''The Independent Eye'' was an

underground newspaper The terms underground press or clandestine press refer to periodicals and publications that are produced without official approval, illegally or against the wishes of a dominant (governmental, religious, or institutional) group. In specific rece ...

, founded in

Yellow Springs, Ohio Yellow Springs is a Village (Ohio), village in northern Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,697 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Dayton, Dayton metropolitan area and is home to Antioch ...

in February, 1968 by Alex Varrone with help from Jennifer Koster Varrone, his wife. The main purpose of the newspaper was to oppose the Vietnam war. The first four monthly issues were mimeographed pamphlets, and in June 1968 it became a broadsheet. HQ moved to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

in January 1969. First a monthly, later a biweekly, eventually a monthly (following an

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

fire on

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

, 1970), it carried News of the war and of the war resistance movement. There were also some stories about the people and events of Cincinnati,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

and the surrounding area. During the heyday of the ''Eye'', as its devotees called it, leadership duties were shared by Alex Varrone, Jennifer Varrone, Monty Sher and Ellen Bierhorst Sher. Alex was founding editor and business manager; Monty helped with initial community organizing support. Ellen managed the make up and lay out team out of the Sher's home in Clifton, the John Uri Lloyd house. Frankie Gerson, later the founder of Cincinnati's Free Store, was the star newspaper peddler, selling more copies than anyone else on the streets Downtown. The paper featured

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...

art by

Ted Richards Ted Richards (born 11 January 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). AFL career Richards was recruited from Xavier Col ...

. The staff split and several members formed the '' Queen City Express'', a newspaper that focused on younger readers. The schism in the staff had to do with the issue of violence in the peace movement. One faction, led by Ted Richards, advocated that the paper call for "off the pigs" – in other words vilification of all law enforcement personnel. Horrified by this position, the Shers withdrew from participation in about 1971. The paper then moved to an apartment on Vine Street just south of McMillan. After the Shers and, later, the Varrones had withdrawn, Michael Wood (brother of Northside Community leaders Maureen and Peggy Wood) took over leadership in the 70's. Regular publication halted in 1974–1975. ''The Independent Eye'' began publication once again in 2005. Ellen Bierhorst Sher donated a complete archive of the early years to the public library sometime in the 1990s. A retrospective exhibition of the ''Independent Eye'' was held at the main branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati in November, 2019. A filmed panel discussion featured local artist Mark Neeley (who researched and curated the project), Ellen Bierhorst, Monty Sher, and

Jim Tarbell James (Jim) Tarbell is an American politician of the Charter Party, who was a member of the city council and vice-mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. By mayoral proclamation, Jim Tarbell holds the title "Mr. Cincinnati" for life. Early life and education ...

. Around a dozen original Eye staff members and artists attended the event, including photographer Melvin Grier. Additionally, Neeley and the Public Library digitized the entire archive of ''Eye'' papers via their website's digital library. An ''Eye'' tribute publication titled ''Optic: a Visual Tribute to the Independent Eye'' was subsequently published, featuring 14 local artists paying tribute the original newspaper. Made possible by the Haile Foundation, copies of ''Optic'' were distributed at a variety of local business and museums.

References

{{Reflist Newspapers published in Ohio Underground culture Greene County, Ohio Buildings and structures in the United States destroyed by arson Arson in Ohio 1968 establishments in Ohio

See also

References