Positioned amongst the rural hills of Morgan County, Ohio, the village of Chesterhill’s bright and spacious landscape differs greatly from the surrounding communities nestled in lower elevations or hollows. For those who were raised on this land, and those who moved there for its peace and refuge, there is a common appreciation for the rural landscape and the lifestyle that comes with it.

In 1843, when Ohio was still in early statehood, a group of Quakers from Belmont County purchased 100 acres of land at one dollar a piece from the Ohio Company Land Office. Chesterhill’s founders saw opportunity for a self-sufficient community in the rich farmland of Marion Township. The Quaker faith laid the foundation for the community. The Quaker principles of peace, equality and respect for nature remain paramount in the community today.

The Quakers were staunch abolitionists and Chesterhill became a sanctuary for the formerly enslaved traveling towards freedom on the Underground Railroad. These freedom seekers also found protection in the existing community of “tri-racial” families with Black, white, and multi-tribal Native American heritage. These free people of color were likely instrumental to the protection of freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad. For a small Appalachian town in southeastern Ohio, Chesterhill’s history of multiculturalism is distinct.

There is a general acceptance of diversity in Chesterhill today — but it has not always been that way. In the Jim Crow era, both the roller skating rink and movie theater in town used to have segregated nights when black families could attend. Some current residents even recall when the Klu Klux Klan once marched through town in the 1990s.

The distinct communities that call Chesterhill home speaks to the peaceful foundation of the village. For the Amish, their family values, faith and self-sustainability are rooted in Chesterhill’s fertile farmland and thick forests. The Amish community began in the 1970s, when Amish families were drawn to Chesterhill’s cheap available land, lower taxes and local business.

Chesterhill is not immune to the economic hardships that have burdened this Appalachian corridor of Ohio. With the decline of family farming and extractive industries like oil and coal, work prospects are limited. For those who are employed, they likely commute to nearby towns like Athens, Marietta or McConnelsville to work in the service industry or at factories. In 1886, the village had 450 residents, but today it only has 270 — job opportunities here can be few and far between.

Chesterhill’s unique history and current struggles have shaped the village to be what it is today. No matter what section of the community in Chesterhill they occupy, what role they play, or what adversities they have faced, residents are proud to live in their special village. To families that reside in Chesterhill, this land is so much more than a village – it is a paradise.

A horse grazes on a small farm on the outskirts of the village. Chesterhill’s founders saw the potential to build a self-sufficient farming community, but few residents today generate enough income from farming to sustain themselves.

Rhonda Cook-Tabler stands in Kincaid Cave on Henman Lane, where freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad are known to have found temporary shelter. Rhonda is the president of the Multicultural Genealogical Center in Chesterhill, which opened in 2005 to celebrate the multiracial ancestry of the community. She traces her mixed race identity to her Black, white, and Native American ancestors in Virginia migrated to the area in the 1830s.

The center of Chesterhill is quiet, with family homes that appear close together compared to the farmhouses on hilly backroads. The village’s small population of 270 has slowly diminished over generations as jobs, schools, and other community resources disappeared.

Wilma Dean Mayle raised her six kids in Chesterhill and has lived in Morgan County for the entire 90 years of life. When she was working as a housekeeper, she cleaned the house that she now lives in. When the owner passed away, the family wanted Wilma Dean to have the home and sold it to her for a reasonable price.

Chesterhill is surrounded by thick forests that are home to wild animals like coyotes, foxes, and deer. These forests have been extracted for their natural resources over the years – oil fields dotted this area during the oil boom in the 1890s and trees were cut down to produce charcoal. Now, the Amish use the wood from these trees on their sawmills to build furniture and tools.

Matt Dille and Charlie Seyerle take a break from four-wheeling on Chesterhill’s backroads on a Saturday night. Without a local bar and reliable cell phone and internet service, people decompress in the great outdoors.

Away from the village’s center, farmhouses are interspersed with plots of land used to grow produce or raise livestock. While a sense of togetherness can be felt at church and other social gatherings in town, these pockets of Chesterhill can appear intensely isolated from the rest of the village.

Kaye Hatzer, Denise Tate, Sue Hill, and Lori Norman chat over coffee and pancakes at the Chesterhill Lions Club Breakfast. Once a month, a steady crowd of current and former residents come together to reconnect and exchange stories with their family and neighbors.

Larry and Gary Rush laugh with Erica Mayle outside of a friend’s house on the village’s main street. When the weather warms up, locals meet on Chesterhill’s main street to enjoy each other’s company. Friends and family wave as they drive by or stop for a quick conversation on their way home from work. Those who grew up in Chesterhill can recognize almost everyone in town.

Born and raised in Chesterhill, Jeff Mayle has worked for the village as a handyman for the past 23 years. From landscaping to picking up leaves and garbage, he is often found going the extra mile to keep the streets and public buildings in good shape. “Everything is right here, I have all I need,” Jeff says.

Amish buggies travel down Goshen Run, a backroad where Amish farms are scattered among “English”, or not Amish, homes and farms. The Amish in Chesterhill belong to the “Old Order” as they follow a stricter set of religious guidelines that influence their way of life. These boundaries can be blurred, as many Amish families accept car rides or borrow cell phones to make calls to family and employers.

The Amish community started in the 1980s when Amish families were drawn to Chesterhill’s cheap and available farmland. Amish men are known for being skilled farmers, carpenters, grave-diggers and ferriers. The women stay home to take care of the kids and household, but also sell quilts, baked goods and jams to “English” families and businesses.

Joe Lowers loads blocks of wood into his truck from his Amish neighbor’s sawmill. Amish and “English” communities often exchange goods and services in Chesterhill. For example, Joe frequently drives Amish families into the nearest city, Athens, where they attend doctor’s appointments or shop at Walmart.

Vickie Ball-Seiter kisses one of her horses, Popcorn, after feeding him. Vickie moved to Chesterhill in 2015 to fulfill her dream of starting a life-coach business where she uses horses to support her clients. “This is my church,” Vickie says about her small horse farm.

John Singree hauls water in a 400-gallon tank he fills once a week to have water for plumbing, washing dishes, and doing laundry at home. There is a filling station in the center of town where residents who are not connected to the village water system can fill their bottles or tanks. “It doesn’t bother me, I’m used to it,” John says.

Lytayshia Thompson helps her mother, Althea Thompson, fill up her parents’ water tank with freshly hauled water. As Althea’s parents age, it has become more difficult for them to haul from the filling station.

Charles Bobo works at a gas station in the village while wearing a Glock, three magazines and a knife on a tactical belt. With no municipal law enforcement in Chesterhill, some residents feel a responsibility to protect their property, family and the rest of the community.

Joe Lowers washes carrots he grew in a small plot in his front yard. Joe grew up in the holler and inherited hundreds of acres of land when his father passed. “I won’t go nowhere else,” he says about his home.

Nancy Starling bakes dozens of homemade pies and cookies a week to sell to the only restaurant in town, the Triple Nickel Diner. Nancy opened a bakery inside her home after teaching herself how to bake from Betty Crocker recipes. She estimates that she has sold the Triple Nickel Diner over 3,000 pies since it opened in 2016.

Johnny Singree is a recovering heroin and methamphetamine addict from Chesterhill who lives in a transitional home in Malta, Ohio. Every weekend, he comes back to the village to visit his parents on the horse farm he grew up on. Like other communities in southeastern Ohio, Chesterhill is burdened by the region’s drug epidemic.

Despite economic challenges, residents have an entrepreneurial spirit that is evident in the swathe of small businesses located along the stretch of State Route 377 that runs through town. The highway is lined with family homes, as well as small businesses like a combined convenience store and auto shop, a funeral home and a restaurant.

Kaila Peters helps her daughter, Autumn, get ready for the school bus to pick her up outside their home. School-aged kids are bussed out to Morgan County Local Schools since the village no longer has a school. As a mother raising three young children, Kaila worries about drug use and the lack of community spaces for families in Chesterhill.

Most of the parishioners at the United Methodist Church are older and are finding it difficult to engage the younger generation in the church. Traditionally, church was a place where older generations could exchange teachings and value systems to youth in the village.

The 100-year-old Union Hall Theater used to be a community space where people gathered to watch live music performances, plays, and movies. While there is interest to revitalize the community space, the theater is only used about once a year for a concert in the summer.

Ryan Mayle burns brush to make way for a new driveway on a parcel of land he recently bought from an Amish family. Ryan has lived in Chesterhill his entire life and plans to stay.

Chesterhill, Ohio