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My name is Henry Robert Burke. I grew up very close
to and lived most of my life near to the Muskingum River. I have seen it meander along like a lazy snake, and I have
seen it roar like a great beast when full with flood water. Still I have a deep and abiding love for the Muskingum River even though one of my g-g-grandfathers,
Henry Drapper, drowned in this river back in 1869. I guess the "ole" Muskingum has my blood and soul in it!
I am a Registered Buckeye. For you people who don't
know the definition of a Buckeye, - a Buckeye is a hard nut to crack-! Besides that, Buckeyes are not meant for human consumption.
So if you are not squirrelly, don't try to eat one.
My family came to Ohio before the Civil War, and
I am proud of this state. My ancestors Nimrod Burke (1836-1914)and John Curtis (1830-1914) served with the United
States Colored Infantry during the American Civil War. Family members served in WW-I, WW-2, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert
Storm. I served with the United States Army for 9 years in the Cold War.
I also spent over 30 years working in coal
mines, oil well and power plant construction projects in Ohio and West Virginia. Many of thes projects were along the Ohio
and Muskingum Rivers.
Now I usually write about African-American and Native American History. I find all History interesting,
so I write about a wide range of subjects, but my area of research is Virginia and southeastern Ohio. The time period is 1607-1885.
I may well be the last of the legendary Ohio River
folk characters. Oh well, I know I will never attain the stature of Logan, Cheif of the Mingo, James Davis, Cajoe Phillips,
Johnny Appleseed, Mike Fink, or even the Mothman, but by golly it sure is fun trying!
My favorite Books are:
INVISIBLE MAN,
by Ralph Ellison
OLD MAN AND THE SEA,
by Earnest Hemingway
MARTIAN CHRONICLES
by Robert Heinlein
My favorite movies are:
-Excaliber-
-The Godfather-
-The Perfect
Storm-
-The White Buffalo-
-Once Upon A Time in the West-
Favorite musicians are:
Jimi Hendrix
Beatles
Elton John
Willie Nelson
Miles Davis
Richie Havens
Earl Scruggs
Lester Flatt
Hank Williams Sr.
Hank Williams Jr.
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Before the American Civil War, the Ohio River was the border between the North and the South and was known as the Mason-Dixon
Line. In the Upper Ohio River Valley, we still have reminders of plantations where slaves escaped from and Underground Railroad
Houses where fugitive slaves hid from the slave owners and bounty hunters.
I offer customized educational
tours to groups with the following topics:
African American History !
Slave Owning Plantations!
Underground
Railroad Sites!
Underground Railroad!
Abolitionist Activity!
Places of Interest:
Veto
Lake (so named because slavery was vetoed in Ohio)!
"Wilds", the largest endangered wildlife sanctuary in
North America!
And much, much more!
I grew up in Washington County, Ohio where Marietta is the oldest organized settlement in Northwest Territory under United
States Government. Oh I know you may question this, so please notice I said (United States). I know there were Native American
Villages and French settlements in the Northwest Territory before the United States Government took posession.
Henry Robert Burke
103-C Muskingum Terrace
Marietta, OH 45750
740 373-0218
<burkeh@charter.net>
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