VERMILION'S HEART: This photo was captured yesterday afternoon (4-8-05) in the bright spring sunlight. It is the heart of Vermilion; the Vermilion Township Hall.
I fret some about this building because Vermilion Township Trustees have purchased a new property on the corner of State Route #60 and Kneisel Roads, and will be locating their headquarters there in the near future. Their thoughts (apparently) are that they will sell this building, and be rid of it. It is, of course, prime, prime, real estate - and I can hear cash resgisters beeping in the minds of condo builders everywhere.
Somewhere in the archives of all the electronic pix I own I have pictures I've taken of the Opera House at the top of this building. It is, historically, breathtaking. It is frozen in time. At one juncture in recent times a group wanted to restore the building and use it as an entertainment center for the city. The problem is/was that the group wanting to accomplish this noble task didn't happen to own the property.
Needless to say this didn't sit too well with the Township Trustees. It tends to be a tad offensive when someone begins making plans for property they don't own. Ergo; that plan went out the window when some happy compromise couldn't be reached between planners and trustees.
However; setting all that aside I would like to see one (or all) of the nonprofit historic and city development groups come together, formulate a purchase and development plan for this structure, upgrade it, and use it as a public auditorium, museum, and civic meeting place. This would be a very feasible project.
If it is razed Vermilion is for all intents and purposes dead.
JENNY BOONE: Some time ago my friend Larry Howell brought some tintypes to me to look at. They are quite small. He keeps them in a box by his bed. Two are those of his mother's parents: One when they were being married; and the other was apparentely sometime after their union. [My assumption about the latter pic is based on the fact that Mr. Boone had put on some weight - thus I opine that he was being well cared for by his new wife]. The third was the one (above) of his mother, Jenny, when she was but a year or so.
Mrs. Howell lived nearly in her 90's, and passed into the Lord's hands just a few years ago. She was a kindly lady, as all the family seems inclined. I scanned the tintypes - enlarging them maybe 200% - and printed copies for Larry so he could keep the original tintypes in the box and frame the pictures. The original is not in great condition, but scanner and software did a nice job reproducing it.
Fun, fun, fun...
ENGLEBRY'S: This is what I consider to be a GREAT! 19th century picture of Englebry's Store on Division (now Main) Street in Vermilion. This store is currently known as Brummer's Candy Store. When I was a youngster (back in the 1950's) it was still Englebry's. I used to purchase my trousers there and have the ankles pegged (tailored) to size 13's. Very "cool" [that's what I believed].
But what a photograph. One of the things that for some reason mesmerizes me in several of these old pix are the dogs that wander into them. Here Fido, seemingly completely oblivious to the camera, sniffs the walk as he waits for his master to quit with the foolishness and get on with life.
The slow shutter captures detail (like the lace curtains in the windows and other items) that just invite one to pour over for hours.
OOC 1908: From standing on a corner near the Olympic Bar on Cleveland's Westside to a paradise along the Vermilion River in Brownhelm Township just outside the little village of Vermilion, Ohio came the founders of the Olympic Outing Club. And this was their very first bar.
The beer was carried down the steep hill by horse-drawn wagons. The boys lived in tents. Their wives and daughters were not allowed on the grounds (technically) only two weeks per season. They arrived in rowboats from the LSE bridge. They fished and sang the whole summer through.
Astoundingly, the club and many of the descendants of the men in this particular photograph, still exist and prosper.
This photo, from the archives of the Olympic Club, is a beauty.
SAFETY PATROL: Like the Olympic Club some traditions never end. This photo of the members of the 4th Grade Safety Patrol at Vermilion's South Street School is one.(It still exists) Then principal, Jim Sanford, and teacher, Mrs. Peterka, flank the boys of my youth. I am touched by the knowledge of the boys in the photo who are no longer alive.
My best friend, Billy Baker, died during the Asian Flu epidemic 3 years after this picture was taken. Onyx Falls was killed along with John Bushong on the Nickle Plate tracks on State Street four years later when they were transporting flowers from Schmidt's Greenhouse for the 8th and 12 grade Christmas dances. Mike Tansey, Freddie Sharpnack, Bryce Neiding, and Frank Knittle are also gone. My friend Tom Jones' family moved up Vermilion Road just out of the district and attended the Firelands Schools shortly after this picture was taken. Tom Watson and his family moved into the Berlin-Milan district.
But I have a very poignant memory of the day this photo was taken. School was winding to a close for the summer. The air was warm and filled with the odor of new cut grass and the blossoms of early summer. It is a feeling of happiness and contentment that is very difficult to describe - but very easy to remember.
MAIN STREET BEACH C. '43: This is one of those rare PRoscoe color slide pictures. It is, of course, the beach at Main Street. The west breakwall with the light (the one that replaced the lighthouse) is very visible to the right. The lake appears to be very angry. And using my (less than) astute powers of deductive reasoning I deduce that it is sometime in the autumn of the year. It's cold enough for people to wear coats, but the leaves are still on the trees. I would suggest that it's spring, but the sun is to the south, and the lake just doesn't look like this at that time of year when it's rough. [But note: I could be wrong. What I do know is that it's not winter].
I've no idea as to the identity of the people in the photo. Roscoe may have known them (it is likely) - but, again, color photography was a new animal to him, and he may have simply been taking pictures to experiment with the process.
The color (kodachrome) in the slides is difficult to adjust. Whether tis due to the age of the slides or the process itself is not something I, yet, know. But it (the color) seems intense. If one ever watches one of the early Technicolor movies like Errol Flynn's Adventures of Robin Hood you will get my drift. I tried removing some of the deep blues and red tints in this rendition of the photo to make it appear more natural. But it's a task.
YESTERYEAR: My publisher contacted me this week and let me know that the final (I hope) proof of my first book about Vermilion and it's people will arrive in the next few days. All of the stories used in the book have been published on line or in the newspaper. But not all have the detail they have in the book version.
The book is short (about 69 pages) - but it's to the point. It'll be a good reference book for people interested in Vermilion's past. And there are a few pictures.
CLASS REUNION UPDATES:
Ray Beursken tells me that the VHS class of 1955 has scheduled their 50th class reunion on September 10, 2005 at the Boat Club. Class members of 1955 should put this date on their calendar. They're hoping for a good turnout.
Bruce Eldridge tells me that he and John Hunter just secured the Amvets hall for their 45th 60,61 & 62 class reunion. The reunion will be Sat. July 22, 2006. John Hunter, class of 1960, will be starting a web site in May or June of 2005. Bob Wolford, class of 1961, will be sending out a letter to all the classmates who attended our 40th class reunion asking them to update their E-Mail and help find other classmates.
A gal named Shelly from the Class of 1985 tells me that "the VHS class of 1985 will be having a 20 year reunion in the summer of 2005......no further details. The name of the organizer is Kim Schultz."
From Roger Boughton comes the following note: Thanks to Gail Lyon and Pat and Glenn Owen we have some additional pictures of our reunion held last October. Take a visit to our website and see what's new. Memories of this October are only a click away. Enjoy and remember.....if you send pictures we'll share with others on our website. Mary Ann is busy writing stories for her Virginia paper. You'll want to visit the site and read her thoughts on Liberty. Keep the pictures coming as classmates who were not able to attend are enjoying seeing "old" school mates. Also, you might want to send us news from and about your family and we'll include it on our web site. Our survey clearly indicated that most wanted our reunion held in Vermilion in 2009. Thus, we'll be celebrating our "special" occasion (50th Reunion) in September of 2009. Put it on your calendar and plan to join the fun. Remember our web site is located at: Class of '59 and I'll update it as as I receive enough new pictures and information from our classmates to make it worth reading. So send me any information that you would like to share with other classmates and we'll put it up for all to see and view.
I've visited Roger's website and it's fun.
Persons interested in having their VHS (and vicinity) reunion plans posted on this site are welcome to do so. I can't provide anyone with webpages to post their activities in depth, but I can provide a link to existing pages and/or post some activity items here. All anyone need do is contact me at my email address and pass along their material electronically.
I should add that some of the people who are noted in this part of the page are good resource folks for all types of information if one should be looking for some long lost friend. I won't give out contact information unless I have permission from those named, but I will contact them on your behalf if you desire.
As news regarding VHS reunion activities comes to my attention it will appear on this web page. There's not much going on right this moment, but stay tuned folks.
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 bookmarks. You might find something you like. If you experience a problem with them let me know. Also, if you want to see past editions of this eZine check the new archives links below.
Links to other sites on the Web
Vol.3, Issue 3, April 9, 2005
© 2005 Rich Tarrant