Perry County High Point Trip Report

six areas (1,180+ ft)

Date: May 23, 2003
Author: Bob Schwab

From the intersection of Ohio Routes 13 and 383 south of Somerset, head south on Route 383 for 1.6 miles. Watch for the old St. Joseph Church, oldest Catholic church in Ohio, on your right. Just south of the church, take the road that forks to the right (TWP 122) and drive an additional 1.2 miles to TWP 145. Turn right on TWP 145 and watch for the first driveway on your left (mailbox # 2603). Both the house to the north and this property to the south sit on a high contour that is crossed by the road. No one was home (the white house to the south, with the 3-bay garage), so I parked near the driveway entrance and hiked east into the woods to the highest ground of area 1.

Continue west on TWP 145 a short distance further to an older white house on your left (south) numbered 2351. Wanda Miller lives here and was very gracious in allowing me to explore her yard. Spot elevation 1189 is on her property, and appears to be near her garage and house. There is another spot within this contour to the east (across the road near a neighbor's house) which is almost as high, but hand-levels lower.

I also met Wanda's brother Joe, who lives in the brick house just down the road further west. He looked at my maps and told me that coal was strip-mined here in the 1980's which wiped out the next two contours to the west. Sure enough, if you drive west on TWP 145 from Wanda Miller's house, you'll find the contour north of the road is now gone (area 3) with a newer house nearby. The westernmost contour (area 4) has also been flattened and can easily be inspected from the crest in the road. These two contours are no longer worth visiting.

From Wanda Miller's house drive back east on TWP 145 to the intersection with TWP 122 and turn south on TWP 122. The road will drop rather dramatically, then rise up to a crest where a driveway goes off to the left (east). There's room to park along the edge of the road here. Ascend the bank on the west side of the road and bushwhack west a short distance to a power line right-of-way. Follow the line up to the crest and find the high spot (area 5) just west into the woods.

Return to your vehicle and continue going south on TWP 122 to the intersection with TWP 124 (dirt). Swing sharply left and follow TWP 124 east until the road crests in an open area with a panoramic view of the fields to the north. Park along the road and walk north to the fence. Note that this is another spot (area 6) which has been mined and reclaimed. A hand level check confirms that this ground is much lower than area 5 to the north. The highest remaining ground appears to be right along the south side of the road. Sadly, another contour is now just history.

In conclusion, there are only three remaining natural contours in Perry County that are at or above the 1180 foot level. The highest is the spot elevation 1189 foot site at Wanda Miller's house.