Black Hand Gorge : A Journey Through Time

by Aaron J. Keirns

A fascinating journey into the history of a little-known river gorge in central Ohio. Over 100 photographs, many from the early 1900's, open a window to Ohio's past. Black Hand Gorge gets its name from a mysterious petroglyph (rock carving) discovered by early explorers on a high cliff in the gorge. This carving depicted a large human hand which was black in color. The Ohio & Erie Canal squeezed through the gorge in the early 1820's, followed by the railroad in the 1850's. Then, around 1900, the electric interurban railway blasted a 337 ft. tunnel through the solid rock of the gorge. This tunnel is thought to be the only one of its kind in the United States. Today this magnificent tunnel sits almost forgotten on a hiking path in the woods. The book contains great old photographs of the canal era, the railroad era and the electric interurban railway. Several of the photos were taken from old glass plate negatives. There are also many pictures of the gorge as it looks today. Black Hand Gorge, A Journey Through Time is written in an easy-to-read style, sprinkled with anecdotes, wit and humor. The cover of this beautiful "coffee table book" shows the gorge as it appeared in an old hand-colored post card from the early 1900's.

Genres: History

Paperback

Published September 16, 1995

Reviews

[Karen S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hike the trails of Black Hand Gorge state nature preserve frequently, and have taken a historical walking tour of the Interurban tunnel and Council Rock with local supporter Bill Weaver.
This book is a very fun read with the history of the gorge and the various starting with the Canal Era and lots of great photos.
I am even more interested in the indigenous history in the area, but that is outside the scope of this book. There are clear indications that this area was very important to the Native Americans that lived here during the 0 to 400 CE timeframe--author's note mentions that many Native American petroglyphs (including the Black Hand that is a source of several legends) were destroyed during the building of the canal. Sadly, much of the evidence of this early history has been destroyed.