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The
original "Family Portraits" series of thirteen episodes
introduced the town of Odyssey, its environment, the main characters, and
the Christian morals we value on the show today. Although the writers
later decided that Odyssey's location would never be verbally revealed on
Adventures
in Odyssey, "Family Portraits," before this decision, gave a direct location for
the town. "Family Portraits" is not available from Focus on the
Family at this time and is not considered part of the Odyssey chronology, but
Odyssey's definitive mention will continue to inspire AIO fans
to paint the roadmap to Odyssey. Or at least this website. We've provided a little peek into where
Odyssey used to be, before it became Adventures in Odyssey.
Whit's
Visitor [#1]
At
the start of the series, we take a walk with Whit as he describes the
town, its location, and the struggle for the common people.
The
Narrator begins the episode by stating, during the introduction after the opening interview, that
we are "going to 'Odyssey, Ohio'".
The
New Kid in Town [#3]
The
key people and places have been introduced, and the eccentric character,
John Avery Whittaker, is already helping those who need him.
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The city of Cleveland is mentioned
throughout Adventures in Odyssey. However, the state of
Ohio is never mentioned.
Likewise, no evidence proves that Odyssey cannot be located in
Ohio.
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Tom Riley mentions that he went on
a trip to Cleveland (The
Big Broadcast).
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In First-Hand
Experience, Eugene and Bernard begin their roadtrip near a city
called Cleveland. However, there is not enough evidence to prove
which Cleveland the episode refers to. (There are several cities
named Cleveland in the United States.) Could this be Cleveland,
Ohio?
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In the episode
For Better or
For Worse, Millie Shanks is planning Eugene and Katrina's
wedding. Due to the weather, she tells Connie that she will be
going to look for an alternate wedding site. Connie responds,
"Where? Cleveland?"
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The city of Cincinnati is
mentioned as well in a variety of episodes. However, the state
of Ohio is never mentioned. Likewise, no evidence proves that
Odyssey cannot be located in Ohio.
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While presenting a riddle to the
kids at Whit's End, Whit references the city of Cincinnati
(along with Buffalo and Detroit) in
Promises, Promises,
although he doesn't say any states. He attempts to prove that he
is in neither of the cities.
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In
Train Ride,
Whit and Eugene board an Amtrak train in Chicago and head home
to Odyssey. It is brought to their attention that some of the
passengers on another train car (mannequin salesmen) are on
their way to a convention in Cincinnati. According to Amtrak's
website, a trip from Chicago to Cincinnati is approximately 8
1/2 hours in total.
If traveling by train, it is a day's
journey from Chicago to Odyssey, as revealed in the episode as well.
Now, where is Odyssey in relation to Cincinnati? It is revealed
that the stop to Odyssey is before Cincinnati.
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In
Waylaid in the
Windy City, Greg Kelley tells Dr. Blackgaard that he has
friends in Cincinnati he can lay low with for a while since he
is wanted by the police.
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Cincinnati is stated in a news
report involving a mass misunderstanding that Harlow Doyle is
the creator of Powerboy Comics. No state is mentioned in
the report, although we do know that Cincinnati is in Ohio. (Rights,
Wrongs, and Winners)
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In
The Jubilee
Singers, George
White purchases ten first-class train seats to Cincinnati.
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During dinner in
Child's Play, Katrina
briefly mentions that Rhonda, teacher at Connellsville Middle
School, is going to a teacher's conference in Cincinnati.
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In
The Life of the
Party, a boy named Freddy states that his family moved to
Odyssey from Columbus. He never references the state of Ohio.
However, clues given in this episode do not prove Odyssey's
existence in Ohio, nor do they rule it out.
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In
The Ill-Gotten
Deed, Whit reads a book, with the first line explaining that
Odyssey was founded in the early 1800's. Historically, during that time, Ohio
was a state but was considered as "out west" (click
here to view off-site details). In addition to "northwest
Ohio," we have an area called the "Black Swamp" which might be
related to the swamp in the episode.
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Historically, Johnny Appleseed
traveled through Ohio. In
Timmy's Cabin,
Tom Riley and several others discover that Johnny Appleseed
traveled through the land that became Tom Riley's farm.
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In
Hymn Writers,
the Kids Radio station takes listeners to Ashtabula, Ohio, to
cover the events of a story. However, not enough evidence is
given to rule out Ohio as the location for Odyssey.
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Carl Ross tells Jack Allen the
story of the Underground Railroad and establishes that it takes
place in the "southern United States." Also, the ultimate
destination of the sojourners is in the north. It can be assumed
that Odyssey is in one of the northern states. (The
Underground Railroad)
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Also, in
The
Underground Railroad, Henry and Caroline crossed the Ohio
River to get to freedom. The house connecting to the church
where Reverend Andrew lived, which is ultimately Whit's End's
location, was just
across the border. Could it be Cincinnati? It can also be
deduced that Odyssey is north of the Ohio River.
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Eugene Meltsner and Mandy
Straussberg take a ride in the Imagination Station to Oberlin,
Ohio, in When
In Doubt...Pray! However, not enough evidence is given to
rule out Ohio as the location for Odyssey. A Butler County
exists in Ohio, although no state is mentioned in the episode.
Not enough evidence is given to prove that this is the same
Butler County as the one that happens to be in Ohio.
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The school closings notice, as
heard on the radio in
Snow Day,
lists a Butler County.
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Millie Shanks mentions that she is
going to find an alternate site for Eugene and Katrina's wedding
in
For Better or For
Worse. Connie sarcastically responds, "Where? Cleveland?" Not enough clues are given to
prove that Odyssey is or is not located in Ohio, though it is
interesting to note that Cleveland may be close to Odyssey's
location since it came up during conversation.
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In
The Highest
Stakes, it is revealed that bus ticket from Connellsville to
Marietta costs $99. Marietta is a well-known city in Ohio,
although no state is mentioned in the episode. Not enough
evidence is given to prove that this is the same Marietta as the
one that happens to be in Ohio.
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In
The Jubilee
Singers, George Leonard White reveals that the Jubilee
Singers' next stop is Chillicothe, Ohio.
Not enough clues are given to
prove that Odyssey is or is not located in Ohio.
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In
The Jubilee
Singers, a talking painting of Frederick Douglass reveals
that the Jubilee Singers are scheduled to perform before the
First National Council of Congregational Church in Oberlin,
Ohio.
Not enough clues are given to
prove that Odyssey is or is not located in Ohio.
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In
The Jubilee
Singers, a talking painting of Frederick Douglass explains
that the Jubilee Singers go on tour from Ohio to New York.
Not enough clues are given to
prove that Odyssey is or is not located in Ohio.
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In
The Green Ring Conspiracy, Dr. Graham informs Whit that she
has contacted the local Secret Service office in Springfield.
Springfield, Ohio, is located in southwestern Ohio. However,
there are also a Springfield, Illinois and Springfield, Missouri.
Not enough clues are given to
prove that Odyssey is or is not located in Ohio.
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It could be argued that Odyssey is
in Ohio, based on a clue in the Adventures in Odyssey
video Race to Freedom.
When Dylan and Carter are inside the Imagination Station,
the screen stops at the state of Ohio as their destination. However, since we base all
occurrences of characters saying names of states on the audio
series only, we do not use this as evidence that Odyssey is in
Ohio.
Remember, no one knows where Odyssey
resides to this day, but much evidence seems to indicate Ohio as one
of the hot spots in the United States.
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