Volunteer Bay – Part 4

Although the Spanish-American War had been over for more than a half-century, there were still Spanish War Veterans living at Volunteer Bay in the 1950s.

Read about a few of these old gents, as well as a nice history of Volunteer Bay, in this interesting article that ran in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on May 30, 1955. A block of photos that accompanied the original Plain Dealer article can be found at the bottom of this post.

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VETS OF ’98 SNUG
IN VOLUNTEER BAY
Spanish War Community 
Is Near Vermilion

BY JOHN G. BLAIR

There’s a snug harbor three miles west of Vermilion.

Volunteer Bay was the name given to this haven by the Spanish-American War veterans who established it.

Here the veterans in their declining years sit by the side of Lake Road and watch the rest of the world go by.

Traffic is heavy on Ohio Route 2 and U. S. Route 6, which cuts through Volunteer Bay.

But not many of the veterans are content with sitting. Despite advancing years, they are a lively bunch.

Idea Born in 1922
As time has depleted the ranks of the volunteers, sons and daughters of the veterans have succeeded them in the little community.

Volunteer Bay has 100 members, of whom 13 are veterans of the war with Spain.

There are 23 sons and daughters belonging to the Spanish War Veteran Association. Twelve widows of veterans live at Volunteer Bay.

Back in 1922 the idea of Volunteer Bay was born at a meeting in Cleveland of veterans of the conflict.

The meeting was prompted by the plight of a comrade in arms who had fallen on ill days. Out of work, getting old and faced with a future living on a government pension, the veteran needed help.

Bought 52-Acre Farm
A haven where the aging Spanish-American War veteran could get by on a limited income was the solution, the organizers decided. Volunteer Bay was the answer.

For $35,000, a good figure in those days, the old Johnson farm of 52 acres was purchased by the association. The land is bounded by Lake Erie on the north and the New York Central System tracks on the south.

Because all the men who fought in the Spanish-American War were volunteers, the name Volunteer Bay was selected.

The land was divided into 278 lots and originally leased only to veterans of the Spanish war holding an honorable discharge. Later the lots were offered to others.

Roads Have Military Names
Volunteer Bay is governed by a board of trustees elected for three-year terms. The board, in turn, elects the association’s officers.

The community has its own water system, buying water from Vermilion and distributing it to the members. Roads and grounds are cared for by the association.

There is little room left for doubt that Volunteer Bay is the home of old soldiers. The gravel roads running north and south bear such names as Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery Roads. Navy Lane runs parallel to Lake Road. Marine Road forms the east boundary of the land.

Last Organizer Nears 78
A park overlooking an 800-foot-long beach is called McKinley Parade. Dewey Field is a natural amphitheater where the veterans in younger years played baseball. Woods at the south end of the land are called San Juan Hill.

Last of the original organizers, Frederick A. Stanley, 78 on June 16, lives at Volunteer Bay with his wife, Minnie, who is past Ohio department president of the United Spanish War Veterans Auxiliary.

Stanley helped guard Washington during the war. He is a retired railway mail service employee.

Lakewood Veteran There
A veteran of service in Puerto Rico living there is Herman Holl, 78. Holl is a retired tool and die maker and lived in Lakewood until he moved to the Bay.

Ulrich J. Bauer, 76, calls Volunteer Bay “the best place on earth.” He has lived there 10 years since retiring as a school custodian in Lorain.

Bauer has the job of keeping up the grounds. He served in Cuba.

Another retired railroad employee living there is Harry F. Keeling, 79, who was with the Fifth Ohio Volunteers. They were ready to sail from Tampa to Cuba when the war ended.

Hit by Cannon Ball
A wounded veteran of the Spanish War is Emil Schellmann, 78, who lives with his wife, Pearl, at the Bay. He was wounded in the Battle of San Juan Hill when a solid cannon ball fired by the Spanish hit his left foot, crippling it.

Schellmann has lived at Volunteer Bay since 1942, following his retirement from the old Cleveland Railway Co., for which he was a conductor 31 years.

Life moves at a slow pace at Volunteer Bay. There will be no formal Memorial Day rites, but the boys who are still there have a wealth of memories of their departed comrades.

Next: The Clubhouse