As of Nov. 9, students are welcomed by a new historic marker on Ohio University’s campus. Located outside of Tupper Hall, this new sign remembers Athens’ Civil War history.
The marker commemorates the land where Charles Cardwell McCabe was raised, a distinguished minister and chaplain of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. McCabe is known as “the man who popularized the Battle Hymn of the Republic,” according to the marker.
The song “Battle Hymn of the Republic” was written by Julia Ward Howe, who rewrote the lyrics of the marching tune “John Brown’s Body” to create the Union song. As a Civil War chaplain, McCabe learned the song while in Libby Prison, taught it to other prisoners and later sang it in a choir performance in Washington, D.C.
“(The choir) was going around singing to raise money to support the wounded troops or something like that,” Tom O’Grady, director of development and outreach at Southeast Ohio History Center, said. “One of the people in the audience, supposedly, was Abe Lincoln. He heard the song, and supposedly, he was emotionally moved, so he stood up and asked if they would play it again.”
Charles McCabe’s childhood home stood where Tupper Hall is today and was torn down in the 1990s. The marker signifies a broader effort to make local history accessible to students, professors and the community alike.
“The more we can educate ourselves about our past and about the people in that, the more we learn about who we are,” O’Grady said. “The more you learn about the community you grew up in and your ancestors, the more you know about who you are.”
Organizations around Athens County came together to keep this local history alive. The Athens County Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on awarding grants and endowments to local efforts, gave the grant that made the marker possible.
The Athens County Foundation had $10,404,817 in net assets at the end of 2021, making $1,522,569 that same year with $814,143 coming from contributions and grants.
The foundation has worked with the Southeast Ohio History Center before on projects, including other historic markers and the Invisible Ground project, an app that recreates historic scenes and provides deeper context to markers.
Playing a key role in the establishment of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” marker, the foundation secured the $2,800 grant in December 2024. The grant went towards Townsend Camp 108, the local camp of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, an organization focused on “preserving the history and legacy of the heroes who fought to save the Union during the Civil War.”
O’Grady said Carl Denbow, a member of the SUV, was integral in erecting this marker and similar ones across the Athens area.
Eleni Zulia, program director of operations and engagement at Athens County Foundation, said the foundation’s mission and outreach goals aligned with the marker project.
“A project like this is interesting in a way that we’re able to support the organization, to recognize some history affiliated with our community and with the university,” Zulia said. “It was a project that made sense for us to show our support so that it would bring visibility and education.”
Not only does the new marker display rich history, but it also offers a brief exposure of the people who shaped Athens to students.
Sara Kallenburg, a freshman studying communications, said the presence of historic markers inspires a deeper connection to campus history.
“I think it’s important that students get to see the history of what was here before we were and why these buildings and spaces are so important,” Kallenburg said.
The new marker serves as a physical reminder of the rich historical culture in Athens.
“Putting up those markers is bringing those stories of the past, and they’re making them part of the present,” O’Grady said.
