Ohio is known as the “Buckeye State” due to the prevalence of the buckeye tree and its seeds during colonial times. The Indian word for buckeye nut, hetuk, was once applied to an early pioneer, adding to the symbolic weight of the name. The nickname gained national attention when presidential candidate William Henry Harrison used it for symbolic gain in 1840. Ohio State University uses the buckeye as its mascot and nickname, and a popular confection is named after it. Although the horse chestnut tree’s numbers have reduced due to agriculture and development, it remains the official state tree.
Ohio’s decision to call itself “Buckeye State” is a natural fit. The sturdy tree with the distinctive seeds used to dot much of the landscape during the colonial takeover of this territory, and still does. Adding to the symbolic weight of the name, the Indian word for buckeye nut, hetuk or “buck eye,” was once applied by local Indians to an early pioneer as a seemingly sincere endearment.
Settlers began settling the Northwest Territories in the late 18th century, landing at the first outpost in what is now Marietta, Ohio. One of that city’s founders, Ebenezer Sproat, reportedly came to be known as Hetuck to the natives. Some historians believe this is Ohio’s first connection to the “Buckeye State” nickname. While historians often note that this was due to Sproat’s tall stature and popularity with the Indians, it is perhaps important to note that the horse chestnut tree’s other nickname is “fetid horse chestnut” for the rotting odor it emits when its twigs or leaves are broken, in spite of all pleasant appearances. Additionally, the tree’s eye-shaped nuts are toxic to both livestock and humans.
Just before the Civil War, the nickname “Buckeye State” was etched into the national consciousness when presidential candidate William Henry Harrison used the tree for symbolic gain. Harrison, a retired general from the War of 1812, was born in Virginia but settled in Ohio after the war, becoming a United States Congressman. In his second run for president in 1940, Harrison countered criticisms from incumbent Martin Van Buren that he was too parochial by embracing his image. His supporters used a buckeye log cabin, decked out with distinctive strings of buckeye nuts, to install the candidate as a “log cabin candidate.” Harrison became the nation’s ninth president, then died on his 32nd day of service of pneumonia. The “Buckeye State” moniker stuck.
Ohio State University has used the buckeye as its mascot and nickname since 1950. It’s also the name of a popular confection. Prepared by dipping peanut butter fudge into milk chocolate, the chef leaves just a small pale pupil of fudge that appears to mimic the deer seed’s exposed basal scar, which is said to resemble a “deer’s eye.”
Although the horse chestnut tree, or Aesculus glabra, used to proliferate throughout the state, agriculture and development have reduced their numbers. However, it remains the official state tree. Nuts can still be found littering much of the landscape in the fall. Ohio parents often tell their kids not to put them in their mouths.
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