It was a mid-life crisis in his late 30s that ultimately led to the creation of Moundsville.org.
John W. Miller is a journalist native of Belgium, and after he was hired by The Wall Street Journal, he had the opportunity to literally cover the world. For most in the industry, it was a dream job, and he lived it for several years. In fact, that’s actually how he discovered West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle.
Miller, though, lost the love. So he quit. He fed the homeless in Pittsburgh, prayed with a spiritual director, and then found himself as a pilgrim conversing with Belgian monks. Finally, he came to an understanding about his vocation, and understood why he ran away from journalism instead of embracing it even more.
Miller wrote in an article for America, The Jesuit Review, “It took a wise Belgian abbot to remind me that every calling is an invitation to become our truest, happiest selves and not to turn us into somebody we’re not.”
That revelation brought to the citizens of Marshall County a brand new blog called Moundsville.org.
“In 2011, I was working for the Wall Street Journal, and they moved me from Brussels to Pittsburgh to cover global mining and metals.” Miller explained. “I loved that job, which took me from diamond mines in South Africa to iron ore deposits in Brazil. It also included many trips to West Virginia to report on coal and chemicals.
“It was on a trip to Nitro, WV, in 2012 that I came to find Moundsville and Marshall County,” he recalled. “Instantly, I was mesmerized with Moundsville. I didn’t know anything about mounds or the Adena people. It was all so interesting.”
Mound Town
The city of Moundsville appears to be a quaint American town to those first visiting, that is, until you stumble across an enormous, 145-year-old sandstone structure that once housed the most dangerous criminals from West Virginia and across the country.
Of course, when people are peering at the prison, they can’t help but notice what rests across Jefferson Avenue.
“Moundsville is the most fascinating small town I’ve ever been to because of the range of history it displays. Not kidding, in that regard, it’s like Rome or Berlin,” Miller said. “You have the Grave Creek Mound, over 2,000 years old, but you also have the pen, which tells a story about the 19th century, and this industrial past with Marx Toys that highlights the 20th, and then this modern economy that’s so typical: a WalMart, a hospital, a main street of small businesses fighting for their lives.
“I was born and grew up in Belgium, but my parents are from Maryland, so I had been to the U.S. as a kid, but when I moved here as an adult, I felt compelled to rediscover America. After the 2016 election, I had quit the paper because I was having a midlife crisis,” he said. “I wanted to tackle something more ambitious than daily journalism. I felt like we weren’t going far enough in trying to understand all these places that had voted for Trump.”
He found the overall atmosphere very compelling, and that’s why he even made a movie about Moundsville.
“My idea with the movie was to create something that told a deeper story about America and the moment, but without any politics at all,” Miller insisted. “I thought about moving to Moundsville and writing a book. When I met Dave Bernabo, a Pittsburgh filmmaker, we decided to try to make a documentary.”
One Hour, 14 Minutes
As a journalist, Miller looked at the city’s demographics and saw only remnants of relatives of the Native Americans that occupied many areas of Marshall County until colonization began in the 1700’s. Then he examined the century-long operation of the W.Va. Penitentery and the many legends about lost souls, continued hauntings, and he paid attention to the industrial history, too, from coal, power, and even toys.
A link to “Moundsville” can be found at moundsville.org.
“I had never made a film before. Dave is the real filmmaker and coached me through all the technical stuff. I had already reported in Moundsville, once for the Wall Street Journal, and once for America Magazine, so I knew who might be interesting, and made a list of people to interview to get started,” Miller said. “We got a $4,000 grant from the Pittsburgh Arts Council, booked a hotel in Wheeling for a week, and interviewed as many people as we could. We went back a few times, as needed. I bought a drone and got some shots over the mound and pen you see in the film. We held a screening for friends where they critiqued it.
”Based on that, we restructured and went back to shoot. Overall, we interviewed 40 people and kept half of them. I think it’s a successful production because people, including me, like to watch it, and it’s gotten good reviews. And PBS picked it up last year for three years,” he continued. “How many people have seen it? It’s hard to tell because we haven’t gotten numbers from PBS, but I’m guessing around 100,000. That’s not a lot for Hollywood, but not terrible for an indie doc. I’m happy with the outcome. The companion blog, moundsville.org, has gotten around 110,000 unique visitors.”
Miller adds a new blog on the web site once or twice a week and that’s because his infatuation with the city and county has grown as he’s learned more about the rich history of the region. While he insists the love will last, Miller isn’t positive just how long he’ll continue composing piece for the web site.
“I’ve really enjoyed writing and collecting content on the blog. At first, it was to promote the film, but it’s turned into a magazine where I can write about everything from news deserts and the history of West Virginia, to Charles Manson and, of course, Lady Gaga,” he said. “We’ve increased unique viewers for seven straight months, and are now getting over 10,000 a month. That’s not bad for something I do as a hobby for free once every week or two.
“The future is that I’ll keep doing more of the same for another year or two, and then probably give it away to somebody in Moundsville,” Miller added. “Maybe a local news organization like, yes, LEDE News.”
