MOUNT VERNON — For 90 minutes, Mount Vernon went back in time.
Around 100 residents and local leaders gathered Wednesday on the third floor of the Woodward Opera House for a screening of “Our Story, 200 Years.”
The hour-and-a-half documentary celebrates 200 years of Mount Vernon’s history, people and progress.
The video series debuted for the city’s bicentennial in 2005 and returned Wednesday to celebrate the country’s semi-quincentennial, or 250th anniversary.
The two parts of the series represents 100 years of Mount Vernon’s history in each part, spanning roughly 90 minutes.
It traces the community from its conception in 1805, when the area was home to Johnny Appleseed, through Mount Vernon’s growth into a commerce town in 2005.
John Kuhn, who died in 2015 and was the artistic director of the Actors’ Theatre of Columbus, narrated the documentary.
The screening was made possible by The Woodward Opera House, Knox County Historical Society, Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County and The City of Mount Vernon.
Going back to look toward the future
Michael Sherfy, director of the Knox County Historical Society, helped make the program happen
“This is a time of reflection and thinking about how we got to where we are, as a nation, as a state and as a community,” Sherfy said.
Sherfy was approached by Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr about showing the film. The two decided it was a good time to look back at the community’s history and consider where it could go next.
“It seemed like the right time to look back … Where are we headed considering how we got here?” Sherfy said.
The film offers a look into Mount Vernon’s history of economy and commerce, government and lifestyle through major historical events.
Before the mayor’s office
Before he was Mount Vernon’s mayor, Matt Starr was a filmmaker.
In 2005, Starr stepped behind the camera to lend a hand to the conception of “Our Story, 200 Years.”
Now, 21 years later, he returns back to his work with a new appreciation.
“This was a great deal of effort and a collaboration that was quite special,” Starr said.
Starr said the documentary asks the viewer to reflect on both the good and bad parts of Mount Vernon’s past.
The film covers everything from slavery and war to the nuclear era and natural disasters through interviews with local residents — many of whom experienced the events themselves.
“We watch movies and tell stories and we think about how we can become a better, stronger community,” Starr said.
Keeping Mount Vernon’s stories alive
The documentary may be an abridged version of the community’s history, but the historical society has more to offer.
The historical society has the raw footage of more than 30 recorded interviews in it’s archive. Sherfy said that those interviews will start being uploaded on the society’s YouTube channel in the next few months.
Watch the two-part historical documentary at the historical society’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@KnoxCountyHistoryMuseumOhio.
