Chronicle-Telegram Front Page – April 18, 1953

I've written a few times about how Lorain repurposed its old U. S. Coast Guard life-saving tower for civil defense uses in the 1950s, specifically by the Ground Observer Corps. The tower sat behind Lorain City Hall for many years until being removed in the early 1970s.

Well, here's a photo showing the installation of the City of Elyria's civil defense tower. It ran on the front page of the Chronicle-Telegram on April 18, 1953.

It notes, "NEARLY READY FOR SKYWATCHERS – Yesterday afternoon the Ground Observer Corps skywatch shelter was put into place on its supports and now all that is needed are a telephone and power facilities and the skywatchers, part of the civil defense program, can go to work.

"At the base of the tower, which is located at Elyria's new recreation field on West street, are left to right, Douglas Nichols, supervisor of the Post; Dan W. Kothe, Elyria Safety Service Director; G. Ralph Terry, president of City Council. Directly in front of the tower is Paul Rouse, Chief Observer, who donated the crane and crew to put the shelter in position on the supports."

You never know, we may need to revive that Ground Observer Corps program someday.

Anyway, the front page has many other items of interest: unusually cold weather for Ohio, including several inches of snow; part of the profile of Charles W. Scheide, a photographer who recorded much of life around Elyria over the decades; a report on an atomic bomb test at Yucca Flat near Las Vegas; and a report of truce talks with North Korea in an effort to end the Korean War.