate the people, places, and events that have shaped the history and identity of our region. Yet so familiar a sight have these markers now become that, regardless of their form, they often go largely unnoticed, blending into the routine patina of our environments, silently bearing witness to a remarkable past that is slowly fading in our local memory. In this podcast series, we’ll endeavor to encounter Northwest Ohio’s historical markers anew, using them as our guides to rediscovering the presence of the past everywhere around us in all its diversity and complexity. With the help of community members and historians, we’ll celebrate the extraordinary history and unique character of our region while transcending stereotypical narratives of Rust Belt decline and Midwestern provincialism. This is the history of Northwest Ohio.