Tablertown

Kilvert, Ohio is a small unincorporated community located in the southeastern portion of the state within Rome Township in Athens County. After Rome Township was established in 1811, this area known as Federalton. Today, this non-descript village holds but a few homes, as it has for about 100 years.

When the railroads first came through Tablertown (as Kilvert was known then) in the mid-to-late-1800s, the coal mining and iron ore industry in the area boomed, and with it came an influx of people and opportunity, as well as a change in name. But the types of people that worked these jobs were often outcasts, not welcome in some of the neighboring communities because of their heritage and the color of their skin. These people and the settlers that were already there were often forced to intermarry. Because of this, the descendants of these people are what have been referred to as WIN (White, Indian, Negro) or Melungeon.

In 1937, a tornado came through the town destroying everything, save one store, though the mines had already dried up. The town never really recovered.

The focus of this study is the interesting story of the Tabler family, early 1830s settlers of what is now referred to as "Kilvert." The objective of this project is to show how GIS can assist historic research to facilitate archaeological survey in a quest to validate family oral histories.

Michael Tabler (1774-1843) was born into a white, slave-holding family on a plantation in Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virginia) where he fell into an infatuation with one of his father’s slaves, Hannah (born 1775). While it is believed that Hannah may have possibly had other children, current research tells us that Michael and Hannah had six children together while living in Virginia (John, Jesse, Michael, Isaac, William, and Maria).

Michael’s father, not approving of this relationship, dispersed Hannah (and likely some, if not all of the children) to other plantations and owners--some within the Tabler family. In 1813, Michael is able to purchase Hannah from his sister and in 1818, he gives Hannah her “freedom.”

Between the years 1818 and 1830, Michael works to acquire the six children that are known and in 1830 he emancipates all six based on “the affection he has for them.” Note that at the time of their emancipation, the children range in age of 14 to 20.

Between 1830 and 1835, Michael moves his family from their home in Virginia, filing the emancipation of his children in the Wheeling area, before they settle in Southeastern Ohio in a town now known as Kilvert.

The reason for their choice in settlement can only be speculated about, but two possibilities are centered around Barrows Mill in Federalton (now Kilvert). The History of Athens County (Walker 1869) indicates that this grist and saw mill (established in 1802) was the first in the township. Walker estimates that George, Henry, and James Barrows built this mill one mile from the mouth of Federal Creek and describes it as "a log building with 1 run of stones made of 'Laurel hill granite' and run by a large undershot wheel."

The first hypothesis is that Michael learned about the owner of Barrows Mill, who was arrested and taken to Marietta, Ohio for refusing to give up the location of a fugitive slave. This could have been thought of as a safe place to settle, with a neighbor who was like-minded and possibly thought of as another layer of protection for the Tabler family. This location was near several systems of the Underground Railroad, but far enough away to keep the Tablers out of potential trouble.

Another possibility is that Michael Tabler purchased the mill for himself from Barrows in 1835 due to the familiarity he had with the business from his time at the family plantation. This second claim is spelled out in the King 2006 Federal Valley Watershed Action Plan.

Some sources (including the J. Harry & Associates 1993 book Thirteen Stars: The Story of Federal 'Crick') indicate that Michael Tabler purchased land in the area from Francis Munn, a revolutionary war soldier.

What we do know is that Michael and his sons purchased large parcels of land within the community and settled in, making this their new home.

During a review of 19th and early 20th-century Athens County histories, it was noted that there are no mentions of the mixed-race settlers of Tablertown, nor are there mentions of any other minorities. This is not an uncommon problem.

While needing to rely heavily on the oral traditions passed down through the community and collected in a few works (for example, Thirteen Stars, which is mentioned above), it has come to my attention time and time again that stories about this settlement change and very from account to account. This is true even within the newspaper articles included in that work and within more modern retellings of the story. Some mention that it is possible that Hannah herself was either part or full Native American, though that does not seem to remain in the current narrative. As mentioned before, some indicate that Michael Tabler purchased the mill while others make no mention of that as a possibility. There are discrepancies in which son inherited the land originally purchased by Michael Tabler, which has altered my approach several times. Due to the variabilities, I have decided to cast a wide net in my initial work, which I will mention shortly.

As shown in the map above, many historic and multi-component archaeological sites (sites with both a prehistoric and historic affiliation) are distributed across Athens County. Both the heat map and the hot spot analysis show how these sites are clustered across townships. According to the hot spot analysis, the tightest cluster of these sites is located in Troy Township. Regardless of the analysis type, it is clear that none of these sites are located in the northeastern portion of the county, including the area of Kilvert, situated in northern Rome Township.

There are two resources recorded in the SHPO database within Kilvert, one of which is the cemetery where Michael Tabler is buried. The other resource is a prehistoric scatter that was collected by a member of the public and noted by the Historical Society. There are no archaeological sites defined by professional archaeologists.

Archaeology in the United States is driven in a few ways. Academic research excavations, where colleges and universities study at known, significant archaeological sites, are generally what the public thinks of when they hear about archaeology. There are also hobby archaeologists, who look for artifacts using scientific (and more often, less-than-scientific) methods. Most often, though, archaeological work is performed by professionals within cultural resources management. Projects undertaken by these firms are usually driven by government funding, often for things like infrastructure.

In this portion of the state the population is very small, and there aren't many compliance-driven projects that require archaeological work, nor does this seem likely in the near future. Therefore, these areas have not been archaeologically documented by professionals, especially in terms of historic-era sites. That does not mean that historic archaeological deposits do not exist in those locations, just that they have not been recorded.

By georeferencing three historic maps (Lake 1875, USGS 1904, and Bush 1905) to a modern aerial image, historic building locations were digitized with attributes indicating the map year and parcel owner. This will allow us to specifically target the structures owned by the Tablers in the oldest available atlas (as well as the saw and grist mill), but it's also important to be aware of the other potential historic features in the area. Having the estimated locations of all possible historic buildings in the GIS for the field collection team can help them make sense of features they come across.

From there, parcel boundaries belonging to (or possibly belonging to) a Tabler family member in 1875 were digitized, buffered by 50 meters, and dissolved to create project area boundaries in an attempt to narrow down the location of the original farmstead. By comparing these newly created parcels to modern parcels obtained from the Athens County Auditor, we are able to determine which to start our deed search as well as determine the name and contact information of the owners to inquire about the potential to conduct a reconnaissance survey. This portion of the work can be done in tandem; correspondence and inquiries to the landowners can begin while the deed search is taking place.

Structures that were digitized within the 1875 Tabler-owned parcels were subjected to multi-ring buffer analysis at 30, 60, and 90 meter intervals. The buffers are necessary due to the error expected in the georeferenced atlases. Although the goal is to subject as much of the Tabler-owned project area to visual inspection, due to the approximately 381 acres that would need surveyed, the plan is to start with a systematic reconnaissance surface survey over target zones. If no former building location can be verified, shovel tests can be excavated at 10 meter intervals within the 30 meter buffer (area of highest probability). If there is no sign of the building site, shovel tests can be expanded to 15 meter intervals within the 30 to 60 meter buffer (area of moderate probability). If there are still no signs of the building, the shovel test grid would be expanded to 30 meters along the outer portion of the 90 meter buffer (area of lower probability).

When or if foundations are encountered, sketches will be made of each to be digitized to scale and data regarding measurements and material types will be collected.

Thanks to the generosity of Ohio Valley Archaeology, the fieldwork will be completed using the company's ArcGIS Online account and Esri's mobile applications with Trimble R1 units which have sub-meter accuracy.

Since the early 1830s when the Tablers settled in the area, both iron ore and coal boomed in Kilvert. Multiple small mines were in operation within the town in the mid- to late-1800s, which made a change to the landscape of the town--both in terms of the population and the topography. Using data obtained from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, previously mined locations can be compared to the target zones. The review of this data indicated that the Lee Jenkins Mine did not impact any of the target zones. It should be noted that could possibly be smaller mine operations that took place in the area that are not recorded in the ODNR data, but none (including the known Jenkins Mine) are indicated on any of the USGS topographic maps. Additionally, a digital elevation model (DEM) or hillshade can help highlight areas of disturbance or even locations of possible foundations.

It should be noted that slope will clearly be a concern in this area. Typically, archaeological excavations are not performed in areas with greater than 15 percent slope. In this instance, however, that may need to increase to 20 or 25 percent.

The hope is that by utilizing this strategy, any archaeological work would be able to locate the original and early Tabler homesteads. The goal is to compliment the historic research that has already been completed and to assist with the continuing efforts to uncover the truth behind the oral histories of the Tabler family and the surrounding communities.

Having access to a personal Esri ArcOnline and StoryMaps account with creator capabilities is one of my goals for the near future. This would allow us to make StoryMaps of the museum exhibits for those that can't go in person, of research and family history, and so much more. Unfortunately, there is no cell service or high-speed internet in the area, which limits the use of this software on-site.

As this project continues, I plan to start a Facebook page to re-introduce myself to the community and keep them engaged with my research and fieldwork as it progresses. I hope to be able to invite members of the public to visit and participate in the fieldwork process to increase interest.

Community involvement is important for this project. There is a lot of interest in the research being conducted on the family and on the museum started by David Butcher ("The People of Color" exhibit in Stewart, Ohio). A goal for the museum is to set up a cataloging system to make sure that we can retain provenience information with the items in the exhibit.

One important thing to remember is that we'll never have all of the answers. We may never truly know or understand the life of Hannah. While Michael had affection for her and the children, we may never uncover how they felt about him and the life they lived together.

There are too many people to mention them all, but I want to thank David and Rose Butcher, Ada Woodson-Adams and Alvin Adams, Kenton Butcher, and Irene Flowers among so many others for their efforts in collecting, sharing, and instilling a passion for the history of this community in me and so many other locals.

I would also like to thank my colleagues that have expressed an interest in helping me complete the fieldwork for this project including Jessica Clark, Joseph Snider, Kirstyn Leque, Stephanie Kline, and Eric Aukeman.

For more information, here are a few links to get started:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEOkaa_zbag

http://www.seorf.ohio.edu/~cntdown/kilvert

http://2017.soulofathens.com/butcher-no-js.php

https://woub.org/2017/09/18/kilvert-community-day/

http://wwwapp.epa.ohio.gov/dsw/nps/WAPs/FederalCr.pdf

Bush, Fred W.

1905   The Centennial Atlas of Athens County, Ohio. The Centennial Atlas Association. Athens, Ohio.

J. Harry & Associates

1993   Thirteen Stars: The Story of Federal ‘Crick’. The Kilvert Community Center. Kilvert, Ohio.

King, Lisa

2006   The Federal Valley Watershed Action Plan as of April 12, 2006. Federal Valley Watershed Group. Trimble, Ohio.

Lake, D.J

1875   Atlas of Athens County, Ohio. Titus, Simmons & Titus. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Siebert, Wilbur H.

1951   Ohio’s Underground Trails. From The Mysteries of Ohio’s Underground Railroads. Long’s College Book Company. Columbus, Ohio.

United Stated Geological Survey (USGS)

1904   Chesterhill, Ohio. 15-Minute Topographic Quadrangle Map Series.

Walker, Charles M.

1869   History of Athens County, Ohio. Robert Clarke & Company. Cincinnati, Ohio.