F.Y.I. - Boy Scouts of America was formally incorporated by Chicago publisher/entrepreneur William Dickson Boyce (1858-1929) on February 8, 1910 in the District of Columbia.
As the beautiful woodcut portrait so graphically illustrates - a good many of Vermilion boys were eager participants. Whatever the appeal was it was enough to attract the interest of nearly 30 local boys. Perhaples it t'were the military-type uniforms. Such things would be attractive to more than a few pre-teen and teen boys.
The first uniforms were impractical copies of US Army uniforms of the era. They were quickly discarded and replaced by a more practical one designed by the British founder of world-wide scouting, Lord Robert Baden-Powell (1847-1941). The early scouts wore knickers with leggings, and a button-down coat with a metal insignia. Both the scouts and their leaders wore the rank they earned on their campaign (“Smokey the Bear”) hats.
In the early 1920’s the BSA modernized their uniforms to a style familiar to that of todays scouts. The coats and leggings were dropped, and neckerchiefs became an additional accessory. In the summer shorts and knee socks were worn. During the colder months the boys wore knickers and knee socks - trousers replacing the knickers in 1944. The campaign hats were commonly used until 1944 when the field cap (then used by soldiers in World War ll) was added.
In the realm of scouting Eagle is the highest level/honor that can be achieved. To become an Eagle Scout each candidate is asked to demonstrate skill and knowledge, and obtain merit badges, in numerous fields of endeavor that once ran from taxidermy, to carpentry, to aviation, to astronomy etc. One of the benefits of mastering these skills is to enable each Eagle an ability to accept responsibility both in local and national emergencies (among other things). Attainment of this rank was no small matter in 1913 - nor is it today.
Sometime during the last century Vermilion's BSA Troop #2 let its charter lapse for just a few years. When a new troop was chartered it was given a new number - BSA Troop #447 - and it lost its ability to claim its rightful place in BSA (but not local) history.
But no matter.
The troop continues and is currently under the direction of Vermilionite Larry E. Howell. Larry has been the troop leader for 32 years. As the list to the left illustrates this troop has produced a significant number of boys reaching the rank of Eagle Scout - and the list is not really complete.
Names missing from that list are Nathan Welch, Kris Horton, Joe Rolli, and Andrew Squires. And several more young Vermilion men will soon join the ranks of those who have achieved the rank of Eagle.
Among the very first Vermilionites to achieve this rank were Frank Blattner and Louis Gegenheimer.
Gegenheimer was the son of Captain and Mrs. Charles Gegenheimer and Blattner was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Blattner. Both families and their sons are/were well known and highly respected families in our community.
I have vivid recollections of Frank Blattner in his later years (I can actually remember the sound of his voice). Frank was a well spoken, very candid, fellow who always seemed to have a pipe in his mouth. He was a master plumber with Brushaber, and lived near the tracks on Washington Street with his wife and daughter.
Of Louis Gegenheimer, I have no luculent memory. I understand that he graduated from Case University and worked for the Timken Roller Bearing Company in Cleveland. The family, forever, lived in a tidy home on Exchange Street. It was a large family - with seven children in all. One of his sisters was Edna Hull (Englebry and Hull Coal Co.) - who, incidentally, was Vermilion resident Lucile Clark’s mother. Another sister was Vermilionite Alice Jane McClurkin, all-around nice lady and very talented pianist. Alice Jane recently passed away.
In any case, Vermilion's BSA Troop #447 (a.k.a.#2) certainly occupies a very prominent place in local hearts and (of course) history.
VERMILION WOMENS LEAGUE 1949: I cannot (unfortunately) attest to the complete accuracy of the names provided for all the women in the photograph above. But I will say that most seem (at least to me) to be correct.
These shadows were captured by Vermilion photographer Dick Koontz on June 28, 1949 in the Okagi Restaurant. The ladies pictured were all members of the Vermilion Women's Junior League. Whilst I'm not completely familiar with the mission of this organization I believe it may have been both social and political. Pictured are:
Standing L-R: Dorothy Litman, Ethel Swanback, Belva Jeffery, Mary Jane Martinek, Bernice Koachway, June Moes, Dale Rodgers, Mrs. Padjen, Phyllis Jeffery, Yvonne Boyd, Dorothy Koontz, Nadine Furgason, and Francis Dryer.
Seated Middle Row L-R: Mary Rapprich, Elsie Halley, Elaine Creel, Eleanor Orth, Katherine Grant, Jo Upp, Shirely Neisen, and Betty Berk.
Seated Front Row L-R: Mrs. Roth, Lois Hill, Dorothy Wood, Eileen Naegele,
Ellen Sanderson, and Dawn Full.
Again, I'm not certain about some of the names. (i.e.Anna Jean Jeffery is listed but I don't see her.) But I do recognize many of the faces. The memories they invoke are many...
A BIT ABOUT LINWOOD PARK: After using a pic of the Linwood Park bell-tower in "Views" a week - or so - ago I received an email from a "Viewer" tipping me off about a book [The Evangelical Church in Ohio by Roy B. Leedy] that contains some very interesting information about the origins of the park and I, of course, acquired the tome.
Originally the committee appointed at a Huron (Ohio) camp meeting in 1882 to find a new location for the Evangelical meetings had considered the Linwood Grove (the current park) site and another they termed to be "Vermilion on the Lake".
The VOL site was not the location currently associated with that name. It was actually land owned by Lorain, Ohio pioneer resident William Kolbe. That site - just 4 miles west of Lorain - is now commonly known as Beaver Park.
On November 20, 1883 one of the committee members, C. Gahn, sent a telegram to the Reverend William Horn (another committee member); and I quote:
"Linwood Grove has been purchased for $11,000. Hallelujah. Thanks be unto the Lord!"
The first tabernacle (pictured) was built in 1884 by I.W. Keller of Lancaster, Ohio for a resounding sum of $900. It was 60 feet square and had a seating capacity of 2000 souls. On Sunday, August 31, 1884 a German newspaper covering the dedication of the place wrote that, "At first one would have judged that the building was too large. But on the very first Sunday 2,000 people had to stand on the outside unable to gain entrance."
What an amazing story!
For those interested in learning more about the history of the park Bill Seith will address the subject in more depth at the May 12th meeting of the Vermilion Area Archival Society. The meet will be held in the Fellowship Hall of the Trinity Luthern Church (3747 E. Liberty Ave.) at 7 p.m. The VAAS meetings are free and open to the public.
MORE MOES BOAT YARD: This is another great snap of the Moes Boat Yard provided me by my friend Frank Homitz. The snaps are not as clearly defined with the naked eye as they are after they've been scanned and enlarged. Ergo in the original it was a bit difficult making out what the fellow peeking out of the hatch of the boat was about (i.e. whether he was part of the subject of this pic or not is still unknown - as well as his identity). But tis still a neat photo.
Last week I speculated about the boat barns to the left of the pic thinking that they might be part of the old Fischer Lumber Company. But me now thinks not.
Recently accessing a map / sketch of the buildings along the Vermilion River drawn by Vermilion historian George P. Wakefield (his book Lure of the Lakes - A Taste of the Great Lakes and / or some of his other work is constantly at my elbow) I have determined that the barns belonged to the Leidheiser Fish Company. They, of course, were destroyed in one of the several large conflagrations that took place in Vermilion, O.
The one that destroyed Leidheiser's - and was likely their fault - took place in 1951. I was attending Ginny Osberg's kindergarten atop the Fischer Building at the time - and had a birds-eye view of the fire that I always perceived the be the beginning of the end of commercial fishing in the Village of Vermilion.
Before Moes the spot where this pic was taken was known as Ed Lampe's slip. It was the place the last wooden boat in Vermilion was built. It was "Big Ed's" giant sandsucker the "Vermilion".
Great stuff!
SWEET SAIGON: Every now and then I search the net looking for some pictures of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Viet-nam. And whilst I didn't give a damn for the war when I was there I most certainly fell in love with the city.
I can recall, rather vividly, the first time I saw a scene like the one pictured. It's almost like looking at a Disney cartoon picture. It was unbelievably beautiful - very surreal.
Saigon was once known as "the Paris or the Orient". And so it was when I knew her. The French influence in food, language, and architecture was tangible. The only bad thing about it was the damn war. It was annoying.
I remember the long shady streets with the great villas with their tiled roofs hidden quietly behind stone walls - the streets crowded with bicycles, motorbikes, and taxi cabs - the great Catholic Church near the presidential palace - the markets, bars, restaurants - the beggers, the whores, the old hags with their teeth turned black by chewing betel nut - Tudo Street - Le Loi...
What a wonderful place! Except (as you may have guessed) for the damn war.
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