The In-Between Land
The photographic essay is a visual exploration of life and culture in North Central Appalachia. To view the book, click here.
Golden leaves flutter and fall from the treetops high above the colorfully painted forest floor as the autumn winds bring with them crisp, cool air. As the sun sinks beneath the silhouetted forest canopy, the last glimmer of amber light flickers through the branches and rests against the immortal stone walls of the 19th century iron furnace. At last, the light fades as the trees wrap their arms around the towering monument, pulling it into the blue darkness of the night. In quiet, darkened library corners you’ll find aging books that tell stories of pioneers who settled amongst the hill country here in North Central Appalachia. They were searching for a new life as they made their way westward across America. They share stories of lives lost, riches won and treasures squandered, bearing witness to both war and peace, death and life, poverty and prosperity. They tell of hills that serve as both a hollowed sanctuary and a living museum. Winding back and forth through these hills in Southern Ohio is a quiet highway that cuts through the land. It connects a string of communities hemmed in on either side by the fertile till plains to the northwest and the Ohio River to the southeast. The towns and villages along the sixty mile stretch of the road share a common bond of heritage and culture. It is a space between places, and I call it “The In-Between Land.”
At the center of that highway is the town of Jackson, Ohio. It is likely that Hopewell Culture, and possibly centuries later, the Shawnee, were drawn to the area for its abundance of salt that was found in deposits along creek beds. Once European settlers arrived, they began to process the salt by redirecting well water into nearby kettles via makeshift wooden aqueducts where they would be boiled down. The boilers would then collect hundreds of pounds of dried salt for packaging and sale. The process turned Jackson into an early hub for salt boiling. To this day, the main waterway in town bears the name Salt Lick Creek. The territory of Ohio achieved statehood in March of 1803, several years after the end of the American Revolution. With statehood came more settlers, trappers, traders and hermits, each of which looked to discover what the region might have to offer. In what appears to have been an accident, several Welsh families were stranded in the French settlement of Gallipolis, Ohio, as they journeyed westward down the Ohio River on their way to the popular Welsh settlement of Paddy’s Run when they lost their boat while resupplying.
Stranded and looking for work, the families made their way northward along a newly built road until they stumbled upon what is today Jackson County. The land greatly resembled their homeland of Cardiganshire, in South Wales. It was due largely to the letters that these first settlers sent back to relatives in Wales that brought about the “Great Welsh Tide” of the mid-1800s. During that time, thousands of Welsh men, women and children made their way to the region, establishing Welsh-speaking churches and constructing iron furnaces throughout the area. Many of the newly-settled Welshmen were quick to become American citizens, often volunteering in the American Civil War. Some joined the 107th Ohio Volunteer Infantry at Ironton. Others, including Coalton’s James M. Compston, would join the Union Army. Private Compston was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor in 1864 for his bravery in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign for capturing the Confederate flag.
On August 18, 1853, the first steam engine locomotive, or “Iron Horse” had finally arrived in Jackson under the direction of Scioto and Hocking Valley Company. The new train line allowed for easier travel, and more importantly, an efficient method of transporting industrial goods to and from the area. As settlers established towns and villages, the region began to flow with a steady stream of timber, salt, coal and iron from local mines, mills and furnaces. New industry brought with it prosperous communities complete with opera halls, hotels, tram systems and motion picture theaters. Immigrants continued to pour into the area bringing with them the customs and traditions their people had practiced for generations.
Today, few of those early traditions and industries remain. As iron was replaced with steel up north, many of the mines were abandoned. There was no longer a need for local coal either and many of the railroad companies eventually went out of business. The tracks were later removed piece by piece, or left to rust. Often, the only thing that remains are long, narrow stretches of elevated land. Some lines remain but are inactive, hidden in fragments and littered throughout forests leading nowhere. Most of the mills that brought wealth to the area have closed their doors. The opera house in Jackson that had once entertained patrons throughout the region with regular performances is now a storage space for spare automobile parts at a local car dealership. In other towns and villages, busy storefronts have been left vacant. The region is seldom considered by outsiders to be a beacon of American prosperity.
However, fortune comes in many forms. People are often more complex than the simplified labels given to them, and the people of The In-Between Land are no different, unwilling to be simply an American tragedy. It is no secret that for many in the region, poverty is never far from the doorstep. For some, the opioid epidemic has had an eternal effect. However, local history has often been marked by stories of impassioned grit, selfless heroism, determination and a deeply rooted pride in qualities like independence and self-reliance. It had taken ingenuity, resourcefulness and persistence for settlers to create a life amongst these hills, far from the safety net of social support. And many continue to take that same risk today.
The people of The In-Between Land seldom look to outsiders for support, let alone pity. Like everyone else, they prefer to be understood and respected for the life they have chosen, in a land in which they have purpose and a sense of belonging. The following photographic essay is a visual exploration of the various cultural environments of The In-Between Land, as well as some of the people that abide here. I was raised in the small town of Jackson, Ohio, and I have dedicated this project to the people of The In-Between Land. Thank you for your open hearts and open doors. May you continue to see the richness in your communities and in your way of life.