By Lindsey Alterman and Lily Ruffner
Athens: The College Town
Athens is predominantly known as the hometown for Ohio University, and the existence of said college has been fundamentally linked with the social, economic, and literal growth of the town. The school was chartered in 1804 and became the catalyst for the town’s naming. Before the school’s existence, Athens had not even existed as a county. The town was not officially named as a city until 1912 when the University finally drove the population above 5,000 residents. It was for the betterment of the University that congress issued the city of Athens the funds necessary to grow into a larger township throughout the 19th and 20th century. In 1995 the number of students enrolled was listed at just above 19,000 and, with the city population at that time estimated at approximately 21,000, meant that even if every student at the University were not considered a permanent resident (and thus not included in the census) almost half of the town’s populace were composed of Ohio University students. Because of this huge number, the town’s social life would have greatly revolved around the University at that time as it does today.
Athens High School
AHS is located a five miles northwest of Athens City, and currently has a student population of approximately 780 students, with a student/teacher ratio of 16.3. It was founded in 1859, but the current location has only been in use since 1968. The school teaches grades 9-12, its colors are green and gold, and its mascot is the Bulldog. To date it has 11 “boy sports” including Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Swimming & Diving, Soccer, Tennis, Track & Field, Wrestling, and Cheerleading, and 11 “girl sports” of the same categories listed on its Athletics page. The list of extra-curricular clubs include Multicultural Club, Chess Club, Science Olympiad Drama Club, Environmental Endeavors (Ecology Club), French Club, and Spanish Club. It has a school newspaper which is called “Matrix”, and an annual yearbook called “Arena”. Interestingly, the school holds weekly AA and NA meetings available only for students every Wednesday from 12-8.
Some current students from AHS have developed a PODCAST!!! Link provided here for your listening pleasure. 🙂
http://www.athenscsd.org/ahs/Content2/ahs-matrix-podcast
Athens, Haunted?
Athens, Ohio is considered to be the most haunted place in all of Ohio. Even though it is a small town with more students than residents, Athens is considered to be overruled by ghosts. The hauntings are believed to have come from an abandoned insane asylum, known as Ridges. The hospital was meant for the critically insane and mostly held criminals and veterans suffering from severe post traumatic stress disorder. The original hospital operated from 1874 until 1993. However, the mental hospital shut down at one point in 1980 due to budget cuts and apparently many the patients escaped and went to roam the streets or simply vanished into the landscape. Ohio State bought the land and completely tore down the hospital to make space for new buildings. At one point, the hospital was Athen’s main employer before the university took over. People, to this day, still claim to see ghosts around the university.
Athens, Home to the Halloween Party of the Year
Every year, Athens hosts the Halloween party of the year. Over 30,000 people flock Athens each year to attend the event, that amount more than doubles the population in just one evening. Ohio University is forced to spend an upwards of $90,000 a year to provide security and regulate safety. The large halloween party took root in 1976. However, it wasn’t until 1990 that the party became nationally known and people from all over began coming to Athens. The party is predominantly a block party and expands from the university to the residential areas. People of all ages, not just college students, join in the festivities. The party is a large way for the entire community of Athens to unite and mingle with one another. Ohio Universi and the city of Athens used to sponsor the event and provide food, music, and activities, but due to large numbers of arrests at the event, the party is now solely put on by the resident. With that, the university and the city still spend large amounts of money on security to keep the event safe.
Further Reading:
Ohio Stare : https://www.ohio.edu/instres/Factbook/factenrl_hist.html and https://www.ohio.edu/
Athens High School: http://www.athenscsd.org/ahs/home
Halloween Block Party: https://www.ohio.edu/outlook/44n-034.cfm and
https://www.athensnews.com/culture/special_sections/a-journey-through-the-history-of-halloween-in-athens/article_6b752c54-a799-5565-b557-4f39448ab5c9.htmlh
Athens Haunted: https://www.prairieghosts.com/oh-athen.html
She Kills Monsters at Chapman University 