Saltboxes and Schools

The New England landscape of Ohio

   The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 opened up vast tracts of land in Ohio for settlement. New Englanders settled mostly in the north--the Western Reserve--and the southeast, bringing their distinctive culture and architecture to the new frontier. Their compact towns and villages reflected deeply held values--that people should live, work, learn and worship together in close-knit communities. Hubert Wilhelm explores the rich legacy of these enterprising pioneers, with their strong commitment to religion and education.

His journey begins at their first settlement--Marietta, at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers--and takes him to isolated farms and graveyards throughout southeast Ohio. From the use of a rectangular survey system to the choice of familiar and classical place names, from churches and schools to Ohio University, the first institution of higher learning in the Northwest Territory, from simple rural saltbox houses and English barns to fine Federal townhouses, he finds that the New Englanders have left a lasting imprint on the landscape.

Shot on location in Athens, Meigs, Vinton and Washington counties, Ohio. Photographed, written, edited and directed by David Mould. Produced for the Bicentennial of the Northwest Ordinance.
(30 minute DVD, $18)
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      Reviews

"Two hundred years have brought many changes to the landscape, but the New Englanders’ distinctive imprint ... can still be found"   - Columbus Dispatch

  
         

 		     Funded by grants from the Ohio Joint Program in the Arts and Humanities and Ohio University.