CHAPTERS 5 AND 6

SHAWNEE, OHIO: LISTENING TO COMMUNITY

PERFORMING SHAWNEE, OHIO

Chapters five and six illustrate a decade and a half of personal discovery, friendships, and creative growth in Appalachian Ohio. These chapters begin with my story of visiting the village of Shawnee and its people. I also discover the early life of my grandfather, who grew up there. Along the way, we meet many of the archival characters and current residents who became integral to the sound recording project Shawnee, Ohio (2019). I also write about my process of making the album, how residents became co-creators of the project, and how a special performance in Shawnee affected me.

Watch: A Full-Length Video of Shawnee, Ohio

Reecordings

LYRICS

Interviewer: What, uh, what did you do when you was a kid growing up that you had the most fun doing?

Jim: Well, I uh, told you. Playing basketball and shooting marbles and knocking the can and stuff like that.
Interviewer: What did you do on Saturday night as a teenager, growing up?

Jim: Uh, I used to like to get out, out on my grandmother’s and grandfather’s front porch, and watch the people go up and down Main Street. Believe it or not, on a Saturday night, the people in town, the town was crowded. But then you had, uh, you had –– Senator’s was a restaurant. Then you come on down then you had, uh, Peyton’s had a Red and White store. You come on down and Yank Hartson had a store for various things. Come on down to Eddie Welches, or Charles Welches, and he had a little bit of everything in that store. It was mainly, uh, mining supplies and feed. But he had a lot of other stuff in there, too. And if you went in there and asked for something, and he didn’t have it, he’d probably have it in there in the next week or two, like pottery, and different things like that.

Uh, but I would be up there on the front porch. The fire station was knocked down there. There was uh, Nicolas’ store. It was still standing, maybe. It might have fallen down by the time you get this printed, but right now it is still standing. And then you uh, there was another building in there, Daugherty’s. They had a music store in there at one time. And then when the bar across the street burned out, they moved the bar –– and the music store had been out of business for years ––they moved the bar in there. Uh, Hazel Matthews, that was before she bought the bank and moved everything up to the bank.

And then, the next building to us was the funeral home, and furniture store. Mainly funeral home and the furniture on the side. Sam Coin was the owner of it, and Doc Hill was the undertaker from, uh, Zanesville. He’s dead now. He came in to Shawnee and he met and married the Richards girl in Shawnee, here.

And uh, he uh, and then there was my grandfather’s two buildings. And then there was, uh, at one time, years ago, there was a real jewelry shop. It was in the other building that burnt, Dogherty’s side. Shore, Mrs. Shore had a jewelry store in there. Up there in Hannah’s building was a restaurant, and it was run by, uh, oh shoot, he’s from Hemlock, and Peyton’s...

LYRICS

Boy: May Third. I’m going to ask my grandma questions of the olden days.
Um, Grandma? In the mines, um, do you know how many people died?
Um, do you know anybody that was in the mines?
Uh, can you tell me three people?
Can you name ‘em? Yeah...yeah...yeah… Who else? Shawn Henton? Oh.
Do you know a couple people that died in the mines? Can you name ‘em, too?
Uh, ok, uh...uh when you was little, what kind of chores did you have?
Um, did you ever wash on a washboard?
You did? Did you ever feed the cows and the yard animals?
What about the other animals? Uh...
Did your dad work in the mines? How much did he get a day? A dollar?
Uh, well, I hope you give me an “A” Mr. John Winnenberg. Thanks for letting me do this.  Bye.

LYRICS

Anne Grimes: Murray City, Hocking  County, November 1953. Mrs. Neva Randolph. When we went to her home, we found her sick in bed. In fact, her daughter and her neighbors thought it was her death bed, and a number of people had come in. ...But she, before we left –– although she had been down flat in bed when we went there –– before we left she was sitting up in bed, signing, and asked us to come back again.

Oh, the station’s gonna be changed after ‘while
Oh, the station’s gonna be changed af[ter ‘while
When the Lord Himself shall come
And shall] say, “Your work is done”
Oh, your station will be changed after ‘while

The gospel train is coming
It’s coming around the curve
Stopping at every station // after ‘while
When the Lord Himself shall come
And shall // Straining every nerve
Get your ticket ready
Prepare to get on board
For your station’s gonna be changed after ‘while

Oh, your station’s gonna be changed after ‘while
Oh, my station’s gonna be changed after ‘while
When the Lord Himself shall come
And shall say, “Your work is done”
Oh, your station will be changed after ‘while