According to the Black River Historical Society's Lorain, Ohio book, the station's construction began in 1908 and it was in full operation around 1910. The postcard above was postmarked 1915 so it's a pretty early view.
Here's another view.
And here's a later postcard view showing the whole harbor. Note the tiny image of the lighthouse off in the distance.
The Black River Historical Society's book notes that the station was replaced with a new, larger building in 1989. But however much the new building was needed, it's still not the same – more than twenty years later – for us old-timers to look down from the Bascule Bridge and not see the familiar, quaint original building.
Here's the "now" view from a week ago. It's quite a different scene with the Lorain treatment plant in the background. I remember when you were allowed to drive all the way around the plant and fish from its perimeter. But no more.
3 comments:
Can't drive around the sewage plant?! My dad would take me out there, then we would walk out on the pier to watch the boats unload under the old Brownhoists. There is a tunnel dug under the river there. My dad said that his dad helped build it back during the depression.
The last time I went down there, it was gated off so you couldn't gain entrance. I'm not sure when they did that; maybe it was a Homeland Security type of thing.
Dan, I think the sewage plant gate was one of the repercussions of Sept. 11. I remember being able to go all the way around it, too. The tunnel is still there - that's what backs up onto First Street behind City Hall when the rain is heavy. The tunnel gate is in that little cement building on the pier.
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