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Ripley couple bringing history to the masses
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By KASEY DOYLE Staff Writer
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RIPLEY, Ohio -- Greg and Lisa Haitz sorted through faded, yellow pictures and musty volumes of books at the Union Township Public Library Thursday night to find photos and historical information for a book they are publishing about Ripley.
Greg and Lisa Haitz have a contract with Arcadia Books to compile a photo book history of the town and its surrounding area.
The book will display old photos with captions under each, describing the event, building or person portrayed in the picture.
Greg Haitz said he and his wife decided to publish a book about the village after seeing Arcadia Books at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Barnes and Noble Booksellers and other bookstores. Arcadia has published more than 1,200 books on various histories of communities across the United States.
"We would see these Arcadia books ... and I thought there is almost enough (history) to do one on Ripley," Greg Haitz said.
The couple sent in a proposal with about 20 test photos and captions to the publishing company, and they hope to have the final product ready by Christmas.
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| Greg Haitz talks about he and wife Lisa's book project as he flips through pages of old postcards. The Haitzs have a contract with Arcadia Books to compile a photo book history of the town and its surrounding area. Brian Hitch/Staff
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The Haitz's have collected about 100 captions so far, but are looking for more interesting photos of people, homes, festivals and businesses dating back to the time Ripley was founded to the early 1960s.
During their research through Ripley's past, Greg and Lisa Haitz have run across many interesting facts about Ripley.
"One of the things that was most interesting for me, not being from Ripley, was just how much history there is here," Lisa Haitz said.
Lisa Haitz grew up in New Jersey and is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati. She is the webmaster of the university libraries at UC.
Greg Haitz grew up in Ripley and graduated from Ripley High School. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and Xavier University. He has been the social studies teacher at Southern Hills for about 20 years.
Greg Haitz said there is one caption dating back before Ripley was founded of Simon Kenton.
"Kenton was captured by Indians right outside of Ripley. He became, when they realized who they had, the entertainment for some of the tribes, I guess. He had to run eight or nine gauntlets. Most men didn't live through one; he lived through all of them," Greg Haitz said.
The gauntlets were forms of punishment or torture in which people armed with sticks or other weapons arrange themselves in two lines facing each other and beat the person forced to run between the two lines.
"(Kenton) had a hole in the back of his head his whole life from that," Greg Haitz said.
Another interesting person was Jens Jensen.
Greg Haitz said he was an artist famous for making pottery, and he settled in Ripley and opened a pottery shop.
Lisa Haitz said his pottery pieces sell for thousands of dollars on eBay.
Ernest Everett Just was another interesting person Greg and Lisa Haitz found out about while doing research for their book.
Just was a black scientist who married Ripley native Ethel Highwarden.
His biography was called Black Apollo of Science.
"Although Dr. Just was considered a leader and authority for his work with cell development, as an African-American, he experienced racism and prejudice. For this reason, Dr. Just decided to study in Europe in 1930. It was in Europe that he published his second book, The Biology of the Cell Surface," Greg Haitz said.
Greg and Lisa Haitz have also collected pictures of the floods from 1913, and a picture of people walking across a frozen Ohio River, also in 1913.
The Haitz's said about a dozen people have donated pictures, and they have collected post cards from Union Township Public Library Director Allison Gibson.
Greg and Lisa Haitz said they are still looking for pictures of interesting people, houses, businesses and festivals before Ripley's 1962 Sesquicentennial that community members may have. Photos will be collected until June 1.
Photos can be submitted by contacting Greg and Lisa Haitz at 120 Roundhouse Circle, Georgetown, Ohio 45121, or e-mail them at research@browncountyhistory.com.
All pictures will be returned and a copy will be given to the Ripley Museum.
Visit the Haitz's Web site at www.browncountyhistory.com
Contact Kasey Doyle at kasey.doyle@lee.net or call 6060-564-9091, ext. 276 |
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