New London RR Depot on the Move – May 1972

It's always good to see old railroad depots that somehow managed to survive in this day and age, in which passenger train travel (with the exception of Amtrak) has largely gone away. 

Many cities (like Lorain) no longer have their depots or train stations; other cities (like Vermilion) managed to hold on to them. Often the key to keeping the depots from getting demolished is to move them, like Avon did.

And here's another example of just that. Above is a newspaper article about New London's former Akron, Canton & Youngstown Railroad depot and its move to a new home in the New London's Recreation Park.

The story by Journal Staff Correspondent Jim Van Sickle ran in the paper on May 10, 1972.

Ironically, the move was held up by – what else? – a train. Four of them, actually, that kept the depot from crossing the tracks on East Main Street for a while.

Anyway, here's a great photo of the depot as it looks today in its new home, courtesy of Bob McGilvray Jr. and his Flickr site. Visit it here; Bob has a nice history of the station as well as some other great photos.

Courtesy Bob McGilvray Jr.

Memorial Day 1972

Well, it's Memorial Day – a day of remembrance on which we honor those who have died in service of the United States of America. (Click here for a well-written history of the holiday.)

Fifty years ago, we celebrated Memorial Day on May 29, 1972. Above is the traditional full-page ad that the Journal used to feature, with various local businesses and organizations as sponsors. 

As usual, it's interesting seeing who is still around. There's a few: Discount Drug Mart; Bob-O-Link Golf Course; The Journal; Amber Oaks; and, of course, the nursing homes and cemeteries.

Have a safe holiday and please don't forget the real meaning behind it.

At the Movies – May 31, 1962

So what was playing in the local theaters back at the end of May 1962 – sixty years ago? Leave us take a look at the Lorain Journal movie page from May 31, 1962.

Why, none other than Elvis was starring in two features – Wild in the Country at the Lorain Drive-in and Blue Hawaii at the Carlisle Drive-in.  Also on the bill at the Lorain Drive-in was Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).

Here's the trailers for Wild in the Country and Blue Hawaii.

Over at the Tower Drive-in was an odd double feature: Walt Disney's Nikki - Wild Dog of the North (1961) and the un-Disney-like Sail a Crooked Ship (1961) with Robert Wagner, Dolores Hart, Carolyn Jones, Frankie Avalon and Ernie Kovacs. Maybe the theater was counting on the kids to fall asleep after Nikki.

In Lorain, there was a pretty good flick at the Tivoli: the classic Cape Fear (1962) with Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck.

At the Dreamland, there was a quite a double bill: Roger's and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song and Everything's Ducky (1961) with Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett. (Hey, those two also performed as a comedy team in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.)

And finally – (I'm saving the best for last), over at the Avon Lake Theatre was one of my favorite classic Westerns, with two of my favorite Western stars: Ride the High Country (1962) with Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott.

I'm a big Joel McCrea fan thanks to GRIT TV, and this one is a fitting cap to his long career (although he made a couple of films after it). If you've never seen it, you're in for a real treat – and a few shocks as well. It's terrific!

Here's the trailer.

"Miss Victory" From the Back – May 1956

Here's something you don't see everyday: a view of Lorain's iconic "Miss Victory" statue (a favorite topic on this blog) from the back.

The photo ran on the front page of the Lorain Journal back on May 26, 1956 – 66 years ago today. As noted in the caption, "Lorain Park Department workers (left to right) Rodney Hale, foreman; John Ceol and James Camera planted geraniums, dwarf marigolds and a border of blue ageratum this morning at the World War I veterans' monument at Fifth St. and West Erie Ave. All veterans's monuments and markers in the city will be beautified before Memorial Day."

It's kind of nice to remember when Lorain used to proudly maintain its parks using its own workers. 

Today, Lakeview Park and Century Park/Harbor House are operated by the Lorain County Metro Parks. And the park at Fifth Street and West Erie – which celebrated its 100th anniversary in early April – is owned by the Lorain Finance and Port Authority.

Unfortunately, additional flag poles have been erected that dwarf Miss Victory, and destroy the quaint, contemplative nature of the park. 

Courtesy Google Maps

Ugh.

Lorain Community Hospital Groundbreaking – May 1962

Vintage postcard of Lorain Community Hospital

Sixty years ago this month, the groundbreaking ceremony for Lorain Community Hospital took place. Above is the front page of the May 9, 1962 Journal with the story.

It's kind of nice seeing former Mayor John C. Jaworski and current Mayor Woodrow Mathna doing the honors with the shovels. Nowadays, you don't always see that acknowledgment that major projects span through different administrations – of different political parties. 

Anyway, who could have known that what we would have considered to be Lorain's 'other' hospital would some day be the only hospital in town after the merger with St. Joe's. 

And we're lucky to have it.

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Click here to visit my other post about Lorain Community with an aerial 'then and now.'

Sawmill Creek Article – May 28, 1972

Artist's rendering of the renovated Sawmill Creek Resort
(Courtesy Cleveland.com)

Sawmill Creek Lodge was in the news in 2019 when Cedar Fair, the parent company of Cedar Point, purchased the resort in July of that year. Cedar Fair began a major renovation of the property, including its rooms and public spaces, and is set to reopen it on June 13th.

So it's a good time to look back at when the year-round luxury resort was first under construction – fifty years ago. Here's a great article from the May 28, 1972 Journal by Staff Writer Barb Jones with the story.

As the article noted, "The resort is nestled along the shore of Lake Erie and will provide rooms for 225 guests in its initial building phase. Three restaurants and at least a dozen conference rooms will house the conventions.

"At least 700 investors are taking part in funding the giant luxury resort which will offer a wide selection of entertainment and activities.

"Lodge guests are in for a special treat if golf is their bag... a million dollar course designed by George Fazio, prominent golf course architect, is under construction and will be open to golfers by the '73 putting season.

"It's hard for the local resident who remembers the former grape farm, with the barefooted pickers plucking the fruit, to imagine the splendor of the $6 1/4 million dollar resort under construction.

"Plans to restore the once grand old brick farmhouse to its former splendor have been shelved for the more utilitarian plan of housing staff offices. The huge red barn and workshop will be retained and will house a dress shop and an antique store.

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Although I don't remember ever staying at Sawmill Creek, I performed there several times on New Year's Eve as a member of a local big band.

Over the years I've also been in the aforementioned store in the front of the property.

And in more recent years, I've visited the resort to see the Firelands Festival of Lights, a drive-through holiday light display that is also a fundraising event.

Planters Peanut Butter Ad – May 2, 1962

Planters is arguably the most well-known name in peanuts. So it's only natural that the company would introduce its own peanut butter.

And so it did, sixty years ago. Above is a national ad that ran in the Journal back on May 2, 1962.

I like how the monocled Mr. Peanut is shown, about to take a bite out of a piece of bread slathered with (shudder!) his own kind.

Here are a few vintage containers and lids of the stuff, poached from eBay. They don't quite match the illustration in the ad.

Surprisingly, the product is still around, although I've never seen it in stores.

Mr. Peanut has been through a lot of abuse over the years. His design has been tweaked a few times, and he was needlessly given a celebrity voice (Robert Downey Jr.) around 2010. The classic ad mascot was even killed in a 2020 Super Bowl commercial and 'reborn' as a baby version of his former self.

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So what's your favorite peanut butter?

My mother – like all choosey mothers – always chose Jif. 

Peanut butter was the staff of life in our house. I probably brought a peanut butter sandwich for lunch every day through all four years of high school. I still bring it to work every day now. 

However, I drifted away from the Jif brand as an adult. I've tried all of the peanut butters, and I finally settled on Peter Pan Honey Roast Creamy Peanut Butter as my favorite. It's one of the few times I don't care about the mascot or the packaging – I just like the taste.

And speaking of Jif, I'm annoyed that its advertising team has resorted to the popular trend of using a profanity-based phrase, in its That Jif'ing Good campaign. 

Ugh.

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One last reminisce. Remember Koogle (not Google) Peanut Butter in the early 1970s?

Courtesy Reddit

We tried it and liked it in our house. It came in a variety of yummy flavors, including chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla (my favorite). But it was gone within a few years.

Read all about it here on the Gone But Not Forgotten Groceries website, where you can also see a vintage commercial and peruse some great reminisces by people who loved the product.

Top Value Stamps Ad – May 2, 1962

We started out this week on the blog with a visit from our pal Reddy Kilowatt; we'll close the week with an ad featuring another advertising mascot, our favorite pachyderm with the tam o'shanter: Toppie, the Top Values Stamp elephant.

Above is the ad that ran in the Journal back on May 2, 1962 – sixty years ago this month.

The focus of the ad was that you needed to fill less stamp books to get a free gift from Top Value Stamps than their unnamed competitors, which I assume included S&H Green Stamps. The ad showed the 'price' of several items: a Kodak Brownie 8 Movie Camera (7-2/5 books); a Corning Ware 9-Cup Percolator (2-4/5 books) and a GE Spray Steam & Dry Iron (6 books).

The ad also shows a Ford Falcon. I was curious how many books it would cost, and if you needed a Ford Pickup Truck to take them all to the redemption center. But the car was only a prize in Top Value Stamps "Happy Days" Sweepstakes.

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Toppie's popped up on this blog many times.

Massacre Mile Article – May 31, 1972

Just a little south of the former Emerald Valley Golf Course (the topic of yesterday's post) is the portion of Leavitt Road once known as 'Massacre Mile' – where the big sweeping curve is located.

Massacre Mile has been featured on this blog before. This 1967 article from the Journal seems to be the one of the earliest references to that part of State Route 58 as that nickname; and this 1976 article provided an update of the carnage in the ensuing nine years.

Well, here's yet another article about Massacre Mile – this one dating from right in the middle between the years of the previous articles. It ran in the Journal on May 31, 1972.

I'm not sure if anyone refers to that part of Leavitt Road as Massacre Mile any more, especially since the speed limit has been reduced. In the past many years, I've also noticed at least one house on the curve that was removed.

But there's a new problem area nearby – namely, the entrance to Lighthouse Village. Last year it seems like every time I went through that area where Tower Boulevard runs into the shopping area, there was a bad accident there.

Emerald Valley Golf Club Opens – May 1962

Emerald Valley Golf Course has been featured on this blog several times over the years, including posts devoted to a 1969 interview with Emil and Emily Kucirek (the builders and co-owners of the course); a 1970 Journal article about the Emerald Valley Golf Shop; and a post with a 1972 newspaper ad and photos of how the clubhouse looks today.

Well, here's a good article about the initial opening of the Emerald Valley Golf Club. The story appeared in the Journal back on May 4, 1962. It provides a great history of the course and mentions the farm that used to occupy the site.

It notes, "Emerald Valley Golf Club, $300,000 semi-private nine-hole golf course located on Leavitt Rd. at the intersection of Jaeger Rd., will be available to its golfing membership for the first time Saturday.

"Emil and Emily Kucirek, builders and co-owners, added that trick shot artist Paul Hahn will appear for an exhibition at the Lorain links June 3.

Photo of Paul Hahn courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

"Construction of the 2,845 yard golf course began in November of 1960 on a 60-acre tract of land once known as the Glen Mauer Farm. Kucirek also has an additional 60-acre tract for another nine holes to be built "at some future date."

"The course is ideally laid out with two creeks and two manmade lakes offering additional hazards along with an abundance of natural tree hazards. It has three par three holes, four par fours and two par fives, No. 1 and 4 both stretching 530 yards.

"Play will be mostly on an open basis the first year.

"Emerald Valley's spacious clubhouse has been in use for several months now and is available for parties, weddings, etc. It contains a dining room seating 88 upstairs and a banquet hall seating 225 downstairs.

"Other clubhouse facilities include a southern exposure patio overlooking the course, lounge bar, snack bar, pro shop, locker room for men and parking for 200 cars. Future plans call for construction of a swimming pool by 1963 and tennis courts."

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Unfortunately I never golfed at Emerald Valley. My career on the links was a short one, only spanning a few years in the late 1990s/early 2000s. (I mentioned my golf lessons at Bob-O-Link Golf Course back on this post.) I mainly played at Aqua Marine (another lonnnnng delayed post on this blog) on the way home from work, and patronized many driving ranges from Elyria to Westlake and beyond.

I may pick up golf again some day.

Lorain County Flooding – May 12, 1956

Although it's nothing to feel nostalgic about, Lorain County was the scene of some serious flooding 66 years ago this month. 

The above front page story from the May 12, 1956 Lorain Journal tells the tale.

As Jack LaVriha noted in his article, "A series of heavy thunderstorms during the night left virtually every section of the city and many parts of Lorain County in a flooded condition, caused thousands of dollars in property damage and swelled Black River through Cascade Park in Elyria to 12 feet above normal.

"Beaver Creek, west of Lorain, went over its banks to flood the area, there was five feet of water in the E. 28th Street subway, the E. 36th St. ditch was 12 feet deep at its peak and the southwest section in the Willow Creek area was virtually under water.

"Service Director Wallace J. Chapla described the thunderstorms which hit the city at about 10 p.m. and continued on and off until 2 a.m. as "the worst from the standpoint of flooded conditions in the history of Lorain."

"He said the Lorain Waterworks rain meter registered 1.45 inches of rainfall during the four-hour period of thunderstorms.

"In Elyria, City Parks Commissioner Vern Bell said after an inspection of Black River in Cascade Park that "the 12 feet of water over normal is the highest I've ever seen it – and it's still going up."

"Route 611 in the Moore Rd. area at Avon was under water – a situation which occurs after every heavy rain – while residents in the French Creek district angrily wanted to know when the county commissioners were going to do something about the drainage problems."

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This blog has been, well, flooded with posts about flooding in Lorain County, including the Flood of 1913; flooding in Avon and Avon Lake in March 1952; Black River flooding in Elyria in March 1955; Vermilion River flooding in January 1959; Vermilion River flood threats in January 1970; and the infamous July 4, 1969 storm (including coverage in the Vermilion Photojournal).

Reddy for the Power to Come Back On

Did you hear the transformer blow in Vermilion near the railroad overpass on Friday night?

I had just settled down to enjoy the fine, educational programming on GRIT TV when I heard what sounded like an atom bomb going off a few hundred feet from my condo – followed by a loss of most, but not all, power.

I heard my condo neighbors congregating outside, so I joined them in what turned out to be a post-winter reunion of sorts. One of them suggested that the transformer at the bottom of the hill was the problem. I made a quick call to Ohio Edison (First Energy, actually) and a truck was out in about a half hour, just as darkness fell. I watched as the workers headed into the woods, flashlights in hand.

About twenty minutes later, the First Energy workers came back up and told me that an unlucky woodpecker was the culprit who caused the lack of power. They went right to work, and power was back on about a half-hour after that.

Reddy Kilowatt would have been proud.

And speaking of Reddy, here's an ad from the May 11, 1965 edition of the Journal, showing our old pal serving up a Gold Medallion Home on a platter.

So what's a Gold Medallion Home?

According to Washington State's Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation website, "One of the most effective mass marketing home campaigns of all time was the “Live Better Electrically” (LBE) program of the post-World War II era. It began in the mid 1950s when the General Electric (GE) and Westinghouse corporations decided to co-sponsor a multi-million dollar nationwide campaign to promote the sales of electric appliances and to tout the benefits of electric power.  General Electric provided the main support for the program, which launched in March of 1956.

"At the time, utility companies were rushing to meet the increased demand for electricity in postwar America. However, as more power plants came on line the cost of electricity decreased.  To increase company profits, homeowners were encouraged to consume more power through the purchase of a variety of electric products. For GE and Westinghouse, the creation of a new market for electric heat also promised to increase company profits. Additionally, the two corporations not only sold residential electric heating units and a variety of household appliances, but they also sold electrical generating equipment to  utility companies nationwide.

"To further the new program, in October 1957 the National Electrical Manufacturers Association launched the "Medallion Homes" campaign, which sought to sell initially 20,000 all-electric homes nationwide within a year. 

"To earn a LBE Medallion emblem a house had to be solely sourced with electricity for heat, light, and power. The house also had to have an electric range or built-in oven and surface units, and an electric refrigerator and/or refrigerator/freezer in the kitchen. Other requirements were an electric water heater, plus at least one more major electric appliance selected by the builder or buyer from an approved list.  An optional appliance might be a dishwasher, food waste disposer, clothes dryer or even an air conditioner. Full 150 ampere service was also required, with a specified number of outlets and switches per linear foot of wall space. And finally, to meet the requirement of “modern living,” Medallion Homes had high standard for built-in illumination throughout the house, initially an unusual feature within new home construction.

"The homes that met LBE standards could be marked with a 3” inch brass plaque emblazed with the “Live Better Electrically” logo. The brass plaque was typically found near the front entry door and could be embedded in the concrete sidewalk, patio or doorstep, or affixed to the wall as a stand-alone marker.  Some plaques were incorporated into a doorbell or knocker. For those who wanted a less permanent marker, a 6” inch decal could be affixed to a window."

You can find some of these medallions on eBay, such as the one below, which is the same as the one Reddy is holding.

Anyway, the main message of the ad was that shoppers could see a Gold Medallion Home at O'Neil Sheffield Shopping Center that weekend. It was a great gimmick, bringing the Open House to the potential buyers, instead of vice-versa.

I may have to pick me up one of those medallions. I live in an all-electric, modern condo, where the only gas is a result of my cooking.

How do I like an all-electric home? It's great, except for situations like Friday night.

 

Vermilion Marina Ad – May 15, 1965

With the arrival of the warm weather comes the urge for boaters to get their crafts into the water in preparation for summer fun.

Fifty-seven years ago, area boaters had a great choice of where to dock their boat: Vermilion Marina, located south of Routes 6&2, off West River Road.

If the marina sounds familiar, that's because it was part of the Key Harbor Lagoons development (which I wrote about here).

The above ad ran in the Lorain Journal back on May 15, 1965. An Owens boat display and style show was also planned

Looking at the ad, I noticed that there was a 20-piece set of Owens Yacht Originals for "your 1st Mate" with the purchase of a new 26, 28 or 30 foot Owens. Naturally, I thought that it was a set of glasses or tumblers, like the type given away at gas stations.

I was thinking too small – it was a free wardrobe of "lovely yachting clothes." This 1965 ad from the July 1965 issue of Popular Boating tells the story.

Harbour Town Inn – May 1972

Fifty years ago, Vermilion was still in the planning stage of its Harbour Town – 1837 downtown district renewal project.

One of the first businesses to embrace the concept was the Harbour Town Inn, located at Exchange and Liberty Streets. Above is an article from the May 21, 1972 Journal that tells the story.

"The original building was constructed in the 1860's," the article by Staff Writer Bob Cotleur notes. "The dining room had been closed the past 40 years. And it seems entirely possible there might be a ghost around, though it won't be on the wide, white front veranda."

Although it may seem hard to believe, here is how the building looked when it was Hotel Maudelton. 

Historian Rich Tarrant's excellent "Vermilion Views" website includes a well-researched history of the building here, including the story of how the building was moved to that location.

And courtesy of Google, here's a look at the building today, which is the home of Step by Step Employment and Training.

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I almost forgot to mention that we also get on that same page a nice article about Lorain's Pete Delis, who along with his wife Olga owned and operated the well-remembered Delis Furniture Store at 1224 Broadway at that time.

Ponderosa Pines Park Article – May 1972

Ponderosa Pines Park Ranch House was one of the restaurants I wrote about back on St. Patrick's Day. Despite its colorful and Western-sounding name, however, I'd never heard of it. I only knew from its ad that it was located on Diagonal Road, south of Route 303.

Thus I was happy to see this "Golden Crescent Guide to Dining and Dancing" from the May 26, 1972 Journal devoted to the place. It turns out that the restaurant was part of Ponderosa Pines Park, a camping resort with a 9 home golf course, swimming, and horseback riding, not to mention 400 campsites.

Ernie Nichols and the Nightbeats were the featured performers on Friday and Saturday nights back in May 1972.

Courtesy UMKC Digital Special Collections

Today, Ponderosa Pines Park is no more. The golf course is now Pheasant Run Golf Course. Its website notes, "Pheasant Run Golf Course was originally built in the mid-1060s as a nine-hole public golf course. The course expanded to an 18-hole course in the mid-1980s, and further expanded when we added our clubhouse and pavilion in 1995."

The campground appears to be the location of a housing development. 

But the large lake nearby – Ponderosa Pines Lake – keeps the memories alive.

The original Ponderosa Pines Park Ranch House building appears to be still standing, although it is unclear if it is being used for anything.

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The Golden Crescent Guide to Dining and Dancing features many restaurants that have appeared on this blog through the years, including Amber Oaks, Elberta Inn, Sherwood Inn, and Presti's of Oberlin.

Millbrook Bread Ad Featuring Snoopy – May 17, 1972

Yesterday's post featured popular comic strip character Li'l Abner being used in a 1962 newspaper ad to sell Frankies wieners.

Ten years after that ad appeared in the Journal, Peanuts was now the most popular comic strip in the country. And just as Al Capp allowed his characters to be used in ads, cartoonist Charles Schulz had no problem using Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang to sell, sell, sell.

By 1972, the Peanuts specials had been on TV for seven years. Many of us that watched these original specials remember the Coca-Cola sponsorship that was worked into the opening and closing credits, as well as the animated commercials for Dolly Madison snack cakes and fruit pies.

Millbrook Bread was another longtime advertiser connected with the specials. Below is a Millbrook Bread ad featuring Snoopy that ran in the Journal back on May 17, 1972.

It's kind of funny that the ad just reproduced one of the bread wrappers as its main graphic.

Looking at the bread wrapper, I was fairly surprised to see that by 1972 Snoopy's design had already evolved into the short, squat version. I liked the mid-60s version much better (see below).

Courtesy Schulz Museum

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Charles Schulz and his popular creation have been the subject of many posts on this blog.

Frankies Ad Featuring Li'l Abner – May 23, 1962

Cartoonist Al Capp was the master when it came to merchandising his beloved comic strip Li'l Abner. 

Capp allowed his popular hillbilly characters to be used to sell everything from Cream of Wheat to laundry detergent. (Fearless Fosdick, Capp's parody of Dick Tracy and Li'l Abner's "ideel," also was featured in a series of ads for Wildroot Cream-Oil Hair Tonic.)

And here's yet another advertising campaign using the denizens of Dogpartch – this time for Superior's Frankies, the "Keener Wiener." The ad above appeared in the Lorain Journal back on May 23, 1962 – sixty years ago this month.

The ad campaign was fairly late in the strip's life, past its prime of the 40s and 50s. But apparently the folks at Superior's Frankies were still confident that Li'l Abner and his family could dee-liver the goods.

It's an entertaining ad, with Li'l Abner lying in a hammock, squirting a condiment on his Frankie using one of the very dispensers being promoted in the ad. Li'l Abner's son, "Honest Abe" Yokum is handling one as well, while curvaceous wife Daisy Mae holds a whole tray of dee-licious Frankies. 

Here are a couple of the Frankies mustard and ketchup dispensers (which I mentioned back here on this post).

Li'l Abner (my favorite comic strip) has popped up on this blog several times. Tomorrow, we'll look at another ad that appeared in the Journal in the early 1970s, using a lovable, well-known beagle to sell bread.

Superhighway's A-Coming – May 1965

Just like yesterday's post was about the coming of the new Lorain Plaza Shopping Center, today's post deals with the coming of the new "superhighway" south of Lorain. 

The above article, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on May 13, 1965 provides a very accurate description of the new limited access highway. As the article notes, "the highway, none of which is yet completed, is now known as relocated SR 254 and as SR 2. Only the section from Baumhart Rd to SR 57 is now under construction." (The SR 254 designation for the highway was apparently abandoned.)

The article very accurately describes the numbering of the new highway, something that many people are still confused about today. The article points out, "IR 90 will lead from Cleveland to the Ohio Turnpike, while SR 2 will continue on to the west. The two routes will divide south of Lorain.

"The section west from Baumhart Rd. to the now-completed Sandusky by-pass will not be finished until the early 1970's."

The building of I-90 and the relocated State Route 2 have been regular topics on this blog, with posts on "I-90 Public Hearing" (August 1964); "When I-90 Was Being Built" (August 1966); the elimination of the 'Vermilion Gap' (Jan. 1967); Amherst's "Bridge to Nowhere" over Route 2 (July 1967); the Lake Erie Expressway update (Sept. 1968); the Middle Ridge Road Exit (Feb. 1969); "Misleading SR 2 Markers (March 1969); the opening of I-90 from SR 611 to SR 83 (Nov. 1970); extending State Route 2 West From Baumhart Road (June 1971); the opening of SR 2 from Baumhart to SR 61 (August 1975).

New Lorain Plaza Shopping Center Map – May 10, 1956

Most of us that grew up on the west side of Lorain in the 1960s and 70s spent a lot of time at the Lorain Plaza Shopping Center. 

It was where our mothers bought the weekly groceries at A&P or Kroger; where she picked up the dry cleaning; where some of us banked (at the Lorain National Branch); where we first encountered a large drug store chain (Revco); where we looked at the pet turtles for sale at W. T. Grant; and even where some of us first went to the Lorain Public Library (at its branch there). 

I'm sure you have your own pleasant memories of shopping there through the years.

Anyway, back in May of 1956, the shopping center was not yet under construction. But its location was featured on a map included down at the bottom of the front page of the Lorain Journal of May 10th.

The map (created with type from a typewriter) is pretty interesting. It shows how the shopping center was perfectly located for the numbered streets off Oberlin Avenue that were there at that time, as well as the many more to come in the next few years as farmland turned into developments.

Note that the football stadium (not yet renamed George Daniel Field) was still called Recreation Field. 

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Above the map is a story of the continuation of the Beaver Creek legal fracas.