You can view the rest of the photos from my trip on my Facebook page:
Little Cities of Black Diamonds.
I'm glad I did this, it was more of a history lesson than a photo op, with the exception of the above Mail Pouch barn. That alone was worth the drive.
I've vacationed in the Hocking Hills region before, but never really took the time to visit the surrounding areas. Since my photographic roots came from railfanning (aka taking pictures of trains and related structures), I though this was a worthwhile venture. The area is very poor, something one would expect to see in the hills of Kentucky, not 100 miles from the capital city of Ohio. There isn't much left standing, progress has bulldozed under a lot of history. But there are quite a few old coal company towns remaining, complete with row houses.