MSS 194 Albert Belmont Graham Papers

              OHIO
H I S T O R Y
MSS 194
Albert Belmont Graham Collection
Page 1
OHIO HISTORICAL- SOCIETY
Audiovisuai and Manuscript Collections
MSS 194
Albert Belmont Graham Collection
( 1 902- 1952)
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION
Number: MSS 194 and MSS 194 AV
Title: Albert Belmont Graham Collection
Creator: Albert Belmont Graham
Dates: 1902- 1952
Media: Papers, news clippings, printed materials,
photographs, glass plate negatives,
lantern slides, nitrate and safety film
negatives
Quantity: Manuscript: 2 cubic feet
Audiovisual: 6.16 cubic feet
Location: Ohio Historical Society
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE COLLECTION
Albert Belmont Graham was the founder of the 4- H movement in the United States and
promoter of consolidated schools in Ohio. Born on a farm in Champaign County, Ohlo,
on March 13, 1868, Graham lived there until his father's death in 1879. He then moved
to Lena, Ohio, with his mother and sister.
On June 19, 1885, at the age of seventeen, Graham was part of the first graduating
class from Lena- Conover High School. He obtained a teaching certificate to teach in
Champaign County, Ohio, determined to make rural schools his lifework. He attended
Normal School in Lebanon, Ohio, and graduated in 1888. He also attended The Ohio
State University from 1889- 1890, majoring in science and math. Graham married Maud
Lauer on August 14, 1890. He served as superintendent of various southwestern Ohio
county schools until 1905. During this time, he saw the need to change the image of the
farmer and farm life and to find ways to keep rural youth on the farm. Graham felt a
better image would help rural America feel more pride in its work and eventually raise its
standard of living. To reach this goal Graham organized the " Boys' and Girls'
Experimental Club" on January 15, 1902, in Springfield, Ohio. This club developed into
the 4- H Clubs of America. The purpose of the club was to help rural youth understand
the scientific approach to agriculture. The club advocated " Learning by Doing" and
encouraged youth to tend their own gardens and raise their own farm animals.
An outgrowth of the " Boys' and Girls' Experimental Club" was Graham's appointment in
1905 as the first Superintendent of the Agricultural Extension School at the Ohio State
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