Cornhenge: Traveling to Ohio’s Quirky Field of Corn in Dublin, Ohio
Field of Corn in Dublin, Ohio, is featured in the book “Ohio: A Photographic Journey,” published by Farcountry Press. If you’re looking for things to do in Ohio, this book will help you scratch a few places off your bucket list. With 80 pages of full-color images, this visual exploration of the Buckeye State will inspire you to get out and discover Ohio for yourself and it makes a great gift for someone else.
Looking for places to see and things to do in the Columbus area? Pay a visit to Field of Corn at Frantz Park in Dublin, Ohio.
Corn is Ohio’s second largest cash crop after soybeans, but you’ve never seen a cornfield quite like this one in Dublin, Ohio.
The sculpture’s official name is Field of Corn (with Osage Oranges), but just about everyone else calls it “Cornhenge!” Located at Frantz Park, the roadside attraction consists of 109 human-sized ears of concrete corn, each standing six feet tall and weighing 1,500 pounds. It’s one of the many places featured in my book, “Ohio: A Photographic Journey.”
Field of Corn (with Osage Oranges) has become a place of pilgrimage for people who love quirky roadside attractions. There’s more to Dublin than these giant corn cobs, though. It’s worthy of a visit any time of the year, but especially during the Dublin Irish Festival in August.
The artist created molds from three full-sized prototypes, each with different kernel patterns. During installation at Frantz Park, each ear of corn was rotated in different directions so that they all looked different from the observer’s point of view at any given moment.
The project was commissioned by the Dublin Arts Council’s Art in Public Places program through a juried competition in 1994. Artists were asked to submit proposals for a public art display in the park, which is owned by the City of Dublin. Malcolm Cochran, a former professor of sculpture at the Ohio State University, was ultimately selected to create his vision.
When Cochran visited the site prior to submitting his proposal, he had noticed a short row of mature Osage Orange trees, which, at one time, would have extended for miles in this former farming community. That link to Dublin’s agricultural roots inspired the artist to propose a field of 109 human-sized ears of corn made out of concrete.
After the design was selected, Dublinites were not impressed by the oddball choice at first. Some complained that it was a waste of taxpayer money, although it was actually funded by the local bed tax.
When the project went forward, Cochran felt he needed to justify his artwork. He started to do some research about the site. After speaking with a local historian, he discovered the site had been owned and farmed by the Frantz family between 1935 and 1963. He was able to speak with Eulalia Frantz, who was still alive at the time. She explained how her husband, Sam, had been a pioneer in corn hybridization.
The transition from open-pollinated to hybrid corn was astonishingly rapid after being first introduced in the 1930s — the dustbowl era. Hybrid strains took off because they were more resistant to drought and the yield was five times what they were before the pre-hybrid days. Frantz was on the cutting edge. He worked with The Ohio State University to develop hybrid strains of corn and served on the United States Department of Agriculture Seed Authority Committee.
The Worthington News published an article with the title “Sam Frantz Wins First Award In Seed Corn Show” on Thursday, February 9, 1939. He continued to be featured regularly in the publication for his research.
By the 1950s, the majority of the corn was hybrid in the U.S. and it has completely changed the food landscape forever. There’s a great article by Mary Holmes at EdibleCleveland.com that describes the transformation and the impact it has had on what Ohio grows and consumes, but it’s beyond the scope of this article. It is worthy of a read, though!
Speaking of the changing landscape . . .
When Field of Corn (with Osage Oranges) was dedicated on Oct. 30, 1994, members of the Frantz family, including Eulalia, came out to show their support. Over time, the controversial sculpture has become a place of pilgrimage for lovers of quirky attractions in Ohio and it has won over some of the hardliners as well.
Kids run among the giant concrete corn cobs in Frantz Park in Dublin, Ohio. Besides being a great place for the kids to get outside near Columbus, the public art has become a place of pilgrimage for people who love unusual roadside attractions, and it’s even been the backdrop of Christmas cards for residents.
Throughout time, there have been celebrated works of art that were misunderstood at the time of their creation.
“Public art should inspire an emotional response,” says Dublin Arts Council Executive Director David Guion. “And Field of Corn has done just that. It has drawn attention to what otherwise may have been missed – a generic corner in a thriving community. It provokes questions and invites interaction. The sculpture is memorable and distinguishes our community from those around it, contributing to Dublin’s vision of honoring our community’s past while shaping its bright future.”
Field of Corn is located at 4995 Rings Rd. in Dublin, Ohio. Click here for driving directions.
Looking for more things to do in the Columbus area?
Be sure to poke around on the Experience Columbus website to help plan your trip and don’t forget to pick up a copy of “Ohio: A Photographic Journey.”
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