Today, Athens County is known for its peaceful and idyllic character, but in days gone by the area was far less sedate. Small towns like Redtown, Hebbardsville, or Eclipse got their names from early settlers and coal barons who brought ambition and industry with them. The area's deep history of coal mining is well known, but salt manufacturing, railroads, and canals also thrived--for a time. Albany, Amesville, and Athens all played a part in leading freedom seekers north on the Underground Railroad, and John Morgan Hunt set barns and bridges ablaze in his Civil War raid. Athens County native and Local History Department Librarian Lorinda LeClain unearths these little-known stories and many, many more.
