A MYSTERY NO MORE: When first I laid me eyeballs on the postcard pic of the Loyola-On-The-Lake Summer School of Science (in [sic] Vermillion, Ohio)I thought it was either a mistake - perhaps a printing error - or just someone's idea / dream drawn on a piece of paper. I'd never heard of the place before. And neither - it seemed - did anyone else.
Sometime later the interurban historian, Dennis Lamont, informed me that Stop #123 for the Lake Shore Electric train between Camp Hakoah and Sunnyside (just east of Vermilion and Vermilion-On-The-Lake was known as the "Loyola Stop". He later forwarded me a map showing that the property just to the north of the stop (along Lake Erie) was once the property of St. Ingnatius College of Cleveland, O. This was in 2006.
I did make inquiries to Loyola University in Chicago and subsequently to the Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus who apparently owned / managed the property at one time. All I really learned from doing so was that the place really did exist. But what the mission of the property was, and what became of it remained a mystery (to me).
I scoured the archives of The Vermilion News to find some mention of the place in the early years of the 20th century to no avail. And I must confess that I found this (and still find it) puzzling. For this was no insignificant structure.
Well, thanks to the persistence of local historian Albert Doane (of Lorain / Amherst) the mystery surrounding Loyola-On-The-Lake is no longer a mystery.
Yesterday (5-16-08) Al sent me a communique along with two letters that explains what the institute was and what happened to it. The first reads in part:
As the number of Jesuits in Cleveland increased the need for a villa away from the noise of the city grew. Back in 1892 Father Knappmeyer initiated plans for the purchase of a villa outside of Cleveland. In 1901 Father Schulte bought ninety-two acres in Vermilion with 1,200 feet frontage on Lake Erie. The depth of the land has been reduced almost two hundred feet by the ravages of Lake Erie. At an expense of almost $600 the Jesuit brothers constructed a three story frame building on concrete pillars suitable for about forty men in 1904. Later, in 1908, the huge villa served as a summer school of science for Missouri Province scholastics for a few years. They hunted for rocks, fossils, and artifacts. The summer school also provided an opportunity for the Cleveland scholastics to get home for a visit while they were in studies at St. Louis. Swimming and fishing were very popular at "Loyola on the Lake".
For the next 15 or 16 years everything went well. And then...
On the morning of September 14, 1917 the kitchen fire grew out of control and burned the large dormitory to the ground. Everything was lost but the chapel equipment which was saved by one of the brothers and a few neighbors summoned by telephone. Father Neustich had been working around the villa on the same day. When he returned to the college in the afternoon and first learned of the fire he exclaimed, "But dot is impossible, I vas just dere." The insurance amounted to $7,500. Father Sommerhauser, the rector at the time, sought permission from Rome to sell the villa since the debt on the college was heavy. The property was valued at $7,500 in 1917. Father Sommerhauser also consulted a friendly real estate broker who told him not to sell the land. This same information was conveyed to Father Thomas J. Smith, one of Sommerhauser's successors, on July 3, 1919.
And so that was the beginning and the end of the structure in the postcard photograph. But that was hardly the end of Jesuit use of the property. It was kept and used by them until 1992 when it was sold to developers. The money from the sale was used to help support Jesuits in their retirement.
Methinks that if there really be any remaining mystery surrounding the site it is the reason that few to no people in Vermilion, Ohio - even long time residents - knew / know anything about it. Tis exceptionally hard to believe that such a grandiose place could have existed in such complete anonymity.
It is truly A-mazing.
VHS SOPHMORE CLASS OF 1928: Tis another pic from one of the Hi-Times yearbooks provided "Views" by Ruth (Bauman) Tanner. This time a wonderous photo of the VHS Sophmore class of 1928.
Pictured are:
Back Row L-R: F. Reifert, T. Wakefield, P. Whitt E. Fischer, M. Vincent, W. Miller, and F.McGrath.
Middle Row L- R: D. Ross, R. Bogart, E. Schellhouse, A. Kirincick, C. Palkovic, G. Nickley, E. Krapp, and F. Taylor.
Front Row L-R: Miss Warner, H. Krapp, W. Berk, A. Neiding, H. Neiding, R. Smith, M. Green, R. Kishman, E. Aldinger, and Z. Rossman.
The photo was taken at the entrance of a newly constructed South Street School. The only thing that has really changed about the school (in this pic) are the doors.
I could recognize several of the folks in the photo without the names; Ted Wakefield, Paul Whitt, and Edward Fischer look much as I remember them later in their lives. But I would not have recognized Ruby Bogart nor Esther Krapp from these pix.
My - what a bunch of handsome and eager looking young folks they were. So long ago...
LSE RAILS: Last week a similar pic appeared in "Views". That one showed a Lake Shore Electric car heading west from Vermilion Road (looking west) toward the river and the village beyond. I also commented that:
"For persons less familiar with the electrics this pic illustrates that the rails of the electrics were (for the lack of better words) somewhat less subtle than those of the steam railroad. They, in brief, followed the contours of the landscape more closely than did their steam counterparts. It was, therefore, a different ride...that the cars had, at times, the tendency, to bounce and sway as they sped across the terrain at speeds up to 80 mph. (Who needed Cedar Point?)"
Later in the day the preminent interurban historian Dennis Lamont (the person who contributed the pic) also sent me the above photo with the following information:
"When you are building a railroad it is always a tossup over spending the money up front for a level road or paying for the rest of its life
for the power wasted climbing up and down hills. The LSE was a real roller coaster and it took them almost 10 years to develop car couplers that would stay connected at high speed so they could run multiple car trains. People I know that rode and operated the line told me that westbound the Vermilion Road drop-off (if you didn't have to stop for a passenger) was breath taking and never failed to surprise an unwary rider.
...in the upper right hand corner you can see the hanging arc lamp for Vermilion Rd. The car has just started down the grade."
These are just little tidbits of historical information that help bring history to life. Sometimes the past is as romantic, and fun, as it seems.
ALMOST FINISHED: Well, the contractors are finally finished remodling / reconstructing our family room and kitchen. Actually, I shouldn't say "finally" because it really didn't take at great deal of time. They began construction in March and finished last week. And they certainly did - as is obvious - a great job.
The problem with the family room was that it was never really built to be a room attached to the house. It began as a patio. Then it was an enclosed patio. And then it was made into a room. There was never really any foundation to the structure.
Consequently the concrete pad / floor began to sink and water was seeping into one end of the room. When the contractor began to remove one of the walls he found that the only thing holding up the roof was the siding. Everything else had rotted.
So the walls and the concerete floor were removed; replaced with a footer and new walls, etc. We also had extensive drainage added to our backyard to prevent any further drainage problems.
The kitchen cabinets were torn out, replaced, and a new dishwasher near the sink was added. A clothes dryer was removed from the kitchen to another room and more space and cabinets with revolving and / or pull-out shelving were also added.
The floors in both rooms were replace with either wood laminent or clay tile.
Now the work really begins. Getting things (both inside and outside) back to normal. But at least now we can walk through our home without stumbling over boxes.
Whew!
ICY SAILING: This isn't a great pic - and I don't know the identities of any of the folks in it - but it is of interest.
To my knowledge no one goes "ice boating" anymore. For one thing the lake hasn't recently been froze completely over - as it has been in past years. (Perhaps that's a sign of global warming.) But, in any case, this was, once upon a time, a popular activity.
Somewhere in Betty Trinter's book "The Way It Was" she mentions that a group of boys raced a Lake Shore Electric interurban train car from the foot of Washington Street in Vermilion to Ceylon one winter day. They beat it.
What was not taken into account, however, is the fact that the interuban had stops to make along the way - and it had to cover more terrain. But, nonetheless, it is an interesting piece of Vermilion trivia.
This pic also came from one of the "Hi-Times" school yearbooks (1928). The pic only measured 2"x 3".
Podcasts - "forever under construction..."
"A snippet from the clippet..."
PODCAST #76: This week the offers further readings from Betty Trinter's book "The Way It Was" along mit some "vid" of the UCC Sunset Shores Christian Retreat site west of Vermilion and Lake Erie.
Stay with me on this project. Things will get better. (I pro-mize.)
NOTE NOTE:Past podcasts are no longer available in the on-line archive. They just take up too much disk space. But if one really, really, really wants to acquire a copy of a past cast it can be had by contacting moi - and I will place it on a disc and send it to ye for a minimal fee.
LOCAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: Looking for the latest 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 (mit a few new pix added) for your enjoyment. Always
Incidentally, "Viewer" Larry Hohler who is a big part of the Hope Home in Kenya wants folks to know that the children they are assisting are safe - midst the turmoil raging around them in that country. Methinks all "Viewers" should take a good look (go to the links section of "Views" for a virtual tour) at how the project really, really helps underprivileged children in this 3rd world nation. It is sincerely a worthwhile effort. And if ye can spare a few bucks it can certainly go a long way.
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 links. 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.
If you're looking for my old links section (pictured) I've replaced it with a pull-down menu (visible in the small box next to the word "Go"). If you're looking for links to more Vermilion history check that menu.
How the old links menu looked
For Persons who would like to donate 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 already donated to the cause. I doth certainly appreciate it):
Rich Tarrant
1041 Oakwood Drive
Vermilion, Ohio
44089
Telephone: 440-967-0988 - Cell: 440-522-4459
"It was a dark and funny night."-Snoopy
Vol.6, Issue 9, May 17, 2008
© 2008 Rich Tarrant