PEOPLE & PLACES
SHOPTALK: I guess I really hate to say this but looking at the shoptop pic this week of the Lake House Hotel from back in 1898 the town seems more appealing then than it does today. It looks like a very warm and comfortable place. Today (flowers or not) the town feels sterile – dormant. Vermilionites don’t really seem to enjoy the Vermilion as they once did. When was the last time anyone sat in Rubberneck / Exchange Park just to talk and while away an afternoon? It used to be such a nice place for both young and old people alike. Now it’s empty most of the time. I guess people are just too busy texting friends on their smart phones.
Too bad.
On my home desk this week is an old pic of the cafeteria ladies at South Street School. This was before the Decatur Street School cafeteria was built. Like the custodians these people were among the most popular in the building.
I remember paying a quarter for a lunch – and it was always a good one. One of the meals I most enjoyed was spaghetti. I recall that they often had bread spread with both butter and peanut butter with the meal. To this day I still enjoy both together. This is my comfort food. I suppose it’s because I really enjoyed grade school at South Street and the Congregational Church (2nd Grade). High School – like the years I spent in the Army – were gloomy times for me: Ones that I’d just as soon forget.
This is the scrapbook wherein I found this week’s artifact. The print on the clippings is a bit hard on the eyes. The print newspapers used way back when was a tad small; ergo the magnifying glass.
I’ve actually written about some of the events I’ve now found in this book. I wish I’d had these newspaper accounts before. The piece on John O’Mic’s hanging on Cleveland’s Public Square is real interesting.
Prior accounts of the execution were neither as explicit or informative as the one in the book. It seems that the Indian’s remains were given to the doctor who did his autopsy and his skeleton was saved – intact.
There’s also another account of a murder in Vermilion that better explains how and why it happened. Again, I wish I’d had it before now.
What a nice find.
MUSEUM SCHEDULE: Beginning now the museum will be open six days a week from 11 AM to 3 PM. We will be closed on Sundays and Holidays. We are located at 727 Grand Street in Vermilion across the street from Vermilion's historic E&R Church. The museum is open Monday thru Saturday from 11 AM to 3 PM. A small admission donation of $3 (for adults) is requested. Children accompanied with an adult will be admitted free. For Special Tours call: 440-967-4555.
We are closed on Sundays and holidays.
Private tours during those hours and during the evening can be arranged by calling the museum, or stopping in to see us.
FIVE-OH-ONE-CEE-THREE: The museum is a 501(c)(3) organization. Consequently, all donations and memberships for the museum are tax deductible. This is retroactive to November of 2011.
Memberships for the VERMILION NEWS PRINT SHOP MUSEUM are always available. Funds generated will go toward the aforementioned renovations and maintenance of the shop.
If you would like to become a member the VNPSM you can send a check or money order to:
Vermilion Print Shop Museum727 Grand Street Vermilion, Ohio 44089440.967.4555.Cell:440.522.8397
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK:Take the time to visit us on Facebook. Click on the badge below and stop in. We'll keep adding pix as we go along. If you're in the area come on in. I try to be there in the a.m. most everyday. If you see a Chevy Silverado in the drive with the plate "MRCOOKR" stop by and see what's cooking.
Historically,
JUST IN: Last Tuesday (11/02/15) Carolyn Koachway Hill dropped by with several pix she purchased when the school was cleaning out their archives. The pic (above) is one of them.
I recognize only a few of the faces in the pic thus far. It was taken in the aforementioned South Street School cafeteria. I’m guessing – but I think the pic was taken in 1953-54. That’s partially due to the fact that I see Jacques Jeffery, Kathy Brokaw and Marlene Martin. I also see one of the Hill boys (from the Vermilion Lagoons). The boy in the foreground (stuffing his face) may be Tom Rodgers – but I’m not certain. Some Viewers may recognize more faces in the pic.
This is an “almost aerial” pic that was probably taken when Decatur Street School was being built. Some may note that the brick house Ray Thoms built [now the home of Karen and Larry Howell] in the empty space across the street was not yet built.
The fella highlighted in the pic is South Street Principal Jim Sanford. I was able to pick him out of the crowd of faces immediately. But he is the only person I was able to recognize.
I’m guessing that the photo was taken around 1953-54 (near the same time as the previous photo). Pictured are probably most of the youngsters who were attending South Street School that year. The “townies” such as myself walked.
Again, a nice pic; more than a few persons who attended these schools during the 50s should be able to identify with both.
THE STREET THING etc: I’m not abandoning the street thing I’ve been doing for the last several weeks – I’m just suspending it for now. (I’m easily distracted.)
Organizing some items near my desk I’ve become reacquainted with some pix and writings I’d almost forgotten.
One of those things is a pamphlet titled “The Absolute Truth” with thirty black and white photographs of wounded and dead soldiers that were apparently taken by the U.S. Signal Corps during WWI. The pages aren’t numbered and the name of the publisher does not appear anywhere in the pamphlet. It is truly an “anti-war” publication. Many of the photographs aren’t suitable for publication on-line. They’re very gory.
It will be part of the museum’s war material collections.
Another item (I’d almost forgotten about) is a draft of a book “A Historical Sketch of the Henrietta United Church of Christ” by Kathy Krebs Bruns (Angola, Ind. 2013).
This is a very detailed history with some graphics and pix. The church was related to Vermilion’s Evangelical and Reformed church and shared several ministers. The sharing of ministers (at least in the vicinity of Vermilion, Ohio) was not uncommon among churches of the same denomination even as late as the 1950s. I can, for instance, recall Reverend Earl T. English from Vermilion’s First Congregational Church also tending to the needs of persons in the Congregational Church in Berlin Heights.
I’m not precisely sure where this history will be placed in the museum at the moment – but it will be available for persons interested in this history.
The book is very well written.
I’ve also come across some snapshots of my paternal grandparents – Eleanor / Ellen Lynch and Frederick Tarrant who lived in Portland Maine. These pictures are very rare; actually the first I’d ever seen of my grandmother. Both died before I was born. And to my knowledge my father never kept any photographs of either of his parents. The snaps were something my mother kept in a scrapbook.
Also buried in the pile was a genealogy of my maternal great-grandmother’s family – the Forsters. It is the worked of Dana Forster Williams of Portland Maine. It’s a very detailed work. And though it’s probably of little interest to most persons it is worthy of some mention. It starts in 1797 with Thomas Forster and his wife Virginia. A note on this part of the work reads, “She [Virginia] was a cousin of John Randolph – ½ Indian and descendant of Pocahontas.”
Included in the packet are copies of handwritten letters by my grandfather (Pearl Roscoe) and my mother (Ella Roscoe Tarrant).
I’ve had some of this material for almost seven years.
AGAIN - ANOTHER NEW (NOW OLD) THING: Initially I said that "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." But methinks that it's carved out a niche for itself and the "Macabre stuff" with have to find another.
So stay tuned...
Battles Wharf, Alabama, December 10-07 – The Vermilion NEWS
Dear friend: two weeks ago today we left you. Our trip was first to Toledo thence to Cincinnati via, Big Four thence to Mobile Alabama via and Nashville R. R. Our journey through Ohio was interesting and instructive the beautiful highly cultivated country is something to be proud of. At Cincinnati were met by the agent of the L. and N. R. R. Who rushed us across the Ohio River to our train which was waiting for us. We took our sleeper, and all night and the next day we were rushing southward. We saw the colored people picking cotton and saw hundreds of bales of it at stations, each bale weighs 500 pounds. Saw pine forest all along the way in Alabama. This state though old is still in its infancy, and thousands of acres have never been cleared.
We arrived in mobile about dark with the Cawthon Hotel. We wakened in the morning to look out on a beautiful park of live Oak trees. This morning it rained and we spent this Thanksgiving Day very pleasantly at our hotel. We had a very fine Thanksgiving dinner, consisting of 12 courses. We talked with many southern people. Mobile has about one white person to three Negroes, some say nine colored to one white, anyway it is pretty cloudy at Mobile. Southerners here have their colored servants much as they did before the war. One man told me he had a servant that had been with him 25 years. He said he would steal. I asked him if he would steal from him, what would it be the result. He said he would give him a good whipping. Once he stole his razor and when he brought it back said he borrowed it to shave a dead man. This colored servant had been married several times and he wanted to try matrimony again so he stole his master's best suit of clothes and went off and got married again. His master asked him how he could do that since he already had a wife, and he said, he went away and left her, so he was then “rvorced”.
We let mobile Friday at three p.m. on the steamer Fairhope, arrived at Battle's Wharf, Alabama about 6 p.m. This place is on the east Coast of Mobile Bay. Dr. Scott a friend of mine by correspondence met us at the boat landing and took us to his home. He and his good wife entertained us only as only Southerners know how to do until the next day. Dr. Scott has 350 bearing orange trees, one little tree had on it two hundred and forty-five ripe oranges.
Then we came to this Beach Hotel. Here we do just as we please, walk, ride, hunt, fish, breathe this soft piney air from the seemingly endless pine tree forests all around us, mixed with saline breezes from off the Gulf of Mexico 20 miles away. We have the purest spring water to drink and everything to eat that we could wish for. It has now been two weeks since we left you and parts of three days it rained. The rest of the time it has been clear and pleasant. Last Sunday the mercury was up to 70. We have furnished this hotel with fish ever since we came here, from our hooks and lines, and the fish are beauties. Oysters are fine and very plentiful, our hotel proprietor brought 300 in shell for one dollar. Roses and violets are in bloom, we have fine mornings and evenings, in the middle of the day we sit on the porches and in the bathhouses on the beach. About two days have been cool and we have kept a little fire but no day has it been too cold to go fishing. Along the beach is one continuous role of cottages for miles and back of them great pine forests and uncultivated land. I have written this to you and through you to our many friends.
This from your friend way down in Alabama.
L. U. Todd.
Dr. Eugene Stroud the well-known Sandusky Dentist was seriously injured Friday in his laboratory by the explosion of a vulcanizer. He was taken to Providence Hospital and all possible is being done for his recovery.
A schedule of assets and liabilities of the Duplex Stamping Company has been filed in the case brought against that company by J.L. Zesiger and others. It shows assets of $3000 andn liabilities secured and otherwise of $7514.47. There was issued 150 shares of $100 per value, of which 16 1/2 were paid for in cash and the remainder J.L. Zesiger and George Smith for the real estate machinery and stock of the concern.
Last Saturday the bank of Vermilion Co., held open house at their new building. It is estimated that fully 700 people called on that day.
The ladies were given carnations as souvenirs of the occasion and cigars provided for the gentleman.
The bank is handsomely equipped with woodwork in mahogany with dull brass screen at the rear are private rooms for the officers.
The vault is equipped with modern appliances for both convenience and safety. The ceiling is of steel and together with the walls are decorated in harmony with the furniture furnishings. The floors of mosaic.
The men comprising the company have reason to be pleased with the building and its equipment for it is certainly fine.
[This is the building currently (2015) occupied by a business called the “Wine Vault” on Liberty Avenue. MONEY WILL BE BANKED The Village Council held a meeting Monday evening and made provisions for receiving bids upon village the village funds. The banks and Vermilion will be asked to bid and highest bidder will receive the funds of the village. The matter of making appropriations for the next six months was brought up, but the committee was not ready to make any recommendations. Council then adjourned. The new Council will, according to law, hold a meeting January 2, ‘08, after that date the meetings will be held the first Monday of every month. A BLOW TO THE TOWNS There are several measures which are come before Congress this session that will have more or less influence in favor of the city's to the detriment of the smaller towns. One of these is the parcel post. This measure, if we understand it will mostly favor the large mail order houses and will enable the farmer to do all his trading by mail as it were and have the goods delivered to him. He may deem this a benefit but he will have reason to change his mind when he sees the result. Storeless towns. Then, surely [we] will be at the mercy of the trusts. We believe that every voter should take this matter into consideration and abolish the "political trust" by electing men to office that can see beyond their own noses or pocketbooks. [As I’ve mentioned previous times before my grandfather / editor Pearl Roscoe really detested mail order business. As is obvious by this little article Roscoe thought that the mail order business would be detrimental to the health of the local economy. I don’t think he was entirely wrong in his assessment of the situation. (eg. Eradicate local stores and he’d have no one to sell advertising to in the town.) It just didn’t take place or happen the way he thought it might. Correspondence AMHERST Architects Searles of Cleveland inspected the school building Friday. Word reached year of the death of Rev. Walter's at Westphalia, Ind. last week. He was formerly pastor of the Evangelical church here. Geo Leinous is recovering his health at Ratoon New Mexico is now able to work. Born – to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Albright Tuesday of last week a son. The baby died the next day. At a meeting of Amherst businessmen Friday night it was voted to close the stores at 6 o'clock after the New Year. The shooting contest at Vermilion Friday between C. H. Miller of this place and Frank Schomer of Vermilion resulted in the tie. Each put three shots in the target. Mrs. Duncan was granted a divorce from her husband last week. Personal property is evenly divided. Mrs. Duncan gets 40-acre farm through which the Wabash Railroad runs and Mr. Duncan gets the Aldrich farm to 66 acres. Scarlet fever is reported at Oberlin. The trial of Miss Loa Mather and Mrs. Martha G Campbell two prominent women of Steuben is on at Norwalk. The women were arrested on the charge of arson. The Lakeview Hospital at Lorain has been purchased by an Association of physicians and will be conducted as a public hospital after the first of the year. The hospital has been conducted as a private concern by Dr. Van Nuvs for the past several months. A case of smallpox has been discovered in Elyria. The victim is Claude Robords, who with his family occupied rooms on the third floor of the Century block. The family was removed to a voting booth and all precautions for the prevention of the disease is being taken. It is thought Robords, contracted the disease in Chicago, where he recently visited. EAST SHORE Geo Risden butchered two of his hogs Monday. Chris Sprankle shipped another carload of potatoes this week. HURON Miss Ida Cook is spending several weeks at Kelly's Island. Miss Mame Callan is suffering from tonsillitis. Robert D Stryker of this place and Bessie M Metzger of Toledo were given license to wet Thursday. The Woodmen are arranging for a hard times party to be given in their hall soon. The little son of Mr. and Mrs. Fortney is ill with diphtheria, so it is reported. The ladies of the Evangelical church sent a box of clothing to the sufferers of the mine disaster in W. Va. Capt. and Mrs. Pearl spent Saturday at Castalia and the captain a inspected the G.A.R. post that place. The sad news of the death of Mrs. Block, wife of the former superintendent of our schools was received here Sunday. She has been ill for several months. Her death occurred at the home of her sister in Toledo, and interment made beside her parents at Whitehouse Ohio. Our sympathy is extended to the bereaved husband and children. ASHMONT Conrad Nuhn has recently built a new corncrib. The schoolchildren are preparing for Xmas exercises. Mrs. John Lee is some better at this writing and is able to sit up some. Henry Baker and Otto Sutton were hunting one day during this season and returned with 40 rabbits. Lawson Shoop was absent from school a few days last week on account of sickness. Harry Patton of Vermillion now carries the mail on Vermilion route No. 2 past Joppa Crs. Hilda Richtor was absent from school last week on account of sickness. A Christmas tree and exercises will be held at the brick schoolhouse Friday evening 20 December. Joppa school will also have their tree and exercises there. All invited. A Good Christmas Present H.R. Williams was in Sandusky Wednesday on business in connection with a bankruptcy case of the Erie Woodworking company and brought home with him checks for the laboring man in full payment of their claims. Other claims were also settled. New Device Being Tested On The Lake Shore Electric Railway The Lakeshore electric railway is equipped one of its cars on this dusky division with a device that is known as a trolley finder, which is the invention of Dr. HG Husted, of Oberlin. The device is a small wheel similar to the ordinary trolley wheel and is located at the center of the trolley wire. The trolley finder is used for locating the wire and making it easy for the conductor to place the trolley wheel back on the wire. The Lakeshore electric will give the pension a thorough test and if it is successful all cars on the system will be equipped with the finders. Locals. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL Mrs. Nielsen lost the value jet [sic] necklace on her way to the station on the morning after the Nielsen entertainment at the opera house. Anyone will confer a great favor by leaving the same with Mr. Seaman or at the NEWS office, if it is been found Have you anything you wish to give to the Orphans Home? If you have leave it with either Mrs. McConnelly he or Mrs. Geo Bell before Tuesday of next week. Dr. Boss of Birmingham was in town Thursday. H.S. Miller returned home from Lakeview Hospital Sunday. Capt. Fred Bailey was home the first of the week for a short visit. He left for another trip to Detroit. Martin Schuster has purchased a farm of Michael Hopfinger near Cherry Tree Corners. This is J.N. Sennhenn is getting along fine after the operation, as can be expected. Ludwig Krapp is on the sick list, which has detained him from school studies all week. Mrs. Elizabeth Lewis who has been seriously ill for several weeks past has so far recovered as to be able to sit up. Among those who successfully passed the recent bar examinations we find the name of George W Ritter Vermillion. The class will be sworn in the 18th. [Remember Mr. Ritter recently ran for the office of Mayor of Vermilion losing to H.R. Williams. Prior to that he’d represented someone in a court case in the township hall. I assumed from those tings that he’d already passed the bar exam. But I guess not. Interesting…] Anyone having secondhand clothing or anything which they wish to donate to the Children's Home near Birmingham, are requested to leave same at the home of either Mrs. Geo McConnelly Mrs. Geo Bell by Tuesday. AXTEL Axtel will have their Christmas exercises on Monday evening at 7, standard. There was a mistake in last week's paper regarding to the journeys of Pug Sprunk. He was found that E.R. Whitt’s from there was taken to Simon's grocery store and from their home. We hope he will have no more inclinations to travel. I just have to wonder if this might have been done on purpose.
[This is the building currently (2015) occupied by a business called the “Wine Vault” on Liberty Avenue.
The Village Council held a meeting Monday evening and made provisions for receiving bids upon village the village funds. The banks and Vermilion will be asked to bid and highest bidder will receive the funds of the village.
The matter of making appropriations for the next six months was brought up, but the committee was not ready to make any recommendations.
Council then adjourned.
The new Council will, according to law, hold a meeting January 2, ‘08, after that date the meetings will be held the first Monday of every month.
There are several measures which are come before Congress this session that will have more or less influence in favor of the city's to the detriment of the smaller towns. One of these is the parcel post. This measure, if we understand it will mostly favor the large mail order houses and will enable the farmer to do all his trading by mail as it were and have the goods delivered to him. He may deem this a benefit but he will have reason to change his mind when he sees the result. Storeless towns. Then, surely [we] will be at the mercy of the trusts. We believe that every voter should take this matter into consideration and abolish the "political trust" by electing men to office that can see beyond their own noses or pocketbooks.
[As I’ve mentioned previous times before my grandfather / editor Pearl Roscoe really detested mail order business. As is obvious by this little article Roscoe thought that the mail order business would be detrimental to the health of the local economy. I don’t think he was entirely wrong in his assessment of the situation. (eg. Eradicate local stores and he’d have no one to sell advertising to in the town.) It just didn’t take place or happen the way he thought it might.
Architects Searles of Cleveland inspected the school building Friday.
Word reached year of the death of Rev. Walter's at Westphalia, Ind. last week. He was formerly pastor of the Evangelical church here.
Geo Leinous is recovering his health at Ratoon New Mexico is now able to work.
Born – to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Albright Tuesday of last week a son. The baby died the next day.
At a meeting of Amherst businessmen Friday night it was voted to close the stores at 6 o'clock after the New Year.
The shooting contest at Vermilion Friday between C. H. Miller of this place and Frank Schomer of Vermilion resulted in the tie. Each put three shots in the target.
Mrs. Duncan was granted a divorce from her husband last week. Personal property is evenly divided. Mrs. Duncan gets 40-acre farm through which the Wabash Railroad runs and Mr. Duncan gets the Aldrich farm to 66 acres.
Scarlet fever is reported at Oberlin.
The trial of Miss Loa Mather and Mrs. Martha G Campbell two prominent women of Steuben is on at Norwalk. The women were arrested on the charge of arson.
The Lakeview Hospital at Lorain has been purchased by an Association of physicians and will be conducted as a public hospital after the first of the year. The hospital has been conducted as a private concern by Dr. Van Nuvs for the past several months.
A case of smallpox has been discovered in Elyria. The victim is Claude Robords, who with his family occupied rooms on the third floor of the Century block. The family was removed to a voting booth and all precautions for the prevention of the disease is being taken. It is thought Robords, contracted the disease in Chicago, where he recently visited.
Geo Risden butchered two of his hogs Monday.
Chris Sprankle shipped another carload of potatoes this week.
Miss Ida Cook is spending several weeks at Kelly's Island.
Miss Mame Callan is suffering from tonsillitis.
Robert D Stryker of this place and Bessie M Metzger of Toledo were given license to wet Thursday.
The Woodmen are arranging for a hard times party to be given in their hall soon.
The little son of Mr. and Mrs. Fortney is ill with diphtheria, so it is reported.
The ladies of the Evangelical church sent a box of clothing to the sufferers of the mine disaster in W. Va.
Capt. and Mrs. Pearl spent Saturday at Castalia and the captain a inspected the G.A.R. post that place.
The sad news of the death of Mrs. Block, wife of the former superintendent of our schools was received here Sunday. She has been ill for several months. Her death occurred at the home of her sister in Toledo, and interment made beside her parents at Whitehouse Ohio. Our sympathy is extended to the bereaved husband and children.
Conrad Nuhn has recently built a new corncrib.
The schoolchildren are preparing for Xmas exercises.
Mrs. John Lee is some better at this writing and is able to sit up some.
Henry Baker and Otto Sutton were hunting one day during this season and returned with 40 rabbits.
Lawson Shoop was absent from school a few days last week on account of sickness.
Harry Patton of Vermillion now carries the mail on Vermilion route No. 2 past Joppa Crs.
Hilda Richtor was absent from school last week on account of sickness.
A Christmas tree and exercises will be held at the brick schoolhouse Friday evening 20 December. Joppa school will also have their tree and exercises there. All invited.
H.R. Williams was in Sandusky Wednesday on business in connection with a bankruptcy case of the Erie Woodworking company and brought home with him checks for the laboring man in full payment of their claims. Other claims were also settled.
The Lakeshore electric railway is equipped one of its cars on this dusky division with a device that is known as a trolley finder, which is the invention of Dr. HG Husted, of Oberlin.
The device is a small wheel similar to the ordinary trolley wheel and is located at the center of the trolley wire. The trolley finder is used for locating the wire and making it easy for the conductor to place the trolley wheel back on the wire. The Lakeshore electric will give the pension a thorough test and if it is successful all cars on the system will be equipped with the finders.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL
Mrs. Nielsen lost the value jet [sic] necklace on her way to the station on the morning after the Nielsen entertainment at the opera house. Anyone will confer a great favor by leaving the same with Mr. Seaman or at the NEWS office, if it is been found
Have you anything you wish to give to the Orphans Home? If you have leave it with either Mrs. McConnelly he or Mrs. Geo Bell before Tuesday of next week.
Dr. Boss of Birmingham was in town Thursday.
H.S. Miller returned home from Lakeview Hospital Sunday.
Capt. Fred Bailey was home the first of the week for a short visit. He left for another trip to Detroit.
Martin Schuster has purchased a farm of Michael Hopfinger near Cherry Tree Corners.
This is J.N. Sennhenn is getting along fine after the operation, as can be expected.
Ludwig Krapp is on the sick list, which has detained him from school studies all week.
Mrs. Elizabeth Lewis who has been seriously ill for several weeks past has so far recovered as to be able to sit up.
Among those who successfully passed the recent bar examinations we find the name of George W Ritter Vermillion. The class will be sworn in the 18th.
[Remember Mr. Ritter recently ran for the office of Mayor of Vermilion losing to H.R. Williams. Prior to that he’d represented someone in a court case in the township hall. I assumed from those tings that he’d already passed the bar exam. But I guess not. Interesting…]
Anyone having secondhand clothing or anything which they wish to donate to the Children's Home near Birmingham, are requested to leave same at the home of either Mrs. Geo McConnelly Mrs. Geo Bell by Tuesday.
Axtel will have their Christmas exercises on Monday evening at 7, standard.
There was a mistake in last week's paper regarding to the journeys of Pug Sprunk. He was found that E.R. Whitt’s from there was taken to Simon's grocery store and from their home. We hope he will have no more inclinations to travel.
I just have to wonder if this might have been done on purpose.
Hmmmmmm....
CHRISTMAS EVE 1933 : On April 15, 1933 Henry and Katherine Weigel came from the Cleveland area to take the job as Caretakers of the Olympic Outing Club. The Weigels had four children, George, Henry [r, Robert, and a daughter, Ruth. George and his wife, both 29, were mar¬ried in July. Ruth was also married and had an infant daughter named Katherine. Henry Jr. was 18 and lived at home at the club with his younger brother, Robert.
Henry Sr. had been a member of the club since 1902, when the club was born. Living in Vermilion, and working for the club was a dream and opportunity of a lifetime. When Mr. and Mrs. Peake, who formerly took care of the club left, Henry and Katherine readily took on the job.
When we trave1 back to 1933 in Vermilion, Ohio, we need to under¬stand that none of our railroad cross¬ings had signals. At that time the state employed men as watchmen at each of the crossings. When they were notified of a train approaching they lowered large gates to keep foot, auto, and horse traffic off the tracks. We also need to understand that there were three sets of tracks on the New York Central rail line. One track was a work track, an¬other was a slow track, and the third was the high-speed track. The final thing to attend to concerns the fact that the watchmen only worked from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The rest of the time the tracks were unguarded.
The summer came and left. All was quiet at the Olympic Club. A majority of the members were Clevelanders who spent their summers in Vermilion and wintered in their homes in the city. Christmas approached. The Weigels were happy. They invited their chil¬dren, George and his wife and their daughter Ruth Werle,· to spend Christmas with them and their two younger boys at the club. George and his wife came from Reading, PA. Ruth (Weigel) Werle came in from Cleveland with her 20-month-old daughter. Ruth's husband was disabled so he couldn't come.
As Christmas Eve neared, Mrs. Weigel made plans with her daughter, daughter-in-law, and her three sons to attend the midnight mass at St. Mary's church on Ohio Street. Her husband, Henry, opted to stay home with infant Catherine while they attended the ser¬vice. What a wonderful way to begin the Christmas celebration. It doesn't take much imagination (for myself at least) to understand the true magic of attending a late evening church service on Christmas Eve.
Mrs. Weigel was driving. After the service she and her family headed north Division Street toward the NYC tracks to go home. The reason of her decision to go home this way will never be known. They could have sim¬ply headed east down Ohio Street to West River Road home. Three days later (Thursday, December 28, ·1933) this would be the headline on the front page of the Vermilion News: Funeral For Train Victims Held Today.
At about 1:20 Christmas morning' their car was hit broadside and com¬pletely demolished by an eastbound flyer, Engine No. 22, at the Division Street crossing. Mrs. Weigel, her daugh¬ter, and her daughter-in-law, were killed instantly. George and Henry Jr. still hung to life. A westbound train was halted and they were placed on board to be taken to Providence Hospital in Sandusky. George died while being transported, and his broth¬er, Henry, passed a few hours later. Miraculously, Robert was thrown from the auto as it was pushed to the east of the railway station received a broken leg and numerous bruises.
Hundreds of parishioners were at the scene of the accident. They heard the sickening crash, and rushed to help. But there was little to be done, but pray.
Mrs. Henry Andress, walking home, was knocked to the ground by a piece of the automobile, but received no great injuries.
The silence of that majestic night had been broken in the flash of a second.
I (among others) have known about this particular tragedy for many years. It came a bit closer to me when I was contacted by Robert's daughter, two or three years ago. She wanted me to re-search the article in the archives of The News and send her a copy. She lives and works in San Francisco. Her father is still alive. The one thing she told me that really touched my heart is that her father never mentioned that accident to his family until she was well into her twenties. What a great tragedy to keep to one's self.
Having lived in Vermilion all my life, I am very familiar with train mishaps. I am always cautious about crossing tracks. I understand the power of the lo¬comotive and the Diesels that pull/pulled these great loads. I know what can happen in an instant.
In September of 1934 the Ohio Public Utilities people recommended that flashing lights be installed at most of Vermilion's NYC crossings. They also mandated that all trees growing near the railroads be removed, and that crossing watchmen be kept at the cross¬ings 24 hours a day until further notice.
In January of 1935, over two ye: after this tragedy, flashing lights were ordered to be installed at two of t crossings. It would be some 50 yes (and many accidents) later before PUCO would order gates installed at the crossings in Vermilion.
Robert’s daughter contacted me earlier this year to tell me that her dad has passed away. He was 94.
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 townships south of Vermilion. Methinks you'll find this history quite fascinating.
…twenty acres; Ballast Isle, ten acres; Gibraltar, five acres; Buckeye Isle and Glacial, alias Starve Island, about two acres each : three thousand one hundred and twenty-nine acres in the township.
The first election for township officers was held in 1861: Trustees John Stone, Esq., William Rehberg, Esq., and Peter Fox. Esq.; justices of the peace, Simon Fox, Esq.; clerk, V. Dollar, Esq.: treasurer, Philip Vroman, Esq.; constable, William Axtel, Esq.; supervisor, George Caldwell, Esq.; twenty-five votes polled. There is at the present time, 1879, a voting population of two hundred in the township, and a population of one thousand three hundred. There is a nice church and parsonage on Put-in-Bay. Also, the islands are well supplied with first class schoolhouses and teachers. Put-in-Bay Island Wine Company built their cellar in 1871, with a storage capacity of one hundred and twenty-five thousand gallons. In 1878 the company pressed seventy-five thousand gallons. The principal private cellars are Max Van Doren, eight thousand gallons; Lawrence Miller's estate, stone-arched cellar, twenty thousand gallons; also, Casper Schraidt's cellar, fifteen thousand gallons capacity.
Hotels.—Put-in-Bay House commenced in 1864. Messrs. Moore & West made additions to the Manor House in 1868; Captain Moore sold to Dr. Elder. The new firm, Messrs, West & Elder, made extensive improvements; in 1870, Colonel Sweeney purchased the interest of Dr. Elder, changing the firm to Messrs. West & Sweeney. Shortly after parties from Cincinnati purchased an interest, and the new firm of Messrs. Sweeney, West & Co. was started. The hotel had now grown to the capacity of eight hundred guests, with a possibility of one thousand. This house was destroyed by fire August 31, 1878. Beebe House.—Henry Beebe, Esq., purchased of Captain Cooper his hotel in 1871, and immediately commenced the erection of the present building. It is pleasantly located, fronting the bay, and can accommodate four hundred guests. The Hunker Hotel is pleasantly situated, fronting the grove on the bay, built in 1871, A. Hunker, proprietor, and can accommodate one hundred and fifty guests. There are several others of less pretension, besides private boarding houses, where visitors may find a quiet home. In 1864, A. B. Richmond established the Putin-Bay Museum, with a collection of ten thousand curiosities collected from all parts of the world.
I expected to give the statistics of the fisheries, but owing to the dealers failing to furnish the necessary figures, as they agreed to, we will not be able to. In 1854, five pounds were all that was used; now, in 1879, fifty-five pounds are annually fished in this township. Mr. A. J. Stoll, of Sandusky, sent to me the number of pounds of fish handled by him from this township in 1878, amounting to one hundred and forty-four thousand five hundred and fifteen pounds. The five or six other dealers failed to send figures. Messrs. Idler & Webster have a very fine store, dry goods and groceries, crockery, &c.; Mr. Chris. Dollar a shoe store; Clinton Idler, Esq., Custom-House officer. So, you see. Uncle Sam has not left us entirely out in the cold.
Ballast Isle is owned by the Cleveland Club; they have a fine club house, and the island is pretty well covered with cottages, where their owners from the Forest City go, and while away an idle hour on their
Floral Isle, alias Middle Bass Isle.— The first land purchased by actual settlers on this island, was made by Mr. John Lutes and William Rehberg, Esq., in 1857. William Rehberg bought fifty acres on the west point, and John Lutes purchased one hundred acres on the east point of the island, both to secure fishings, not knowing then the intrinsic value of the land. On the 17th of October, 1859, Andrew Wehrle, Esq., Joseph Miller, George Caldwell and William Rehberg purchased the balance of the island, six hundred acres, for which they paid twelve thousand dollars, and immediately commenced improving their lands, and selling to actual settlers. All of the above named party commenced the cultivation of the vine, and each set small vineyards. The pioneers, with their small beginnings, did not fully realize the importance of their work; the two or three acres set in 1860, is now, 1879, represented by four hundred and fifteen acres of vineyard, viz.: two hundred and sixty-one acres of Catawba: Delaware, seventy-two acres; Concord, sixty-one acres; balance—Ives, Norton, Clinton, etc.; number of pounds of grapes in 1878, one million three hundred and thirty-eight thousand.
In 1863, Andrew Wehrle, Esq., pressed the first wine; on New Year eve his neighbors called in to sample his wine, and occasionally through the evening, repeated the course, when, lo, there was left none to sample; the experiment proved a stimulant, resulting in all hands going into the culture of the vine, which has grown to vast proportions above the most sanguine expectations of all parties. The first barrel sampled is now represented by the pressing of 1878—three hundred thousand gallons. Andrew Wehrle, Esq., commenced the manufacture of wine in 1865, in his cellar under his dwelling house. He pressed five thousand gallons; his business rapidly increasing, made it necessary to build a cellar. In 1870, he built a solid arched cellar of thirty thousand gallons' capacity; business still increasing. Mr. Wehrle took as partners M. Werk & Sons, under the firm of Wehrle, Werk & Sons. In 1871, the new firm built four new arched cellars, and up to the present time (1879) three additional cellars, which give a storage capacity of over three hundred thousand gallons, and no room to spare in; addition to above, the firm are now having built in Cincinnati two casks of the storage capacity of twenty-five thousand gallons, which casks will be set up in the cellar now being prepared for them at the firm's Golden Eagle…
AN INTERESTING PIECE: As I have with so many other things – I found this painting by pure accident. I was looking for something / anything to use in this space for this week and I came across an old scrapbook that my mother had been apparently using as a reference for her history writings before her death in 1963. The clippings in the notebook are very old – 19th century stuff.
The little painting caught my eye because of the colors. When one is looking through 19th century newspaper clippings there isn’t much color.
I’ve no definite idea as to what the painting is about – other than what one sees. But I can tell you what the writing below it says:
This picture was painted by an Armenian student and presented by Dr. Goodell to his nephew Wm. B. Goodell at Oberlin Ohio in 1850 or 1851.
From the clippings surrounding the painting it is obvious that Dr. William Goodell was a prominent missionary who travelled the world. He was ordained as a missionary in New Haven, Connecticut on September 12, 1882 and married a girl named Abagail P. Davis in Holden, Massachusetts on November 19, 1822.
I don’t know with any certainty, but I believe he was related to Vermilion’s Rev. Jotham Goodell – an early minister of Vermilion’s first church. Whether that’s true or not is something that will require a little more research to discover.
Some of the clippings in the book, among other things, are related to the Goodell and Pelton families in both Vermilion and Washington Territory. I’ve just found it so it will take me some time to absorb all the info therein.
But very cool stuff…
After spending 3-1/2 hours enduring the long lines, surly clerks and insane regulations at the department of motor vehicles, a lady stopped at a toy store to pick up a gift for her son. She brought her selection - a baseball bat to the cash register. "Cash or charge," the clerk asked.
"Cash," she snapped. Then apologizing for her rudeness, she explained, " I've spent the afternoon at the motor-vehicle bureau. I am not too sane right now!!"
"Shall I gift -wrap the bat?" the clerk asked sweetly, "Or or you going back?"
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'".
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.
Another great book with Vermilion Roots is, "Grandma's Favorites: A Compilation of Recipes from MARGARET SANDERS BUELL by Amy O'Neal, ELIZABETH THOMPSON and MEG WALTER (May 2, 2012). This book very literally will provide one with the flavor of old Vermilion. And ye can also find it at Amazon.com. Take a look.
MARY WAKEFIELD BUXTON'S LATEST BOOK "The Private War of William Styron" is available in paper back for $15.00 with tax and can be purchased locally at Buxton and Buxton Law Office in Urbanna, ordered from any book store, Amazon.com or Brandylane Publishing Company. A signed, hard back edition may be purchased from Mrs. Buxton directly for $30.00 by writing her at Box 488, Urbanna, VA 23175 and including $6.00 for tax, postage and packaging.
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.13, Issue 35 - November 7, 2015
© 2013 Rich Tarrant