2010 may best be remembered for the emblazoning of the remarkable stories of African Americans in the Little Cities microregion for future generations. Bronze markers telling distinctly different stories at two locations in southern Perry County are the cause for celebration, one unveiled in June, the other set for later in the fall.
On June 19th, a Friends of Freedom Society Historical Marker was dedicated at Payne Cemetery on the Hocking-Perry County line near New Straitsville with many descendants of those buried at the site present. The marker officially designated the cemetery, which is located on national forest lands along State Route 595, as an Underground Railroad site. The dedication was held to coincide with the African American holiday known as “Juneteenth”, celebrating the day (June 19, 1865) that the last group of African American slaves was told of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.
Approximately 100 people attended the event organized by Ann Cramer, Forest Historian for the Wayne National Forest and champion of the cemetery's story and interpretation for nearly two decades. Speakers included descendants of those buried at the site, and representatives of the Lancaster Genealogical Society and Ohio University's Department of African American Studies. The New Straitsville History Group and New Straitsville Betterment Association assisted by providing parking in town for shuttle service to the site, and a luncheon following the event.
The cemetery was first researched and restored by the Wayne National Forest and the Lancaster Genealogical Society during the 1990's. Research uncovered the story of African Americans freed from slavery in Virginia several decades prior to the Civil War who ventured to the north and established a community known as Paynes Crossing in the bottom below the cemetery. Their arrival pre-dates the coal boom era and the Village of New Straitsville, though the community remained until the 1920's and several residents worked in New Straitsville during its formative years. Many of those buried at the site served in the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War. The cemetery was rededicated in 1995 in a ceremony that told the true story of the site, often misrepresented by mythical tales.
Since 1995 research has focused on understanding what role the families played in bringing other African Americans to freedom via the Underground Railroad--a very difficult task given the secrecy of the UGRR movement. The marker placed here gives credence to the assumption that a role was played by Paynes Crossing residents as evidenced by the routes and activities of the UGRR during the decades prior to the Civil War. Over the years, the Wayne's study of the Underground Railroad has expanded to two other National Forests and has gained national attention. The Forest has also received grants to fund minority students from Historically Black Colleges to help with the research.
Members of the Payne, Norman, Harper, and Betts families attended the marker dedication to honor their ancestors' courageous struggle for freedom. “Without a doubt, the most enjoyable part of this project has been meeting the family descendants of those who once lived at Paynes Crossing. The relationships formed and information exchanged has been invaluable and mutually beneficial,” said Cramer. Cathy Nelson, Founder of the Friends of Freedom Society, told the families in her concluding remarks, “Their footsteps paved the way for you to be here today”.

In late October, or early November, an Ohio Historical Marker that tells the story of African Americans breaking the color barrier in the former mining community of Rendville will be unveiled. The event was originally scheduled to be held to on September 22 to coincide with Emancipation Day, the date in 1863 when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln. However, the foundry is behind schedule and will not have the maker available. The marker will be placed in the yard of the Rendville Town Hall in southern Perry County. The $2,250 marker has been made possible by fundraising efforts of $1,000 conducted by the Social Studies Teacher Education program at Ohio University led by Dr. Frans Doppen, a $500 contribution in memory of Southern Local School teacher Ruth Burgess, and a $750 grant from the Ohio Historical Society. During August, volunteers are stabilizing and painting an abandoned house adjacent to the town hall site, and assisting the Village of Rendville in painting the Town Hall building in preparation for the dedication.

The marker language best summarizes the feats of those from Rendville to be commemorated:
Rendville: Breaking the Color Barrier

Established in 1879 by Chicago industrialist William P. Rend as a coal mining town, Rendville became a place where African-Americans broke the color barrier. In 1888, Dr. Isaiah Tuppins, the first African- American to receive a medical degree in Ohio, was elected Rendville's mayor, also making him the first African-American to be elected a mayor in Ohio. Richard L. Davis arrived in Rendville in 1882 and became active in the Knights of Labor. He was one of the labor organizers from the Little Cities of Black Diamonds region who helped found the United Mine Workers of America in 1890. An outstanding writer and orator, Davis was elected to UMWA's national executive board and organized thousands of African Americans and immigrants to join the union. (Side 2) A young African-American miner, Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. arrived in Rendville in 1884. In his words, “sacrificed to the demon of gambling” in this “most lawless and ungodly place,” Powell had a spiritual awakening at the Rendville Baptist Church. He later went on to become the minister of one of the nation's largest Protestant congregations, the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York City. He led the struggle against racism as a founder of the National Urban League and as a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and was an influential spiritual leader during the Harlem Renaissance. Roberta Preston was appointed postmaster of Rendville in 1963, becoming the first African American woman in Ohio to hold the position. Following in her footsteps was Sophia Mitchell. She became Ohio's first African American woman mayor when she became Rendville's mayor in 1969

Dr. Renee Middleton, Dean of the Ohio University College of Education, will serve as guest speaker at the dedication ceremony.