Perryburg

Perryburg: An Autobiography of a City is an Urban Mosaic History of a Rust Belt city, told through the lives and stories of residents across four centuries. Filled with first-hand accounts of life at the confluence of the Oneida River and the many creeks from First Nation times through the 2020s, fifteen aspects of the community (e.g., Union Station, Suburbs, Mohawk Street, etc.) are explored to develop a portrait and an understanding of the city. Not a bland recitation of dates and facts, but rather an engaging weaving of lives, Perryburg engages the reader with people and lives that might feel real, familiar, and personal. It has been said that "cities in the Rust Belt are all alike, but alike in their own individual ways." So, the city of Perryburg is a stand-in for so many other cities that have risen up, been blighted by industrial change, and are seeking a way forward.