This week, The Extraordinary Times catches up with author and historian Rich Piland. Piland grew up in Independence, where his family moved in 1950. He attended Van Horn High, graduated in 1962 and then went on to Central Missouri State College, Warrensburg (now the University of Central Missouri). He earned BA, BSE (both 1966), and MA (1968) degrees in theatre, and took a position at the University of Connecticut (1968-74) before going to University of Southern California for his Ph.D. in Communication (1977). He later taught at Drake University (1977-78) and Miami University (1978-1983). He left teaching to start a community survey research firm (Personalized Research) that he owned and operated from 1983 to 2013.
Piland has written several books about Hamilton, Ohio including Images of America: Hamilton's Industrial Heritage and Legendary Locals of Hamilton. In addition has written three books about the Kansas City area, including two for Arcadia Publishing: Images of America: Independence, and Images of America: Sugar Creek. The third title is The Illustrated History of the Resident Theatre, Kansas City, Missouri, 1932 to 1983. * How did you become stricken with the history bug? When you grow up in Independence you are constantly taught about local history. As early as I can recall, I learned so many details about the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails. Nearly all of the western migration of the 1830s through 1860s started out in Independence. The arrival of the Mormons in the 1830s also was a prominent part of the education as was the Civil War era, including Quantrill's Raiders, and the outlaws Jesse and Frank James. And, of course, the life of Harry S. Truman. During my undergraduate years at Central Missouri State College, I was blessed with having two fantastic theatre historians. They gave me a love of theatre history, in particular American theatre history. Even though I did well in high school history classes, I trace my deep love for history to Dr. Highlander and Dr. Pierce, the theatre historians (Pierce wrote the forward to my Resident Theatre book). * Apart from Harry S. Truman, what other famous (or infamous) folks came from your hometown of Independence? There were a lot of regionally important people, but none so prominent at Harry Truman. For example, Logan Swope's family donated the land for Kansas City's Swope Park in the 1890s. George Caleb Bingham, the artist, painted a significant work "Order Number 11" (real name was Martial Law or the War of Desolation), depicting the expulsion of all Independence residents favoring the south during the Civil War. William Quantrill and his raiders worked out of Independence when they raided across the Kansas border to kill and burn the countryside. I already mention the James brothers. They were actually from a bit north of Independence, but Frank married an Independence girl named Ann Ralston. Frank's remains are buried in a family cemetery in a small place called Hill Park. Joseph Smith, Mormon church leader, arrived in Independence in 1831 and declared the town to be the site of Zion and the New Jerusalem (for a fun time, listen closely to the lyrics to "I am a Mormon" from the musical "Book of Mormon"). He and his followers were driven out of town (and the state) but returned in 1873 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints--RLDS). One final person I should mention is Forest (Phog) Allen. He and his six brothers had a local basketball team of renown and Phog coached at the high school before going to the University of Kansas where he coached for 42 years. The university's basketball field house is named in his honor. * In writing your book Legendary Locals of Hamilton, how did you identify which notable Hamiltonians would make the final cut? There have been a lot of people certainly worthy of being included in the Legendary Locals book. Early on, I determined the structure of the book which provided for seven chapters, each devoted to a particular aspect of the community's life. I then searched for stories about people for each category (teachers, educators, police/ fire officials, etc.). Many of those included were easy to select but a couple were at least controversial. I still get an occasional "Why did you include James Ruppert?" comments. He is legendary because of his murders of his family. But nearly all of them were easy to select. Basically, the structure of the book led me to make most of the selections I did. * What historical factors helped produce such a wealth of talented and interesting characters in a relatively small city like Hamilton, Ohio? I really think there were quite a few persons that had extraordinary influences on the development of Hamilton and the surrounding area. Early on, the development of Fort Hamilton cemented the location of the town here. The advent of the Miami-Erie Canal and, more importantly, the hydraulic lead to the creation of such a manufacturing center here. The names most people know—Rentschler, Mosler, Hooven, Beckett, Thomson, Kahn, Parrish, and Lane—shaped the community. They were the initial influencers, and their efforts still have impact on the town. Several contemporary leaders such as city manager Joshua Smith, Robert Harris, and others are working to redesign the town for the future. * Do you have any current research projects on the go? I'm embarrassed to say that I have ten to twelve folders on my desk with plans for books in varying degrees of completeness. I've taken to research and write short pieces for the Journal News. So far, they have published history pieces about Stella Weiler Taylor's family, the Millikin family of doctors, Soldier, Sailors and Pioneer Monument curator McDonald and his models and, most recently, the Hamilton Chautauqua from 1913 to 1930. I thoroughly enjoy doing these stories. I'm also working on creating presentations given for the Butler County Historical Society.
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AuthorMatthew Smith, PhD (History). Public Programs at Miami University Regionals. Historian of Appalachia, the Ohio Valley, & the early American republic. Archives
February 2024
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