5 Ohio War Stories You Probably Never Heard 🥁

Hi. Did you cry during Taps?

Did you eat three hot dogs and a brownie in the shape of a flag? 🎇

(Same.)

But here’s the thing. While Memorial Day is technically behind us, the stories worth remembering still hit hard—and Northeast Ohio has some serious military and patriotic street cred that most people don’t even know about.

I picked 5 fascinating, kinda-forgotten facts you can drop in the group chat or casually bring up while waiting in line at Mitchell’s:

1. Downtown Cleveland has a Civil War monument with 9,000+ real names carved into it. It’s that big Victorian structure in Public Square you’ve probably walked past a hundred times.

   
   The inside has stained glass, relics, and actual battle flags. It also honors the Black soldiers who fought for the Union—and tells their stories, too.

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2. A real WWII submarine is parked on the lake and did something no one thought was possible.

   
   The USS Cod is one of the last completely intact WWII subs in the U.S.—and it once pulled off a rare sub-to-sub rescue mission. Like, underwater. It’s wild. And yes, you can go inside.

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3. Ohio has one of the highest numbers of Medal of Honor recipients in the country.
   
   More than 250 Ohioans have received the nation’s highest award for bravery—including a whole bunch of regular kids from Akron, Mansfield, and Parma.

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4. Lincoln’s funeral train stopped in Cleveland, and 90,000 people showed up.
   He lay in state in Public Square in 1865.

   It was so quiet, people could hear the guards crying. (I know. I wasn’t ready either.)

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5. Ravenna’s massive WWII ammo plant employed 14,000 people—and it’s still active.

   
   Built in 1940, Camp James A. Garfield (then the Ravenna Arsenal) cranked out tons of ammunition for the war effort. Today, it’s a National Guard training site—and a great excuse to Google some very cool aerial photos.

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👉 🚨 BONUS: Did you know? The term "Underground Railroad" may have originated in Ohio. Click here to learn how or just click the big shiny button below.

Hope your weekend was relaxing, meaningful, and slightly over-salted.

And to any veterans or families reading this—thank you, truly. 🙏

xo,
Amy

👉P.S. You might like this video I created about one of the most epic hiking trails in NEO - 125,000 other people have already enjoyed it! 🕰