Kieran Robertson - Little Ohio: A Nostalgic Look at the Buckeye States Smallest Towns

Cover and book design by Jonathan Norberg

Edited by Brett Ortler

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Little Ohio: A Nostalgic Look at the Buckeye States Smallest Towns

Copyright 2019 by Karen Robertson

Published by Adventure Publications

An imprint of AdventureKEEN

330 Garfield Street South

Cambridge, Minnesota 55008

(800) 678-7006

www.adventurepublications.net

All rights reserved

Printed in China

ISBN 978-1-59193-849-1 (pbk.); ISBN 978-1-59393-850-7 (ebook)

Dedication

For Jake, without you this would not have been possible.

Acknowledgments

I would first like to acknowledge the countless dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to preserve their local history through written volumes, websites, historic buildings, historic markers, and more. A book like this one would not be possible without the tireless work of local historians. For each village in this book there is at least one (often more than one) person who has spent their free time documenting what matters to their hometown. These people are too countless to list here. The work of preserving history is often thankless, but to each and every one of you I offer a sincere thank you.

I would also like to thank Brett Ortler and the entire AdventureKEEN team. Bretts hard work and keen eye for detail pushed Little Ohio from an unassuming manuscript to a well-polished book that I can be proud to have in print. Thank you for the easiest and most enjoyable editing process I have ever experienced.

Last, but certainly not least, I would also like to thank my father, John Robertson, and my husband, Jake London, for accompanying me on my many trips through Ohio. I truly enjoyed getting to know the state with both of you.

Photo Credits

All photos by Karen Robertson unless noted.

Back cover green buckeye, Ivaschenko Roman/shutterstock.com; vintage baseball glove, eurobanks/shutterstock.com

Table of Contents

Introduction

Over the past year, I have had the privilege of both researching and visiting 100 Ohio towns and villages. I traveled around the entire state, at one moment standing on the northern border in Beulah Beach overlooking Lake Erie, and the next driving along the Ohio River, Ohios southernmost boundary, to the village of Moscow. I solemnly looked upon sites of tragedy in Ohios history, such as the Sunday Creek Coal Mine in Millfield or the site of the Great Kipton Train Wreck. But I also saw joy and triumph in every single stop on my journey in brand new small businesses, beautiful parks, and a plethora of historic markers gushing with local pride. I even had some once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as attending a Welsh Gymana Ganu in Venedocia and standing directly on the state line in College Corner.

Writing this book has taught me a lot. Ive lived in Ohio my entire life, but Ive never seen this much of the Buckeye State. As a historian, when I embarked upon my research, I was incredibly intrigued by the similarities between the villages in this book and what that meant for understanding the history of Ohio and small towns as a whole. However, I was also excited by the sheer amount of diversity present in the stories of these towns. Every single village in this book offers a unique perspective.

Hopefully as you read through Little Ohio , you will see, as I did, that there is no one way to define small town. Just as Cleveland is not Toledo or Cincinnati is not Dayton, Lockbourne is not Lockington and Mount Eaton is not Mount Pleasant. When I first stepped foot in Fresno, a rural town in the eastern part of Ohio, I was immediately hit with a sense of appreciation for the silence around me. When I walked along Fresnos streets, admiring the unique homes on either side of me, I could hear nature in a way I was not accustomed to, but certainly could get used to. In comparison, the streets of Put-in-Bay were a cacophony of conversation and color. A tourist destination for many Ohioans, Put-in-Bay is perhaps only silent in the off-season. Yet Put-in-Bay and Fresno have almost the exact same population! (138 and 136 respectively.)

The 100 villages in this book are each unique, but ultimately the story of Ohios small towns is the story of the unique people that live there. I hope that, whoever you are, even if you arent from Ohio (yet), you will be able to see yourself somewhere in these pages. The story of Ohios small towns is the story of Cathecassa traveling from his home in St. Johns to Washington, D.C., to advocate for the rights of American Indians in the Ohio territory. It is also the story of Dutch migrants coming to Celeryville, using their well-honed skills to make the soil profitable, and the migrant workers, who now, over a hundred years later, continue to plant on that land. The story of Ohios small towns is the story of freedom and self-reliance in abolitionist strongholds like Mount Pleasant and the settlement of freemen at Gist. It is the story of stepping up and getting things done, like the many small-town women who ignored societal norms and ran for mayor anyway (and won).

Despite the differences that make each village unique, they also have their similarities. Many are connected intimately with nature, from the natural marvels of Rockbridge and the Zaleski National Forest to the treehouses of Glenmont. Many of these villages also share similar origin stories. In eastern portions of Ohio, many villages were founded by migrating Quakers, while in the north, Lake Erie and the Canadian border lent itself to a history of bootlegging. By and large, it was transportation that brought new villages to Ohio, be it Zanes Trace, the National Road, canals, railroads, or highways. Unfortunately, it has also been transportation that has stunted the growth of many villages. As each village is bypassed by new forms of transportation, fewer travelers spend money in town, and its population naturally shrinks.

However, the biggest similarity amongst these villages is a strong sense of pride that keeps the locals in town and allows life to carry on. It is this pride that has made it so easy for me to chronicle the history of these villages. Residents are doing this work on the ground every day, from the Adams family preserving the stories of Morgan Countys African-American families at the Multicultural Genealogical Center in Chesterhill, to John Jurko II building a wealth of primary sources to document his familys founding of Yankee Lake. It is perhaps this pride that made me certain I had never left Ohio no matter how far I traveled. Ive always felt surrounded by that pride wherever I am in the Buckeye State. However, part of the joy of being an Ohioan is our diversity and the opportunity to experience so much without leaving our borders. I hope as you read you will see, as I did, that when we embrace both our diversity and our local pride, Ohio is truly at its best.

Locator Map

Adelphi

Amesville

Beallsville

Belle Valley

Benton Ridge

Bentonville

Beulah Beach

Bladensburg

Bowersville

Brady Lake

Camp Dennison

Celeryville

Chesterhill

Chesterville

Clifton

Coalton

College Corner

Conesville

Coolville

Corwin

Cynthiana

Damascus

Deersville

East Fultonham

East Liberty

Flat Rock