COUNTDOWN
TO MILLENNIUM RADIO SERIES
The 16 part series aired on Ohio University Public Radio FM (91.3)
from September 8
through December 22, 1999.
It has also been archived here - to the
web. With real audio you can listen to all sixteen of the radio
features. If you don't have a Real Audio Player you can download one
free by clicking here --
Real Audio Player.
To listen to a feature just click
on the name of the show. There
is also a CD of the entire series -- and the study guide that
accompaniies it! If you would like a copy please e-mail
us.
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Program #1 |
Union Organizing in the Coal
Fields. At the turn of the century SE Ohio was a "hotbed" of union
organizing. Thousands were employed in the coalfields and they soon began organizing to
improve working conditions. SE Ohio was in the forefront of this movement. |
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Program #2 |
Ethnic
Mix - The booming coal mining communities that
were spawned throughout southeastern Ohio attracted their share of the eastern European
immigrants that were coming to America in this period. Ethic enclaves of Hungarians,
Poles, Croatians, etc. could be found in almost every coal mining community. We will
explore how this ethic immigration became part of the fabric of Appalachia. |
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Program #3 |
Company
Towns. Many of the communities in Appalachian
Ohio were started as "company towns." Economic forces outside of the region come
here to mine for coal and clay. Often the most economical way to do so was to build houses
so that the workers had somewhere nearby to live. Another
interesting aspect of "company towns" that we will explore is the equalitarian
aspect that most of them possessed. Since there was only one industry and primarily one
class of citizenry, the workers, people who grew up in these communities didn’t have
as much of a "class system" as other communities did. A study of the
socio-economic structure of these communities is a fascinating one. |
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Program #4 |
Other
Industry. Coal wasn't the only industry that
flourished in SE Ohio. At the turn of the century there were numerous brick plants, iron
plants and clay manufacturing facilities that took advantage of the natural resources in
the area. We will look at the variety of industries that were here and how they influenced
lifestyles in the region. |
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Program #5 |
Moonshining. The Prohibition Era brought an unanticipated boon to southeast
Ohio. The residents here were isolated enough and had the know-how to make homemade liquor
- moonshine |
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Program #6 |
The Ohio River and it’s
Watershed – The river is a major influence to the region. Its impact has been
felt in all aspects of the local environment, culture and socio-economic levels from
flooding to tourism. We’ll talk to local residents about floods like the 1937 Ohio
River Flood and the more recent ones. |
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Program #7 |
Impact
of Radio. Today we take radio for granted. But
many people in this region remember the impact that this technology had on their lives. In
this area radio was introduced before most homes had electricity. It’s coming changed
social habits and ,for the first time, people in the area were connected by voice to
places outside of their own community |
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Program #8 |
New
Deal Programs. The rural nature of the region
mean that many families were self-sufficient and here the depression didn’t hit as
hard as in many urban areas. But New Deal programs have left their impact. |
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Program #9 |
The
Millfield Mine Disaster. This event brought
southeast Ohio into the national spotlight. It made national headlines and showed the
hazards of gas in the mines and problems of working in non-union conditions. |
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Program #10 |
World War II-Contributions of
the Rural Home Front. Since the 50th anniversary of WWII the American public has
heard a lot about the war and about how folks on the home front helped. What we
haven’t heard much about is the impact of the war on rural areas and how rural
residents contributed to the war effort. This feature will share those stories. |
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Program #11 |
The Family Farm.
Farming, as a way of life, will be explored through memories of many that grew up and grew
old on a farm. The 1950s are an appropriate time in which to frame this look back. In the
period after WWII the WAY that people in this region farmed changed drastically. The
industrial know-how that had been centered around creating machines for WWII was switched
over to produce bigger and better farm machinery. Farmers who had worked co-operatively
with neighbors for years, sharing harvest and planting chores, now bought their own
equipment. But at what price? .... |
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Program #12 |
The
"War On Poverty." During the
1960’s Appalachia once again gained national visibility as President Johnson declared
"war" on poverty. His speech that launched the Appalachian Regional Commission
was made at Ohio University. Many VISTA workers who came to the region at this time. Some
are still here and will talk about the emotions, challenges and tensions of that period. |
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Program #13 |
Consolidation of Schools.
Partly as a result of Johnson’s New Society programs a number of school reforms were
made during this period. Many township schools were closed and school districts were
consolidated into larger districts. For many communities this took away one of the main
pillars of the community. Ramifications (failure to pass school levies) are still seen
today. This consolidation had been done before. In the 1930 and 40s one-room schools were
abandoned in favor of township schools. We’ll look at these trends in education and
the impact that they have on communities as well as education. |
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Program #14 |
The "Back to the Land"
Movement. For the first time this century Southeast Ohio saw sizeable numbers of
people move INTO the region. These were not natives who were returning to their roots.
These were young people who were fired up by the"back to the land" movement and
were looking for inexpensive land and small towns to try out their ideas about living
simply. The Mother Earth News wrote an article listing Athens as one of the
"10 best places to live" and people came – sight unseen, from as far away
as California. Their coming created a vibrant "counterculture" that, in some
areas, has become the mainstream culture. |
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Program #15 |
The Environmental Movement.
The issue of Jobs vs. the Environment butted head to head in the early 70s, as people in
the area became aware of what strip mining was doing to the region. The issues continue
today as some groups try to clean up effected watersheds and a newer form of mining,
long-wall mining, threatened property values as well as homes. |
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Program #16 |
Sustainability. The
excesses of the boom and bust period in Appalachian history are directly responsible for
one of the newest movements - sustainability. Worker-owned networks, small businesses,
micro-enterprises - these are the most recent trends in the region. We’ll look at the
work that local non-profit groups are doing with eco-forestry, AceNet’s work in
trying to create markets for local businesspeople and we’ll talk to local residents
themselves about their views for the future of these new economic concepts. |
