The memory will carry on

assist in coordinating the response.”

What are things that the county can do to prevent this kind of event from happening?

“Unfortunately, there is not much we can do as a county to prevent incidents from happening. Regulatory agencies like the Department Of Transportation, PUCO, EPA, etc., set guidelines at the federal and state level and oftentimes act as inspection and enforcement entities. Legislators also have a role in helping prevent incidents by passing and enacting laws. Local police and the Ohio State Highway Patrol help keep our roads safe.

“What we do accomplish in Harrison County is to be prepared to respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to any incident that would adversely affect the citizens of our county. We have a talented and dedicated group of men and women who volunteer their time in the fire department as well as EMS. Our paid fire and EMS personnel hone their skills daily to make sure they deliver the best possible service to our residents. We have a small yet well-trained and professional cadre of law enforcement officers who answer the call to serve each day.”

How will the EMA of Harrison County learn from this disaster?

“While we write emergency response plans, exercise them, and then train in support of them, there is no substitute for a real-world event. We will evaluate our community’s ability to respond to events such as this. All firefighters, EMTs, and police officers receive eight hours of hazardous material awareness training during

Rockside changes ownership

BY ALYSSA HOWARD Harrison News-Herald Staff Writer

JEWETT—Jewett council came to a hard decision this year, the demolition of the Jewett Wildcat Community Center (formerly Jewett Elementary School). The building has been a staple in the village for years and years, housing many events and activities for the children. One of the biggest uses of the old school is the winter youth basketball league.

In June of last year, Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced funding from the EPA’s Brownfield Grant Program. The council can utilize the grant to remove old buildings and clean up the village. They are always looking for grants and help to better the village. After an environmental firm from North Canton came in to inspect the building, they found asbestos and heavy water damage. There were a lot of expenses that the village was already aware of, such as regular upkeep, needing a new roof, falling downspouts, a furnace replacement, and a new sewage line.

A lot of the council’s decision was made by looking at the building from a long-term perspective. Future grant funds pertaining to the issues are not guaranteed. It’s been hard in recent years to gather money for what little upkeep has been done. They are looking at what problems could take place in the building 20 to 30 years down the line and what further deterioration will happen in that time.

Mayor Bo Bailie said, “It’s a bittersweet thing. It was a hard decision for every single person here. We all have memories of playing there. Not one person in this room said, ‘just tear it down.’ We discussed this for months, almost a year.”

An engineer was brought in to see how the structure was set up. Unfortunately, all utilities run through the school and then into the gym. The cost of re-running the utilities would be astronomical. There is also the issue of the refacing of the wall that was connecting the structures. There were pros and cons explored, discussed, and heavily thought over.

“It’s not just for ourselves,” Bailie said. “It’s for the taxpayers down the road. The people that will be sitting where we are now.”

Bailie mentioned that they are hoping the land can be used for the community, they are hoping for a new business, or even council is in talks about a pole barn to use as a new community center for big events. It could be utilized for town hall meetings to hear the voices of the residents and to rent out for events and parties. They are also hoping to keep the basketball flooring from the gym to potentially use it in the future. Council has a lot of ideas for the land to give it back to the village instead of leaving it vacant. Not long ago, the park was upgraded and revitalized with huge help from the residents. They know how close this community is, and they have faith that they will have a lot of support from the people of Jewett.

Bailie said that he knows a lot of residents will want a piece of memorabilia from the school. They are going to keep some of the bricks from the school and let residents come and pick some up if they’d like to. The Village of Jewett will be keeping the placards and the nameplates from the school in the village building for anyone to come to see and reminisce. As for the memorial items out front, families are more than welcome to come to collect their items if they choose to. Council will help and assist with whatever is needed. Bailie said if there is any money involved with moving memorial items, he will gladly pay for it. Council said they are going to move what items aren’t removed by the families to the park. They will also replant the trees and flowers. They want everything centralized in the village and public for all the residents to have a place to go.

Mayor Bo Bailie spoke highly about the Drays and the families before them that have volunteered and given countless hours to the children in the village, not to mention their help with the upkeep of the gym. He also mentioned that any resident that has items stored in the school could contact the Drays or any council member to help clear those items out.

Mayor Bailie is hoping for a last town hall meeting around the end of March in the old gym to hear residents’ voices and come together as a community and for the residents to meet their council. He said, “It’s a goal of mine to start regular town hall meetings. We want to answer questions and keep everyone updated. We want to be honest and transparent.” The meeting will be the building’s last hoorah.

BY CORNELIA GRACE Harrison News-Herald Reporter

TIPPECANOE—Sue McMath has a heart for her community. Being semi-retired from over a decade of food service work, she wasn’t quite ready to settle down. So she and her husband, Troy, bought Rockside Carryout.

“For our retirement in the future, I should say,” McMath explained.

She has one daughter and four grandkids who are interested in coming to help out with the business. “We’re just looking forward to the future here,” she said. “We’ve met so many nice people.”

She said she felt she had to stay in the same line of work, “I love kids and people … it was perfect timing [to purchase Rockside].”

She found out about it through a friend and, after looking at it, fell in love. She took over the business in late December and said everything has been great since.

“I can honestly say I’m living my dream,” she said. “I’m loving it out here.”

Established in 1989, Rockside has a great location near campgrounds for the summer. McMath said, “We’re not real busy right now,” since this is the off-season, but a few changes have helped boost revenue, “We have a kid’s meal now. Right off the bat, that’s the first thing I wanted to do. People really like it; they’ve never had a kid’s meal before.” They also started offering specials Monday through Friday that will change up every few months.

“Our fish fry has been doing absolutely great! Friday nights, we’ve been out of control,” McMath laughed. She said many from out of town had made an effort to come out, and the support has been overwhelming.

Most of the previous employees have remained with the business, which has made the transition much easier for McMath.

“Even the prior owner has stayed on,” McMath said. “They have made it, all of them, have made the change over so easy … Overall, it’s really been good.”

Despite the few changes made so far, the community has been nothing but supportive, “At first they’re like ‘don’t change anything!’ but they’ve liked every change I have made. They’ve been supportive; everyone has!”

For the future, she said she wouldn’t be making any major changes, “We want to put picnic tables outside this summer so when we do ice cream, people can walk outside,” McMath said. “We have plans for adding things, but just little things.”

They’ve changed their hours from a more limited timeframe to six days a week 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours will be extended a little more in the spring and summer.

McMath is looking to grow and build relationships in the area, “I want to get involved in the community as much as possible,” McMath said. She’s already implemented some outreach, “We have things we want to do with the community. We have a coloring contest going on right now for the kids at the school. We’re planning a small Easter carnival too.”

McMath is looking to hire more staff in the summer for the inevitable increase in traffic and service from the surrounding campgrounds.

Rockside is located at 80600 Freeport Tippecanoe Road. For information on the menu and hours, call them at (740) 658-3800. McMath is looking forward to a bright future in the community!

Local college a fountainhead for Underground Railroad

BY ALYSSA HOWARD Harrison News-Herald Staff Writer

CADIZ—Harrison County is a staple in the Underground Railroad system of Eastern Ohio. One of the most prominent abolitionists in the area was a Presbyterian minister, Rev. John Walker. He was involved in a number of public discussions, one of which was with Alexander Campbell, the founder of the Campbellite Baptists. Walker wished to establish a school in Harrison County, and as none of the villages were on board with establishing a new school, Walker, along with a neighbor, laid out a town on the adjacent portions of their farms, which they named New Athens.

It was there that Walker started a classical school and did not rest until he succeeded in getting the charter of Franklin College, which was initially named Alma College in 1818, and the name changed to Franklin College in 1826. In 1919, the college became a part of Muskingum College, located in nearby New Concord. It is now the Franklin Museum and is still located in New Athens.

Walker was a man of deep conviction on the subject of equal rights. He entered into the anti-slavery contest with all of the passion of his impulsive nature and, during that long controversy, was one of the leading antislavery spirits of the time. The people who attended the ministries of Rev. John Walker were strongly anti-slavery. Franklin College was long recognized as the fountainhead of the abolition sentiment of Eastern Ohio. He also had a safe spot for slaves at Unity Presbyterian Church in Hopedale.

Rev. Walker and his faculty taught abolitionist doctrine, and many of the graduates carried the message forward in their careers as ministers, teachers, or attorneys. Graduates of this small institution included eight United States Senators, nine members of the House of Representatives, several governors, and 20 state legislators. The most well-known is Rev. Titus Basfield.

Titus Basfield, a former slave and one of the first African Americans to graduate from college in Ohio, was a Franklin College graduate. His classmate and friend, John A. Bingham, went on to become a member of Congress and served as floor manager for the legislation that gave rise to the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Correspondence from Congressman Bingham to Rev. Basfield states that the congressman ensured the inclusion of the equal protection clause with Rev. Basfield and his family in mind. This clause is the basis for much of the civil rights progress achieved in this country over the past century and a half. He also published a book about his life titled, “An Interesting History of the Life of the Rev. Titus Basfield, a Colored Minister in the Associate Presbyterian Church.”

Located in Hopedale, Delaney House is a farm homestead that is documented to have served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. The building contains a dry cistern, which is connected to the main house by a tunnel. The cistern served as a hiding place for runaway slaves, and the tunnel provided access from the main house without the need to go above ground and risk capture. Eastern Ohio’s proximity to the Ohio River and local Quaker and Presbyterian influences made this region an important stop on the route to freedom. Delaney House was purchased several years ago by a local resident. Members of the Friends of Freedom are dedicated to the preservation of Delaney House.

Those who harbored fugitives in those days did so at great risk, the penalty being a $1,000 fine and imprisonment. Numerous underground stations were established in the valley.

The Franklin Museum in New Athens is staffed by volunteers and open during limited hours and by appointment. Please call 740-968-1042 or 740-968-4066 for an appointment. Additional information is available on the museum website: www. harrisoncountyohio.org/franklinmuseum.

There is an Underground Railroad Museum located in Flushing, Ohio, if you would like to learn more. They are open February through October on Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. November through January they are open by appointment only. Please call 740-391-3135 for an appointment.