published in Southeast Ohio magazine
A Real Life Memory Lane
A look at the surprisingly striking flavors that set apart this small town in rural Ohio.
Shady courtyard grottos are tucked between buildings emblazoned with overgrown window boxes and swanky wrought iron balconies that overlook the river as it laps alongside Main Street. It seems like this striking enclave would be set in the upper crust of someplace like Manhattan or Notting Hill—not in the foothills of Appalachia. But that's exactly what the residents of the 200-year-old village of Pomeroy relish about the haven they call home.
Couched between the flood-prone "great bend" of the Ohio River and a high rock cliff, Pomeroy isn't known for fertile farmland like most of southeast Ohio but for its rich heritage and charming, at times quirky, image.
"Our big draw here is that it's a quaint little river town, and there aren't many river towns left," says Paige Cleek, a local salesclerk at K&C Jewelers. "I think people just realized that it's a gem here. All of these buildings have been here forever, and they've all been one thing or another over time. Everywhere you look there's a little piece of something, which makes it interesting."
Take its Victorian downtown district for example. With its cheery mom-and-pop shops and generations-old businesses that line the river's edge, the outer shell of the German-influenced town has changed little since its heyday as a coal mining hub in the 1800s. To boot, the city is undertaking a venture costing more than a million dollars to revamp Pomeroy back to its turn-of-the-century splendor.
Despite the toll that years of industry had on the flora and fauna of the area, its picturesque landscape hasn't changed much since the good ole days. When this area of Meigs County first began being settled, it was forested with blackberry trees, wild tea and swamp oak. One of the first families actually lived in a hollowed-out sycamore tree trunk.
Yet, the real pride and joy of the town is the river. Named after the Iroquoian word for "great river," the Ohio River is as timeless as ever, with boats still strutting its waters and idly docking at its shores.
Amidst all this ethereal beauty, Pomeroy boasts a quirky side. In the 1930s, Ripley's Believe It or Not! was so taken by some of the town's curious antiquities that it included them in its weekly comic strip. Having been christened when waterways were the mainstay of society, the two roads that make up the downtown district are strung parallel with the river, making cross streets impossible. Another of the town's idiosyncrasies is that because its three-story courthouse is nestled into the footing of a cliff, every floor has a ground entrance.
"It's nice to have been in Ripley's to help promote the town, but more special than that is that it's a small town," says Mary Powell, a born-and-bred Pomeroy resident.
Being insulated not only keeps the town's homespun ambiance and idyllic landscape intact, but provides the stomping grounds for a release from the hustle and bustle of society. Powell points to the security and community spirit that the town fosters as its strongest underpinnings—a strain that seems to run deep throughout the locals.
Having lived "the big city life" in Chicago, England and South America, Judd Bennett says you can't replace the lure that comes from small towns like Pomeroy. "It's just a lifestyle," he explains. "Everything's laidback, and people miss so much by not coming in to little towns like this."
