Norwalk Landmark – Then & Now

I’d been saving this small news item (above) about the Wooster-Boalt House for about five years, with the intention of giving it the then-and-now treatment. I finally had my chance last weekend during my first attempt to locate the Lyon house.

The small clipping appeared in the Lorain Journal on May 23, 1963.

Courtesy ohiomemory.org

As noted on the Ohiomemory.org website, “this building used to be a Presbyterian Female Seminary and is an example of Greek architecture in Ohio.

"It was built in 1847 and currently serves as a private residence. It was converted into a home by Henry Wooster in 1855, and may also be referred to as the Boalt House.

The findagrave.com website includes an extensive biography of Charlotte Wooster Boalt (here), the daughter of Henry Wooster. It states, "The family moved to Plymouth in the pre-Civil War days and after living there a short period of time, came to Norwalk to reside. Thus, Mrs. Boalt became a resident of Norwalk when quite young and spent most of her life here. Her early education was obtained at the old Seminary that was located in the large and imposing dwelling house at the corner of West Main and Pleasant Streets, which later became the home of the Boalt family for many years.”

It wasn’t easy for me to grab my “now" shot, as it seemed most of Norwalk’s citizens were out for a walk on Main Street on Sunday. Every time I drove by the house to grab my shot, a young mother pushing a baby buggy and leading a gaggle of kids seemed to stroll into the shot.

But I finally got my photo (apparently without being reported to the police as a suspicious character with a camera).