Историк собирает устные истории жителей округа Афины для подкаста и капсулы времени

A local historian is collaborating with Athens County Public Libraries (ACPL) to gather the lived experiences of Athens County residents. Throughout June and July, Brian Koscho of Invisible Ground will be traveling to the seven branches of the ACPL to connect with residents and allow them to share their stories or set up a future interview. Koscho has already conducted visits to the ACPL’s branches in Chauncey, Nelsonville, Athens, Albany and Coolville and will be visiting the ACPL’s branches in Glouster and The Plains on July 8 and 10, respectively. The goal of these visits is to gather information for use in a podcast about the history of the ACPL and the impact of public libraries on peoples’ lives and on democracy, along with stories for an Oral History Time Capsule of Athens County. “The [ACPL] was interested in doing a lot of digital storytelling pieces,” Koscho said. “They wanted to talk to all of the different people that were using these libraries [and] see what they were using it for, why the libraries are important to them, why they’re an essential part of their community and start telling those stories more.” Along with showing up in person, residents can also share their stories by emailing [email protected] or by leaving a voicemail at 740-300-0155. To ensure the capture of high-quality audio, residents may also borrow easy to use recording equipment, which is available to use at the front desk of each branch of the ACPL and also the ACPL’s Bookmobile. This project represents the latest stage in the ongoing Invisible Ground multimedia project, which uses a combination of audio, visual elements, augmented reality and place-based storytelling. Koscho first arrived in Athens County as an Ohio University undergrad in 2001, where he pursued a degree in social studies education. After graduating, Koscho made his home in Athens County. Koscho ended up with Stuart’s Opera House through AmeriCorps VISTA and was eventually hired as the marketing director for Stuart’s Opera House and the Nelsonville Music Festival. As a result of his social studies background, Koscho became Stuart’s Opera House’s de facto historian in addition to being its marketing director. During this time, he often spoke with the media about the history of Stuart’s Opera House, along with giving tours and scanning old pictures, Koscho explained. While Koscho enjoyed his time at Stuart’s Opera House, he decided to leave his career behind and attend graduate school at Ohio University so he could pursue his passions. Between 2019 and 2022, Koscho worked to earn his Master’s in Communication Media Arts at the Scripps College of Communication, learning new production skills and how to apply them. Koscho used many of these skills during his time at Stuart’s Opera House, but his time in graduate school gave him a new perspective on how to use them and blend his creative skills with his social studies background, he explained. Invisible Ground began with Koscho’s thesis project, which was an interactive historic marker located at 18 N. Court St. outside HangOverEasy about the history of the Berry Hotel and Edwin C. Berry. Since then, Invisible Ground has expanded into a comprehensive history multimedia project. This includes not only augmented reality historic markers in Athens and Perry counties, but also a series of podcasts. Invisible Ground has also worked with a variety of community and historical organizations, including the Southeast Ohio History Center, Mount Zion Black Cultural Center, the Tablertown People of Color Museum and Little Cities of Black Diamonds. Invisible Ground seeks to discuss far-reaching historical topics through the lens of local history, which enables Athens County residents to connect and understand the importance of these topics, Koscho explained. “Instead of thinking about enslavement or the Underground Railroad as an abstract concept, we instead focus on how those things are directly connected to and impacted our community here,” Koscho said. As part of Invisible Ground’s current project, Koscho arrived at the Athens Public Library on Wednesday to gather stories and make connections with Athens County residents. Among those present at the event was Debbie Horsky Hamrick, an Athens native who came down from her current home in Newark, Ohio to share her stories with Koscho in person. Much like Koscho, Horsky Hamrick has an interest in local history and even wrote a biography of her parents — Al and Jo Horsky — who met at Ohio University and ended up raising a family in the area. “I want to talk to people about my mom and dad’s story. I think it’s really interesting and I think every person and family has a story, so I just wanted to share mine,” Horsky Hamrick said. “I’ve [also] talked to a lot of people, as you do in life, and I’ve heard some really interesting stories.” Email [email protected] with story tips and pitches.