History
The Poisonous Legacy of Portsmouth’s Gaseous Diffusion Plant
The plant was erected in Pike County, Ohio during the cold war to enrich uranium. Then people started getting sick. Now, they're stuck cleaning up the mess.
The Brief but Spectacular Life of Youngstown’s Tomorrow Club
In the early Seventies, the venue embodied the “golden age of rock music”—and saw the early years of some of the industry’s most iconic acts.
When Classic Rock Icons Made Headlines at the Rubber Bowl
The stadium was partially demolished in 2018, but in the 1980s and 1990s, it hosted some of the biggest bands in the world.
The Fall of the Grand Dragon
D.C. Stephenson, Grand Dragon of the KKK, was once the most powerful man in Indiana. His racism was popular. Then he killed a white woman.
East Chicago’s Legacy of Corruption
Landmarks in Indiana's Steel City still bear the names of corrupt officials.
Buffalo’s Vanished Maritime Past
The city was once a bustling and infamous Great Lakes port. How should it be remembered?
Ohio Has Always Had Confederate Apologists
In June, Ohio legislators refused to ban confederate memorabilia from county fairs. The state has long had a complicated relationship with the confederacy.
Liberation is a Long Haul: Lessons from Juneteenth
"Juneteenth is a joyful ritual of collective memory and cultural cohesion."
My Life in Oil
Detroit, the tar sands, and burying my father in toxic ground.
What Happened to Northeast Ohio’s ‘Chemical Shore’?
In the middle of the twentieth century, industrialists tried to rebrand the coast north of Cleveland. Like many marketing ploys, it straddled the fuzzy line between aspiration and actuality.
Rust Belt history
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