Tablertown reclaims its name: How the Voinovich School is partnering to invigorate abandoned mining land in Southeast ĢƵ
In a small Appalachian community whose first settlers arrived in 1830, a place transformed by mining in the decades that followed, David Butcher is leading an ambitious effort to reclaim both history and hope.
Story by Matt Hendrickson | Photos by Ben Wirtz Siegel | November 20, 2025
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In partnership with OHIO’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, Butcher, founder of the , has secured approximately $1 million in combined state and federal funding to transform a contaminated former mine site into a new museum and community resource center—the most significant investment in Tablertown in generations. “We don't even have a playground for our children,” Butcher says during a recent interview. “We don't have a general store. We don't have a post office. We don't have walking paths.”
Butcher is a , who were born in 1775 and 1774, respectively, when the country was fresh from its revolution against the British. Hannah and Michael were pioneers of southeastern ĢƵ who first came into contact on the Tabler family plantation in Virginia, where she was enslaved. In 1830, post-emancipation of Hannah and their six children, they settled in the region after crossing the ĢƵ River and purchasing land from a Revolutionary War veteran. Their land was shown on the map as Kilvert, ĢƵ, but locally known as Tablertown.
Butcher's Tablertown project centers on 1.79 acres that once belonged to Irene Flowers, a community pillar who ran the local community center for more than 60 years until her death at age 94. After nearly two years of recovering artifacts from the abandoned property—including Flowers' extensive writings and cookbooks—Butcher purchased the land with a vision for renewal.
David Butcher with longtime business advisor, Erin Rennich, Assistant Director of the Impact Enterprise Team, and Sam Taylor from Hocking College.
David Butcher hosting a group of ĢƵ University students outside the museum.
From coal boom to environmental disaster
According to Butcher, the challenges facing Tablertown reflect the harsh legacy of coal extraction in Appalachian ĢƵ. Between 1850 and 1950, three major coal mines operated in the area. Coal transport lines from Stewart, New England, Amesville, and Cutler converged in what locals called Tablertown. “As soon as the coal was done, they pulled the tracks up and left,” Butcher explained. “You get stranded again.”
The environmental toll proved devastating. Behind the Flowers property, Federal Creek—which feeds into the Hocking River—received more than a century of coal residue, lime slag, and mine runoff. When the state highway began collapsing due to instability in the abandoned mine below, authorities dumped fill material into the abandoned mine. The township followed suit, and the site became an unofficial landfill that accumulated an estimated 13 feet of debris. Butcher's wife's 103-year-old grandmother, living across the creek from the mine, only received piped water for the first time in 2023: The coal mines had contaminated all her wells.
David Butcher gives a tour of the museum.
Building a foundation for the future
In 2003, Butcher transformed a pole barn beside his home into a living museum—an evolving archive of 19th-century cultural artifacts that tell the story of Appalachian diversity. His goal has always been to spark meaningful conversations about race, lineage, and the region’s complex history. For nearly two decades, Butcher pursued this mission independently, with no formal organization, funding or external business support.
That changed in July 2021, when Butcher connected with the Voinovich School’s Impact Enterprise Program (formerly the Social Enterprise Ecosystem) through Faith Knutsen. Butcher began working with Assistant Director Erin Rennich, who served as a business advisor and provided key technical assistance to the museum. With Rennich’s help, the museum applied for and received its nonprofit status, established and trained a board of directors, and applied for and secured more than $60,000 in grants to strengthen the museum’s infrastructure, enhance security, and build organizational capacity.
The Impact Enterprise team also helped Butcher build vital relationships across the region, opening doors to new opportunities and more resources. One of these key introductions came through John Carey of the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, whom Butcher met after receiving the ĢƵ Heritage Award for his community impact. Carey connected him with Jay Bennett, a contractor specializing in competitive state and federal grants.
With Bennett leading the effort—and with support and collaboration from the museum board and Rennich, the museum reached two major funding milestones in 2024: a $45,000 Appalachian Regional Commission planning grant for a regional Black heritage project and $500,000 from the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program to construct a permanent, world-class museum site.
The timeline ahead
Through the help of the Voinovich School and additional state support, mine reclamation bids for the new museum structure were scheduled for early September 2025, with tree removal beginning in October.
By spring or early summer 2026, contractors will grade contaminated material, push it against the high wall, cap it with lime, cover it with at least two feet of soil, and seed it heavily. The landfill will be excavated and disposed of properly. Butcher hopes the result resembles a recent successful reclamation project in Nelsonville. Future plans for the facility include recreational access to Federal Creek for kayaking and fishing, community gathering spaces, and a water tap for residents who currently drive 20 miles to Chesterfield or Tuppers Plains to fill containers with water safe for drinking.
Community engagement and future events
Butcher has hosted students from around the world at his existing museum site. AmeriCorps volunteers have assisted with cleanup efforts. Until recently, Wayne National Forest brought HBCU students from across the United States for educational programs. Activities include hatchet throwing—a COVID-era addition that proved especially popular with first-time visitors.
For Butcher, the museum and reclamation project represent more than historical preservation or environmental remediation. They embody resilience and a refusal to be erased. “They tried everything in the world to get rid of us,” he said, alluding to the social and structural challenges families like his have long endured, “but we're still in Tablertown.”
The Tablertown People of Color Museum is located in Rome Township, Athens County, approximately one mile north of Stewart, ĢƵ. For more information about visiting or supporting the museum, visit .
