_{"Sometime in May of 2009 the eatery will open as a Quaker Steak and Lube...."}

WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES...:The riverside restaurant popularly known as "McGarvey's had its humble beginnings in the early years of the 20th century as a very lucrative bait and livery shop owned by a family named Showalter. Originally the seasonal operation was located on the east bank of the Vermilion River just south of the current bridge. In 1925 a couple by the name of Helfrich purchased the operation and property from the Showalter heirs and promptly concentrated their efforts on building a restaurant business. They specialized in preparing and serving chicken, fish, steak, and frog-leg dinners. It became an extremely popular eating place for both visitors and residents of Vermilion, Ohio during the summer months.

In 1929 when a new (the current) river bridge was constructed, and the old one demolished Mr. and Mrs. Helfrich erected a new building just north of the bridge and equipped it for an up-to-date summer and winter restaurant and boat house.

Several years later When Mr. Helfrich's health began to fail his son-in-law, Jesse Hamman, of Lorain, came to Vermilion to assist the Mrs. with the business. Following Mr. Helfrich's death he continued as manager of the restaurant. Then, when Mrs. Helfrich's health began to fail, Hamman entered into a co-lease with a man named Andy Dambach from Milan, Ohio. Mr. Dambach was an experienced restauranteur who also operated a restaurant called Andy's Place in Milan. The co-lease operation began in 1936.

In 1938 a Sandusky man named Charles "Charlie"  McGarvey purchased the restaurant from Helfrich, Hamman, and Dambach. McGarvey also had a restaurant in Sandusky called "MGarvey's". But it wasn't until 1939 or 1940 that he officially changed the name of the Vermilion restaurant from Helfrich's to McGarvey's By this time the bait and livery part of the operation had been abandoned and the eatery was quickly building a regional reputation for both its food and ambience - as a pleasant riverside cafe.

After Charlie McGarvey's death in 1944 Charles "Charlie"  Solomon and a partner purchased the restaurant for $35,000. A year later they were offered nearly twice that amount for the business. The quick thinking Solomon bought out his partner and set about learning the business. Although it was said he was good in the kitchen but not so good with the customers - his wife was good at both. And for the next forty-five years the restaurant - which kept the name McGarvey's - was successfully owned and operated by the Solomon Family.

In the Spring of 1989 the restaurant was sold to a restaurant chain known as "Tony Roma's A Place for Ribs". But lacking the expertise and loving touch of either the Helfrich Family, its namesake Charlie McGarvey, or the Solomon Family the eatery never regained public favor. In May of 2000 the Vermilion Port Authority purchased the property for $985,000 and the old restaurant was razed to provide additional dockage, and make way for a new restaurant called The Red Clay on The River.

The Red Clay ceased operations at the end of the 2008 season. Sometime in May of 2009 the eatery will open as a Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant, and it will continue to serve families and boaters. Ironically, this operation looks much like an updated version of the Helfrich / McGarvey restaurants. But only time will tell. In any case, McGarvey's (Boat Drive-in) / Helfrich's Restaurant was, beyond the shadow of any doubt, one of the most unique and visited spots along the southern coast of Lake Erie for nearly three quarters of a century. For most folks who were fortunate enough to have known the place through the years many fond memories remain. That certainly doesn's seem like much. But, perhaps - in the bigger scheme of things - it is what really counts.

Frozen-in-timely-again,

At the V.O.L. Clubhouse

THE ROARING 20'S: This photograph was among several sent to by "Viewer" Elaine Petrykowski of Grafton, Ohio during the last week. This particular pic, as may be obvious to some, was taken in front of the Vermilion-On-The-Lake Clubhouse on Edgewater Drive in Vermilion. From what I can tell by the other photographs in the collection this was probably taken around the mid-1920's.

This pic is of particular interest be there is currently a group involved with the restoration of the clubhouse. One would assume that they are aiming at affecting a restoration that will reflect the time(s) seen in this photo.

These are the very first good photographs I've ever seen of young people in Vermilion during the Era now known as the "Roaring Twenties". In time you will see them all.

But for now - here's is a brief history of the "Atlantic City on Lake Erie" a.k.a. the Village of "Vermilion-On-The-Lake, in Ohio.

VERMILION'S ATLANTIC CITY

Just after the turn of the 20th century a marvelous agricultural experiment was conducted on the Werk Farm just east of the Village of Vermilion, Ohio that roused a great deal of interest from folks throughout the area. It was reported that a new fangled contraption, or machine, called a tractor was going to be tried out on the farm. Some said it was destined to replace the horse on farms across our great nation. This event led many area residents to walk, drive (their horses) or to take the trolley to watch with aporetic surprise this horseless machine rip into the previously uncultivated clay soil with extreme ease.

While it is not known if this experiment brought the aforementioned property to the attention of those interested in developing the land along the Erie shore, it is known that just a few years later a company of Cleveland businessmen led by Mssrs. Martin C. Krogh and George Thome purchased the farm. And in May of 1920 they officially began the process of allotting the land.

By the summer of 1938 when Mr. Clewell Sykes, then President of the Vermilion-on-the Lake Company, and Mr. D. O. Lawrence, Treasurer of the parent company, The Sykes & Thompson Co., flew over the area taking photographs of the lakeside resort it was near completion. Eleven and a half miles of streets had been built-enough it was said to have reached Lorain and beyond if laid end to end-and a majority of the 1674 lots lying between the Nickle Plate Railroad and the lake shore had been sold and cottage construction on them was either complete or near completion. A few were year around homes.

One of the initial improvements made by the V.O.L. Company was that of building a community center or Club House. The building was constructed at about the middle of their nearly mile long lake front property. An old barn that stood near the side was razed and many of the heavier timbers from it were used in the construction of the facility. Logs harvested from trees cut down while building the streets were used to finish the structure.

A concrete stairway led from the Club House on the bank to the beach and the board and concrete walk below. The building also featured a bath house replete with both necessities and luxuries alike; shower baths, large heavy white bath towels, mirrors, electrical connections, and even curling irons so that ladies could "doll up after a frolic on the water and beach. Full time life guards, Don Hazel and Arthur Engle home from college for the summer, patrolled the beach, and a launch to be used as a life boat always sat in readiness.

Inside the Club House there was a large dance floor and team room where Oberlin resident, one Mrs. Rawdon, would oversee private or lodge parties. The club house alone was valued at $100,000.

South of the Nickel Plate tracks and on both sides of State Highway 12 (Liberty Avenue) were 1700 additional lots. Those directly abutting the highway were designated for business. William McMillan of LaGrange was one the first to build a cottage and open a stand and filling station at the main entrance of the allotment.

The ideal location, along with water from the Vermilion Water Plant, and transportation and electricity furnished by the Lake Shore Electric Rail line, moved early promoters of the development to refer to Vermilion-on-the-Lake as the Atlantic City of Lake Erie.
And so it was; yesteryear.

_{Ref: The Vermilion News-April and December 1935 and July 1938 - This article was published in the Vermilion Photojournal 12-04-2003.}

11-31-03
11:00 a.m.

_{Sailing Lake Erie}

MAIN STREET RACES: George Wakefield, in his book "Lure of the Lakes - A Taste of the Great Lakes" (2001), tells a story about himself, Art Copeland, "Jonko" Horton, and Fritz Wakefield "Playin Boat" on the beach (I assume it was the Main Street Beach)when they were kids. Some of the boats were made of two-by-fours, and some, like that seen above, were real nice models.

George said that his was "an unusual model of a real lake schooner, the Oakleaf, that was built by Ray Crosier's dad who was a shipbuilder.

The photograph above - sent to me by Dana Buell Wheeler - brought George's story to mind. The model pictured was made by Dana's grandfather who was also a friend and relative of Mr. Wakefield. Ergo; Dana's father, "Alf" Buell might have been "Playin Boat" with "George and the gang" when this pic was taken off the beach at Main Street in Vermilion.

This pic is especially nice because it shows the old Vermilion Lighthouse in the background.

What a day that must have been. For a handful of boys and their dreams...

TOP 10 DOG PET PEEVES ABOUT HUMANS...

- Yelling at me for barking. I am a dog.

- Taking me for a walk then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose walk is this anyway?

- Any trick balancing food on my nose.

- Yelling at me for rubbing myself on your carpet. Why did you buy carpet?

- Getting upset when I sniff your guests. Sorry but I haven't quite mastered the handshake thing yet.

- Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your stuff up when you are not home.

- Taking me to the vet for "The big snip", then acting surprised when I freak out everytime we go back.

- Doggie Sweaters.

- The sleight of hand, fake fetch throws. You fooled a dog! What a proud moment for the top of the food chain.

_{"Prior to the time Walker built his garage here the site was occupied by the Decker Livery..."}

WALKER MOTORS: Six years after entrepreneurs Howard Coffin, Joseph Hudson, Roy Chapin, and George W. Dunham, et. al. founded the Hudson Motor Company a man by the name of E.G. Walker began to sell the autos they manufactured in Vermilion.

The Hudson Company made a number of positive contributions to the design of these early machines. They were among the first to produce closed (as opposed to convertible-type) car models (1911). They moved the steering wheel to the left side of the cars; the hand control(s) to the inside and center of each vehicle; and introduced the self starter and dual brake systems to the industry. In 1916 they revolutionized the auto manufacturing world when they introduced the first balanced crankshaft, thus ushering in what automobile historians know as The Age of the Super-Six. And then, in 1932, came their piece-de-resistance; the Essex-Terraplane. It was a powerful hill climber, fast (it set speed records), and it was thrifty.

When Pearl Roscoe took the accompanying photo of the E. G. Walker Motor Sales building for advertising purposes in 1937 sales of the Hudson Terraplane automobile was brisk. So was business at Walker’s Texaco gas pumps along Liberty Street. (Needless to say the Occupational Safety folks would have a coronary problem if such a condition existed today.)

This building should be familiar to most Vermilionites. It is now the Ritter Library Annex. But I digress. Prior to the time Walker built his garage here the site was occupied by the Decker Livery (a detail I personally view as being extremely ironic as well as the electric train rails that can be seen running in front of the building). When this photo was taken the building just to the left (west) of the garage was Fred Becker’s blacksmith’s shop. To the right (east and unseen) was Becker’s two story home. Next to it, on the corner of Liberty and Grand Streets, was G. P. Martin’s Pontiac dealership. And directly across the street from Walker’s place was Stone’s Chevrolet and Oldsmobile dealership.

Mr. Walker’s dealership thrived until World War II when Hudson suspended new auto manufacturing and used their factories to build aircraft parts and huge engines for the Navy. After the war (1948) Hudson had come back with a completely new concept in auto design that, however influential in the industry, never allowed them to recover the popularity they had previously enjoyed with the Terraplane.

During the caesura two of Walker’s sons (Gene and Dick) took over and formed the Walker Brothers (Chrysler) Dodge-Plymouth Dealership. Vermilion’s current court bailiff, Dick Baker, was the last auto dealer to occupy the building.

It may be that the building seems, today, an unremarkable structure. But in 1937 it was a state-of-the-art auto garage and showroom selling, showing, and repairing state-of-the-art vehicles. But like the livery it replaced and the motorcars once sold there, supplanting the electric trains and horse drawn wagons and carriages that long ago sped along West Liberty Street in Vermilion Village, it is not gone*, but is forever changed.

(*Note: This year - 2009 - the building was razed to make way for a new addition to Vermilion’s Ritter Public Library.)

4/10/05
6:10 PM

_{Is it "Winkler" or "Minkler"? Maybe someone has the wrong man.}

_{"A day on the river"}

CRUISING DOWN THE RIVER: I don't much about this pic - only that it was taken along the Vermilion River in the early 20th century. In the background is Cloudy's Ferry and the pristene wetlands that once surrounded it. That may be the ferry in the pic.

The large yacht in the pic amazes me. I've not seen it before so I can't identify it. And it's not the length of the vessel that amazes me - it's the width. Boats of the era, for whatever reason, seem all to have been very narrow. Even the first Tobermory was like that.

This photo just provides us with a great look at the "way it was" on the river long, long, ago.

DON'T JUST SIT THERE WITH A MOUSE IN YOUR HAND! HELP THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY!:

Take a cyber visit through my on-line store.

I am working on designing some new things. However: If you've not purchased something yet you're missing both the proverbial and literal boat. But, if nothing else, take a stroll through my shop. I keep the floor swept, the windows clean, and my dog don't bite.

And for those who might wonder - this is my shop - and I do make a few bucks selling the items therein...

VERMILION VIEWS GIFT SHOP

_{Podcasts - "forever under construction..."}

PODCAST #127: This week Vermilion Views Podcast #127 the cast features another portion of preeminent interurban historian Dennis Lamont's DVD re: the Lake Shore Electric. In this portion of the video the train takes ye on a trip from Avon Lake to Bluebird Beach just west of Vermilion. Dennis should win an Academy Award for his work on this piece. Also note that all the video (MP4) podcasts (where used) are done in the "Quicktime MP4" format.

NOTE NOTE:Past podcasts are not 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 me and I will place it on a disc and send it to ye for a minimal fee.

LOCAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: After giving it much thought this link has been "put-down". During the last year most of the folks who used to use this page as a bulletin board have acquired their own and, consequently, no longer need this forum from "Views". I have, however, kept links (in the links section) to Larry Hohler's "Hope Homes" in Kenya - and to Bette Lou Higgins' Eden Valley Enterprises sites. They are historically and socially relevant projects. I urge you to visit these sites.

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}

Links to additional Vermilion Ohio pages: 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 Don Englebry's "Growing Up In Vermilion" "Views" Podcast Archive The Story of Vermilion's Education System Eden Valley Enterprises VHS Class of 1959 Vermilion Views Gift Shop - Always Open

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}

or you can use PayPal:

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."
-Mark Twain

Vol.7, Issue 8, May 9, 2009

Archive Issue #321

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