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History in the Hills: Family connections

As a professional historian, I hear a lot of family history and lore. Folks often develop their love for history after learning about or discovering their own family history. All of it to me is fascinating, because whether your ancestors came to America recently or a few hundred years ago, there is always a story to tell. Looking through the past in our family’s history, it is so fascinating to discover all the connections, too. In my family, I can say that all but one of my great grandparents were born overseas and came to this country in the early 20th century for a better life. ...

An oldie but not-so-goody column from the past

I was going through my old columns recently. The ones I had written when I first worked for the paper several years ago. My mother keeps insisting that I repost them. Apparently, they cracked her up. I have no idea as to why. Whenever I reread them, I don’t think they are very funny at all. As a matter of fact, I can’t believe some of the things I used to say. Aloud. Let alone for the entire world to read. Well, not the world. That would be a lot of people. Just a few hundred. Or a couple of thousand. Depending on how many people felt like reading what I ...

Registration deadline

While the deadline to register to vote in a November election comes around at this time every year, that date always seems to attract a little more interest every four years, when a presidential election comes around. When you get down to it, every election is important, but every voting cycle usually does not include all of the drama we have experienced during the past several presidential elections. Some people like to vote only when they get to choose a president. Others will turn out when there’s a hotly contested race for governor or other statewide office or a hot-button ...

Guest column/Our stories shape the stories that matter most

It seems like about every time I am out in the public, no matter what the occasion, once someone realizes I own the local paper they seem anxious to tell me something. And in more cases than not, it is how something someone has read impacts their lives. For example, the man that caught me in the local grocery store and proceeded to tell me he knows exactly when we deliver our paper there. He picks it up each week as soon as he can to see the public notices. In many cases, it is the first notice he gets of something new coming to town or the streets in his neighborhood are up for ...

I would like to discuss politics … but I cannot

I learned from a very early age there are two things you should never discuss with anyone. One is religion. And the second is politics. Most of you already know this. But for any younger people who may not have heard, you might be wondering why. These are the two forbidden topics of conversation. When you get older, you’ll understand better. Religion and politics always seem to cause an argument whenever either issue comes up. If I were to talk about religion and my perspective on what I believe, many of you probably wouldn’t read this column anymore. If I ...

Preserving our history

It’s good to know that there are places in our area that continue to work to preserve the past. We’re fortunate to have several of them in communities throughout the region. And whether they are in Weirton, Richmond, Toronto, Bergholz, Wellsburg or anywhere else, each offers a place where the people, moments and things that helped the region grow can be remembered and studied. There are a couple of important ones in Steubenville, including Historic Fort Steuben and the Jefferson County Historical Association’s museum. The fort re-creation, part of an area that stretches ...