Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Amherst’s Old Spring Article – July 1953

Vintage postcard of the Old Spring
Back in May, I featured a full-page article with photos from the Lorain Journal from 1956 spotlighting Amherst. One of the photo subjects was the well-known, iconic Old Spring.

Well, here’s another article from the Journal from a few years earlier, with a historical look back at the Spring. It ran in the paper on July 4, 1953.

One of the interesting tidbits mentioned in the article is how the Works Projects Administration did some work around the Spring’s surroundings, adding a wall along Beaver Creek, safety fencing, stone tables and a fireplace.

The Ohio Guide (1940), compiled by workers of the Writers’ Program of the Works Projects Administration in the State of Ohio, mentions the Old Spring. It notes, “In a landscaped ravine on Milan Ave. back of the town hall is OLD SPRING PARK, with outdoor tables and benches made from large grindstones.”

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I hadn’t been down to see the Old Spring in probably decades – so in preparation for this post I headed over there on Sunday afternoon.

I remember my parents bringing my siblings and me to see the Spring back in the 1960s. I’m pretty sure that you could still drink the water then, although I don’t remember it tasting particularly good.

The entrance arch seems to be crumbling a bit. Surprisingly, there's no sign making tourists aware of what it is.

Anyway, it was time to go down the stairs to see what the Old Spring looked like in 2019.

And there it was. I understand that there is a plan to rebuild the stone arch seen in the vintage postcard at the top of this post.

Can you still drink the water? Maybe these signs have the answer.

I’m not sure but I think this is the fireplace mentioned in the article. (Blogger's note: I know now that isn't the case.) It did have charcoal briquets in it. And it’s rain-proof.

The rest of the park was pretty mushy from all the rain and very overgrown. In the interest of avoiding poison ivy (I break out when I get within five feet of it), I made the rash decision to pack it in. So for me it was back up the stairs, and on my way.

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UPDATE
Here are a few photos of the Old Spring, courtesy of the 125th Anniversary Edition of the Amherst News-Times, Sept. 22, 1939. It's pretty interesting how much the Spring has changed over the years.
One of the photos includes the fireplace mentioned in the 1953 article. By George, it's a real fireplace, not a tiny thing like I thought.
This link will take you to the Ohio Memory.org page with the whole edition of the newspaper, which includes several articles about the Old Spring.
Here's one of the 1939 articles. It mentions the work that the Federal government did to beautify the park surrounding the Spring.

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for the pictures - I grew up maybe 5 miles from this place but never actually went there!

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  2. Growing up in Amherst in the 1950s, I remember the Old Spring well. It was about a 10 minute bicycle ride from where I lived on North Main Street. My friends and I would stop there occasionally when we were downtown. It was a nice quiet area with a couple of rock picnic tables, and we enjoyed the rustic entrance arch and the rather private setting. The green metal object pictured in your blog was actually a bird feeder, at least that was its use at that time. Although my parents told us never to drink from the spring, we knew several people who filled jugs with the water for drinking, so we indulged in the occasional small sip, without apparent harmful effects. I also remember a period of a couple of months when i would pedal to the spring to get water for a school project. The project involved the regeneration ability of Planaria (fresh water flatworms) which could not abide chlorinated tapwater. I don't know has safe the water was to drink -- but the Planaria thrived in it! Thanks for the memories.

    Rick

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  3. Thanks for clarifying about the bird feeder, Rick!

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  4. Is this the same system that feeds Cherry Knoll?

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    1. Most of those "spring water" stores like the one on Murray ridge are actually pumped from the city water, and ran through man made aquifers. I can't confirm the one on 58 and 113,but the Murray ridge one is.

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  5. It looks like a mild breeze might knock over that archway.

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  6. Glad to see a post on Amherst's Old Spring! (And thanks for posting the link to my website for further info.)
    Another link to a report I did on the importance of Amherst's Old Spring to the reason for Downtown Amherst's location, may be found here for more info: http://newindianridgemuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/A-Thirst-for-History.pdf
    Anytime you want a tour around there, let me know - I'd be glad to show you around...I have a whole PowerPoint presentation on the Spring and general area.

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  7. Our family lived in Amherst during the summer of 1965 and the spring was an integral part of going down town on our bikes to "mess-around" or visit Ben Franklin's 5&10. The wrought iron lettering was still in place at that time.

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  8. Hey Dan, I was just reviewing your site again and remembered you had a nice posting on the Spring. I updated my website, so the links you had are not active anymore - here’s an updated link to info on the Old Spring: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/47a861d5-5156-4932-a325-2c192bc3e6aa/downloads/A-Thirst-for-History.pdf?ver=1720313834133

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  9. Also, you mentioned that the Spring arch was crumbling. I had noticed that too, and so my father and I did some restoration work on that, in April 2023. Here’s the latest on that! https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/47a861d5-5156-4932-a325-2c192bc3e6aa/downloads/Old%20Spring%20arch%20restoration.pdf?ver=1720313834133

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