Visit Beautiful Cheshire, Ohio

cheshire
Originally uploaded by aaronjmaier.

In 1975 American Electric Power built the state of the art General James M. Gavin Power Plant in Cheshire, Ohio. The plant's construction was warmly embraced by the majority of the town's residents because of the hope of new jobs to be brought by the plant to the struggling river town in Southeast Ohio. The jobs, however, never came as most of the positions were filled by experienced workers brought in from Columbus.

A bitter relationship developed between the polluting AEP and the disenfranchised people of Cheshire. In order to appease environmentalists and come into compliance with the Clean Air Act the brass at AEP installed scrubbers at the Cheshire plant in 1994. The $700 million spent on this project was intended to reduce Sulfur Dioxide emissions emissions and change public perceptions of the plant.

A dark cloud - really, a dark blue cloud of sulfuric gas - fell upon the town of Cheshire shortly after the $700 million scrubbers were installed at the AEP plant. Residents were reporting abnormal respiratory symptoms and strange rashes as a result of the dark cloud falling upon their town.

Instead of the pollutants traveling thousands of miles to Maine and Canada to cause acid rain, the pesky sulfur dioxide stayed right there in Cheshire. This was much to the dismay of the town's residents who were forced to breathe these toxic fumes on a daily basis. A decade of bitter court disputes and corporate denial finally led to a solution for the town of Cheshire. Pack up and move.

In 2002 AEP announced plans to buy the properties of all remaining Cheshire residents so they could pack up and move elsewhere. A giant broom of corporate neglect sweeping the human victims of their irresponsibility under the world's largest rug. The town is now deserted. Roughly ten people still live there.

Cheshire, Ohio, is a sad place to visit, but a great place to film the opening scene of a movie about the world coming to an end.