LEWIS: This beautiful picture of Lewis Englebry and Helen Thompson (c.1900) in front of Lewis' haberdashery is - to put it mildly - a knockout addition to the Vermilion Area Archival photograph collection.
Local resident (and my good friend) "Tootie" Mary Louise Reisinger donated the picture to the VAAS last week. It left me breathless. It is one of a kind. And ironic (or no) enough Tootie didn't care about it too much.
There are several reasons this picture is extremely significant. One concerns this photo taken yesterday (12-16-05) afternoon:
This is approximately the same area a century or so later. Lewis's haberdashery was located in the building that would later house Vermilion's Liberty Theater which is now the Liberty Music store.
I don't know that the facaded building to the left of Lewis' place is the same but it looks very similar. And the old Vermilion Banking Company building, that house Williams & Williams Law firm for so many years, had not yet been built when Mr. Englebry and Miss Thompson posed to have their shadows frozen in time.
At first I thought this building to be where Brummer's Candy Store is now located. But that is not the case. I knew (initially from information given me from the late George Wakefield) that Lewis's store was where the Liberty theater later made its home. And if anyone has the first calendar published by the VAAS there is a good picture of this establishment on its cover. Those striped corner pillars make it obvious.
Another picture of Lewis in his derby hat, vest, with cigar in hand appears in a well known photograph taken by Pearl Roscoe on Linwood beach when the pioneer aviator Tony Janus landed his seaplane on the beach. Englebry posed with Janus and Charlie Trinter in front of the plane.
The notation on the back of this photograph identifies the building in the background (with the facade) as being C.A. Trinter's Insurance Office.
I am extremely happy that Tootie saw fit to share this photo. This is the type of thing that I hope that more folks will share with the VAAS. While it may be of little importance to them and/or others it helps local historians fill-in the blanks. And there are a great number of them.
Toot loaned me another photograph that I'll be sharing at another time. At the moment I am awaiting the arrival of some additional software that will assist in better presenting that picture to the public. But rest assured - it's a real winner.
G. CHRISTIAN: I'm not going to say very much about the girl in this photograph. This is primarily due to the fact that I know virtually nothing about her. The reason I am using it here is because of her looks. I find them to be unusual.
The young lady's name was G. Christian and she graduated in the VHS Class of 1928. Other members in that class were George Wakefield, Amos Feiszli, Howard Bogart, and Elizabeth Krapp Phillips, etc. Interesting folk - all.
Most of the girls in that class wore very plain clothing for their portraits. Very few wore glasses. This girl looks like an actress from a silent film.
I just found her portrait to be very interesting. I'm sure that there is someone who knows more about her and her family.
But, again, a very interesting image.
THE GEORGE FISCHER FAMILY: Some time ago a great-granddaughter of George Fischer (of Vermilion's Fischer Lumber Company/Hotel Maud-Elton/the Fischer Building local fame) contacted me. Her name is Nancy and she now lives in Massachusetts.
I was thrilled to hear from her. Her grandmother is the Maud in the Maud-Elton name. And this is an electronic photograph she forwarded me of her first home in Massachusetts. It is a very charming picture of a very charming old home.
And then - about two or three weeks ago another great-granddaughter contacted me. This time it was the granddaughter of Elton - the Elton in the hotel name. Her grandmother was Ruth Goodsell. Her name is "Bobbi" Roberta (Neller) Riley and she lives in Santa Maria, CA. And again, I am thrilled to hear from another great-grandchild of George and Elizabeth Fischer.
Bobbi told me:
"Luckily I come from a long line of packrats and have many wonderful photos that you might like to see. My mom made the most beautiful albums with our old family photos...one for the Fischer side and also one for the Goodsell side. When you have a minute please let me know if there is anything inparticular that you might like to have and I will scan the photo(s) for you. Maybe I can pick out a few that look interesting and send those also."
I really hope that Bobbi can forward some photos of her family (both Fischers' and Goodsells'). I, among others, would be extremely interested in seeing good photographs of those folks.
I might add that Bobbi did attend Vermilion Schools for a time. While I didn't know her we are close in age (both 61) so we must have crossed paths somewhere at South Street School.
It surely is a very small world.
THE RATTLESNAKE: For my good friend Dale Hohler I give you this photograph of the trestle over what I assume (by the i.d. with the pic) is a valley near Milan, Ohio through which ran a stream called Rattlesnake Creek (?).
This Pearl Roscoe photo has always fascinated me. There's something vastly intriguing to me about seeing one of these old electrics crossing this great trestle at (perhaps) 60mph with a quiet swishing through the breezes and clicking on the rails.
The man hours it must have taken to build this trestle and lay the rails could not have been small. Moreover; the man hours required to tear it down 40 or 50 years later, and then dispose of the materials could have been no less.
This is such a great great picture of a magnificent era of American, Ohio, and regional history that it begs adequate description. Only God knows what our country might have been like if the great auto manufacturers had turned their talents toward perfecting mass transportation systems as opposed to personal ones.
It may be that that day is yet to come.
THE GATEKEEPER: Have you time for a story? Well, here is one I put together 3 years ago.
His name was Clark Jay. He began sailing on the lakes when he was 12 years old on a steam lighter named The Milan under Captain William Ranier. After a year on the lakes he left and spent three years in school in Oberlin, Ohio.
After that he returned to the lakes and sailed under Captain Moffet on the A.H. Moss.
He remained on the water for a majority of his years either sailing or fishing except for perhaps a dozen that he worked in the hotel business in Vermilion, and a few he spent running fish houses in both Huron and Vermilion.
His final job was as a watchman on the Grand Street crossing of the New York Central R.R.
In a letter he sent to the local undertaker, A.E. Beeckel, dated May 7, 1924 he wrote:
This is to show how I want my body buried and funeral conducted. I don't want any funeral whatever, just to be taken from your morgue and no minister, not a flower, and to be strictly private, and don't allow anyone to see me while in the morgue and only keep me as short time as possible. You will find my clothes laid out and all ready at the place where I am boarding.
Enclosed you will find a Deed for the cemetery lot so that there can't be any misunderstanding about the place to lay me away and bury me just as the cntract made between us, which is in the Bank of Vermilion, money and all. I may pay for a cement vault if so you will be the gainer of $10 in saving of the outside rough box and possibly the grave digging.
Clark Jay
P.S.Keep this so if Charles(Clark's son) wants to see it, but don't vary in any way from this statement.
In the early summer of 1925 Jay went to Alheit's Hardware Store (in Vermilion) and purchased 13 sticks of dynamite. He told Alheit that he was going fishing up north at a friend's lake, and wanted it for that purpose. Jay later told a friend that he had taken the explosives to the lake in his machine.
On Tuesday August 1st, 1925 Jay asked another friend, Clarence Wagner (who also kept a room in the back of the Evangelical and Reformed Church on Grand Street where Clark had come to stay after he had lost his home to his son Charles) to help him carry some "cut glass" to the home of a friend on Exchange Street. He said he wanted to get it there early because he was going to catch an early train on the Nickel Plate. Wagner helped him set the parcel on the front porch of the home. Wagner didn't know that it was the home of Jay'son Charles.
Clark Jay took the parcel and went around to the back of the place fully expecting Wagner to leave and go to work - but Wagner did not.
Curious he follwed Jay to the back of the house and found him stooped over with a lit match in his hand. He asked him why he was trying to set his friend's house ablaze - to which Jay quickly answered, "Hell man, this is dynamite." Jay had planted dynamite in all the ventilators around the home.
Wagner quickly snatched the fuse from Jay, threw it in the street, and alerted the sleeping family in the home.
With Jay's plan to demolish the home and kill his son and family thwarted he immediately ran back to his room at the church and locked the door.
Vermilion's Marshall Steven's, unable to enter Jay's room through the door, raised the outside window, pushed the curtain aside, and looked straight into the barrel of a pistol. While an attempt was made by Marshall Stevens, Sheriff Harry E. Cole, and John Hettler to convince Jay to surrender peaceably he shot himself dead as they broke down the door to his room.
Clark Jay had turned 76 years old the previous November. His wife had died 4 and a half years earlier, and he had lived with his son for two years following her demise. But something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.
The dynamite he had planted around his son's home was enough to destroy half the village. Clarence Wagner had saved the day (but was never recognized for his heroism). And nobody ever knew exactly why the life of the man who watched over hundreds of children as they trod over the Grand Street rail crossing every day for years had become such a disturbed and distraught soul.
WHAT'S A FOOT: Vermilion's Snow Parking Ban has officially gone into effect as of December 1st. Vehicles cannot be parked on the street(s) between 2:30 and 6:00 am so that snow plows can clear the streets if it snows.
Vermilion's new Mayor and other elected officials will be sworn into office at the "Y" on December 31st.
The Vermilion Area Archival Society 2006 Historic Calendar featuring Vermilion's fishing industry is now available at several locations around Vermilion for $5.00.[Maryann's Beauty Salon; Brummer's Candy Store; Vermilion YMCA] These are new calendars that feature Vermilion's fishing industry. Anyone interested in one of the calendars can also contact me. Shipping and handling costs run about $1.35.
Also note that there are (unfortunately) some mistakes on the calendar. The name of Sue Backus under the "Business and Corporate Sponsors" heading is spelled incorrectly. And the month of March is listed incorrectly as being "2005". The days of the actual month, however, are correct for 2006.
Also, visit (or re-visit) the Hope Children's Home site linked below because there are some additions there that you might find interesting. With all the bad things happening on the "dark continent" it's really nice to know that there are some places where the light does shine brightly. Please keep in mind that the needs of Hope Children's Home are on-going. Contributions to that home may be made to Larry Hohler in New York.
Please note in addition to the above that Larry's organization is actively looking for used text books to send to children in Kenya. Yo! Yo! You school teachers and officials out there! Don't toss those books. Get them to Larry so they can be applied to good use in Africa. For more info e-mail me and I'll get you in contact with Larry or someone else involved in this project.
Also Larry sent me some pix taken in Kenya a few weeks back. I don't know if they're on their webpage yet - but they've got chickens!!now. And that's a big deal when you don't have much of anything.
CLASS REUNION UPDATES: There is absolutely, and unconditionally nothing different in this area that hasn't appeared here for the last six weeks. If something changes you'll see it here.
Since last week I did note that some folks use this page to access the Classes of '60 to '62 webpage I'm placing the link back here. But it would be a very wise move if folks involved with that page made a note of its URL and posted it in their notes as well as those contacting their classmates.
I was unaware of it but more than just a few folks do use this site as a link to their respective class sites - so - here's the VHS Class of 1959's site back for your convenience too: Remember that site is located at: Class of '59 and it'll be updated it as Roger (Boughton) receives enough new pictures and information from classmates to make it worth reading. So send him any information that you would like to share with other classmates and he'll put it up for all to see and view.
The Beat Goes On: The page is generated by the dreaded Macintosh Computer and is written and designed by (me) Rich Tarrant. It will change weekly ~ usually on Saturday. Bookmark the URL (Universal Resource Locater) and come back at your own leisure. Send the page to your friends (and enemies if you wish). If you have something to share with those who visit this page, pass it on. And if you see something that is in need of correction do the same. My sister, Nancy, is a great help in that respect. It only takes me a week to get things right. And follow the bookmarks. You might find something you like. If you experience a problem with them let me know. Also, if you want to see past editions of this eZine check the new archives links below.
Links to other sites on the Web
Vol.3, Issue 39, December 17, 2005
© 2005 Rich Tarrant