NEW YEAR, NEW PARK, NEW THINGS: This pic denotes the beginnings of Vermilion's newest park. Those familiar with our city will easily recognize the location - along the river at the foot of our landmark water-tower.
I do believe the intent was to start and finish work on the park prior to December. However; the railroad started work rebuilding the rail underpass on the rail bridge adjacent to the proposed park in October - so I believe work on the park had to be post-poned until that job was finished.
The concrete rail bridge abutments were completely re-built and then painted. They also put new sidewalks in on both sides of the underpass. One can just see the end of the walk on the east side in the lower right hand of this pic. The walk they replaced on the west side of the street extended from the south side of the underpass all along the side of the old Crow Lumber Company (now Parson�s) property. The new rail bridge abutments were also painted.
You will, obviously, note that this pic is dated. It is my intention to follow the construction of the part through to completion with an evolutionary photo essay. I believe you'll find it interesting.
You might also notice that I warped the photo some to give it a 3 demenional affect. (You give a kid a toy and...)
This week I'm also using a different writing process. Some of this page is been composed prior to the Saturday a.m. publication. Normally I compose each Saturday morn. Due to the fact that writing on-line in html (the language of the world-wide-web doesn't give me the freedom to see and/or edit the material as I write) I thought I might try composing the page as a word processing document first, and then copy it to the net site later. So - we shall see how this works.
And brace thyselves because there are some photographs in today's �Views� that'll knock your socks off.
SWEET VIOLET: Now here is a great photograph. If you grew up in Vermilion, and attended Vermilion Schools during the 1950's and 1960's you most certainly knew this pretty lady.
Some of her friends called her "Mac". Most of the rest of us knew her as the school nurse. Her name is Violet (McIntyre) Fischer.
Over the last year or so I've become better acquainted with Mrs. Fischer's oldest son, Jim, as he and his wife, Candy, begin their transition back to town. And during this period Jim has been gracious enough to give me several books, a map, and he has also loaned me a good share of his experience(s), knowledge of things, and (of course) some photographs.
If I have understood it correctly this picture of his mother was captured as she stood along side her airplane. Airplane? you exclaim!
Yes, that is correct.
The story is that when she was attending nursing school in Cleveland she communted - flying from home to Cleveland and back in this aircraft.
At that time I believe her family had a farm somewhere in rural Erie County and/or Huron County and she followed the Lake Shore Electric (LSE) rails to and from school.
I don't know about you - but I'm impressed.
Could this really be the lady I remember?
If anyone wonders where Jim got his free spirit from ("Country Boy to Skydiver to Great Lakes Sailor to Bull Rider to Cow Kicker to Writer...") this may help shed some light on that question.
Jim loaned me several more pix (that I scanned) that are no less interesting than this. And aside from placing all this photographs on CD for the Vermilion Area Archival Society (VAAS) they've given me about a years worth of newspaper articles.
B.C.S: Friend and View's reader, Jill Martin, passed along this great photo (c.1971) of that which is now the area of (and below) Crystal Shores Apartments before it was built (ergo: B(efore). C(rystal). S(hores).
Jill told me some time ago that she had been actively interested in photography prior to the advent and availabilty of all this digital equipment. This is but one example of her work - now, of course, digitized.
In this photograph Crystal Beach has completely disappeared from the landscape. The Great 4th of July Flood of 1969 has nearly destroyed the beaches (or the ready availability of those beaches) in this area, and an angry Lake Erie lashes at the remains. Overhead the gulls float in the gale beneath the gray clouds swollen with rain.
The pic captures the moment between that which once was, and that which it will become. It is an indecisive moment. Pensive. Brooding.
What more can I say?
THE RATTLESNAKE REVISITED: Several "Viewers" have already seen these shadows, but methinks that all should have the same opportunity. After some comment writ last week concerning one reader's curiosity about how the train was powered over Rattlesnake Trestle because the power lines aren't easily visible in the Roscoe photo.
Electric historian Dennis Lamont sent me this photo where both the power poles and some of the lines are very visible.
Dennis also said, "Yet another shot of the rattlesnake trestle taken just after they finished putting the end "fills" in around 1893. The construction of this type of trestle is such that they planned to eventually fill it in with dirt (or powerhouse cinders) ... they never got a chance however as they were merged into the LSE.
The LSE by 1906 built a much more stable trestle. Right around 1925 the LSE changed the former SM&N over to busses.
One of the stories we picked up at our shows .... it seems that the Superintendent from Fremont had to ride the LSE to Sandusky to make his report to headquarters. His route took him thru Norwalk where he gathered the rest of his information. He did not trust the rattlesnake trestle (even after rebuilding) which meant he rode the cars to Ceylon and then on to Sandusky."
You know, folks - everytime I think I've seen, or heard, it all something/someone else comes along. I am constantly amazed by the things I learn via this page.
FISCHER'S GARAGE: I really, really, wish I could tell everyone the entire story surrounding some of the photographs used on this webpage weekly - and I'm so very sorry that is not possible. Very often the stories behind the way the photographs are acquired, and how very much I learn during that process (as previously mentioned), is just as interesting as the photographs themselves. But the following will have to suffice for now:
Bobbi Riley lives in Santa Maria, CA. She is the great-great granddaughter of George and Elizabeth Fischer; and a granddaughter of Elton Fischer.
It should be understood that these Fischers' are not (to my knowledge) related to the Fischer Family (Jim, Violet, etc) at the top of this page.
Bobbi did spend some time in Vermilion as a youngster, and attended South Street School. She, ironically or not, was a childhood friend of Jill Martin's (also found toward the top of this page) sister, Gail.
Bobbi's mother, Virginia Fischer Ohler, kept some very nice scrap books. Therein did she find a number of pictures of her Vermilion family and their concerns, and she has been kind enough to pass them along to me and the Vermilion Area Archival Society.
This great photograph of a brand new Fischer Building with Elton's Buick and Chevrolet Dealership garage as a very prominent tenant is but one of those pix.
As you're catching your breath (it took mine away) allow me to make some observations.
I was well aware of the fact that this dealership did exist in this building but, until I saw this photo, had no idea as to exactly where in the building it had been located. It was, as is obvious, at the lower east end of the building. The entrance (for the machines/autos) was located just below the place where you only see two windows on the upper floors. Not really visible in this pic is the entrance to the roller rink that was located on the upper floors. That entrance was, initially, on the east side of the building. There was still some space between this building and the hotel at the time of this picture. I've no idea (as of yet) when the two structures were joined.
One can get a fairly good view of the hotel and the "widows walk" on the top. The electric tracks and power-lines are somewhat visible. And - one very interesting item in the pic - is the fountain on the corner of Liberty and Division Street in Exchange Park. I've never seen a photograph exactly like this before.
I'm guessing, but I would date the picture about 1904-05. The building is not yet finished. And all I can say is, Wow!!
THE SUNSHINE COTTAGE: Some older "Viewers" will readily recognize this home. Others, like myself, only have some very dim recollections of it. Its owners called it the "Sunshine Cottage".
I was perhaps 10 or 11 years old when I helped raze this structure to make way for the new home of Vermilion's First Congregational Church (now known as the United Church of Christ, Congregational). My basic recollections is that of taking nails out of a window at the back of the house. It seems like it was a million years ago. It was actually about 1954-55.
This is also a Bobbi Riley photograph with a story well beyond the story of the picture. A man named Miller Wilber and his wife Harriet (Goodsell) owned the home. Some years prior to their living in this house they lived with Miller's family in the Swift Mansion, Rosedale in Swift's Hollow.
Those folks who have some interest in that which is commonly known as the "Gore Orphanage" should recall mention of this family. They had four lovely children who were the victims of what Bobbi's mom called the "black diptheria" and died within days of one another.
Their grave markers at Maple Grove Cemetery are among the most ornate. I have been there on more than one occasion and may have photographs. But, in any case, their untimely deaths and their mother's intense trauma because of the tragedy has fed the urban legend that surrounds the old orphanage like gasoline feeds an already hot fire. A fire, I might add, that I've been attempted to extinguish for several years with very little success.
As fate would also have it Mrs. Wilber (Harriet) is Bobbi's great-great Aunt.
I would also mention that I've been referring to her aunt by the name of Henrietta for several years in error. That's the way I found it writ on a U.S. census, and it was wrong. I stand corrected.
IN 2006: Looking ahead for things I'll be doing in the coming year (starting tomorrow) is - first: To finish Jotham Goodell's dedication Sermon for the first church in the new Village of Vermilion, Ohio. My work is been slow here. And that's partially due to the fact that I'm playing with software technology I'm not real familiar with as of yet. (I'm also inclined to procrastinate at times.) But the material, as the person who gave it to me wrote on a note in the booklet, "might put you to sleep". I'm thinking I need to add some pictures, etc. to give it some pizzazz.
Another project will be to put together a more comprehensive history of the Vermilions education system.
I did a bit of it for the newspaper, but there were limitations in both time and space that make it somewhat clumsy. A net history would be more fluid and comprehensive. I can use more pix and personal accounts.
And just because I've used it it might be interesting to know that the South Street Staff pic above is from February 20, 1968.
Have a great start to the New Year!!
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" today.
The Vermilion Area Archival Society 2006 Historic Calendar featuring Vermilion's fishing industry is now only available from myself and Sandy Neiding. While noting that these are calendars - please also note that they are collectors' items. This means that they're good for 100 years. 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.
I also have a few historica calendars from 2000. However; they're numbered and cost a great deal more than the VAAS calendars.
Please take the time to 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.
It is my understanding that some of these links are not working, or not working well. If so it is a technical problem belonging to the respective parties operating those webpages.
Stay Close.
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 41, December 31, 2005
© 2005 Rich Tarrant