A MORNING BEFORE THE ONSLAUGHT OF THANKSGIVING 2010
WHERE DOES TIME GO (?): Well, it's that time again - already. You've got to ask yourself how that happened? Just yesterday I was sitting on our deck reading a book in the sunshine. Now I have to put a jacket on when I get the mail. Time sure flies.
I received a communique from our Washington state friend Mary Michaelson just the other day. I've not heard from her for quite some time. Some folks might recall that Mary is an author and the Assitant cureator the Lynden (Washington) Pioneer Museum. She is also the foremost expert on the life and times of Phoebe Goodell Judson who left Vermilion in the early 1850s for the Oregon Territory - and with her husband (Vermilion born) Holden co-founded the town of Lynden, WA.
Mary is currently one of the speakers for the Humanities Washington, "Inquiring Mind" speaker's bureau, and is travelling about the state educating and entertaining people with her historical knowledge.
She also told me about their "planned 'Sixth Annual Friends of Aunt Phoebe Reunion,' that will be held in Vermilion the weekend of September 16-18, 2011". She is asking for our help finding possible hotels/motels/cottages/B&B's for visitors, as well as finding a good venue for the actual "Reunion" where they can have a nice meal and she can give her PowerPoint presentation.
Persons willing to help with those things can contact me via email, in person, or on my cell and I'll put you in touch with Mary and / or her local contacts. I believe this reunion would be of great benefit Vermilion for several reasons.
And one other thing (as time is just zipping by) I need to express my sincere thanks to those persons who notice when I've made some error(s), and who let me know of them so they can be corrected. One of the many reasons I like the "net" is because it is, literally, a "safety net" for information. If one makes a mistake and it is caught it can be corrected without recalling a whole bunch of things. Because all these pages are archived; and because these pages are occasionally used for reference; the informatin therein needs to be as accurate as possible.
Well, okay. Enough rambling (time's a'waste'n). Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Historically,
"Bob's rolling popcorn palace was not always at this location."
BOB'S POPCORN STAND - 10 CENTS: Ten cents a box? Marvelous! This is something that truly belongs in "Yesteryear" because it'll never pass this way again.
There are few to no people who strolled along the streets of our pretty little village during the late 1950s and early 1960s who will forget Bob Furgason- and his popcorn stand. Summer had only truly arrived if and when Bob had his little concession up and running. In the accompanying postcard portrait the stand is located in Exchange/Rubberneck Park on the northeast corner of Liberty and Main Streets. In the background one can just make out the Kishman Fish houses standing along the river. The drinking fountain with the concrete steps to the right of the stand was a handy little device for popcorn lovers. Because Bob didn't sell soft drinks - only popcorn and peanuts. Bob's rolling popcorn palace was not always at this location. Before the top of my head could reach the apex of the zero on the 10 cent letters painted on the wagon it sat on the 'southwest corner of Liberty and Grand Streets in the side yard of the Furgason home (once the Vermilion's lighthouse keeper's house). I have very vivid recollections of having to pass the wagon going to and from Bob and Lucille Nuhn's Liberty Theater on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. (Methinks that temptation must have an aroma like fresh popped popcorn.) The quarter my mother had given me to go to. the movies would start burning a hole in my pocket the minute I got near Furgason's stand. The movie cost a dime and the treats at the theater ran from a nickel to a dime. And therein was a dilemma (for myself and many others). I could save my remaining 15 cents until after I spent an hour or so watching the adventures of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Gene Autry, the Three Stooges, Bugs. Bunny, and Daffy Duck or ... Welt it was surely a dilemnia for any youngster. And add to this one additional feature. At Hart's Corner Drug Store one could get a single scoop ice cream (any flavor) cone for what else? The low, low price of one thin dime. If one was real lucky and happened to have an extra dime one could order a "double dipper". Furgason's father, Earl Sr. ("Furgie") had owned and operated Furgason's Bowling Alley on Main Street at the back of the Fischer Building. By the time of this photo the bowling alley was long gone and other businesses filled the storefronts where it was located. Bob's brother's name was also Earl. But most folks knew him as "Sonny". Sonny worked on the Great Lakes as a young man, then returned and worked for Ford until his retirement. As I got to know Sonny, later in his life, he would regale me with stories of the old bowling alley, some work he used to do for Ed Fisher (Vermilion's former mortician and ambulance driver), and his experiences on the lake freighters. He was married to Nadine (nee Osberg). Her father was Leonard Osberg, Vermilion's "singing Mayor" and local archery expert. But back to Bob's popcorn. The popcorn stand lingered on in town for a time after Mr. Furgason sold it culminating in a tragedy some years later that I'll not recount here. It would not be appropriate to cast a dark shadow on the positive, happy, memories most folks have of this wagon. I have been told that plans are available to construct a similar kiosk. And I have also been told that those plans are costly. But, whatever the case, one can be assured that a box of fresh popped popcorn will never again cost just one thin dime.
Ref: Published in the Vermilion Photojournal 7-15-004; Written 7-11-004.
JOPPA ROAD BASEBALL.
THE JOPPA ROAD BOYS: I'll let this snap speak for itself. I've not done much repair work with it because I believe it works without it. What I will say is that my brief knowledge of the history of the Vermilion area south and west of town has shown me that, for whatever reason, the Joppa Road area was in some respects a "tight" community. This baseball team pic that was apparently taken during the 1920s is a good example of that. These people were organized. And one just has to wonder as to the reason.
I know that from some past experiences - writing about that specific area - that many of the families settled there because of their European heritage. Perhaps the names of the men pictured don't really belie that fact - but I can't see any other reason for it. I suppose what's misleading is the fact that those days are long gone. Most of the rural country surrounding Vermilion - population-wise - has undergone some extreme changes during the last eighty years. Folks are not nearly as dependant upon one another as they were in the past. And few have anything more in common than where they have opted to build or buy their homes.
About the only fellow I really knew in this photo is Wilmer Jump. I knew of Art Hayes - but never met him. And during the last few years I've become familiar with the name of Crum enough to know that the family lived in the vicinity of Joppa road. But I never knew them.
[Thinking aloud - I know recall that the popular Vermilion music man Floyd Hayes lived on Joppa road near the corner of Darrow road when I was a boy. I assume (now) that Floyd was related to the other Hayes men in the photograph.]
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"
DOWNTOWN: I put this together on a whim. It is, of course, a series of photographs stitched together to afford a wide angle view of the center of Vermilion, O.
As some folks already know / suspect I am constantly experimenting with digital software - and this is one of those things. I'm using Adobe Cs5 and some additional plugins to acquire the color and effects you see. The effects (to me) are like candy; the flavors are both numerous and sweet.
I realise that to sundry people this pic is rather mundane. But having somehow reached my 66th year of life I know that even this scene is capable of being drastically altered in time. So if it take s a century for this pic to have some significance - so be it.
In the mean - I find it - visually - very tastey.
November 20, 2010 7:34 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...
March 20, 1902.
Obituary.
Mrs. Lucretia T. Johnston, widow of John H. Johnston, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Burton Parson, and Toledo, O., March 2 at 1:30 PM after an illness of 10 days of typhoid pneumonia. Mrs. Johnson was born in 1832, and Fredericktown, Maryland, and with her parents, when one-year-old, moved to Tiffin, Ohio, where she remained until she became a young lady. She was united in marriage to John H. Johnston of Vermilion, Ohio, in 1857, and has resided there ever since only when in the home of her daughter. Her husband departed this life on April 7, 1877. She leaves two children, Charles H. Johnston and Mrs. Burton Parsons, old Toledo, also seven grandchildren, one brother, Mr. Howard Thomas Riggs of Sandusky, O., And one sister, Mrs. H. M. Edson of Toledo, O. Funeral services were held in Vermilion, March 5,at 1:30 PM at the Congregational Church of which she was a devoted member, Rev. Caley [sic] officiating, and her remains were laid to rest with those who had gone before in Maple Grove Cemetery.
....................
If rumors prove true many changes will take place in Vermilion this spring. Considerable property has already changed hands, with more to follow. Two handsome new business blocks are to be erected besides several dwellings.
.................... Axtel.
Prices on carpets and furniture always right at Wickens & Ransomd's store, Lorain, Ohio. P. Champney has quite a stock of spring goods on hand. Leonard A. Garver at the Opera House, Vermilion, next Thursday evening. Mr. Lowery, who has been quite sick is reported better. Mr. Heyman is quite ill. The doctor pronounces the disease incurable. George Champny [sic] has been here on a business trip. Misses Nena Terry and Helen Blair attended the quarterly teachers institute at Huron Saturday. Spring is near at hand in our farmers are hustling around to bid it a joyous welcome. We see that C. S. Bristol is proudly driving through the country with his newly purchased horse. The. Leinbach and family have left for Michigan. We are sorry to state that by their leaving we lost our news collector. The surveyor from the county seat has been here surveying the Taylor farm. We await developments. L. Taylor is hustling about and very likely he is an important factor in the matter. Our winter term of school has closed. From all appearances and reports Mr. W. H. Watson has taught a very successful school. We expect him to teach our spring term. He will then have a first-class district school. We would like to keep them here as long as possible. The Maple sugar and biscuit social given by the M. W. A. Lodge last Wednesday evening was a complete success. The music, which was furnished by the Lake Shore Orchestra, was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Public sales are very numerous this year. They are coming so fast that one auctioneer is insufficient. This gives the opportunity to introduce some foreigners and also for beginners to establish a reputation. But none seem to gain the confidence of the people like our old and reliable auctioneer–A. A. Blair. The sale of the date is the sale that was held on the Diamond Stock Farm last Saturday. We heartily thank Mr. E. B. Welch for supplying our new and progressive farmers with a class of good work horses. The horses sold from $40 $280 apiece. We hope that our people will continue to patronize the Diamond Stock Farm. The reports from the M. W. A. are most favorable. Four new members, Messrs Mason, Slocum, Reifert and George Skinn, were initiated during their last two meetings. Since this order was organized in our midst, it has suffered the loss by death of only one member, Mr. Ferber. He carried a life insurance of $1000 in the order which was promptly paid to his heirs.
Local Briefs.
W. Thornsburgh of Detroit was in town Sunday. Ask your grocer for White Heather Flour. Mrs. Amelia Pierce of Chicago was the guest of relatives. Homer Cuddeback was home from Cleveland over Sunday. Mrs. George Englebry was the guest of Elyria friends. Mr. and Mrs.Coen entertained friends at tea Tuesday evening. Mrs. J. C. Cole and son spent Sunday among relatives in Huron. Mrs. Henry Neiding entertained six o'clock tea Saturday evening. Small hams at 12 1/2 cents per pound this week at Sherod & Krapps Market. Mr. and Mrs. G. White have returned from a visit with Norwalk relatives. Mr. and Mrs. John Englebry were the guest of Cleveland friends Tuesday. D. Bowdenstein of Port Clinton is visiting among relatives and friends here. Mrs. George Whittmer and children spent Sunday among relatives of Brownhelm. Mrs. Wagner and son Charles of Cleveland visited Mrs. Terry several days this week. Mrs. Gertrude Ryd and Mertie Moore of Huron spent the first of the week among good friends. C. Parsons spent Saturday and Sunday at Cleveland, the guest of his daughter, Mrs. Fred Lawless. The ladies are invited to attend Ms. Myers spring millinery opening next Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Mr. and Mrs. John Hull and son Floyd spent Sunday with the former's brother, Henry Hull and family it here. Messrs J. C. Seemann, A. L. Irey, G. Nuhn and Misses Scoville, Myres. Kilbride, Bertha Brown, Maud Fisher, and Minnie Kuhl attended the Teachers Institute at Huron Saturday. Mrs. C. Haines and children returned Monday from Chicago, Illinois. Where they've spent most of the past three months. They will occupy Postmaster Kane's tenant house this summer. C. F. Decker and family spent Sunday with friends at North Amherst. A 11–pound boy arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Maynard Sunday morning. Mrs. E. T. Bottomley and daughter Ethel of Milan are spending the week with relatives. Mrs. Sarah Bodfish has moved her household goods from Cleveland and will make her home here for the present. Ms. Alice Whitmore will return from the city Saturday with a full line of up-to-date millinery. You're invited to call and inspect goods Thursday and Friday. Mrs. Danzey was called the Cleveland Tuesday last to see your brother, J. H. Rippon, who was obliged to have his arm amputated at the shoulder, at St. Clair hospital. He is resting easily present. Memorial service in honor of those members of our G. A. R. Post Webb died will be held in the Cong'l church next Sunday morning. The members of the post will attend in a body. All friends of the old soldiers, and especially of those who have passed from our midst, are invited to be present.
..................... Death of Mrs. Ormsby.
Word was received here Tuesday morning of the death of Mrs. P. B. Ormsby, at the home of her nephew at West Clarksfield, Ohio; age 86 years. Internment at Birmingham today (Thursday). She resided here 12 years until last August when she and her neice Miss Harriet Burt, removed to the home of the latter's brother at West Clarksfield.
Hmmmmmm....
CAPTAIN ED LAMPE - PART 1: Lake Erie historians some" times refer to it as "the golden age" of fishing. It was a time when men with names like Gowitzka, Hallock, Hosko, Keller, Snell, Bodi, and Jackson braved all elements, both natural and manmade, on Erie's western basin in pursuit of yellow perch, pike, bass, and sturgeon. No book taught them the business - the work. . And no map nor true compass existed that would guide them across these waters in foul weather. The only college these men attended was the one my late father-in-law George Diener, used to call "Hard Knocks"; and they had the bruises, .scars, and scares to prove it. They were men of few words and strong backs whose lives were lived upon the most unpredictable inland sea in the world. They were men who could recall a day when one could drink straight from the lake when thirsty; when one could set forty nets and everyone would boil with a ton or two or three of perch; and when game wardens and politicians didn't constantly meddle in their business. All these men (and more) were heroes in their own right. All are worthy of a book or two. But among them there was one with whom even they stood in awe. They called him "Big Ed" (VPJ. 7-3-03). There is some question among those who knew him as to his origins. Probably due to his size (he was 6'6" and went about 230/40 Ibs.) some thought he was from "the Land of Lincoln" - Illinois. But the truth of the matter is that he was born about 1871 in Ohio. His parents were born in Denmark and had migrated to America. Big Ed's heritage may explain both his size and his life's vocation. Like a handful of other men who have come to the village of Vermilion and have left an indelible mark on the world given their inventive, industrious and honest natures Big Ed sailed into Vermilion's harbor (VPJ. 3-18'04). On his way to Erie, PA. from Ohio's Catawba region during the winter of 1890 the tides of fortune and the cold reality of lake ice forced him to tie up his gill-net schooner, White Slave, just north of what we know today as the Fisherman's Bend Condominiums. Right from the very beginning his presence was exceptionally auspicious. And throughout the remainder of his life he delighted in telling of his first night in the village. Debarking his boat and passing through the place we now call Exchange/Rubberneck Park in search of a warm meal he heard someone call out to him from a shanty perched near the top of the rise. Without giving it much thought he unlatched the door and let the man inside, out into the night. The next morning he discovered that his act of good will was that of allowing a prisoner in the town lockup his freedom. In later years other persons would embellish the story by saying that the prisoner in question was none other that "Old Jib/Giblets" Snyder, a local fisherman known for his funny voice, need of a bath, and persistent love of the grape. Whether that was actually the case is a matter of pure speculation. But with or without that aggrandizement the story is worth recounting. What exactly kept Big Ed in Vermilion for the next 56 years in unknown. But he did stay. Initially he spent these early days as a fisherman. As we will soon understand he was also very ambitious. He, .and for a brief time another man named Harry Patton, operated the Southwest Fish Co. on the east side of the river where Romp's Waterport is today. During those years he was accredited with the "ark" type design that became a standard for gill net tugs throughout the Great Lakes. In the PRoscoe photo accompanying this article the gill net ark type tug. C.A. Trinter, (VPJ. 2-12-04) is tied up in front of Southwest Fish in the early part of the 20th century. To the right is the Lake Shore Electric [interurban) rail bridge. To the left is the old Vermilion River Bridge for auto, horse, and pedestrian traffic. Persons looking for more bucolic representations of Lake Erie's fishing industry may be disappointed. The glamour of this industry was not, and is not, superficial. It ultimately lies. in the blood, sweat, and tears of those who work it from dawn to dusk so long as the "lake of the long-tailed cat" will allow. When this picture was taken Big Ed Was just beginning to pull in the big nets. His reputation would soon grow as long as his shadow - later to become legend among his peers.
Ref: Published in the Vermilion Photojournal (VPJ) 6-10-004; Written 6-06-004.
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: I've pretty much decided that I'm going to be my own publisher. I'm still working on it. However; the process is become more complicated than just publishing the material. But sometime next year...]
Ref: The Vermilion News; 1-30-41; Special Thanks t~ Barbara A. Ruggles; Published in the Vermilion Photojournal 11-04-004; Written 10-31-004.
November 20, 2010 7:53 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 of Vermilion in the Clarksfield area. Methinks you'll find this history quite fascinating.
SHERMAN SMITH AND WIFE.
HIS WIFE.
Miss Caroline Knapp, daughter of John Knapp, was born in Fairfield county, Connecticut, August 9, 1809; came with her stepfather, Mr. Simeon Hoyt, in October, 1817, and began living on lot number six, section four, in the township of Clarksfield, and she and Mr. Smith now live on the same. Sherman Smith and Caroline Knapp were married in New London, Ohio, by Isaac P. Case, October 17, 1825. Sherman now sold to his brother, Austin, his place in New London, and he and his wife went into the woods in Clarksfield, on lot number two, fourth section, where James M. Crandall now resides. They cleared up this farm, and remained on it till 1862, since which time they have lived at their present house. This couple have lived long, peaceably and happily together, and are the parents of four as good and respectable girls and women as the county is proud of as citizens. The children are: Sarah, (now Mrs. Col. George Bissell) born April 5, 1827, and married October 15, 1842, and lives in New London. Sabra (now Mrs. B. G. Fanning living in Clarksfield), born January 12, 1829, and was married July 4, 1846. Mina (now Mrs. G. A. Fox, of New London), born December 27, 1831, and was married September 25, 1848. Emeline (now the wife of Andrew J. Blackman, Esq., of Clarksfield), born April 10, 1834, and was married September 1, 1856. Mrs. Smith is now a healthy, handsome, well preserved old lady; very prord of her aged and kind, generous and benevolent husband, and, if possible, manifests more satisfaction in being the mother of four so good, healthy and respectable daughters, (and the daughters love and are equally proud of their parents). She requested her biographer to say for her: "I have brought up four as good and respecfable girls as were ever raised; and I never compelled one of them to go to a Sabbath school a single day, but I left them entirely at liberty to go or not to go as they chose." And, when enquired as to what church she belonged, replied: "TO DR. SKELLEXGER'S CHURCH." As pioneers, the family experienced much of its privations, including education and much of the joys, and pleasures and happiness known and enjoyed in the earliest days of the first settlers. Mr. Smith, now almost eighty-four years of age, does his labor on the farm, and enjoys excellent health. He has filled honestly and well several public positions, and is a pensioner. One of the qualities that distinguish Mr. and Mrs. Smith is generous hospitability, ever delighting in the happiness and comfort of all their many friends. Benevolent, kind, generous, industrious, honest and happy, they are. May they happily continue to live. A. D. S.
Excerpts from: The Fire Lands, Comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio; W.W. Williams - 1879 - Press of Leader Printing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
VERY RARE PHOTOGRAPHS: This pic is of great interest (at least it is to me) because it suggests the true color of the old Vermilion News building. One might also note that there appear to be awnings over the lower windows on the side of the structure. That's the first I've noticed them. I assume that they were used to prevent the coloring of paper inside the building because the big newspaper press was just inside those windows. So too was Roscoe's darkroom (though it was actually in closet beneath the stairwell).
The signs (they were at both sides) beneath the overhead porch still exist. I've no idea as to the reason they were ever removed. Perhaps they were in need of re-painting. But I came across them some years back when I was looking about the interior of the building.
Although the quality of most of Roscoe's slides is just one step up from terrible one must take into consideration that the color process was rather new when these pix were taken in the early 1940s. I am able to do some nice things with them with the software available to me. However; the process itself - added to the age of the originals - makes easy restoration problematic.
Stay tuned for more.
A SIMPLE THANKS (FOR) GIVING But whether we have less or more, Always thank we God therefor. -Author Unknown
PODCAST #206:This week the Vermilion Views Podcast #206 is - most simply state - "a randaom act of culture". It's beautiful...
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: This page is generated by a 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 36, November 20, 2010
© 2010 Rich Tarrant