The distinctive “eye” marks out the nuts from an Ohio buckeye tree. 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 Ohio buckeye, Aesculus glabra, was adopted as the state tree in 1953. Ohio State University took Buckeyes as its mascot in 1950. But why are the people of Ohio called buckeyes? Here’s a look. Why are people from Ohio called buckeyes? 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 appeared in his spruced up military uniform…
Continue Reading: Why are Ohioans called buckeyes? The term was once an insult
