PERSONAL EXPRESSION: The headline photograph is a matter of personal expression. (I knew there was something I liked about it when I saw it.)
This weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) Vermilion's 41st Annual Festival of the Fish is happening in and around Victory Park here in wonderful old Vermilion, Ohio. If ye like such things it makes for a nice afternoon or evening stroll. But it's a bit too carnival for my taste. Perhaps it' just my age. Were I 13 or 14 I'd be excited.
The Vermilion Area Archival Society is exhibiting some Vermilion pix and artifacts at the new headquarters they share with Main Street Vermilion. It's located in the old Hull Builder Supply building just north of the railroad tracks - right in the midst of the hubbub. If ye happen to be in the neighborhood you might want to stop in and say hello.
Last week I made some mention about a call for stories about "Viewer" experiences at the old Crystal Beach Amusement Park. (That info can, incidentally, now be found on the Vermilion Locals page.) And along with that information I may have inadvertantly mentioned that Vermilionites Marlene Calvert Feldcamp and her sister (and I also believe a cousin Tom Ryan) have been working on a book about the park for quite some time. Well folks, Tom telephoned me during the week to tell me that the book is at the publishers, and that a band concert will be held at Lorain's Palace Theater in mid-September to formally celebrate its publication.
I am altogether certain that the book is going to be well received - gala celebration or not.
Stay close
A FIRST COMMUNION: This (to me) is a very unusual photograph for various reasons. One reason I find it to be unusual is that it is a formal portrait. It is not a snapshot. It is a posed photo that was captured on film by a professional photographer (probably Paul Ludlow). Today everybody and everybody's aunt, uncle, barber, plumber, and plumber's wife's sister's brother-in-law's next door neighbor's monkey owns a digital camera. So there is little need for a professional photog to record events such as the one seen in this pic.
I view that as being terribly unfortunate. Because Vermilion's professionals, like Ludlow, Koontz, Rudy Moc, and Ennis, knew how to capture just the right air of any event they encountered. Tis a sense that very few amateurs comprehend.
I am able to identify only 3 persons in this particular pic taken in the sanctuary of Vermilion's St. Mary's Catholic Church c. 1950's. The minister is Father Cletus Gates. He was truly a memorable Vermilion character. The boy to his left (our right) is Mike Havrilla. And one of the boys (just below Father Gates - middle row - 4th from the left) appears to be Lee Myers.
Mike Havrilla's parents still (to my knowledge) live on State Road (Route #60) in the midst of all the commercial development taking place in that area today. I believe Mike is now an attorney. But I've no idea where he lives today.
Some of the faces of the other children in the pic are familiar - but their names escape me at the moment.
This pic is courtesy of Jill (Young) and Marcia Martin - two of late Glenn P. Martin's daughers. It comes from a collection of photographs they allowed me to scan a year or two ago. Given the source I would dare venture that either one, or both, of the girls are in this photograph.
Fun stuff!
A STORY: Whilst rambling through the microfiche files of the old Vermilion News last week I came across a story that I thought to be quite interesting - for a Vermilion, Ohio story. It appeared on the front page of The News on Thursday, April 16, 1925. The headline read:
After an unsuccessful attempt to kill his wife, E., U. D., a well known, well-to-do and highly respected citizen of the West End shot himself to death at his home yesterday (Wednesday) about 10 A.M. The weapon used was a rifle. Coming up behind Mrs. D. he shot her back of the ear, the bullet coming out of the mouth. She ran screaming from the house and across the garden to the M. cottage occupied by Mr. and Mrs. T. W.. Mr. W. was over to the Phelps home on an errand at the time. Mrs. W. ran over for help and after telephoning for the Doctor, Mrs. Phelps accompanied Mr. and Mrs W. home. The doctor arrived about the same time and after rendering first aid prepared Mrs. D. for the hospital. She was conscious and said that she was sitting at the table preparing a copy of the Missionary program for The News. She heard him come into the room but paid no attention until he shot her. As she sprang from the chair he attempted to strike her with the butt of the rifle. After she was out of the house he reloaded the rifle and shot himself. His lifeless body was found lying across the outside door. Mr. D., while sufferring from kidney trouble for some years, was in his usual health and had been in good spirits. He had helped his wife with the work and seemed cheerful. Mrs. P. and Mrs. D. had been sewing together for several days and Mr. D. seemed interested inquiring if they were going to sew Wednesday. They said the(y)[sic] had other work. The couple were alone at the time, their son A. and wife both being in town. Both the family and neighbors state there had been no trouble. Mr. and Mrs. D. had always been congenial and each thoughtful of the other. Mr. D. was a quiet home-loving man and must have been temporarily insane. Funeral services will be held at the home tomorrow (Friday) at 2 p.m., Rev. Starkey of the M.E. Church officiating.
After she was out of the house he reloaded the rifle and shot himself. His lifeless body was found lying across the outside door.
Mr. D., while sufferring from kidney trouble for some years, was in his usual health and had been in good spirits. He had helped his wife with the work and seemed cheerful. Mrs. P. and Mrs. D. had been sewing together for several days and Mr. D. seemed interested inquiring if they were going to sew Wednesday. They said the(y)[sic] had other work. The couple were alone at the time, their son A. and wife both being in town.
Both the family and neighbors state there had been no trouble. Mr. and Mrs. D. had always been congenial and each thoughtful of the other. Mr. D. was a quiet home-loving man and must have been temporarily insane.
Funeral services will be held at the home tomorrow (Friday) at 2 p.m., Rev. Starkey of the M.E. Church officiating.
In retrospect it surely appears that Mr. D. had this thing planned. Due to that observation it may very well be that had Mr. D. survived, in today's world he would have been prosecuted (and likely convicted) of attempted murder. However; setting all that aside as pure speculation this must have been a rather shocking affair in the lives of most folks living in the quiet little Hamlet of Vermilion, Ohio in 1925.
Very interesting...
VERMILION'S NYC DEPOT: After "The War To End All Wars" (i.e. WW1) my father, William Basil was on his way from Portland, Maine to somewhere in Texas to (of all things) hunt and harvest alligators. It was the type of adventure a man fresh from having survived the certain perils of war feels up to undertaking. After all, what's to fear after one has survived hundreds - yea thousands - of attempts on one's life?
And on his way to this adventure he decided to stop over in this place called Vermilion, Ohio to see his uncle - the Reverend Lynch - who was pastor of the First Congregational Church in this lakefront town.
So - when he stepped off the New York Central passenger train from the east - this was the first thing he saw.
The next thing was probably the Congregational Church just across the park from the depot.
After visiting with his uncle he was directed to go talk with Mr. Roscoe who ran the printshop directly behind the church. (My father, in his teen years, had worked for a printer in Portland.) And this he did. Roscoe offered him a job. And for all intents and purposes he never left town again.
While this pic is not from the period of time wherein me father came to town - it's more like the 1920's / 30's - it was probably much the same as he first saw it. And it reminds me of his story.
This is a great pic that was given me from the lady name "Mary" (I don't recall her last name at the moment) who worked at Hart's Drug Store for years and years. I met her in the parking lot of a local grocery store and she showed me the pic - telling me that she had been carrying it with her with the intention of giving me a larger copy - if I wanted one.
My answer was, of course, "Yes!".
Very nice, very nice.
SOUTH SHORE PACKING: I am a-feered that I cannot answer Lorna N.'s question about Vermilion's "Pickle works" with any specificity I'll try to answer as best I currently can.
Vermilion's South Shore Packing most likely came to be in the old Dall Motor Company building at the apex of West River Road and South Street during the 1930's. [ed. note: I'm very surprised that no history of the company was given in any of the newspaper articles that I've read about the place.] But setting that aside for the moment I did receive some very interesting correspondence about the plant after the intial pic appeared in "Views".
Connie Wendell (Dale "Tulip" Wendell's spouse) send me the following info:
Rich: Last week you had an article about South Shore Packing. This week you had more about it and the person said she used to smell vinegar. I don't think so. Many people who came to apply for a job didn't like the smell. The smell was actually salt brine and lactic acid which was what the olives came in in barrels and when they were packed in bottles they were covered with fresh brine and lactic acid. I started to work in the office in '49 or 50. Mr. Appleman was my boss and Ted Penning was office manager. I believe Phyllis Hoffman Lateman worked in the office at that time, too. Josephine Youskivich (sp?)was the boss in the plant and Merle Rager was in charge of the yard and shipping. He was a very nice man. One of their truck drivers was Jim Pickett. They had another but I don't remember his name. They used to deliver olives to the south and sometimes would come back with a load of something else so that they wouldn't have to drive back empty. Sometimes they brought back a load of watermelons, although I never saw any of them. They had a very nice cafeteria at that time.One of the cooks was named Mary but I can't remember her last name but she was a niece of Ruth Phillips. Another cook was Vera Peck. They served very good food. I didn't work there again until both of my kids were in school all day long. At that time I was doing payroll. The olives were packed two ways. Throw pack and place pack. In place pack, the olives were placed in neat rows which were put in by hand with what looked like a wooden knitting needle split so that they could pick up one olive at a time, place it in the jar in rows until the jar was full. There was a set rate to be made. If they could pack fast enough and made the rate, they would be paid that rate. If not, they were paid what the other workers made. I had to figure out if they made the rate or not. In throw pack, the olives were just placed just as they were "thrown" in and not in rows. Fresh brine and lactic acid were put in the jars, capped and ready to be shipped. SomE others that worked in the office were Dorothy Novotny, Dawn Full and others I can't remember their names. After Ted Penning left, there were others but the last one before I left was Kenny Sanborn who was married to Edwina Mae Applemen. Mrs. Appleman was a very nice lady, very petite and always neat and pretty. I hope this is some interest to you. Connie Wendell
Connie Wendell
The pic with the inset of the plant boss, Josephine Youskievicz, is courtesy of electric historian, Dennis Lamont, of Birmingham.
And from another friend, Dr. Norman "Jack" Dean of Maryland came this neat bit of information:
"...Don't know when the "Pickle Works" closed, but Don Powers and I worked there after school in 1950, I think it was. It was a good place to work. They didn't mind if you took some olives home. Once in a while they made maple syrup, and it smelled soooo good all over the plant. There was a big cask up on the second floor where Don and I used to make brine for the olives. I think the recipe was 5 barrels of water, 2 gallons of lactic acid, and a hundred pounds of salt. We stirred it all together with (no kidding) a canoe paddle. It went through pipes to the packing area on the main floor. They sometimes had really big olives, and my mom would cut them into a spiral, roll them in batter, deep fry, and we ate them while hot, like French fries. Good! But probably enough salt to kill a horse, ha!"
It was a good place to work. They didn't mind if you took some olives home. Once in a while they made maple syrup, and it smelled soooo good all over the plant. There was a big cask up on the second floor where Don and I used to make brine for the olives. I think the recipe was 5 barrels of water, 2 gallons of lactic acid, and a hundred pounds of salt. We stirred it all together with (no kidding) a canoe paddle. It went through pipes to the packing area on the main floor.
They sometimes had really big olives, and my mom would cut them into a spiral, roll them in batter, deep fry, and we ate them while hot, like French fries. Good! But probably enough salt to kill a horse, ha!"
Well, Lorna - I know this doesn't really answer your question - but I hope it helps. If nothing else the comments are very informative and, not to mention, entertaining. I do, however, intend to do a more comprehensive story on the company very soon.
BARNES ROAD UNDERPASS: One of the things folks who were raised in the Vermilion, Ohio area might appreciate is the fact that when one became of age, and summertime came, driving throughout the countryside - often with no destination in mind - was just a fun thing to do.
And if you happened to be one of those who enjoyed those rides it is very likely that you know this landscape. It is the rail underpass on Barnes Road just north of West Lake Road near Volunteer Bay.
Initially I erroneously mistaked this for the bridge on Humm Road near Berlin Heights, Ohio. But I was quickly corrected by "Viewer" Bob Caywood. I've no idea as to the reason someone took this snap except that it is a rather pleasing view. It came to me, electronically, from Rell Sanderson who now lives in San Francisco.
I'm happy to have it.
PODCAST #28: This week the Vermilion Views Podcast #28Vermilion Views Podcast #28 includes the flip side of a very rare rock n' roll recording by Vermilionite Bob Fackler and "The Rhythm Kings" (with Jim Fischer) back in the late 1950's; and, of course, a continuation of readings from Betty Trinter's history of Vermilion - "The Way It Was".
HAVE YE QUESTIONS (?): From "Viewer" Lorna Naegele comes the following question:
"A few days ago, I was driving along and got this weird whiff of vinegar, and thought of what we used to call the 'pickle factory.' I thought to myself "I should write Rich and ask about the pickle factory!" So imagine my surprise when I opened this week's VV and there's the story of the 'pickle works!' Thanks! Though we didn't live in that neighborhood, my frequent babysitters, the Weitzman's, lived on South St., so we ofter walked by the 'pickle factory.' I do still have a question - when was the plant in operation? "
Though we didn't live in that neighborhood, my frequent babysitters, the Weitzman's, lived on South St., so we ofter walked by the 'pickle factory.'
I do still have a question - when was the plant in operation? "
ANSWER: Lorna
Thanks for the question. The best answer I could presently muster appears above. And as I've mentioned I intend to do a follow-up that will better answer your specific question.
I need to also thank you because due to your question, and my lack of a complete answer, I am now determined to do a concise history of the company. And while ye wait - if anyone has any other questions... [Note this link is working this week.]
LOCAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: Looking for information about VHS Class Reunions, The Vermilion Area Archival Society, Eden Valley Enterprises events, and Hope Home in Kenya? Follow the link to the Vermilion Locals page. Something new for your enjoyment.
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.
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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 13, June 16, 2007
© 2007 Rich Tarrant