Traced Housing, 2017

TRACED HOUSING Lancaster is a city of over 8,000 inhabitants, situated at the head of the Hocking Valley, and surrounded by lands long known as the most fertile in the state. Railroad lines connect Columbus, Hocking Valley, Toledo, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and St. Louis to its virginal fields of timber, fire clay, oil, gas, building stone, coal, and other minerals.

An average of thirty or forty trains of coal per day, pass through the Columbus and Hocking Valley rail lines. The Hocking canal also penetrates, near at-hand, vast coal, lumber, and salt regions. The massive sand rock found in inexhaustible supplies near the city is extensively used and shipped to all parts of the state for abutments of bridges, foundations of houses, and all building purposes. It is easily worked, permanent in air and water, and not effected by heat or cold. A large amount of this rock is perfectly white and suitable for glass making. This, with other necessary materials and our large supply of natural gas, makes this the best point in the country for the manufacture of glass.

Not the least important of Lancaster’s institutions by a great deal, are the Boys Industrial School of Ohio, a beautiful and busy little city in and of itself. The great Methodist Conference Camp Meeting, with its artistic grounds, permanent buildings, hotel, etc, another wonderful little city in itself, with it’s powerful influences for good in the community; and the famous Fairfield County Fair, the most successful and best managed county fair in the world. These three institutions annually attract thousands and thousands of people and money to Lancaster, the most beautifully and pleasantly located city in Ohio.

—From a historical map of Lancaster, OH (circa 1889) encountered on display at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds in 2017.

Ben Shawn in reverse (after Lancaster, OH 1938)

Behind the overdose house, August 2017

Anchor Hocking Glass Plant 1

An argument about installing lights to foreground the pleasant mountain reaches a fervor at the mayoral debate. Afterall, they said, it’s only for a few hours each night. Afterall, they said, nothing will be bolted to the rock. Afterall, they said, many visitors come looking and we promise it will not interfere with bird migrations. —Lancaster mayoral candidate forum, 10/3/2017

Traced Housing is a daydream, is a night terror, is a product of Daniel King, as part of an exhibition titled Narrative.Rest.Stops. at Lyon College, Batesville, AR, 2017