Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1940-01-25
FINNISH SETTLEMENT NEAR
OUR COUNTY LINE

OUR COUNTY LINE
With the eyes of the world on
Finland as that country battles with
such bravery, in resisting Russia's s
threat to their freedom, we wonder
how many of our people know that
there is a Finnish settlement within
three or four miles of Morgan coun-
ty. In last Sundays Columbus Dis
patch, there is full page artlcle.
written by Brad Wilson, with many
illustrations, telling of the Finnish
settlement at RedtOwn on state
route 13 in Athens county. Red-
town is near the Morgan county
border. From the Dispatch article
we quote in part as follows:
Long respected for their honesty,
the Firms more recently have earn
ed the civilized worlds admiration
for their superb courage in resisting
Russia's threat to their freedom.
These same qualities of honesty and
courage are predominant character
istics of Ohio's 5000 and America
100000 Films virtually all of whom
have fitted smoothly into the indus
trial and social pattern OF their
adopted nation.
There are a dozen or more FIN
nish settlements in Ohio. Many are
larger but few are more typlcally
the Finnish mining community than
Redtown, on state route IL, about
six miles from Athens. SO named
because the mine company that
controlled the town painted the tiny
hillside homes red. Redtown's res
idents have not realized the ironic
connotation of the word "red" as 1T
relates to Russia.
The Athens county community is
no longer enjoying the prosperity
of a decade or two ago, but still
Redtown is a clean, proud village,
peopled by some 100 hard-working
church-going mining and farming
folk whose ancestors lived in "the
land of the thousand lakes Most
of Americas Finlanders came from
western Finland, and the Waasa
plains, and in the majority of in
stances they settled near a lake.
Major Finnish settlements in Ohio
are at Fairport Harbor, Painesville;
Ashtabula Harbor. Warren, Con-
neaut and Cleveland
Modest and reticent, America S
Firms are proud of the contributions
they have made to their new coun-
try. They will tell you after per-
suasion. of Eliel Saarinen, Detroit.
who is ranked among the foremost
architects of the world. and of Emil
Hurja, Washington, d. c., whose
uncanny accuracy in forecastlng
election returns, earned him nation
al political respect.
Looked up to as leader of Red
towns Finlanders is Matt Johnson
73 year old pioneer resident and
one time Finnish soldier Today
Matt watches quietly over his people
and sits long hours with his spaniel
dog. Natti, and on Sunday presides
at services at Sulo Saura, the Luth-
eran church at Redtown.
Matt shakes his gray head sadly
when talk turns to war and the
heavy tanks that are cutting ugly
wounds on the shores of his beloved
lakes eff we get help, we can whip
Russia" he said ''The Finlanders,
they are good soldiers he mods
proudly, and adds eve can whip
them very easy, if we get armed
help"
Redtown's poet-miner, Ben Mack
ey, nodded in agreement But by
next summer if we do not get
help in our fight =. ah." And Ben
Mackey lifted workstained hands in
a gesture of regret. Ben came to
Redtown from the "old countree'
in 1900 He was born in Waasa in
1889. FIe spends much of his day
reading his daily paper, Paivalehti,
which is printed in Finnish in Du-
luth, Mimi From that he learns
more of true conditions in his coun-
try than he can over the RADIO.
All Redtown watches their home
lands brave stand with pride, but
no surprise
eve have had many times to fight
for our freedom. When Russia and
Sweden fought it's long wars, Fin
land was often the battlefield eX-
planned Otto Hanning.
Now and again Otto would stroll
to the stove and with an appraising
glance and experienced sniff, peek