Herbert Follansbee’s Summer Cottage

Since Memorial Day is the start of the unofficial summer vacation season, it’s a good time for this post. It was contributed by Rick Kurish, who has generously researched and provided many interesting topics for this blog over the years.

Rick knows that I live on Route 6 near Root Road, so he knew I would find this article (below) about the summer home of a local businessman interesting.

"I came across the picture and article on the Follansbee's summer "cottage" in the Elyria Republican newspaper of October 11, 1900,” wrote Rick. "Since the article mentioned that the cottage was two and one-half miles east of the Lorain viaduct, I figured they had to be in the Root Road neighborhood. A little research in the 1896 property atlas (below), indicates that their summer property "Breezy Corners,” was on the lake shore just west of Root Road. Practically neighbors of yours – separated by about 100 years!

"Herbert Stanley Follansbee was originally a representative of a silver manufacturer in Tauton Mass., where he was born February 15, 1847.

"A brief notice in the Elyria Republican of July 7,1892, (below) indicates that he was severing that relationship, and was going to be employed by the Garford Manufacturing Company in Elyria. 

"Another small snippet in the Elyria Republican of July 12, 1894 indicated that he had just completed his summer cottage which he named Breezy Corners. 

"Later newspapers are replete with entertainments hosted at the cottage by Herbert and his wife Minnie. The cottage was apparently staffed by a cook and a groom for the horses, since I found several ads for a cook and a horseman to work at the cottage. They preferred a couple." 

Despite the fact that it was a summer residence, Breezy Corners did make it into the Lorain city directory a few times. It appeared in the 1903 and 1905 editions.

1903 Polk directory listing

1905 Polk directory listing

Remembering my blog series about steel executive Max Suppes and his summer home at Lake Breeze, Rick had a good question about the Follansbees. "I wonder if they knew the Suppes, a mile or so down the road?” he pondered.

But as Rick noted, "The Follensbees' main residence was on Washington Avenue in Elyria.” Perhaps they were partial to having fellow Elyrians as guests at their cottage; both the July 31, 1909 Chronicle-Telegram and the August 25, 1908 Elyria Republican noted that “a number of Elyrians enjoyed a picnic lunch on Thursday at the home of Mrs. Herbert Follansbee on the lake shore."

Herbert Follansbee died January 5, 1929 in Elyria. Sadly, Breezy Corners is no more, apparently sacrificed for another home at the same site. 

"A little bit of history that is now gone,” noted Rick.