ALF BUELL'S TOBOGGAN RUN
WHEN WE WAS YOUNG: I have been talking (a little) with Vermilionite Alice Buell this week - she lives just down the street - and we had a few chuckles. Our childhoods run parallel. She’s just a tad older than myself, and was a good friend of my, now deceased, sister Zella (Butchie). I ran some with her brother David in the good old days (I am now realising my age). I went to school with her younger sister Dana. I admired (and still do admire) her oldest brother Leon. And her older sister Kathleen I recall was a beautiful girl and a fine, fine, artist. But it was her father we came to talk about - Alfred was his name. Alfred was a kid’s kid. He had a knack of creating wonderful things out of nothing that every kid loved. In the past I’ve written some about his “Puffer-Belly” railway. The train engine was a two cycle kick start gas engine taken from an antique Maytag washing machine. The flanged drive wheels were brass valve sears. The tracks were made of wood in sections. Some were curved to circle the house. A plethora of kids growing up in the vicinity of the Buell household on west South Street and / or N. Main Street during the 1950’s and 1960’s rode Alf Buell’s Puffer-Belly Line. And then there was this “thing” son Leon told me about. You see it pictured above: it was a 600 foot tobaggan run fashioned of pickle barrel staves and steel pipe. Alice provided the picture. Leon provided the mental picture I had of it before I saw the pic. Alice told me (with a chuckle) that after her father took a ride on the run he was aghast at the speeds he reached. And the sharp curve at the very end of the run (which was behind what was once Ed Benson’s house) was a bear at top speed. (Ed Benson was once Vermilion’s Chief of Police.) To be sure Mr. Buell was a talent. And to be sure nearly every kid in Vermilion knew him (and his kids). What great times we had. And the years went - phtttt - just like that. But I’m not bemoaning their loss. Naw. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Except, perhaps, for just one ride on Alf Buell’s great toboggan run.
Historically,
"...it was a stupid thing to have done..."
ONE DARK AND STORMY NIGHT IN VERMILION: This piece should begin with “It was a dark and stormy night.” And who knows? Maybe Saturday night June 6, 1896 was “dark and stormy” in Vermilion, O.. If it wasn’t it should have been - as the two men dragged the young man’s lifeless body from the farmhouse to the beach. Once there they stuffed sand inside the pockets of his clothing and rolled him off the shore into the gently rolling swells of Lake Erie. In hindsight - the perfect vision provided from the vantage point of 113 years after the fact - it was a stupid thing to have done. Because examination of the bare facts surrounding the man’s demise seem to indicate that the cause was likely more accidental than intentional. But that is not, however, how the authorities came to see it after two youngsters walking along the beach discovered the bruised corpse on Tuesday evening. Initially, and quite logically, it was thought that the man had drowned. But it didn’t take investigators very long to eliminate that as the cause of death. Inasmuch as the victim’s neck had been broken, and sundry other marks on his person plainly indicated that he had been in some sort of violent altercation, foul play was rightfully suspected. Thursday morning (6-11-1896) Vermilion Village was “awash” with rumor when two Vermilion men - William Shipley and Morris Snyder - were placed under arrest for the murder of a 20 year-old Elyria, Ohio man named William Champney. Champney’s brother, George, was a well known Elyria ice cream maker. Shipley was a Vermilion bar keeper. And Snyder was listed in one newspaper report as “a town loafer”. Evidence supporting their indictment for the crime came from a Mrs. Scarlet who, with her husband, were tenants on the Decker Farm in Brownhelm - about a mile and a half east of (what was then) Vermilion’s eastern border. The Mrs. told police that while her husband was out of town Champney, Shipley, and Snyder met at her house and somehow became embroiled in an argument which resulted in Champney being “thrown down” a flight “of stairs and killed”. Instead of reporting the mishap to the proper authorities - whereupon such honesty would have likely worked to their favor - the two “mensa midgets” opted to disguise it as an accident completely devoid of their involvement. Consequently, on June 26, 1896 both men were indicted to be tried on the charge of “murder in the second degree”. After a trial that lasted from December 2 through 9 of the same year the jury threw out the second degree murder charge and, instead, convicted Shipley of manslaughter. He was then sentenced to serve 10 years “at hard labor - but not any solitary confinement” at the Ohio State Penitentiary. He was also ordered to “pay the cost of his prosecution”. Snyder went to trial on March 15th of 1897. His trial, lasting only two days, resulted in a “not guilty” verdict, and all further charges against him were dismissed. Precisely what happened on that “dark and stormy night” in Vermilion in 1896 will probably never be known with any certitude. What brought these four people together in the farmhouse east of town; the reason there was an argument; and who might have been at fault is anyone’s guess. And the truth, if it ever were known, would doubtlessly be (as the saying goes) stranger than any fiction.
Ref: U.S. Census, 1880, 1910, and 1920; Lorain County Court transcripts, 1896-1897, Case 1984; Elyria Republican, 6-11-1896; The Chronicle, Norwalk, Ohio, 6-10-1896; Special Thanks to Edith Anderson; Published in the Vermilion Photojournal 11/19/09; Written 11/15/09 @ 11:43 AM.
March 1, 1922
FRED AND HATTIE'S CHILDREN: This beautiful postcard portrait was among the pix loaned me by Carolyn Koachway Hill so that I might scan them a week or so ago.
I didn't know Carolyn's Uncle Frederick - but I certainly knew her mother - Bernice. And I most certainly recognize her in this photograph. When Bernice was born (November 9, 1918) the family lived on Ohio Street. So in this photograph she's nearing 3 years of age; and her big brother is about 5.
By 1930 the family was living on Washington Street. That's where I always new them to live. Their father, Fred, was a railroad man who is best known about Vermilion as one of its best Mayors. Their mother, Hattie, was one great cook, and a very active in the community. When I was just a little older than the children in this pic Hattie played Santa for our kindergarten class (atop the old A&P Store in Vermilion's Fischer (no relation) Building on the corner of Liberty and Division (currently Main) streets.
Missing from this pic (because they were not yet born) are John W. and Mary Jane (Laucaitis). Mary Jane is the only surviving member of the immediate family. However; there are grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and cousins galore. What a wonderful family!
PAINTING THE TOWN: As previously mentioned this is a preview piece for a new webpage that I am currently developing. Using a new software program in conjunction with Adobe's Photoshop CS4 & 5 I am able to take some already wonderful pix of Vermilion, O. and make them (at least in my view) more "wonderfuller"
MORE BACKDOORS: I, of course, like Vermilion. It's a pretty place. But I note that most folks with cameras and paint-brushes are inclined to memorialize the obvious - the city's best sides. And while there is, of course, certainly nothing wrong with doing that I often find myself (when looking at these pretty photographs and paintings) wondering what's just beyond (or behind) these pretty facades.
This doesn't necessarily mean that the "backdoors" are ugly. It just means that behind the best face are the affects that cause the effects. Ergo; I have begun a "backdoor" series of photographs. They are lively photographs that tell their own stories.
August 28, 2010 8:29 AM
Beautiful.
AGAIN - ANOTHER NEW THING: This will not take the place of the "Macabre" stuff all the time - but will supplement whilst I search for more macabre stories to tell.
So stay tuned...
From the Vermilion news Thursday, December 19, 1901 OBITUARY. Seth Lyon Blackmer was born Dec. 21, 1824, 4 miles from Conondagua, in the town of Perry N.Y. At four years of age he was living in Lima, Livingston Co., N. Y. His grandfather, Nathaniel Blackmer, was a native of Canada and of French descent. Roswell Marsh, his mother's father, was from Vermont. His father and mother, Philo and Dolly Blackmer, died many years ago. There were six children, three brothers and one sister, all deadd. Mrs. Fellows, his remaining sister survives him. Mr. Blackmer was married twice. His first wife, Lovina Howe, was the mother of three children, Jno, Byron, died 1893 in Buffalo, Maria Antionette and James Myron, who are yet living. His second wife was Mrs. Kent their only child is Helena Augusta. Mr. Blackmer was for many years a contractor and builder Chautauqua County N. Y. and in Pennsylvania. He built many of the houses and cottages on Chautauqua Lake and rebuilt the Fluvanna in Mayville hotels. He taught singing and sang in the Baptist choir at Bristo. He lived in Jamestown N. Y., Pine Grove, Russelburg and Cape Hollow, Pa. From Jamestown moved to Berlin, O., then to Jasper, Mich., and Blissful, Mich. He kept a furniture store it with two last named places. He moved to Vermillion about eight years ago. He had been a cripple about 15 years. He died Thursday, December 12; funeral services were held at the Congregational Church Wednesday PM, Rev. Kaylee officiating.
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E. L. Coen has resigned the administrationship of the Martin estate and is filed his final account with the Probate court.
The receipts from the supper given by the Novelty society at the M. E. Church parlors last night amounted to $10.27. A number of pretty, useful articles made by the ladies, were sold. Fresh oysters and crackers at the Whitmore market. The social given at the home of A. E. Beeckel by the Y. P. S. C. E. of the Congregational Church, was a success. The received the receipts amounted to about $3. Mr. Geo. Parsons left Cleveland this morning where he has accepted a position with the American Fish house. Jno. Krapp, proprietor of the Lake House leaves for a few weeks trip in the south Wednesday. Henry Hull and wife, of N. Amherst, will have charge during his absence. Ducks, geese, chickens, turkeys, oysters and crackers at the Whitmore market.
SCHOOL ITEMS. Carl Ritter and Edwin McConnolly are absent from room No. 3 on account of sickness. Henry Schwensen and, Chas. Mahler, Ethel Moore and Pearl Goff are absent from room No. 5. Hazel Hyde is visiting Cleveland this week. Elmer and Lydia Trinter were absent from room No. 1, Monday. Amelia Schmool as return to school after a brief illness. Lawson Rumsey was absent from room No. 5 Monday and Tuesday on account of a frozen ear. A number of pupils are absent from room No. 4. Cort Simons is absent from room No. 6 on account of sickness. This cold snap is felt in room No. 6 more than any other room because our stove runs with the weather. When the weather is warm the fire will burn with greater activity than in cold weather.
from The Vermilion News, December 26, 1901 OBITUARY. Truman Simons was born November 29, 1818 near Albany N. Y. and died Dec.17, 1901, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Amoss Coon, near Florence at the age of 83 years. He came to Ohio in 1840 has always lived in Huron and Erie Counties. On Sept. 10, 1846, he was united in marriage with Mary Jane Thayer. He has been almost entirely helpless for more than a year. Yet calmly and patiently he bore it and met his death without a murmur. He was kind and sympathetic father and an affectionate and loving husband. He leaves a wife, a daughter with whom he lived, a son S. W. Simons of this place, and a brother in Minnesota. Funeral services were held at the house Thursday, Dec.19, at 10 AM. Rev. A. G. Rupert conducted the services, assisted by Rev. Wm. Smith of the Congregational Church of Wakeman.
BREVITIES. Ask your grocer for White Heather Flour. Vermilion News in the Cleveland Daily World one year for $2. Mr. and Mrs. Jno. Delker are visiting relatives in Cleveland. Mrs. C. A. Eddy left for my one this morning for a few days visit. Mr. Charles Delker and Miss Lulu Thompson were married at the Reformed parsonage last night by Rev. Klein. Mrs. Lydia Endicott, of Toledo, is the guest of Mrs. C. Jay. Mrs. Simons and daughter are spending the day at Cleveland. LeRoy Hasbrook spent Xmas with his mother, Mrs. Harris. Don't forget the fireman stance Wednesday evening, Jan. 1. Fireman's dance Wednesday evening, Jan. 1. A good time is anticipated for the firemen's dance, Jan. 1. Mr. and Mrs. I. W. Nichols of Elyria, are spending the week with the latter's parents, Mr. and Mrs. O. Hatch. F. Cuddeback is at Toledo for a few days. Mrs. Sylva Edge and son Samuel, of Toledo, are the guest of her sister, Mrs. J. W. Leidheiser. Mr. and Mrs. Ben Horton and little daughter, return to their home in Toledo, after a few days to visit with relatives. For sprains, swellings and lameness there is nothing so good as Chamberlain's Pain Balm. Try it. For sale by A. D. Baumhart. from the Vermilion News, January 2, 1902. Chas. Jay has returned home. Carl Ott of Elyria spent Sunday here. Miss Alma Wellness is the guest of her sister at Sandusky. Will Parsons and Geo. Rathburn [sic] spent Monday in the area. Capt. and Mrs. Blattner spent New Year's Day in Lorain. Miss May Lawrence is the guest of Lorain relatives this week. Chas. Martin was the guest of relatives at Cleveland Sunday. Capt. F. A. Bailey made a business trip to Cleveland Monday. Mr. Lewis Hile of Montana is the guest of his aunt Mrs. Frank Goff. School begins Monday after a two weeks vacation. Mrs. Jessie Fey and Helen Thompson left for Chicago, Ill. yesterday (Wednesday) morning. Mrs. Effie and Lucy Hull of North Amherst spent Thursday with her sister Mrs. John Wagner. Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Alger and children of Lorain were guests of H. S. Miller and family New Year's Day. Mr. and Mrs. Goodell and children return to their home in Lorain Monday after a few days visit with relatives. Call for a sample of the Weekly Inter-Ocean. You can get it for a year with your own home paper for a $1.25. Fishermen with the tug Jas. Deveney broke the ice in the harbor and went out and set nets Tuesday afternoon. Mr. and Mrs. R. W. Patterson and daughter of Cleveland are guests at the home of Dr. and Mrs. F. E. Englebry. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Lawless and little son are guests at the home of Mrs. Lawless's father, Mr. C. B. Parsons and family. The Lakeshore Electric Railway bridge across the Vermillion River has been completed and cars are making regular trips from Norwalk to Lorain. Mrs. C. Haines and children left yesterday (Wednesday) morning for Chicago, Ill. To join her husband. They will make their home for the present in that city. Married-at the M. E. Parsonage, last Thursday evening, Dec. 26, 1901, Mr. George Smith and Ms. Katie Belle Thompson, both the Vermillion, O. Rev. A. G. Rupert officiated. Mrs. Morgan invited her Sunday school class to spend last Tuesday at her home. The young men hailed a trolley car and took their first ride. The occasion third throughout was a delightful one.
A BAD FALL. Sunday morning, William Brooks fell from the Lake Shore Electric Railway bridge at this place and was badly shaken up. Mr. Brooks slipped on some ice while at work on top of the bridge and fell, striking some of the beams and then down to the ice below, a distance of between 25 and 30 feet. He was picked up and taken to the Pelton House where an examination was made. Besides being severely shocked several ribs were fractured. Mr. Brooks comes from Woodville, Ga. and is in the employ of the Penn Bridge Co.
LAKE SHORE ELECTRIC RAILWAY TIMECARD. Standard time. Eastbound-8:30 AM., 12:30 PM., 5 PM., 8:30 PM Westbound-7:30 AM., 11:30 AM., for TM., 7:30 PM. Tickets on sale at A. D. Baumhart's drugstore work hours will make regular stops.
REWARD! A liberal reward will be paid for the return of my small black terrier dog, weighing 5 1/2 pounds. Picked up on the Birmingham Road about 1/3 mile south of my home between 10 and 11 AM., Dec. 30. O. K. Todd, Vermillion, Ohio.
Hmmmmmm....
THE PERFECT DESIGN - VERMILION: “You know you've achieved perfection in design, not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away.” The words of French author (“The Little Prince - 1942) and aviator Antoine de Saint Exupéry certainly seem to be appropriate when comparing the early 20th century photo sketch (upper photo) of downtown Vermilion, O to that of the 21st century (lower photo). Although changes have, indeed, taken place during that stretch of time they are so very subtle that even after one hundred years the scene is identifiable. Missing from the upper photograph is the Fischer Building that took the place of the great Lake House Hotel which had for at least three decades occupied the southeast corner of Liberty and Division streets. Right around 1903 a Vermilion entrepreneur / lumberman by the name of George Fischer bought it, and had it moved to the east - down the hill - to the southwest corner of Liberty and Exchange streets, and renamed for his children - Maud and Elton. The moving of such a large (it was a three story structure) building, however short the distance, must have been quite a task - not to mention a spectacular one. The late Vermilion historian Don Englebry wrote in his memoirs that he remembered when they moved the hotel “down to its present location. It was really some job in those days, with none of the modern equipment. It took some time but I don't believe they even cracked any plaster in the process.” By July of 1915 a new two-story brick building featuring, among other things, a “fireproof” garage had been built on the site of the hotel. The new building was large enough so as to induce local citizens to refer to it as the “Fischer Block”. Initial details pertaining to its construction specifically noted that it was to be a “one-story” structure. But as it turned out it was perhaps one of the most unusual buildings in the area - or at least in a town the size of Vermilion. One of the most unusual things about the building is the way that the 2nd floor was constructed. There are zero roof support pillars on the upper story - which means that it was / is one large room. Though various documents indicate that the upper floor was used over the years as a dance-hall and later as a roller-skating rink (Note: the floors are all hardwood), it is not clear that either were planned uses for it. It actually appears that neither George Fischer nor his son Elton had any concrete idea as to what they really intended to do with the area prior to its construction. That ambiguity - exactly what to do with the room - has persisted over the years. Unlike the shops below it has often been unoccupied. Sometime during the 1960’s the name of Division Street - that runs north and south between Liberty and South streets - was changed to Main Street. And by and large the alterations in the buildings on the west side of that thoroughfare were as subtle as the name change. Nonetheless some of those alterations were significant. In 1916 A.D. Baumhart tore down an old one-story wooden restaurant building that sat just south of the Masonic building and constructed a two-story brick building to house his drugstore. And in the early 1920’s a part of the Masonic building was razed to make way for a new Erie County Bank building. Over the years various businesses have come and gone. Electricity came to town in the wake of the electric interurbans. The streets were paved - and then paved again - and again. Generations of children perched atop the cannons in the park and watched people come and go. The seasons passed into years. But in the end not much has really changed - not really. Perhaps that’s because it’s perfect.
Ref: Published in the Vermilion Photojournal 10/08/09; Written 10/04/09 @ 2:40 PM.
SOMETHING OLD - SOMETHING NEW: The idea for this piece began as an idea for a coffee-table book of historical photographs of Vermilion, Ohio and, hopefully, it will (someday) be realized.
Originally the concept - as previously stated - was just a picture book. But after mentioning such a project in an issue of my weekly web page - Vermilion Views - a reader by the name of Scott Dommin suggested that it might be interesting if it featured photographs of how people, places, and / or things in the City of Vermilion, Ohio appear today along with photos showing how they appeared in the past. Ergo; the title "Now & Then".
"What a great idea." I told both myself and Scott.
[NOTE: This is going to take take some time.]
FROM THE CHURCHYARD
Both these pix were caught from the churchyard (currently Millet's Auction House) on Main Street. The older pic was taken on "Founder's Day" in 1937 as a military band crossed the railroad tracks just before entering Victory Park where a dedication ceremony was to be held.
I do have additonal pix of that ceremony. The stone was placed in the park with a plaque memorialising the occassion. Hundreds of people attended the parade and the ceremony which followed. Vermilion's Centennial actually lasted for one week during that summer.
For a short time folks had considered using the "Kenton Stone" they had recently discovered just south of town as the "Founders" stone. But that idea was, for whatever reason, rejected. And it was probably a wise decision.
The older pic affords persons a reasonably good view of the business section of town on the north side of the tracks that has not really changed tremendously during the last six decades. While the businesses that were there in 1937 are not there today the buildings are much the same. [That's because it's perfect.]
August 28, 2010 9:07 AM.
THE FIRE-LANDS: I found the following information re: the early inhabitants of our area to be extremely informative. Methinks you will also.
I am getting better at transcribing these passages so there are fewer mistakes. But I like to read as I go - and sometimes I fill in the blanks. So tread carefully this trail through yesteryear.
The following series will take thee to the south and west of Vermilion in the Berlin / Berlin Heights area. Methinks you'll find this history quite fascinating.
BERLIN by Hudson Tuttle
EMMA ROOD TUTTLE
..belief, and, in the highest and best sense of the word, are helpmeets to each other. Their home is a centre of reformatory influence in Northern Ohio. Their generous and cordial hospitality seems unbounded. Mrs. Emma Tuttle, the subject of this sketch, was the daughter of John Rood, Jr., and Jane A. Miller. She was born in Braceville, Trumbull Co., Ohio, in 1839, on the farm where her mother passed her childhood. Her father was a native of East Canaan, conn., and came to Ohio in 1836. Her mother was a native of Ohio, - a Methodist institution. She was reared in that religious faith, and was a member of the church in her native town until just previous to her marriage, when she withdrew her connection with that body, having embraced the doctrines of Spiritualism. The public library labors of Mrs. Tuttle commenced in the cause of her new faith, but in later years have widened and b become more general, as the versatility of her powers developed, and her dramatic work has been entirely of a literary character. She is the author of two volumes of poems, “Blossoms of our Spring,” an early production, as the title implies, and “Gazelle,” a story of the Rebellion, published anonymously. “The Lyceum Guide,” a book for the use of Sunday-schools organized after the plan of Andrew Jackson Davis, was edited by her, and she was the principal contributor. It was a work of great merit, and has been universally praised by critics who comprehended the system taught. It had a wide sale. The plates of this work were destroyed in the “Boston fire,” but the demand for the book is such that it will soon be republished. The demand for a work of this kind, for the use of lyceums, is, we are informed, about as staple as the machinery for an ordinary Sunday-school. Mrs. Tuttle is deeply interested in children’s progressive lyceums, and says that a working organization of this kind is one of the most charming places for instruction for both old and young. With its orchestra, banners, marching, callisthenics, recitations, discussions, and lectures, it is never monotonous, and cannot fail to interest and instruct. She has been a faithful and zealous worker in this field of labor, and says she has received great benefit personally. Mrs. Tuttle is, perhaps, better known to this general public in Ohio through her songs and her dramatic readings. Her lyric compositions have been set to music by eminent composers, among whom are James G. Clark, of New York, Prof. Bailey, of Michigan; Felix Schilling, of Philadelphia; II. [sic] (perhaps it is “H.”) M. Higgins, E.T. Blackmer, Miss Emily B. Talmage, of Chicago; and Dr. E.L. Perry, of Milan, Ohio. Among the more popular of these compositions are “My Lost Darling,” “The Unseen City,” and “Beautiful Claribell.” She has rare poetic genius, and is a constant contributor to all the leading reformatory journals, and frequently to the secular press. She has had a Thorough education as an actress and dramatic reader, having finished her course under the renowned Prof. T.E. Leonard in Boston. Critics say of her: “She has no superiour in her rendition of ‘The Maniac,’ by Lewis; nor in the heroic compositions of Macaulay, as ‘Horatius at the Bridge,’ and the tragic story of ’Virginia,’ which she gives in Roman dress. Comic and serio-comic she renders with equal credit, but she does not fully relish them. Her intensely, morbidly, sympathetic nature is, undoubtedly, the secret of her versatility and complete adaptability to the characters she represents. With the necessary study for presentation, she so completely enters in the subject as to become in spirit the person she represents. Desirable as is the quality, it is not without it tortures, - in her case, at least, for she informs us that it attends her in every-day life as well as on the stage. The suffering or abuse of either human beings or animals is often the cause of serious illness, because of her sympathy, which she cannot quiet or put away. She is a zealous advocate of kindness to animals, as all who have ever shared the hospitality of this family well known, and she says she will never submit to any abuse of them on the Tuttle farm. No servant can remain with them who will ignore their needs and rights. it is a part of her religion to regard the wants and needs of animals, and, aside from the real pleasure it gives, she says “it pays well.” With her own hands she often cares for the needs of her dumb friends, and takes solid pleasure in their grateful friendship. Her life is one of continuos activity and usefulness. Her charities, like her sympathies are on a generous scale, and her hospitalities are measured only by her physical strength. It would be our pleasure to write a more extended biography of this cultivated and gifted lady if our space would justify. Three bright and promising children crown the union of Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle, - Rose, Carl, and little Claire; and the more sacred duties of mother are not neglected by Mrs. Tuttle, amid all her literary and domestic cares.
Excerpts from: The Fire Lands, Comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio; W.W. Williams - 1879 - Press of Leader Printing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
FROM MARY: (Note: This article is the first of several that will be written about that which came to be known as the Wakefield Brass Company in Vermilion now Lithonia Downlighting. These articles will not appear consecutively as would most series. They will appear, perhaps, once each month until the entire story is told.) Last week (as indicated) I started a series re: the Wakefield Brass Company. As I also indicated, I really and truly don't know a great deal about the company. And I expressed a hope that one of the family would someday write some about it. And then - granddaughter Mary Buxton responded with the following article. This article - to my knowledge - also appeared as Mary's regular newspaper column in Middlesex County, Virginia. I appreciate very much her allowing me to use it in "Views" this week. And methinks that "Viewers" will too.
One Woman’s Opinion…from Southside Sentinel, Middlesex County, VA.)
The Factory Whistle
by Mary Wakefield Buxton I was born in 1941 in Vermilion, Ohio and one of the first memories I have is hearing the "fackie fickle" (factory whistle.) This whistle blew every morning when we would take Father to work at the F.W. Wakefield Brass Company started by my grandfather in the early 1900’s. It manufactured industrial ceiling light fixtures. The whistle sounded at 9, noon and 5pm during the day and it was a good sound in Vermilion for it meant work for our family and many other families in town. Father was chief engineer for the company that had been started when his father invented a brass fixture that converted gas lamps to accept Thomas Edison's new electric light bulbs who was just down the road at Milan, Ohio. Father must have had F.W.'s creative brain because he had 29 patents for new products for the company over the years. He was most proud of his infra-red signal lamps the company manufactured for the US Navy in World War 11 that enabled our ships to signal each other in the Pacific without the enemy being able to read or even see the signals. The company earned 5 "E’s" (engineering awards) for its contributions to the war effort and I still have a vivid memory of the band playing at the Vermilion New York Central train station when government officials and politicians came to town to make the award. In those days a family had only one car so if we needed the car we had to take Father to work and then pick him up again at 5. This was a hi-light for me. I would run into the engineering department to see Father and then through the plant to throw myself into the arms of my uncle, A.F. Wakefield, president of the company (or the "Black Bear" as we girls called him,) for a "big bear hug." I was fascinated by the many workers I passed who manned the various machinery and produced the beautiful lighting fixtures. The plant was an active place with many different machines worked by skilled workmen full speed to keep up with the orders. The floor was always covered with shards of very sharp pieces of metal and I had to remember to wear shoes, (a pain in the summer.) The men always smiled and waved as I ran by. There was union at the factory. Once I recall there was a strike that closed down the plant. Father had to pass picket line to work each day and it soon became a bitter struggle that upset our little town. I could not understand ever stopping work even in order to receive more money for I knew first hand of the extreme hardship of the town. That summer I was 14 years old and I worked as a waitress at the Dairy Bar as Father always insisted his three daughters work just like everyone else in town and never think of ourselves with any “airs” as he called it. "Mike," a handsome blue- eyed Irishman who headed up the factory union would come in each day for a cup of coffee. I always told Mike exactly what I thought of his union shutting down the plant. We would have a hot debate over whether the union or management was right. Mike would always shake his head upon leaving saying he was sure glad he only had to negotiate with F.W.’s son and not his granddaughter. He would always leave me a dime tip. I don't have to tell you how much I loved and adored Mike but I never much liked unions. When the plant was sold to ITT in 1964 Father was heartsick. I was in college then but I saw how sad he was at the loss of his family company whenever I went home. He considered going off on his own and continuing the company name but decided he was too old for taking on such risk. But Father never could wear the ITT pin in his lapel as he was supposed to do and I knew that Mike and I could never wear such a pin either. Many years later when the company had been spun off by ITT to yet another corporation A.F’s widow, Lydie Wakefield, told me how hard it was for A.F. to meet the payroll every week during all those years through good and bad times. I was shocked. I had always had thought the company was raking in the money and I never knew how tough it was to make a profit and survive in the highly competitive corporate world. Like all things in this world, change happens and my grandfather’s old brass works in Vermilion is now a thing of the past. The factory still stands as an empty hulk in my old home town. But I will never forget flying into Patrick Henry Airport in 1963 to become engaged to Chip Buxton of Newport News and looking up at the ceiling lighting and seeing Father’s "red dot," the company trademark. The company had beaten me to Virginia. I was so proud to be one small part of the Vermilion, Ohio team.
LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY
A well worn dollar bill and a similarly distressed twenty arrived at the bureau of Engraving and Printing to be retired. As they moved along the conveyor belt to the shredder they struck up a conversation. The twenty reminisced about its travels all over the country. "I've had a pretty good life." the twenty proclaimed. "I've been to Las Vegas and Atlantic City, the finest restaurants in New York, performances on Broadway, and even a cruise from Miami." "Wow!" said the single, "you really have gotten around." "So tell me", says the twenty, "where have you been throughout your lifetime?" "Oh, I've been to the Methodist Church, the Baptist Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Lutheran Church, the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, Assembly of God Church, the Brethren Church, the United Church o fChrist, ...." And the twenty says, "What's a church?"
PODCAST #195:This week Vermilion Views Podcast #195 takes "Viewers" to Gainesville, GA. where a newspaper reporter interviews Vermilion expatriate Dick Parsons about his experiences in the Pacific during WW2. Dick recently celebrated his 90th birthday.
Some may remember Dick as the guy who very literally moved buildings in Vermilion and elsewhere. His father was the person who moved the Maud-Elton Hotel to its current location without so much as causing a crack in the plaster.
This may become a series.
Persons interested in the history of the Lake Shore Electric Railway (which was the subject of a recent past podcast series) - "the greatest electaric railway system on the planet" may want to go to Amazon.com and purchase a book called "Images of Rail - Lake Shore Electric Railway". It was put together by Thomas J. Patton with the help of my friends Dennis Lamont and Albert Doane. It'd make a nice gift.
Also, please note that all the video (MP4) podcasts (when used) are done in the "Quicktime MP4" format. If you don't have "Quicktime" it's easy to find and free to download.
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 suggest that you visit these sites on a regular basis to see "what's shakin'".
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
or you can use PayPal: (NOTE: IT WORKS NOW)
Vol.8, Issue 24, August 28, 2010
© 2010 Rich Tarrant