The Cracked Wonder of Cementland
If the City Museum was a tribute to industrial repurposing, Cementland was meant to be its pinnacle.
Bow Before the Butter Cow
While visiting the cow in person, the level of engagement between fellow viewers and the cow was high... people stayed for much longer than the average person stares at a Rothko painting in a museum.
St. Louis’ Wealthy “King of the Hobos”
“By the hoboes, for the hoboes, of the hoboes.”
A Tale of Two Newspapers
Both cities were even large enough for two daily newspapers – even if only briefly. The dominant newspapers – the [...]
Exiles Living in a Church
It certainly isn’t cool, or edgy, or funny–the things people say about what it must be like to live in a church. It’s relentless.
Painting the Past on the Ohio River
You can put your finger on a map and trace it down the Ohio River. From Steubenville to Paducah, it’s nearly a thousand miles, an artery pumping through the heart of America.
Cincinnati Has a Bridge to Sell You
A massive new highway project in the Queen City could reclaim valuable downtown acres and right a decades-old racial injustice, but only if leaders act.
Carrie Furnace’s Blood, Sweat, and Fire
These hulking behemoths with their slag and hot metal are rarely described as beautiful, but yet I am drawn to them over and over again.
Unspooling the Cassette Tape in Springfield, Missouri
The National Audio Company is keeping the cassette tape —and tape culture —alive in the Midwest and around the world. [...]
An Auto Plant Becomes a State Park
“Green space is an equity issue... Part of environmental justice is making sure that everyone has access to the outdoors. It's important for physical health, it's important for mental health, and it's not a luxury—it's a human right.”
East Chicago’s Fiestas Patrias
Nearly a century of celebration for Indiana's growing Mexican community.
My Aunt, the Ghost of Kirtland Ohio
Some twenty-five miles east of Cleveland, ghost hunters in the small, leafy town along Lake Erie tell stories about the “Veiled Lady of Kirtland.”