Ohio is known as the Buckeye State because buckeye trees were prevalent in the area when the territory was settled in the late 18th century. The buckeye gets its name from its distinctive nutlike seed that, when dried, appears a rich, dark brown color with a single lighter brown spot that resembles the eye of a deer. © The Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua II November 5, 1999: Some buckeye tree leaves and buckeyes. The Ohio buckeye, Aesculus glabra, was adopted as the state tree in 1953. Ohio State University took Buckeyes as their mascot in 1950. But why are the people of Ohio called buckeyes? Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. Historian S.P. Hildreth reported the story of the first use of the buckeye nickname in 1788 when Col. Ebenezer Sproat arrived at Marietta, Ohio, the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory. Sproat…
Continue Reading: How Ohio turned ‘buckeyes’ from insult to a term of pride
