THE WAY IT WERE: Holy Moley folks! Tis been three whole years since I started "Views". It's changed a tad since then.
The following paragraph was the opening of that edition on April 3, 2003 under the original banner (above):
Something New: Herein am I trying something altogether new. I'm going to try to run Vermilion Views as a web page. What I'll do is send each of you the URL. You'll be able to connect by clicking on the page with your email. This should give me a bit more latitude ~ although it'll be a tad more difficult to put together. Once I have the basic form set I'll get used to it. It's like the form of a real newspaper; it seldom changes except for the content. It's the HTML stuff that makes it tricky. I have to upload things like pictures and manually write them into the format.
Note: this was the first edition of "Views" as a web page. It was not the first edition of the concept.
It began as an e-mail. And somewhere (on another computer) I have saved some copies of those old editions.
The e-mail publications were okay - however: 1. Many people don't have their e-mail servers set to receive photographs. and 2. E-mails can only handle a set amount of information. It's not real easy (nor smart) to try to send huge files via electronic mail. Whilst it can work it's not easily received by other computers. Ergo; this webpage.
Since its inception the page has logged nearly 30,000 visits. All of the pages I've developed (before and since) have logged somewhere around 75,000 hits or more.
That's not too shabby for webpages that only deal with a specific region (i.e. Vermilion, Ohio).
This has been a tremendous learning/communication tool for me, and my appreciation for it is unfathomable.
I need thank everyone who reads and contributes to this project. As that great American actor/philosopher, Jackie Gleason, used to say to his wife (in the Honeymooners), "...You're the greatest!"
ALBERT: Before there was Hart's Corner Drug Store there was Albert Hart's Drug Store. This store was located in the place where Lee's Landing is now located (next to the Vermilion City offices) on Main Street in Vermilion. Once upon a time it was Ruth and Norm Duperow's Restaurant. And sometime prior to that it was Jack Gray's Shack Lunch.
Note the ornate display shelves on either wall of the store. Those same shelves still exist. They were moved over to the corner store when Mr. Hart bought it. And if you look closely you can see some wire chairs toward the back (right) of this store that I seem to remember were part of the corner store and soda fountain area.
Jim (Albert Jr.) gave me this pic in a copy of a Vermilion Photojournal article written by late Vermilion historian George Wakefield. There is no date with the article.
I mention this because Mr. Wakefield wrote a very complimentary article with the pic. And while I have no argument with that which he had to say about this Mr. Hart (I believe everyting he had to say is truthful) - that's not exactly the picture of Albert Sr. that his son painted for me when we've discussed him.
Jim has nothing especially terrible to say about his father. But he did indicate that his father was not a good businessman.
That, of course, is really a matter of perspective. The elder Hart apparently had a heart (no pun intended) of gold. So much so that he was losing his proverbial shirt when Jim came home from the Navy after WW2, stepped into the business, and made it profitable.
Ironically, Jim was more like his father than he realized. I know for a fact that if there was anyone in town who needed perscribed medication and could not afford it Jim just gave it to them. The difference being that Jim was a great deal more frugal (across the board) than was his father.
THE GILCHRIST HOUSE: Many folks will recognize this house. It is the Gilchrist House on Huron Street c. 1899. Current owners, Dan and Laura Roth, to the Vermilion Area Archival Society membership (and friends) through the house last Monday (3-13-06). This particular photograph was hanging on the wall. It's interesting (partly) because, as is obvious, there was no porch on the home at the time.
One other thing they mentioned is that the door one can see to the right side of the front of the home was a "funeral adit/exit". T'were a time when folks were customarily laid-out in the parlor for their funerals. Ergo; larger doors were necessary to accomodate such things.
THE WALL BY THE STAIRS: The house is decorated throughout with interesting antiques including this sign leading up the rooms upstairs.
UPSTAIRS: This is just a current photograph of the upstairs parlor. Around the parlor and the adjoining diningroom are various bedrooms. The upstairs of the house is now being used as a bed and breakfast facility. All of the bedrooms have their own baths. And one of them has a kitchen. Very nice.
THE MANTEL: One of the upstairs rooms is new. It was built after the Roths purchased the house and is sits over the garage. It's a good sized accomodation with a fireplace, a nice bath, and a couch. I wanted to feature this mantel because it was taken from one of the Pelton homes in another part of town. It's a real beauty.
Kindly note that I wanted to showcase this house because it's an interesting historical place. I am not trying to sell anything.
A PARADE: This particlar snap comes from Major Jack Corsino, son of Mary Ann Thompson Corsino. It is truly, truly a snapshot. It has, at least for myself, some particular value beyond that which it seems to be.
I would assign a date of about c.1952 to the picture and assume it would have been the end of a Memorial Day Parade in or about that year. (There would have been very few occasions to have had a parade in Vermilion during that era aside from Memorial Day.)
Whoever took the pic had an obvious reason. And that reason, I discovered after enlarging the pic, was because Mary Ann (#2) was marching with the Girl Scouts along side my sister Pearl/Ginny (#1).
But more than those items this is one of the first photographs I've ever seen that affords one a fairly good view of George Rathbun's grocery store along side the White Inn diner. Until this photograph I've seen very few pictures of Rathbun's store.
Neat, neat, neat!
VERMILION MOST FAMOUS PERSON: I can never say enough about this gentleman. And I always fail to impress upon Vermilion citizens his extreme importance as an inventor in our world. That's not our state nor our nation - it's our world.
Why the people of Vermilion, Ohio do not recognize the significance of Lester A. Pelton, theFather of Hydroelectric Power, and capitalize on the fact that he was born and schooled in Vermilion truly, truly excapes me.
Just this week I received notification from the National Inventors Hall of Fame that he will be inducted into that Hall this year.
Good. At least somebody, somewhere understands the contributions this man made to our world.
LSE #160: In last week's pic of the Maurer Farm there was an old electric car sitting behind the quonset barn. I really didn't notice it until LSE historian Dennis Lamont pointed it out to me later in the day.
He told me:
"That was car number 160 (pix attached) ...according to the moving records, the Miller Bros. purchased the body from the LSE in Sandusky and moved it to the Maurer farm in 1939 for a grand total of $184.15, of which $45.00 was for hauling.
In the early 60s while sniffing out LSE car bodies my brother and I spotted 160 (it was 75% rot) and talked to Mr. Maurer about getting pieces/parts from what remained. He was agreeable and we went to work. The car was located in the cattle corral and surrounded by a 12" deep lake of semi-liquid cow manure (100% organic). I fell through the floor three times and finally remembered to stand on the beams. Thanks to Mr. Maurer we got an intact water cooler, a million brass filister headed brass screws (Niles Car Co.) many miscellaneous obscure parts, and several arched window etched glasses. Very shortly after that the remains were cremated. In addition we salvaged several pieces of the 3/4" thick solid cherry woodwork, inlaid with white holly for presentation plaques.
Interesting stuff.
WHAT'S A FOOT: The Vermilion Area Archival Society 2006 Historic Calendar featuring Vermilion's fishing industry is always available from myself, Sandy Neiding and Brummer's Candy Shop. 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. They cost $5.00. Shipping and handling for out-of-town mailing is about $1.35. There only a few left. So get on it folks!
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.
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.
LARRY: Hither is a pic Larry forwarded me last week after his return from Kenya. If ye have been paying attention (here) ye would know that Larry was gathering used books to take to the children. And in this photo he's going through some of them with the kids.
Larry also noted that they now have running water - "...giving the children access to showers and toilets which flush." And they expect to have electricity by the end of this year.
Hey folks - we takes a great deal for-granted. This is surely a wonderful project.
CLASS REUNION UPDATES: Attention HVS Class of 1976. Youur 30th Reunion is upon near! It will be on June 17th, 2006@the Vermilion Boat Club
7:30 pm to Midnight.Pass the word. You can call Janet@967-4915 with addresses of fellow classmates or Email:jantanze@aol.com. The mailing address is:VHS Class of 1976 PO Box #872 Vermilion, OH 4089.
If something changes you'll see it here.
Some folks use this page as a portal to the 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: 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.
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
Vermilion Ohio Historic Pix
History
of Linwood Park
Vermilion Community Orchestra
Vermilion Visitor's Advisory (Satire)
Gore Orphanage History
The Lester Pelton Story
The Wreck of The Niles #152
The History of Crystal Beach
Vermilion Views Archives
Vermilion's Pioneer Woman; Charlotte Sturges
Cloudy; Vermilion's Ferryman
Dedication Sermon of Jotham W. Goodell, 1843
Hope Childrens Home Kenya
"Lisa, if you don't like your job you don't strike. You just go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way." ~ "Chalkboard" Bart's dad - Homer Simpson
Vol.3, Issue 52, March 18, 2006
