Dr. Timothy G. Anderson to open Northwest Ordinance Lecture Series
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EAST LIVERPOOL -- Dr. Timothy G. Anderson, Associate Professor of Geography at Ohio University, will be the opening speaker for the Northwest Ordinance Lecture Series at Carnegie Public Library in East Liverpool on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Anderson replaces internationally known author Simon Winchester, who was originally scheduled to open the series but was forced to cancel his appearance due to an unexpected medical situation requiring surgery.
"We are, of course, disappointed that Simon Winchester will be unable to join us, and we wish him a speedy recovery," said Susan Weaver, coordinator of the lecture series for East Liverpool Community Partnership for Revitalization (ELCPR). "At the same time, we are very pleased to welcome Dr. Anderson. His expertise in historical settlement geography makes him an excellent choice to help us understand how America's plans for its western lands shaped the nation that followed."
Anderson has taught cultural and historical geography at Ohio University since 1996. His research focuses on the historical settlement geography of the United States, including the development of regional and ethnic cultural landscapes and the ways communities and governments have organized and shaped geographic space. In 2014, he received a Fulbright Fellowship for research on Danube Swabian landscapes and communities in western Romania.
For his East Liverpool presentation, Anderson will explore the origins and development of the federal system for surveying and distributing the nation's western lands. He will place that system within the larger story of early American land policy and discuss the significance of the initial points from which the nation's public lands were surveyed.
The subject has special meaning in East Liverpool. The Point of Beginning, located along the Ohio River at the Pennsylvania border, marked the starting point for the first federal survey of the public lands under the Land Ordinance of 1785. The survey that began here established a system of townships and ranges that would eventually be extended across much of the United States.
The free lecture series examines the events, people and ideas surrounding the Land Ordinance of 1785, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the surveying of the Seven Ranges, and the transformation of the Northwest Territory.
The remaining programs are:
Oct. 15 -- Paul Zuros, Executive Director of Historic Fort Steuben, will discuss life at Fort Steuben in 1786-1787 and the fort's role in protecting the surveyors of the Seven Ranges.
Oct. 29 -- Alan Fitzpatrick, author and historian, will examine the experiences of Indigenous peoples in the Ohio Country and the conflicts that reshaped the region from the French and Indian War through Fallen Timbers.
Nov. 12 -- Dr. Joseph D. Fenicle, PS, Associate Professor and Program Director of Surveying and Mapping at the University of Akron, will explore the Northwest Ordinance, early surveying and land division, and the lasting influence of these systems on Ohio and the nation.
All programs begin at 6 p.m. at Carnegie Public Library and are free and open to the public. Participants must obtain the free Northwest Ordinance Passport to attend: passports are available at the library, but only limited quantities remain.
The Northwest Ordinance Lecture Series is sponsored by East Liverpool Community Partnership for Revitalization (ELCPR) and funded through a grant from the Ohio History Connection State Historic Preservation Office. The Friends of the Carnegie Public Library and Carnegie Public Library are partners in presenting the series.