Jacksonville is a village of about 400 people, situated on the slope of a hill along Sunday Creek in southeast Ohio. Founded in 1880 by regional coal tycoon Oliver Jackson, it is a town where — for better or for worse — everyone knows everyone. When a new face is in town, everyone notices.
Jacksonville, one of the so-called "Little Cities of Black Diamonds," was a booming coal mining town in its heyday in the early 20th century. Now, Jacksonville is better known for its cheap land and its reputation for being "nicer" than neighboring Trimble and Glouster. Otherwise, Jacksonville is just another town to pass by while driving on State Route 13, the town's only connection to the world outside.
Brycen Dixon, 9, plays basketball with his friends at a neighbor's front yard basketball court. Jacksonville embodies the proverb "It takes a village to raise a child," as the children freely play in each other's yards and sleep over. One parent, Jes Brooks, commented, "It's like having 12 kids in the summer."
Jaxon Dixon, 6, eats a piece of ice he picked off the ground. Children here grow up surrounded by nature and have little resistance to it, even if that leads to eating things they should not be putting in their mouths.
Fences line the boundaries for many properties in Jacksonville. Many families install fences to keep their dogs in, but residents say some have fences to keep people out, especially the neighborhood kids.
Lily Slack, 4, and her mother Jenny Slack, 38, greet the Easter Bunny, played by the newest councilmember in town, Rachel Gratz. Gratz, 37, moved to Jacksonville from Columbus four years ago so that her partner could continue his education at Ohio University. Despite Gratz' best efforts to connect with town residents — such as volunteering to dress up in the rabbit suit — she still struggles to not be treated like an outsider.
Neighborhood children admire as Elijah Ailiff, 19, rides on the back of his friend's pickup truck. The children in Jacksonville grow up surrounded by cars; many of them race four-wheelers and bikes from an early age and aspire to own a truck of their own.
Kaydence Brooks, 11, inspects her makeup on the side mirror of her stepfather's car before the annual Valentine's Dance at the Trimble Middle School down the road from Jacksonville, Ohio, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. The school is only about half a mile from the village and Kaydence usually walks to school — and the dance was no exception.
Tauren Simons, 12, right, writes “I ♡ U” on a balloon he gave to Kaydence Brooks, 11, left, his girlfriend, after they returned from the annual Valentine’s Dance at their school, Trimble Middle School. The two have been dating for 11 months, Brooks said.
Jes Brooks, 39, watches a Guy Fieri cooking show on television while her son Morrison Brooks, 9, plays on his phone. Jes works as a bartender at the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Millfield while her current husband, Jon Moschell, works at a towing company in Athens. When they are not working, they are usually home watching television and relaxing with the kids.
Alisha Young, 31, watches her daughter Addy, 11, and her friend Kaydence play outside. Alisha, a single mother, has three children, each with a different father, one of whom was abusive. She says her ex had cheated on her 10 to 20 times. "You deal with the embarrassment," Young said. "Half the town knows the whole time." She now smokes marijuana to help cope with anxiety and trauma.
A portrait of Jesus is hung next to the Star-Spangled Banner at the alter in the Bread of Life Full Gospel Church. Bread of Life is the biggest of the three main churche in Jacksonville, drawing worshippers not only from Jacksonville but also nearby Glouster and Millfield. Churchgoers have described service as "fiery" and the sermons often have a strong political lean to them — after talking about Ukrainian resistance to Russian invasion, Ron Fierce, 72, the preacher, said, "Why can't Christians in the world stand up for homosexuality? Stand up for taking Jesus out of the churches or out of the government and our schools? Why can't we rise up like they did?"
Melissa Sheward, 44, of Carbon Hill, and Jim Bailey, 60, of Nelsonville, offer prayers to God to heal Tina Bailey, 53, of Nelsonville, who is suffering from a sinus infection, at the House of Prayer & Praise nondenominational church. Unlike the Bread of Life Church, the House of Prayer & Praise focuses on Jesus' role as a healer, even embracing medical marijuana, which the older residents of Jacksonville still view as taboo.
Michael Carsey, Jr., 21, a volunteer Jacksonville firefighter, helps clean out the firehouse. The town has had a volunteer fire department for much of its history and the town — especially the firefighters themselves — take much pride in that fact. However, a fire department for a town of 400 hardly gets any calls, and the fire department constantly struggles for more funding from the village council, with whom they share the building.
The old Jacksonville firehouse and jailhouse still stands next to the current firehouse and town hall two plots away. The building, which dates back to 1900, now serves as a warehouse for the village government. Some village officials have entertained the idea of demolishing the building due to structural integrity concerns, but for now, the old firehouse still stands.