Columbus Celebrates Armistice Day

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on July 28, 1914, sparked a bloody worldwide global conflict that lasted more than four years. The end of the Great War on Nov. 11, 1918, spurred celebrations around the world and across the nation, including in our state capital.

The Ohio State Journal was the first Columbus newspaper to report news of the armistice that brought an end to World War I, followed by coverage of the celebratory festivities from The Columbus Dispatch. 

“Columbus Monday was given over to exultation, delight, ecstasy and triumph. Her sons and daughters, 200,000 strong, from street, window and housetop acclaimed … the end of the war,” the paper reported in its Nov. 11, 1918, edition. 

Factory work halted and storefronts were shuttered as thousands of residents of Columbus joined improvised parades through downtown’s Main and High streets that morning. An official parade organized by the chamber of commerce started at 2:30 p.m. and prominently featured the Columbus Reserve Guards and the barracks band.

Starting at the Ohio State University campus, the procession picked up marchers as it headed south, growing to a staggering size that stretched for multiple blocks. Citizens marched with flags and banners, taking pause only to mourn fallen soldiers, removing hats and bowing heads during a memorial at Broad and High streets.

“The lid that throttled pent-up enthusiasm during the last few fateful days was blown off,” The Columbus Dispatch reported. “Bellowing whistles, screeching sirens and jubilant shouts of early risers ushered in the greatest Monday in the world’s history.” 

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