As one local newspaper noted in 1909, Thanksgiving in Columbus was a day of turkey and chrysanthemums.

Such was not normally the case. Columbus is in the middle part of Ohio and well below the "snow line" that regularly brings winter a bit earlier to the northern part of the state. Yet killing frosts and crisp weather are usually well under way by late November. But a warmer and lengthier than usual growing season had led local flowers to be available for much longer than was usually the case.

And Thanksgiving turned out to be a nice day to display them. The weather was cool and clear and gave people with a need to travel a pleasant day to do so. Many people did just that. Some were hunters traveling to the countryside for a leisurely day in the woods. But many others were people simply trying to get home for a holiday visit.

The home they returned to in Columbus in 1909 was a city doing quite well in the latter years of the first decade of the 20th century. After recovering from a brief economic "panic" or recession in 1907, the city and the country as a whole had recovered quite well in the intervening two years.

On the eve of Thanksgiving Day, Mayor Charles Bond said, "I believe that the times are better than they were a year ago; that there are men employed at better wages, and that the country is generally more prosperous In general observance of the day I hope that no one will lack the bounty in which the capital city seems to abide I hope everybody has as good a day as I do, and, in fact, I think that after the festivities, I will go to the football game in the afternoon."

The game in question was a Thanksgiving Day meeting of Ohio State University and Kenyon College. (Ohio State won 22-0.) Many people joined the mayor in cheering on the home team, since almost every factory and office -- public and private -- was closed for the day.

Exceptions to that rule were the offices and headquarters in the city of local aid organizations, which spent the day providing assistance to the needy.

The Salvation Army visited the homes of at least 400 needy people and distributed baskets of food. The Volunteers of America distributed 200 baskets of food to people who came to their South Front Street office. The baskets contained "turkey, roast meat, chicken, potatoes, bread, sugar and other foods." The Diet Kitchen provided baskets of food to people who came to their offices as well.

People confined in institutions of one sort or another also had a nice day. Thanksgiving Day at the Deaf School opened with a lecture at 9:30 by the superintendent and a noonday turkey dinner. A stage show in the evening by staff and students was the high point of the day.

Similar celebrations were held at the state institutions for the treatment of the mentally ill and disabled.

Local institutions followed suit. A local newspaper reported that, "Thanksgiving at the county jail was a real novelty for the prisoners, who are usually denied knives, forks and dishes, but Sheriff Sartain and Jailer Dawson saw that these things were not lacking. The prisoners even had the freedom of the corridors before and after they had eaten their turkey and side dishes. And they ate at table too."

The paper did not disclose where and how inmates at the jail normally took their meals.

Apparently conditions were a bit more organized at Ohio Penitentiary on Spring Street.

"Instead of piling out of their cells at 6:30 to answer breakfast call, the men were allowed to sleep a half hour longer, and when they were unlocked, they were allowed the pleasure of smoking. There were no exercises in the morning and the men spent the time pretty much as they pleased.

"At noon, they were given a turkey dinner that would tickle the palate of a king. T.J. Finn, superintendent of subsistence and for many years a caterer, made arrangements for 3,000 pounds of turkey meat and this with oyster soup, pickles, potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce, and oysters formed the main part of the dinner, while mince and pumpkin pie were served with dessert. In the afternoon, W.W. Durbin, a member of the Board of Managers, at the head of a troupe of six, put on sleight of hand performance in the chapel for two hours or more and was interspersed with music by the prison band and orchestra."

More traditional uses of the chapels and churches of Columbus were made by the many different religious denominations in the city. As had been the custom for many years, most of the churches in the city held services of some sort on Thanksgiving Day. Prominent among them was the First Congregational Church and its well-known minister, the Rev. Washington Gladden.

By 1909, Gladden had become a well known figure both in Columbus and across the country as an advocate of a "Social Gospel" that tried to make churches more active in the meeting the social problems of the day. Gladden had served on Columbus City Council and was active in a number of social, political and service organizations.

On Thanksgiving Day, he spoke of what he called "commonplace" things.

"The great things, the priceless things are so common that we cannot mention them without talking in platitudes Good health and good digestion are treasures beyond price. You say there is nothing original in this remark. No, there is not: and one of the biggest things we all have to be thankful for is that statements like these are commonplace. Thank God for life!"

To conclude, it is always interesting to see what people were eating -- in addition to turkey -- 100 years ago. In 1909, a "real royal dinner" was served to patients in the hospital at Columbus Barracks, the army post now called Fort Hayes. How really sick people were able to eat any or all of what follows was not explained. But I am sure they gave it their best effort.

• Oysters
• Stuffed Green Olives
• Radishes
• Young Onions
• Celery
• Baked Squash
• Mashed Irish Potatoes
• Sliced New Tomatoes
• Creamed Peas
• German Asparagus
• Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Roast Turkey with Oyster Dressing
• Boiled Ham
• Mayonnaise Chicken
• Cape Cod Cranberry Sauce New York State Cream Cheese
• Thanksgiving Plum Pudding Brandy Sauce
• Mince Pie
• Pumpkin Pie
• Charlotte Russe
• Assorted Nuts
• Pineapple Ice
• Almond Ice Cream
• Bananas
• Oranges
• Smyrna Layer Figs
• Layer Raisins
• Drip Coffee
• Lemonade

Happy Thanksgiving.

Ed Lentz writes a history column for ThisWeek.