Athens

In this photographic history, author Richard A. Straw and the Athens County Historical Society document the long and illustrious history of this home to Ohio State University.

In the late 1700s, a group of men, largely from Massachusetts, came into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and settled a village in southeastern Ohio alongside the Hocking River. Calling it Athens to honor their belief in the primacy of education and culture in one's life, they set in motion a history that continues to inform and enliven life within this community today. Ohio University, the first public institution of higher learning in the Northwest Territory, was founded here in 1804. Athens has served as a business, service, cultural, and educational meeting place for over 200 years. As a result, Athens is a culturally diverse community of professors, plumbers, lawyers, craftsmen, restaurateurs, students, musicians, artists, and business owners, and it is heir to a historic past. This collection of fascinating photographs of people, places, homes, businesses, churches, and important events comes from the vast archives of the Athens County Historical Society and Museum. The images open the past and provide an informative glimpse into an earlier period of life in this unique community.

Richard A. Straw was born and raised in Athens and attended Ohio University from 1967 to 1972, earning both his bachelor's and master's degrees in history. He has maintained very close ties to the Athens community through both family and friends since leaving in 1976. He received his doctorate in history in 1980 from the University of Missouri and is currently professor of history at Radford University in Virginia, where he has taught since 1981.