One man's determination to preserve a small Ohio town's civil rights history

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]This morning in our series USA to Z, we are celebrating America's 250th anniversary and we are taking a look at P for preservation. That takes us to Ohio where one man is on a mission to preserve his historic hometown.

[00:00:13]Tablertown isn't just a community to David Butcher. His family started it nearly 200 years ago. Jericka Duncan paid a visit and learned what happens when passion meets preservation.

[00:00:27]You've got the new sign. [music] Welcome to Tablertown.

[00:00:30]During a winter drive through the small [music] Appalachian community of Tablertown, Ohio. What is it about this town that is [music] so special? I think it's one of the earliest African-American communities here. It is clear that 61-year-old David Butcher takes pride in where he comes from. When I was a young man, there used to be a softball field here. So, this is where the community met. That was the only gathering place. Tablertown's first settlers arrived in the 1830s. Coal mining brought jobs. Black and white people lived together. But, when the coal dried up and later a cyclone destroyed the town, people left. So, for the last 20 years, Butcher has been trying to give them a reason to return.

[00:01:12]This is where my family originated here in in Tablertown and my eighth great grandfather emancipated six slave children and brought them here after he freed them. His eighth great grandfather was a white man named Michael Tabler and those six children he freed were his with the black woman named Hannah. When you look at even the tombstones, they tell a story. Butcher walked us to his great grandfather's grave. What do you think Michael Tabler is saying right now? I think he'd be very proud of our family and community. We have spread from here clear across the United States. Now, people are finding their way back to learn this history.

[00:01:50]Parts of that history are on full display at the People of Color Museum. A modest pole barn right next to Butcher's home, filled with old photographs, war memorabilia, letters, books. Proof, he says, that his town matters. Table town is an American story because it's part of American history. I mean, our family has participated in every war since the founding of this country, back to the Revolutionary War. At Ohio University, roughly 20 miles away, Butcher has created dozens of exhibits for students and given tours of the historic Table Town church.

[00:02:26]>> [singing and music] >> Any given Sunday, these pews are filled with people from around the area attending the church built by the Table family. My job really is to make sure I pass this history down to the next generation. A generation now being told to just focus on the positive parts of American history, but Butcher says the painful truth is also worth honoring. I am standing here before you because the actions of my grandmother to survive and to see that her children survive. So, why would I not tell that story? 50 years from now, what would be your hope for Table Town?

[00:03:03]>> Fish Museum is self-sustaining, self-sufficient, and creating jobs in our community. People might hear that and with all due respect and go, "Oh my gosh, he you know, lost his mind. How is this little museum going to help to create jobs and, you know, be this economic factor in a town with 50, 60 people?" What do you say to people who think about your idea and they think I don't know. You might be reaching a little bit. Go visit the museum and ask questions and go see behind the scenes and you'll see what I'm talking about.

[00:03:33]It's a story worth celebrating from the family who founded and wants to preserve Table Town. You love this town.

[00:03:40]>> I I love this community. I love my people. I This is why I do this is because I I love my people. I love our culture and we don't want to see it go away.

[00:03:50]For CBS Saturday Morning, Jericka Duncan, Table Town, Ohio.