Ohio’s historic resources come in all forms … buildings, to be sure, but also archeological sites, battlefields, statuary and other public art, and…. steps (or stairs, if you prefer).

The history of Cincinnati is uniquely tied to its location, both its presence on the Ohio River as well as its topography. It is said that the city, like Rome, was built on seven hills – however there are at present at least fifteen “hills” and nine “mounts” in the names of Queen City neighborhoods. Regardless of where those seven hills might actually lie, it is unquestioned that the history of Cincinnati has been a hilly one.

And, for a city built on hills, there comes the inevitable need to go up and down. Over the last 200 years, therefore, the city has developed a remarkable collection of steps and stairs. Many of these were undertaken as public works projects, connecting one neighborhood or area with another.

Now, through the use of an online mashup (mashups are websites that actually combine feeds or tools from two or more differing sites), the steps of Cincinnati are being identified and photographed. “Cincinnati Hillside Steps” now features at least 140 sets of steps… some open, others closed, and still others missing. Visitors to the site can click on an icon positioned on a Google Map, which in turn brings up a window with photograph(s) or a given flight of steps. Some are relatively short; the Central Avenue stairs, for instance, contain only eight steps. Others are certainly more daunting.

Take an online up and down walk around Cincinnati by clicking here .. then consider picking some favorites and doing the walk in person.

Photo: Ault Park steps, Cincinnati -- jkaty27/Creative Commons License