*For the original Jackson Eisteddfod site (in Flash), click here.
The “Great Welsh Tide” of 1830-1840 brought over 3,000 immigrants into southeastern Ohio, an area so populated with Welsh families, that it was known as “Little Cardiganshire.”
With these settlers came the tradition of the Eisteddfod (aye-steth-vod), a Welsh song and literary competition dating back nearly 1,000 years.
The Jackson Eisteddfod was an annual event from 1922 to 1940 and attracted thousands of competitors in vocal music, piano, Welsh translation and a cappella choruses.
In 1924, a school-wide annual Eisteddfod was created to accompany and precede the adult event. It continues to this day and is currently in its 94th consecutive year (as of 2019). It is the only surviving school Eisteddfod in the United States.
History of the Eisteddfod in Southern Ohio
In the mid-1850s, as Welsh emigrants were becoming “Americanized,” a resurgence of Welsh nationalism, particularly pride in native language and culture, was taking place in Wales.
Local businessmen and church communities in Jackson then began to make a serious effort at promoting Welsh culture in their adopted land.
Eisteddfods started to appear in Jackson County, Ohio in 1863 and were called “literary meetings.” They were held every few months in alternating Welsh churches and consisted of Welsh oration and choral music in addition to the religious service.
The first official Eisteddfod in Southeast Ohio was held in a large tent in Oak Hill in 1875 and led by Eben Jones, left, president and founder of Globe Iron.
In 1922, the Southeast Ohio Eisteddfod Association was formed by a group of local Welsh businessmen led by John Jones, the son of Eben Jones. Their purpose was to “preserve the Welsh language and the cultivation of poetry and music.”
The Eisteddfods were very popular, and participation was so large that they outgrew the rented tents on the fairground site.
In 1928 the Eisteddfod Auditorium was built in Jackson. This building, the only one in America built specifically for Eisteddfods, helped Jackson to beat out Chicago and Pittsburgh in hosting the National Eisteddfod in 1930.
This event brought over 10,000 people into Jackson, Ohio. Special trains were employed to bring in people from all over the state. Mary Denny, 87 (at the time of the interview), remembers the event well. “People were singing in the streets” and “everyone was asked to hold guests overnight, as there wasn’t enough room at the hotels.”
Eisteddfods continued to be successful in Jackson until the beginning of World War II, when gas rationing and economic decline limited out of town competitors and cash prizes.
The last Eisteddfod held in Jackson was in 1940.