CONOVER, Ohio – 4-H is the largest youth development organization in the United States. It is a network of 500,000 volunteers and 3,500 4-H professionals that provide caring and supportive mentoring to 6 million 4-H’ers.

Historians say 4-H likely got its jump-start in the late 1800s as it was discovered that adults in farming communities were not easily accepting the new agricultural developments from universities. Young people were found to be more open to new ideas and experimentation and would, in turn, share their results and experiences with adults. This was the first step in building community clubs to be “hands-on” while learning and connecting education to agriculture.

4-H got its start in 1902 when Albert Belmont (A.B.) Graham established a youth program in Clark County, Ohio.

In a clip on the National 4-H web page, Graham was recorded saying that he felt that “children were not being helped in their educational work by their own immediate environment.”

To help fix the problem, Graham, the then-superintendent of schools in Clark County, recruited more than 35 children from 12 schools to join the Springfield Township Boys and Girls Agricultural Club, which began Jan. 15, 1902. These children would meet in the basement of the county courthouse. The intent was to learn more about harvesting, gardening, testing soil samples, knot tying and the identification of insects and weeds. Research from this club continued well into 1903. Subjects that taught youth to appreciate rural life and its opportunities were encouraged.

Graham was born March 13, 1868, near Lena, Ohio. He attended school in a one-room schoolhouse, and upon his graduation at age 17 he took over the teaching job. His father died when Graham was young, and his mother supported her family as a seamstress. Graham’s grandmother lent him money to attend the National Normal School in Lebanon, Ohio, and after graduation in 1888 he enrolled at Ohio State University. He attended OSU just one year and returned to teaching. In 1900, he was elected superintendent of schools in Springfield, Ohio.

It was there that Graham founded the boys and girls agricultural club, the first of its kind in the U.S. and what would later become 4-H. The club was designed to supplement the education the children were receiving in school on the scientific study of agriculture.

That first club had 83 members who were given seeds and taught how to test soil quality, how to plant and grow the seeds, and take notes and study scientific theory. They planted experimental plots of corn, vegetables and flowers, and kept meticulous records of their results.

By 1905, over 2,000 youth within 16 counties were participating in similar programs.

There were similar clubs created by other individuals, but none took root as Graham’s did. O.J. Kern, for example, started a similar club in February 1902 in Winnebago County, Ill. Many of these early clubs (which were project oriented) were called Tomato Clubs, Corn Clubs, Canning Clubs and such.

The first 4-H emblem was designed in 1907 by O.H. Benson with the help of Jessie Field Shambaugh, both of Iowa. It was a three-leaf emblem and the three H’s stood for Head, Heart and Hands. The fourth H was added later and stood for Hustle. In 1911, the present 4-H design was adopted. O.B. Martin suggested the four H’s stand for Head, Heart, Hands and Health at a club meeting in Washington, D.C.

In 1924, the Boys and Girls Clubs were named 4-H. The 4-H clover emblem was also patented, and the U.S. Congress passed a law to protect the use of the 4-H emblem and name in 1924.

Meanwhile, Graham worked with OSU and the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station at Wooster to test seed varieties and various agricultural methods. In 1905, OSU created the position of superintendent of agricultural extension for Graham, who by then was known statewide for his work with farming communities.

The then-new service focused on what Graham had been doing all along: promoting healthy agricultural practices and encouraging schools to teach agriculture and home economics as part of their curriculum, as well as providing educational resources to students and the public.

Graham served as director at Ohio State until 1914, when he went to the New York State School of Agriculture to start a similar program there. Two years later, he moved to Washington, D.C., to work as chief of agricultural extension specialists for the USDA. When he retired from that position in 1938, he returned to Ohio, staying active in the community and 4-H until his death on January 14, 1960, at the age of 91.

“He ignored anyone who called him anything but A.B. He was patient, but he was strict,” recalls A.B.’s grandson, Jim Graham. “He was very straight and to the point. He was always real strong on kids to do their best. He wanted children to reach their full potential.

“He wore a suit every day, whether in the garden or representing 4-H. And he never drove. He walked or took public transportation everywhere.”

Jim said his grandfather may have been ahead of his time regarding equality. The first clubs included white, black and Hispanic children, and he did not limit club members to traditional topics. He taught girls gardening and boys cooking.

A.B. Graham is not forgotten. The A.B. Graham Memorial Center was built in 1917 as a school building. It sat on the same site where Graham began his career in education.

The building served the surrounding rural community as a school (part of the Miami East School District) until its closure in June 1990. Recognizing the historic significance of the building, concerned citizens rallied to save it, thus developing the non-profit organization called the A.B. Graham Memorial Center.

Today, the building serves as a place to meet, socialize and conduct business while at the same time recognizing Graham’s work. Visitors can tour the museum and see the many artifacts use by Graham in his early teachings.

The A.B. Graham Center is at 8025 E. State Route 36 in Conover.