Save Zoar

In East-Central Ohio there sits a bit of American history. Founded by German Immigrants seeking religious freedom, the town of Zoar was settled on the banks of the Tuscarawas River. Over the many years since then, Zoar has stood the test of time. But now it faces its biggest test. A fight with Washington.

Protecting Zoar from the flood waters caused by the Dover Dam is the Zoar Levee. In 2005, the first of a series of floods hit the region. Unbeknown to the residents of Zoar was that the levee was in bad shape. Water seeped through the cracks and found it's way into the basements of many structures. But the residents fought back and got the water out. Then in 2008, it happened again. The flood waters returned. But this time, the levee was in bad shape. It was Easter morning that I saw large trucks filled with rocks and earth speeding into town to save the levee from collapse. The local fire department urged residents to move valuables to upper floors. The levee could have failed at any minute.

Now, the effort is on to get the Army Corp of Engineers to repair the levee. By law, they have to look at every option which includes possibly buying out all the home owners and leveling the town. This cannot happen. My family and I have adopted Zoar in our hearts as our hometown. We don't want to see anything happen to it and we want to see the levee fixed!  If you follow my photographic journey, you know I take a lot of pictures or Zoar.  It has a soul of it's own.  Stay tuned.  As soon as the official websites launch for the effort to save the town, I will post the links here.  Until then, enjoy the images.