What can we learn from Storm Lake?

One of the most influential projects I’ve been part of in my field has been the group researching Storm Lake at Miami University of Ohio. I don’t think a single one of my skills hasn’t been sharpened in some way by the work we have done — local history research, interviewing or writing. 

I wrote a short column in our blog for our project a few weeks ago describing the qualities of Storm Lake as part of the writing aspect. I then compared these qualities to that of my own hometown in Appalachian Ohio and made a point that Storm Lake could be an important role model for the small towns of the future if they wanted to survive instead of decay and used that as the inspiration for this opinion.

East Liverpool, Ohio is a small town situated on the banks of the Ohio River. The town was once dubbed the “Pottery Capital of the World,” and produced millions of dollars of American ceramics products over nearly 100 years. If you’re familiar with Fiestaware, the East Liverpool area is where it is made. 

Like many small towns in Appalachia and the rust belt, its glory days are well behind its remaining residents. The population has declined over 16,000 since its peak in 1970 to about 10,000 today.  In East Liverpool, you are lucky to find people who speak optimistically about the area. Whether it be the local economy, the condition of the roads, things to do, or most importantly, its future, there’s not a general air of positivity hanging over the former Crockery City. 

Over the course of our research project, I have found that Storm Lakers do not look upon or talk about their city at all like they do in East Liverpool. The discussion was always optimistic. The town’s residents, goals and future prospects are always seen as what makes the community special. This isn’t to say that people in East Liverpool all hate their city. In fact, most people want it to do just as well as a city like Storm Lake, which is why I made the comparison in my original article.

I asked Missy Brewer, a lifelong resident of East Liverpool, about her thoughts on what East Liverpool can do to fix itself. She told me she believes if the city “follows through with their recent plans to renovate, then it is heading back in the right direction.” The programs she is speaking about include downtown revitalization efforts produced by Urban Design Associates of Pittsburgh, a master plan that envisions East Liverpool as a hip and lively city. She also believes in “more community activities for everyone, especially the younger generation. With all of the negative opportunities that present themselves to the younger generation these activities would be crucial to building a better community for everyone.”

The community fabric that Brewer described rang back to me in studying Storm Lake. One could argue the community fabric in Storm Lake is stronger than ever —community dialogues happen frequently as the town understands how immigration can be so important to a rural community. I learned this through my interview with Pastor Dave Kebschull of St. Mark Luthern Church in Storm Lake. There are programs and activities abound in the town for people to work together and learn together — this is a weak point of most small communities, which may only have a few organizations if any.

A new mayor was elected in 2019 who has been working against the tide to create this community fabric and is reaching out to develop activities like Brewer had hoped for. Mayor Greg Bricker is a rare young leader who wants to work on the downtrodden town rather than leave it for greener pastures. He echoed Brewer in wanting to keep the youth safe and keep them in East Liverpool.

“That’s what we are working on. We just got awarded $1,000,000 yesterday for our bike trail. We have to get amenities in the city to appeal to young people.” Clearly the desire is here to bring East Liverpool back on its feet, and I still believe that Storm Lake provides a great opportunity for learning for my community back home.

When it comes to understanding one another, building a diverse community, and letting yourself become a thriving spot that stands out from your region, Storm Lake does it best. I believe that’s the best thing I learned from your community. Change is possible and small towns can indeed thrive in the era of urbanization and deepening political divide. There’s certainly lessons to be learned from Storm Lake on how to rebuild community fabric and foster growth. I hope my short response from my own small town perspective is able to prove to you how influential Storm Lake can be as the city proved to me over the last few months. It’s certainly a city that can change your outlook on the world’s problems, even if your world is a thousand miles away.

Logan Kronstain is a student at Miami University of Ohio and was a part of a research project on the history of Storm Lake, as well as the Small Town, Big World profiling project of community members.