Havana Holiday

One of the things I looked forward to when I went back to photograph the Lyon house was to actually see Havana. On my last visit, I had taken Route 61 out of Norwalk, got lost, and missed Havana entirely. This time, I brought along a map and followed Route 99 south out of Monroeville – so even I (notorious for getting lost) couldn’t miss it.

So, after getting my photograph of the Lyon house, I headed back north to Havana to give it a look-see, which took a minute or two. Here’s the southern approach to the town. That’s Greenfield Road, Havana's thoroughfare.

As you can see, the narrow road is dotted with only a handful of houses. Off in the distance, near the intersection of Greenfield and West Street, is this fine old commercial building.

Although it now resembles a ghost town, Havana used to be a busy railroad terminal. The building above was Geo. Van Horn's grocery and hardware store. 

You can see some great archival photos of Havana and read about its history on the Huron County Community Library website here. There’s a even a vintage photo of the store in its heyday.

Anyway, I’ve always liked these small, remote country towns such as Havana. I suspect that time passes slowly there and that life is simpler. Plus, country people always seem more friendly.

Almost to prove my point, while heading out of town, I met a lone car approaching from the opposite direction – the only sign of life in Havana I saw the whole time. Its driver gave me a friendly wave.

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UPDATE (April 2019)
Unfortunately the library link is dead, so here is the vintage photo of the Van Horn store, circa 1900. (Courtesy of FindAGrave.com)