Vermilion Ohio, A Good Place to Live
Hells Bells: Just to show some
Halloween spirit we begin with U.S. patent drawing #81,437 from one F. Yester, issued August 25, 1868. If one takes a real good
look at it one can see a string from the hand of the person in the coffin fastened to a bell on the side of a tombstone. I know
this wasn't a new idea. I believe that some folks during the European Plague of the Middle Ages thought of this because they
believed it was altogether possible to bury someone alive. Thus if someone awoke in their grave they could simply ring a bell and
someone would come running to dig them up. It is impossible to tell their reaction if, while passing a cemetery (yes sister Nancy
I spelled it correctly), a hefty breeze moved the bell to ring. I doubt that anyone stopped to dig them up. It is more likely that
they made like the breeze and were two miles away before they stopped running. It may be that the true patent here had to do
with the tubes leading from the casket to the stone. They are described as being "hollow wood squares". Whatever they were they
were, like the person occupying the grave, biodegradeable.
Birmingham, Ohio: This photo was taken a year ago on the west side of the Birmingham Bridge where Ohio State Route 113 crosses the Vermilion River. The object of the picture was purely academic. In looking at old photographs of the same - or when a covered bridge crossed the river in this place - the way the road runs up the hill on the east side of the structure is notably different. Please excuse me while I do my Duh routine here.
Like the Vermilion River bridge this bridge was also moved north of its original location to where it is today. The road (therefore) in the old photographs curves dramatically to the left (or to the north) after crossing the stream, and then turns back to the right (south) as it moves toward South Amherst and Elyria.
When I was writing about the old bridges a lady from Birmingham called me and told me that she and her spouse have a replica of the old covered bridge behind their home which is located just southeast of this picture. Until this very moment I never understood why she needed to tell me that. She told me because the covered bridge crossed the river on the back of her property.
That's the type of thing that happens when you think you know what you're talking about and don't. Perhaps I will call it the Duh Syndrome .
Skulking Again: Wandering around Maple Grove Cemetery (again) I found this marker. I'm glad I did. I am continually looking for information on Edward C. Lampe, and I've hit many dead-ends (no pun intended). So it is probably fitting that while looking for someone else (that I didn't find) that I should find Ed and his wife Rose at rest where I least expected to find them.
From the information I had on the good Captain I thought that he was interred in another part of northern Ohio - namely Port Clinton. But, as is rapidly becoming the norm, I was mistaken. Good.
I note with some great optimism that someone had left a live planter on the gravesite this summer. What this means to me is that there are some relatives in the area. These may be people who have a whole lot more information on the lives of Ed and Rose. Here is something further that I discovered in the Archives of the Elyria Chronicle Telegram:
While the marker seems to contradict the reality of the obituary there may not be much of a problem. Let me make some assumptions. When Big Ed died in 1947 he was buried in Maple Grove and Rose was moved to this site from Elmwood in Lorain. Looking at what records are available to me I believe that Lampe's son (I believe his name is John) located in the Birmingham/Wakeman area. John also had at least one son. He was named Edward after his grandfather, and was a Weblo Cub Scout in the town of Birmingham in 1960. That last tidbit of information I also acquired from the CT archives. This would make him about 50 years of age today. I hope to find him, and get some more information on the legendary Lampe soon. What fun.
Hotel Linwood: This picture of Hotel Linwood is simply fascinating. This was really a rather classy place. My software did this picture a great deal of justice. Pleasant is one word that comes to mind when looking at it.
I do remember the hotel quite well. Hannah Morey was the chef. That was a prestigious position.
But when I think back on Linwood Park it is the beach that I remember the best. And then, not so much the beach itself - which was wide and wonderful - but the water. It would drop off fast a few feet from shore. It wasn't shallow like beaches west of the piers. Before I could swim I was scared to death of the water at Linwood. Years later I would revel at the aspect of swiming along Linwood and Nakomis Beaches. It was altogether possible to dive into the water from the beach without getting hurt. And when the northeast wind would make the waves huge on a hot day it was great fun to dive into the crashing breakers.
The Real Light: Those infatuated with the old Vermilion Lighthouse and the replica at the Great Lakes Maritime Museum at the foot of Main Street here in Vermilion should be delighted with this photograph. This is that old light in its present location at Charity Straits on Lake Ontario. I was (for a time) under the impression that the old light was dismantled and disposed of a long time ago. But that, as one can see, is not the case. Wonderful!
Students of this light should exercise some caution when researching the old light. There are some very nice books in publication which have overlooked the fact that the light still watches over mariners along the Great Lakes.
The Beat Goes On: The page is generatedby 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 let me know and I'll send them to you.
Links to other sites on the Web
Vermilion Ohio Historic PixHistory
of Linwood ParkVermilion Community OrchestraVermilion Chamber
of CommerceVermilion's Oldest ChurchVermilion Visitor's Advisory (Satire)Gore Orphanage HistoryThe Lester Pelton Story
Vol.1, Issue 32, November 1, 2003
© 2003 Rich Tarrant