Invisible Ground

03/02/2025

Would you like to support the work of Invisible Ground?

1. You can give monthly or on an annual basis through our Patreon page: patreon.com/c/invisibleground

2. You can write a check or donate through the Southeast Ohio History Center (this type is tax-deductible) just reach out or comment for more information.

3. You can help for free in tons of ways: like and comment on posts on here and Instagram, listen to episodes, share social media posts, tell friends, post reviews on Apple Podcasts, review our app, or anything else. It is all a very big help.

immersive historic markers, documentary podcasts, and more

02/02/2025

Our Immersive Marker in Shawnee is available on the new Invisible Ground app update, the link is in our bio! Experience 3 historic images in augmented reality! The first one shown here is the Knights of Labor Opera House on the corner of Main and 2nd looking toward 2nd Street. The other two are views of Main Street, one toward the Tecumseh (shown here) from around the HQ, and the other from across the street from there with the view of all the hanging porches looking back toward the side of the street where our physical marker is. Ground stickers will go down soon, and be sure to give the photos a minute to load too! Thanks to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Revada Foundation for supporting this project! Be sure to listen back to our older episode “Little Cities of Black Diamonds” to learn more about Shawnee.

31/01/2025

Our new app update includes a new Immersive Historic Marker at Stuart's Opera House with photos both outside (see a couple posts ago) and inside the theater, too! Today, we focus on the three historic interior images at Stuart’s that you can experience in augmented reality with the Invisible Ground app. We only show you one screenshot here; go see the rest!

App Update:
www.findinvisibleground.com/app

Podcast Episode: https://invisibleground.simplecast.com/episodes/stuarts-opera-house

See the stage in 1979 before the devastating fire (photo 1) from the balcony at the spot shown. You can see two more on the floor of the theater, on the left aisle in the back, point toward the stage to see the Asbestos Curtain from the 70s and stay behind the back row on the right side of the center section to see the screenshot we shared here from the 1880s or 1890s most likely.

We will have postcards in a few weeks at Stuart’s that show you where to stand, and look for a history night tour and demo soon. Be sure to listen to our last episode of the podcast all about this incredible historic venue in Nelsonville.

Thanks to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Revada Foundation for supporting this project. And thanks to our partners at Southeast Ohio History Center and all of the awesome folks at Stuart’s Opera House for their help!

30/01/2025

Rendville is a historic Black community in Perry County with an incredible history and an important legacy. With our new app update, the Invisible Ground Immersive Historic Marker features three historic images to experience.

The first shown here is from the southern end of Main Street, looking north toward the town hall and the hill. The second is from the hill, looking back toward town and town hall for a view of the 1906 photo shown with the flag and tuba. The third photo can be viewed from the sidewalk near the Little White House and our physical marker, looking toward the hill. A whole podcast episode on Rendville is coming in a few weeks!

New app update for Invisible Ground is available at:
www.findinvisibleground.com/app or in your device's app store.

Thanks to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Revada Foundation for supporting this project and to the Rendville Historic Preservation Society for all their help. And thanks as always to the Southeast Ohio History Center for all of their support of this project.

As with our augmented reality, the images might take a minute to load or be slightly off initially; cycle through the images and wait a second. Ground markers will go out once all the snow ice melts and dries!

29/01/2025

The new Immersive Historic Marker at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville is like two of our markers in one. There are three historic images to see inside the theater (that post is later in the week). There are also three historic images to experience outside on Public Square, two from Columbus Street in front of Alfonso’s Bakery. And one on Washington Street on the corner of Public Square, right by the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio offices. The physical marker is on Public Square near the fountain. The last photo of the augmented reality screenshot is from production tests but gives you a great idea of what we are doing.

Go see it yourself without the buttons! Download the app update for Apple and Android at www.findinvisibleground.com/app and see this marker and all 11 Immersive Historic Markers around southeast Ohio!

27/01/2025

Our new app update for Invisible Ground is now live for Apple and Android! Be sure to update yours in the store or download the new one to access 4 more Immersive Historic Markers, bringing the total to 11 markers around southeast Ohio.

New Immersive Historic Markers at Stuart's Opera House (inside the theater and outside on the Square), Rendville, Shawnee, and Tablertown.

Follow the link below, the direct links in the comments, or search "Invisible Ground" in the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/invisible-ground/id1611178239

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.invisibleground.arhistory

Outside ground markers will be shown at the new sites this week, but please look for social media features highlighting each new location and showing where to stand. The new Rendville podcast episode will arrive in February, and new markers will be released later in Spring and Summer, too!

Thanks to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Revada Foundation for supporting this work. And thanks to our community partners at Southeast Ohio History Center, Stuart's Opera House, Rendville Historic Preservation Society, Little Cities of Black Diamonds, and everyone in Shawnee who helped.

Invisible Ground explores the history of Southeast Ohio communities by telling the stories of its people, places, and events.

06/01/2025

New Invisible Ground t-shirts, sweatshirts, and stickers are available now!

SHOP: https://invisibleground.square.site/

12/12/2024

New physical markers are up at Rendville and Shawnee in Perry County! The Immersive Historic Markers at these sites and Stuart's Opera House will go live with our new Invisible Ground app update later in December. Keep an eye out for its release.

Did you hear the brand new podcast episode that came out yesterday all about Stuart's Opera House?

Go 🎧 listen now: bit.ly/4gv2zF6

Want to support the project? Check out our Patreon at patreon.com/c/invisibleground or send us a message!

Thanks to Rendville Historic Preservation Society, Shawnee, Little Cities of Black Diamonds, Brandon, and everyone who got these in the ground. Stuart's ones are coming soon!

11/12/2024

Our 15th and newest episode of Invisible Ground is about the historic 145-year-old Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, Ohio. Learn about the incredible history of this cornerstone of Nelsonville's Public Square and the fantastic work happening there today.

🎧 Listen Now: https://bit.ly/4gv2zF6

Our new app update will go live at the end of the month and bring Immersive Historic Markers to Stuart's Opera House (both inside the theater and outside on the Square), Rendville, and Shawnee.

Please share, subscribe, review, comment, and send to friends.

Support: patreon.com/invisibleground

More Information: www.findinvisibleground.com

We head to Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, Ohio, a 145 year old historic theater and performing arts center that is the cornerstone of that town's Public Square. Dedicated to the arts and its community for its existence, learn about George Stuart and his Opera House, and the incredible stories....

02/12/2024

You can support Invisible Ground's work on our Patreon page with a monthly or annual contribution. In return, you can get stickers, prints, and behind-the-scenes content.

We will have three new Immersive Historic Markers in late 2024 at Stuart's Opera House, Rendville, and Shawnee. This brings the total to eleven, with a few more coming in Spring 2025. Our 15th episode, also on Stuart's Opera House, will be coming here in the next few weeks, followed by another on Rendville.

If you would instead make a tax-deductible contribution,n, you can send us a check or make a donation through the Southeast Ohio History Center. DM us or comment, and we will tell you about that easy process.

Thanks to everyone who supports this project!

immersive historic markers, documentary podcasts, and more

19/11/2024

In case you have not had a chance to check out Invisible Ground's Immersive Historic Markers, here is a short video from the Mount Zion Black Cultural Center site.

We have eight Immersive Historic Markers around Athens County and will be adding new sites at Stuart's Opera House, Shawnee, and Rendville later this year. Watch for the new signs and app update in late December. More to come in 2025, too!

This screenshot is of the Invisible Ground app and project in their 2024 version at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Athens, Ohio.Invisible Ground is an Athens C...

14/11/2024

Hope to see you this Saturday, November 16th from 11am-1pm at the historic West State Street Cemetery in Athens! The Athens Middle School Andrew Jackson Davison Club will tell you all about it. Free coffee, hot chocolate, and donuts while they last.

Please register for free here:
https://bit.ly/3C3Dl1D

West State Street Cemetery History Tour is funded by Tantrum Theater in partnership with the Athens Middle School Andrew Jackson Davison Club and Invisible Ground; and made possible in part by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.

An ongoing partnership between Tantrum Theater, Invisible Ground and Athens Middle School has once again brought history to life for Athens through research, media and exploration of cultural assets.

11/11/2024

Join the Mount Zion Black Cultural Center this Veterans Day, November 11th, from 6-8 PM at the Southeast Ohio History Center for the opening of the Black Veterans of Athens,... Read More

11/11/2024

Happy Veterans Day! The historic West State Street Cemetery is the final resting place for veterans from the American Revolution through Vietnam. Lots from the Revolution (including Silas Bingham, and two Captains: Benjamin Brown and Hopson Beebe) and the Civil War including Ni**od Goins and Black Civil War veteran and member of the USCI. Come learn about the veterans and history of this incredible place on Saturday, November 16 from 11am-1pm with the .ajd.club and Invisible Ground!

29/10/2024

We are excited to collaborate on this project with Tantrum Theater, the Andrew Jackson Davison Club, Appalachian Understories, and many other community partners including Mount Zion Black Cultural Center, Southeast Ohio History Center, and the City of Athens. Thanks to Ohio University for the article below!

🌟 Join us for the Athens Middle School West State Street Cemetery Public History Tour🌟
🕚 Date: November 16, 2024
🕐 Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
📍 Location: West State Street Cemetery
✅️Free Registration: https://bit.ly/3C3Dl1D

As you wander through the serene grounds of West State Street Cemetery, the Athens Middle School students of the Andrew Jackson Davidson Club will share captivating stories about the lives and legacies of those buried here. Discover the incredible journeys of Revolutionary War veterans, learn about Andrew Jackson Davison—the first Black attorney in Athens—and explore the significance of unmarked graves.

West State Street Cemetery History Tour is funded by Tantrum Theater in partnership with the Athens Middle School Andrew Jackson Davison Club and Invisible Ground.

West State Street Cemetery History Tour is made possible in part by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council(OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.

Tantrum Theater has partnered with Invisible Ground to develop a Historic Walking Tour of West State Street Cemetery created by students from the Athens Middle School's Andrew Jackson Davison Club.

23/10/2024

Invisible Ground ❤️'s Athens County Public Libraries! Go check out the new in Richland Avenue Park in Athens!