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Appalachia, known for its deep valleys and high hills, is one of the nation’s best kept secrets. Abundant in natural resources, those who first inhabited the land took use of it. Over the years, however, the misuse of the land, from coal mining to improper disposal of waste, has left its mark on towns in the area. At the brink of depletion, local companies such as the ones in Pomeroy, Ohio hope to reclaim and cultivate what was lost. Herbal Sage Tea Company, Goldenseal Botanical Sanctuary and Maple Lawn Brewery are a few of the prominent businesses in Pomeroy who are rethinking how to use the land and resources around them. Their efforts work to push Appalachia into a new age of environmental wealth.
Herbal Sage Tea Company:
Maureen Burns-Hooker founded the Herbal Sage Tea Company in 1996. The mission of the company is to create healthy, organic tea blends that use high quality ingredients. The teas not only taste awesome, but also have therapeutic and medicinal qualities wonderful for the body and soul. Herbal Sage is committed to sourcing herbs, spices, and tea from trusted growers around the world while also supporting environmental ventures close to home. Click the link below to check out downtown Pomeroy as well as Herbal Sage’s main office inside a renovated historic building.
Goldenseal Botanical Sanctuary:
It only took a summer for strip mining to turn the land into a “moonscape.” An area that once thrived with wild populations of ginseng, goldenseal and black cohosh was leveled in mere months. “There were no trees. There were no landmarks,” John Stock said of the now reclaimed land. “Once it was mined it was unrecognizable.”
This very land now lies under the protection of United Plant Savers. Goldenseal Botanical Sanctuary covers 370 acres, dedicating its trails and fields to the reclamation of land and restoration of native plant populations. Today, Goldenseal works as an education center and propagation facility. Its goal: to preserve the land for generations to come.
By partnering with local consumers and entrepreneurs, Goldenseal works to preserve the culture of Appalachia and promote a culture of sustainability.
Walk the Reclaim Trail to learn of the history of strip mining on the land. See the path on which dump trucks took their coal down the hills of sanctuary land. See the highwall left behind when excavation was compete. And hear from Stock himself of the sanctuary’s sustainable stewardship.
Maple Lawn Brewery & Court Street Grill:
Maple Lawn Brewery is a new fixture to the Pomeroy community. The company co-founded by Bobcat alum, has been up and running since 2016. What sets aside this brewery from others in the craft scene is their water sourcing. One of Maple Lawn’s brew masters grabs his containers and heads to a local spring to collect water for the beer. The natural spring water gives the beer a special taste, but it is not the only way the they incorporate the community into their work. The namesake pays homage to the maple poultry farm that was a predecessor in the area. The wooding in the taste room was taken from a sugar mill barn that was demolished. The taste room itself, is repurposed from an old barn with the lightning fixtures made from hay haul rails. Click on the image to learn more about the brewery and take a behind the scenes look at the process behind the masterpiece brews.
