On September 20, 2025, we conducted a rapid assessment of Salladay Cemetery, a small historic burial ground tucked into the Sand Hill area of Green Township, Scioto County, Ohio. Though the cemetery is heavily disturbed, it remains an important piece of local history—especially for those tracing early families who settled Continue Reading
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Cleaning the Headstone of Mary Mershon and Peter Stall
On June 22, 2025, we visited Garvin Cemetery in Union Township, Scioto County, Ohio, to clean the headstones of Mary Ann Mershon (née Shaw) and her grandson Peter Stall. Mary Ann Mershon was born November 11, 1830, in Nile Township and died September 18, 1897. Her monument is a white Continue Reading
Memory in Marble: Cleaning Mershon Family Graves at Garvin Cemetery
On June 22, 2025, we visited Garvin Cemetery in Union Township, Scioto County, Ohio, to clean the headstones of Mary Ann Mershon (née Shaw) and her grandson Peter Stall. Mary Ann Mershon was born November 11, 1830, in Nile Township and died September 18, 1897. Her monument is a white Continue Reading
1937 Portsmouth, Ohio Flood – Archival Film Digitized for Preservation
This video is a digital transfer of a VHS tape, originally sourced from archival film footage—likely 16mm or possibly 35mm—documenting the catastrophic 1937 Ohio River flood in Portsmouth, Ohio. This local disaster was part of a broader regional crisis that impacted multiple states and remains one of the most significant Continue Reading
Restoring the Forgotten: Mary E. Davis (1876) – Gravestone Cleaning at Friendship Cemetery.
On September 12, 2021, while cleaning a group of headstones at Friendship Cemetery in Nile Township, Scioto County, Ohio, I noticed a heavily blackened marble marker nearby. It belonged to Mary E. Davis, the infant daughter of J.M. & Julia A. Davis, who died June 11, 1876, at only 3 Continue Reading
Reading the Headstone of Margaret Burris
At Friendship Cemetery in Nile Township, Scioto County, Ohio, stands a weathered siltstone marker—its hand-carved inscription a fading testament to a woman named Margaret Burris. She died on May 1, 1843, in her 60th year. Born Margaret Rankins, she was the daughter of Moses Rankins. In 1802, she married Ignatius Continue Reading
A Virtual Tour of Abshire Cemetery
On March 30, 2025, we revisited Abshire Cemetery in Nile Township, Scioto County, Ohio, to document and share this historic site as part of our ongoing preservation efforts. Many rural cemeteries like this one have quietly disappeared from public mapping platforms, making access difficult for those researching family history or Continue Reading
Surveying the Floodwaters: April 2025 Drone Flight Over West Portsmouth, Ohio
On April 7, 2025, we launched our drone above West Portsmouth, Ohio, to document the extent of flooding after several days of steady, soaking rain. From above, we followed the swollen Scioto River as it crept into Earl Thomas Conley Riverside Park, covering familiar paths and fields in muddy water. Continue Reading
Echoes on the Ridge: A 360° Walk to Mitchell-Morrison Cemetery
We invite you to join us on a 360° journey to the Mitchell-Morrison Cemetery, tucked away in western Scioto County near Buena Vista in Nile Township. This quiet cemetery sits on a prominent ridge overlooking the Ohio River and contains numerous early burials—many from before 1860—offering a glimpse into the Continue Reading