Salt Fork State Park

Images of America: Ohio

by Meredith Bowman, William Kerrigan, Alicia Seng

Salt Fork State Park is Ohio's largest park, covering about 20,000 acres of rolling, forested terrain just eight miles northeast of Cambridge. Despite the park's timeless wilderness feel, for almost 150 years farmers worked this land, many occupying the same property for five generations. In the 1960s when the park was created, evidence of that agrarian past quickly receded. Over time, new forest reclaimed fields and pastures, and wildlife returned in abundance. All but one of the region's farms, mills, covered bridges, and schoolhouses were removed--the Kennedy Stone House Museum lives on as a reminder of the region's past, dedicated to preserving the stories of the families who once made a life on these lands. Salt Fork State Park celebrates the heritage of the parklands, offers glimpses into the lives, labor, and leisure of its residents, and points the curious explorer toward some of the many remnants of the park's agrarian past.

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2007

Reviews

[Paul Lunger · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has driven past Salt Fork State Park along US 22 in Guernsey County, Ohio I for the longest time took for granted that the lake itself had always been there. What I didn't realize until reading this latest installment out of the "Images of America" series is the history of the land before the park came into being which is heartbreaking to realize what was lost. Meredith Bowman, William Kerrigan & Alicia Seng take we the reader on a pictorial history of what predated the park's existence as well as the history of the families whose livelihoods were changed by this land grab by the state of Ohio some of which if I go digging far enough into my family tree belongs to cousins of my own. This book for this reader provides an emotional & interesting journey as I've learned of yet another piece of hidden history in my home corner of Eastern Ohio.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the history (including the families) of the region prior to the creation of Salt Fork Lake State Park. Towards the end of this book, we learn more about how the park / lake was created.