"Jungles," "hobo college" and more Ohio rail-rider ties

Between the rails: In this context, "hobo" is not a term used for people experiencing homelessness — it references a specific group of nomadic, often hard-working people in the late 19th and early 20th century.

• Hobos had jobs, regular gatherings, a union and even a "Hobo Code of Ethics."

Zoom in: Central Ohio's most interesting piece of hobo history may be a "Hobo Jungle" around Mansfield, where a convergence of rails made for an excellent temporary home.

• Authorities regularly tore down that home between 1914 and 1938.
• Nearby, the Bucyrus Preservation Society tapped into that history with a "Hobo Day" event as recently as 2014.

The intrigue: You can find hobo history all over Ohio.

• Amesville in Athens County hosts an annual Alonzo Weed Festival in honor of its 4-foot-tall "hobo mayor" from 1903, a story uncovered by Tyler over a century later.
• Bradford's Railroad Museum in Miami County has an exhibit emulating "the sense of being in an actual hobo camp."
• The Hudson Heritage Association near Akron recently hosted a program about its own hobo history, while Cincinnati was once home to a "hobo college."

🖥️ Worthy of your time: Richland County History's two-part look at "Mansfield's Hobo Jungles."