OUT OF WHACK: For 2 weeks I've been wrestling with problems created for me by AOL-Time-Warner. As many "Viewers" know - each week when I'm finished producing a new page I send an email to subscribers to let them know that the new page is finished. By and large it is simply a courtesy. I've been doing this for 4 years.
Suddenly - sans any warning AOL has black-listed me. In brief, I am unable to communicate with any person who uses AOL as an internet service provider (ISP). The apparent reason for this is - that they consider my emails to be "spam" - unsolicited advertisements.
They do not care if those emails are/were actually requested by "Viewers". It's all the same to them.
If there's no money in it for them they simply won't allow it.
I note that they've not blocked their subscribers from being able to send me email. Such a move would most certainly cost them.
It would have been both reasonable and courteous if they had informed me of their decision prior to blocking my emails so that I could have explained this to those who use their services ahead of time. But that did not happen.
So - part of the consequence of their foolishness is that AOL subscribers to this page now think that I may be deathly ill or dead.
Well, stepping around all that I would ask "Viewers" who can can still communicate with AOL subscribers (who also read "Views") to please tell them that I'm still alive and well. And also tell them that they can read the page each week by simply typing the URL (http://www.vermilionohio.org) into their pc's, or Googling "Vermilion Views". And if they want to save themselves some time each week place mark it as a "FAVORITE / BOOKMARKS" to make it easy to visit.
As difficult as it might seem, it might be the wise thing to drop AOL altogether and pick-up an ISP that works both for and with you. There are plenty of internet service providers available who do provide better and, believe it or not, less expensive services.
Lastly, I would suggest that victims contact Time-Warner AOL and yell at them for being so damn stupid. Mother's Day is Sunday. So be sure to wish them "Happy Mother's Day" for me.
VJHS 1960: Thanks to "Viewer" expatriot Rell Sanderson in SF I now have a plethora of Vermilion Elementary and Junior High School picture books to work with, and to add to the Vermilion Area Archival Societies archives.
The book from which this particular pic was scanned (the Skipper's Scrapbook - 1960) doesn't reproduce well. But the pix are interesting nonetheless. I'd almost forgotten what some of these folks looked like. (Well - it was 47 years ago.) But the names are very recognizable:
1st Row L-R:Barbara Cantrell, Nancy Ludlow, Suzanne Ellison, Karen Robinson, Sandra Watson, Rosemary Kovacs, Elsie Gould. 2nd Row L-R:Mary Anne Repic, John barker, Diana Hoff, Michael Smith, Carol Radde, Ken Croll, Pat Neiding, Read Wakefield, Eric Furgason, Elaine Mello, Richard Adams, Judy Timyan, Tom Siebert, Susan Bricker, Robert Idol, Ann Schroeder, Lewis Horvat. 3rd Row L-R: Michael Hilyard, Charles Willard, David DeVault, Ray Croxford, Steve Pittman, John Luby, William Beursken, Rober Robinson, Joe Cunningham, John Dehnel.
This is Section 8B of Vermilion's 1960 8th Grade Class. There were 4 sections. The teacher was Mrs. Louise Young (not pictured). I am unfamiliar with her.
But most of the students I knew. A few have passed on - some are still about town. Some are "Viewers".
One of the students I'd like to find is Paul Ludlow's daughter, Nancy. I'm curious to know if she knows the whereabouts of any of his old Vermilion pix (among some other items).
This book is something new to me. The photos are printed on a type of paper that was not very good for photographs. It's a textured matte-type paper that was printed by Canadian firm.
THE MAUDELTON CLOSE-UP: I thought this a most attractive and interesting pic. Tis some of the scroll work at the top of the soon to be demolished Maud-Elton Hotel in downtown Vermilion.
While working with this photograph I found something rather curious. This work (photographed just a few weeks ago) does not match up with that that I found in earlier pix of the building. It's similar. But it's definitely not the same.
I find it curious that anyone go to all the trouble of making and replacing all these items lest they detriorated faster than I might think. The other work near the roofline appears to be exactly the same as the original.
Interesting.
THE PICKLEWORKS: It was commonly know about town as "the Pickleworks". I don't believe they produced any pickles there however. It was more the odor of the pickling brine that caught the noses of passersby that gave it that name.
In reality it was the largest olive packing plant in the continental United States.
At the moment I'm at a loss to give readers an entire history of the plant that once occupied the apex-like corner of West River Road and South Street. The building was originally built for the Dall Brothers who manufactured early automotive parts during the early decades of the 20th century. And at least one additional firm occupied the place when the Dalls vacated the spot. But eventually Leonard Appleman found it to be an ideal place to locate his olive packing plant.
The olives were shipped from Spain in barrels and stored in the yard outside the packing plant until needed.
By and large it was a pleasant place to pass during the years it was in operation. Pleasant - unless one didn't like the odor of pickles.
Most of the employees were female. I knew a few of them. Lil Stockman (my older brother's mother-in-law), Helen Otto, Martha Mey, and Mary Lou Canterbury were among them.
The outside forman (pictured) was a man by the name of Merle Rager.
Most of the olives were stuffed in Spain before being shipped. They contained things like pimentoes (of course), anchovies, onions, almonds, filberts, capers, and celery.
After they were packed they were shipped all over the United States of America. And chances are that if you are 50 years of age you have probably eated an olive that was packed at Vermilion's Pickeworks.
THE WHEEL (CONTINUED): This grinding wheel was also pictured in last weeks "Views". Today it stands beside the Cargo Warehouse on Liberty Avenue in Vermilion. Prior to this time it stood near Liberty Ave just to the west of the Vermilion Boat Club. And prior to that time it stood as it appears in the next pic:
This photo is courtest of the aforementioned fellow, Rell Sanderson, who told me that it once stood behind the house that sits just west of the Boat Club. You can plainly see some of the houses in the Vermilion Lagoons in the background. Rell once lived in one of the apartments in that house with his mother.
And then from my friend, Electric train historian, Dennis Lamont came the following bit of information:
..."The big round stone you have pictured is a grind-stone used for sharpening steel implements...Certain quarries in this area were favored for their vein of fine grained stone that made good grindstones ...not all did..."
So - that makes a great deal of sense out of the places this stone occupied. A sawmill would have certainly been an appropriate place for such an implement.
This only shows that "Views" readers do all the thinking, and all I have to do is the telling.
ISLAND WEEKEND IN '69: I thought that this photo might be of general interest to folks. It's interesting to understand that way back in 1869 that Put-In-Bay retreats were already very popular.
I doth wonder if "the boys of the Grand Army of the Republic" were as wild as some of the folks who visit the islands today. It would be interesting to know just how they spent their day on the island.
PODCAST #23: This week the Vermilion Views Podcast #23Vermilion Views Podcast #23 continues with a portion of the talk given the Vermilion Area Archival Society on April 9th by local resident Nettie Bogart Welch. There is also 8th in a series of readings from Vermilion historian Betty Trinter's wonderful book The Way It Was. Feel free to collect/download these readings and place them on a disc for listening at a later time. If you have the equipment it would be relatively easy to edit them (cut out the misc. stuff) and just keep what ye might find interesting.
HAVE YE QUESTIONS (?): From "Viewer" Pat Maher of Michigan comes the following question:
"How would a man, who lived in Newark, Licking County, Ohio, be working on the "new" school in 1927? That man, George X. Kaercher, became my uncle. He married Pauline Walker, my mother's twin sister, in November of 1927. I'm just curious as to why a man so far south in the state be working on construction in the northern part."
ANSWER: Pat
I can only assume the answer to your question. By that I mean that I've no definite way of knowing the precise reason your uncle travelled so far for work. But knowing the building as I do (this building is still being used today) it is probably very safe to assume that it was constructed by highly skilled individuals. It's not a shoddy structure by any means. Add to this the fact that the company that acquired the contract to build the structure was not local - I believe I can very safely assume again that that company hired only workers who they knew were in possession of the skills needed to do the job they wanted correctly. So if that meant that if those workers lived 100, 200, or 300 miles away they paid them well to come to Vermilion and work on the project.
Thank you for the question.
If anyone has any further questions...
WHAT'S A FOOT: The next meeting of the Vermilion Area Archival Society will be held at the Community Room of the Ritter Public Library on Monday May 14th at 7 pm. Rita Howley Summers will present the history of the Vermilion Lagoons.It should prove to be a very interesting evening. So please join us.
Everyone is welcome to attend these meetings and/or to become a member of the VAAS.
Lifetime memberships are $100. Yearly memberships are $10 a person; $18.00 a couple; and $5 for a student.Our address is:
And I need to mention the projects of my friend Bette Lou Higgins, Artistic Director, of Eden Valley Enterprises. For those unfamiliar with her work - they stage historical people/events from (and) around the State of Ohio.
A great deal of research and practice goes into these productions to make them as accurate as possible.
I will attempt to keep updates on Eden Valley' programs here throughout the year. So keep coming back.
Join Eden Valley on May 21 at 7p.m. when they present ORDINARY PEOPLE IN EXTRAORDINARY TIMES at the Renaissance Center; 26376 John Rd. in Olmsted Township. This storytelling program spotlights stories of World War II on the front lines and on the home front and is FREE and open to the public. For more information, call the Center at 440-235-7111.
A performance of YOU CAN'T PLAY BALL IN A SKIRT! be featured and will be held at the Freer Family Field at the corner of Park St. and Morgan Ave, June 25-30. The Chautauqua is sponsored by the Ashland Community Arts Center and this year's theme is "Sport and Society." For more information call the Ashland Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at 877-581-2345 or e-mail: Ashland Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
To arrange for this or any of their programs for your group, contact Eden Valley directly with your request (and/or to view a complete schedule of Eden Valley Events) visit their web page at www.edenvalleyenterprises.org.
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" and elsewhere it's really nice to know that there are some places where the light does shine brightly. Keep in mind that the needs of Hope Children's Home are on-going. Partially due to the horrors taking place in the Mid-East the continued suffering of the peoples in Africa go virtually unnoticed by both our nation and the United Nations - and that should not be. Contributions to that home may be made to a Vermilion expatriot Larry Hohler in New York.
I need to strongly reiterate the fact that this is an on-going project. The need is forever continuing. Please think about these children. If not with your pocketbook - at least in your daily prayers.
CLASS REUNION UPDATES:This from Shirley Williams Gleason: The CLASS of '58 is planning on hosting the reunion on the weekend of July 17, 18, 19, 2008....The Committee will be sending out information this spring in regard to the plans.
The VHS Class of 1957 are planning their Class Reunion for September 15, 2007. They cannot find addresses for the following classmates: William A. Brown, Carol L. Burkle, Eddie L. Davis, Robert W. DeLong, Jim B. Henry, Alexander J. Lutz, or Neil M. Marcussen. If anyone has that information please forward it to
And I just received the following from Alice Wakefield:
"...I just established a yahoo group for the VHS Class of 1957 so we can catch up on our classmates before our September reunion..." Here are the details: The Group home page can be found at: VHS CLASS OF 1957 The Group email address is: VHSClassof1957 Go to the home page and join today!!
Bob Ferry, is heading up the VHS Class Reunion for 1987...20 years.
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. And, incidently, I received the following communique from Roger this recently. It said in part:
JUST A REMINDER: You'll also want to place on your calendar the dates for our reunion in 2009. It will be held the weekend of September 18-20, 2009. It seems like a long way off but you'll find it will be here sooner than you anticipated.
It is my understanding that some of these links are not working, or they are not working well. If so it is a technical problem belonging to the respective parties operating those webpages. They appear here only as a courtesy to those parties. Please address any concerns you may have about those pages to those responsible for them. Courtesy of Jim Fischer 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 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 The History of Vermilion's Congregational Church Dedication Sermon of Jotham W. Goodell, 1843 The Last Time I Saw Charlie Hope Childrens Home Kenya A Profile of Rich Tarrant Vermilion Biographies Vermilion - Village of Lake Captains Vermilion's Youngest Minstrels For Persons who would like to contribute to the cause (to keep these "Views" on-line you can send whatever you would like to me at the following address. And THANKS to everybody who has contributed to the cause. I doth sincerely appreciate it): Rich Tarrant1041 Oakwood DriveVermilion, Ohio44089Telephone: 440-967-0988 - Cell: 440-522-4459 "You couldn't fool your mother on the foolingest day of your life if you had an electrified fooling machine." ~ Homer Simpson Vol.5, Issue 8, May 12, 2007 View Page StatsSee who's visiting this page. "Vermilion Views" Search powered by FreeFind
It is my understanding that some of these links are not working, or they are not working well. If so it is a technical problem belonging to the respective parties operating those webpages. They appear here only as a courtesy to those parties. Please address any concerns you may have about those pages to those responsible for them.
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
For Persons who would like to contribute to the cause (to keep these "Views" on-line you can send whatever you would like to me at the following address. And THANKS to everybody who has contributed to the cause. I doth sincerely appreciate it):
Vol.5, Issue 8, May 12, 2007
© 2007 Rich Tarrant