Stroh's Beer Ad – May 25, 1954

Here's a scene of 1950s suburban bliss from the pages of the May 25, 1954 Lorain Journal  – a Stroh's Beer ad showing several couples enjoying an outdoor barbecue. 

The illustration of the people is kind of interesting. I like how several of them are holding Stroh's beer cans (although the woman on the right is holding her can funny). And I like that classic brick barbecue pit. You see them every once in a while in the backyard of old homes, like this house on Lorain's east side on Missouri Ave.

The focus of the ad is that fire-brewed Stroh's was now available in space-saving cans that cool "in a jiffy." The can design is kind of surprising in that it doesn't incorporate the classic Stroh's script logo. Here's a surviving can, courtesy of eBay. There aren't too many on eBay with this design.

Anyway, I was curious if Stroh's was still brewed in Detroit. After all, at one point Stroh's was the third largest brewing company in the country, producing other beer brands as well, including Schlitz.

Alas, according to the Historic Detroit website, the brewery closed in the mid-1980s. The company itself was broken up and sold to Miller Brewing and Pabst.

However, the beer seems to have made a comeback of sorts in the Motor City. According to its Wiki entry, "In August 2016, Pabst partnered with a brewery in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood called Brew Detroit to begin brewing batches of Stroh's Bohemian-Style Pilsner, a beer derived from an original 1850s Stroh's recipe. The first batch was shipped to area bars, restaurants, and liquor stores on August 22, with special events all across metropolitan Detroit on the 26th. 

"On May 4, 2018, Stroh's released its Perseverance IPA, as a Michigan exclusive. 

"A version of Stroh's brewed elsewhere (evidently by Pabst) was set to be reintroducted to the Detroit area in 2022."

I guess that's why if you visit the Stroh's website, you are greeted with friendly reminders of the beer's Detroit heritage, even though it is brewed in Wisconsin.

Sunday Journal Comics Sampler

As I noted yesterday, the Sunday Journal debuted its comic page on September 8, 1968 with an interesting lineup of classic comics. There were ones dating back to the early 1920s (Moon Mullins), the 1930s (Smiling Jack), the 1950s (Dennis the Menace) and at least one brand new in 1968 (Boner's Ark).

I was hoping to post some comics from the Sunday Journal's initial offering in 1968, but unfortunately they're not on microfilm. But here's a complete comic section from early December 1976. As you can see, some of the ones from 1968 were still going strong. Prince Valiant was one of my Mom's favorites.

Gasoline Alley is still running today. However, the strip's gimmick – that the characters age in real time, like us – became a problem. Walt Wallet, the strip's patriarch is about 120 years old now!

I always liked Moon Mullins and its great cast who all lived together in a boarding house of sorts. Besides happy-go-lucky, cigar-chomping Moon and his little brother Kayo, the cast included Lord Plushbottom (who looked like the top-hatted guy from the Monopoly game) and his wife, Emily; Uncle Willie (who resembled a hobo) and his wife Mamie; and a few attractive women for Moon to flirt with.

And since I couldn't find a 1968 comic section from the Journal, here are a few examples of strips that you would have seen then, such as Lolly.

And I couldn't resist posting this color Moon Mullins from 1972. The men of the house sure are getting worked up over Miss Swivel's perfume.

And here's another Moon Mullins, this time from 1970 featuring Myna Byrrd.

Lorain Sunday News Comics – May 30, 1954

Does anyone still look forward to reading the comics in the newspaper each day?

With the decline in newspaper readership, and with many papers having closed down or publishing less frequently, I doubt that many make it a priority to follow the funnies these days. 

Websites like GoComics.com make it possible to read some favorites without having to buy a newspaper, but I wonder how many people take advantage of it?

Anyway, seventy years ago comic strips were still going strong. The Lorain Journal didn't publish on Sunday yet, so it was up to the Lorain Sunday News to provide some color comic pages for the locals. I've posted a few below. It's an odd sampling with few (if any) that the average person today would remember or even have heard of. There's no Li'l Abner or Blondie here. But it reveals just how much times have changed.

Captain Easy and Wash Tubbs lead off the comic parade in the Sunday, May 30, 1954 edition. Tubbs (the little bespectacled nerdy guy) originally has his own comic strip, but the steel-jawed Captain's popularity eventually resulted in the two strips merging.

Next we have Our Boarding House starting Major Hoople. (The Major has been featured on this blog before on this post.) The 'topper strip' (a filler comic that usually ran above the main comic strip) was The Nut Brothers, who were popular as well.

I like that the times were such that Major Hoople could simply hitchhike his way to and from the country as a form of entertainment on a spring day.

Next we have Alley Oop the caveman. If I remember correctly, Alley Oop was carried by the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram.

Remember the popular song based on the strip?

Our last sample is Out Our Way, another slice-of-life strip that reflected the simpler times. Note that its topper strip (placed below it on the page, strangely enough) is The Comic Zoo, featuring cartoon animals.

I like the little strip of cartoon heads that runs at the bottom of each page. Aside from Alley Oop (which is still running today, believe it or not), Major Hoople, Captain Easy and Bugs Bunny, I'm not entirely sure who the others are. 

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It wasn't until the end of August 1968 that the Journal began publishing on Sunday. Comics were added a few weeks later. Here's a promotional ad for its comic section that ran in the paper on August 31, 1968.

The ad isn't entirely accurate. The list of comics mentions Mickey Mouse, but it was Donald Duck that appeared. Moon Mullins carried over from the small comics section that used to come with the Saturday paper for a while, but despite the appearance of Li'l Abner's wife Daisy Mae in the montage, Li'l Abner was not included. I do remember the offbeat comics like The Strange World of Mr. Mum and Henry that did run.

Lorain Public Library Book Sale

The Friends of the Lorain Public Library held its most recent Book Sale a few weeks ago.

The Sales are always an interesting affair. On Members Night (usually a Thursday), the Sale is only open to members of the Friends, who get first dibs at the latest offerings, which are both from the library's shelves, as well as donated. At zero hour when the Sale opens, it's a veritable feeding frenzy – similar to what you see when tossing snacks to hungry carp in a pond at a tourist trap. The leftovers are then offered to the public on the first day of the regular Sale.

It's hard to understand why some books end up in the Sale. In the last few years, I've walked away with books that didn't seem to belong there, including a biography of Admiral Ernest J. King; a copy of An Open Book: Coming of Age in the Heartland by Michael Dirda; Lorain city directories; and several books that I have taken out many times in the last five years (which is contrary to the library's notion that only books that are not being taken out end up in the sale). But when I ask the volunteers why certain books are being removed from the library shelves and peddled to the public, they cheerfully maintain their vow of silence. I guess whoever is in charge of the Library collection these days prefers empty book shelves uncluttered by dusty, old volumes.

Anyway, let's look at my book booty from the most recent sale.

I was fairly alarmed to see this copy of Jim Mahony: Mr. Lorain, a collection of oral history interviews conducted by Sheila Ives, M.L.S. between December 1, 1987 and January 10, 1989, in the Book Sale. But apparently the Library still has at least one copy in its collection.

This copy of The Pogo Peek-A-Book from 1955 was a nice find. Unlike the daily comic strip (which I enjoyed, but didn't always understand and almost never found humorous), the stories in it are pretty funny.

I flipped through this copy of Scarne on Cards by John Scarne (copyright 1949) is really interesting. He exposes all of the secrets of how experts cheat at cards. He covers all the games: gin rummy, Black Jack, Faro, Poker and Pinochle. Just reading a few pages of how to tell if cards are marked is pretty fascinating. I figure once I'm done reading it, it's time for a road trip to Las Vegas.

Lastly, and perhaps best of all, is this battered copy of Meet Andy Capp (1963). The paperback is a collection of early comic strips, which are pretty shocking if you're not familiar with the uniquely British character. (He was in the Plain Dealer Sunday comics when I was a kid so I remember him well.)

As the back cover notes, "Readers all over the world are howling over the daily newspaper antics of this raffish nogoodnik from Britain who drinks a lot, gambles a bit, knocks his wife out a bit – and doesn't work – not a bit. Everybody loves him."

It's interesting seeing how Andy Capp looked in his early adventures.

As a bonus, my copy of Meet Andy Capp had a surprise inside: two autographed photos of late night Channel 8 TV hosts Hoolihan and Big Chuck that someone apparently used as bookmarks!

And I've got just the snack to enjoy while perusing Meet Andy Capp.

Memorial Day 1954

From the pages of the May 30, 1954 edition of the Lorain Sunday News comes this two-page spread commemorating Memorial Day 1954.

It's got a nice sentiment. It reads, "The finest Americans are those who have given their lives for their country. The nation should not forget their sacrifice, nor should the people fail to remember that sacrifice every Memorial Day. Those who lost their lives defending this country are our greatest heroes, and without their sacrifice, no American would today be free. That is something worth remembering – and to be thankful for."

It's a good reminder that while it is always good and proper to honor all veterans, today is the today we remember those who gave up their lives while serving their country.

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The list of sponsors of the Lorain Sunday News ad is interesting in that it isn't the same old names found in similar Lorain Journal ads.

There are quite a few that I've never heard of, including: Dubble Dip Drive In (4079 Broadway); Connie's Restaurant (2941 Grove Ave.); Tel-Rad Television (3169 Globe Ave.); Varela Restaurant (1547 E. 30th St.); Flossie Trebus Beauty Shop (828 Highland Park Blvd.);

There are also many that were mentioned on this blog, including: J. Spang Baking Co. (522 W. 22nd); Duskey Bros. Pure Oil Station (Broadway at 19th St.); Gilbert's Food Store (Garfield and Missouri Aves.); Carl R. Johnson Trailer Court (Stop 112 - W. Lake Rd.); Airport Tavern (3700 Oberlin Ave.); Bob's Do-Nut Shop (1782 Broadway); Kucirek Construction (2904 Oberlin Ave.); and Polansky Meat Market (1376 Long Ave.).

Dubble Dip Drive In at 41st and Broadway was connected with the Service Creamery and carried its milk.

October 1, 1954 Lorain Journal Ad

Schenley Whiskey Ad – May 27, 1954

Whiskey ads continue to be served up regularly on this blog, year after year.

Why? It's not that I'm a big whiskey drinker; a bottle can last me for years. But as I've noted many times, whiskey ads ran in the Lorain Journal just about every day in the 1950s, so I post one every once in a while. It's interesting how each one used a different approach to attract new customers.

Old Log Cabin has probably appeared in the most ads. (Incidentally, I contacted the company that produces it today, pointing out that I'm their biggest champion through my posting of their vintage ads on my blog. They even have an enlargement of one of them on display in their showroom! But they've ignored my emails, probably thinking I was some boozer trying to cadge a free bottle off them.)

I've featured a variety of other whiskey brands on this blog, including Corby's, Old Quaker, Golden Wedding, PM Blended Whiskey, J. W. Dant and Schenley. (By the way, Schenley Industries not only owned its own namesake brand, but Old Quaker and Golden Wedding as well.)

And here's another Schenley ad from the Lorain Journal of May 27, 1954. It's pretty unusual in that it uses a cartoon character (a Kentucky Colonel type) to make its case – something that would be taboo today.

It's a soft-sell ad, gently cajoling the reader to consider Schenley's skill and patience during the manufacturing process to make their product the 'best-tasting whiskey in ages."

Despite the Colonel's charming appeal, the brand doesn't appear to exist today. This interesting blog tells how Schenley grew to become the largest producer of spirits in the U. S. by the mid-1940s, but ended up getting sold in the late 1980s and ceasing to exist as a company.

So I guess I won't be trying to weasel a free bottle of whiskey off them.

Up the Black River With Robert Tate – May 1954

There's a lot happening on the front page of the May 14, 1954 Lorain Journal: the French army taking a beating in Vietnam in the Indochina war, and attempting to get the United States to intervene; a janitor at National Tube winning a $25,000 judgement against the company for being forced into retirement; and Lorain County officials getting ready to set up county civil defense operations.

But the article that I found most interesting is a tongue-in-cheek travelogue written by Robert Tate, as he explores the Black River, starting from the Erie Avenue Bridge and continuing until he runs aground at 31st Street. It's mostly written in an amusing style (he shares that his provisions consist of two cheese sandwiches on white) but there are serious comments sprinkled here and there. Tate also contributes a few photos.

It's surprising when he discovers how polluted the Black River is. He points out that "the river is filthy dirty and stinks." He observes 'two warnings of death' early in his journey: a drowned rat floating by on its back, and a deceased fish trailing it by a few feet.

His log is at its most whimsical when he writes, "Pushing on upstream, I came to the country of a tribe known as the Steelworkers. They are noted for their handicraft, round metal tubes, especially. They make these in big campfires that burn day and night."

Tate notes that "The water is red brown with pollution. Any fish in it should have its fishhead examined. The only waterfalls are sewage pipes discharging."

He ends his journey at 31st Street, aware that "further on lived people known as Elyrians and others named by the civilized lakeshore peoples as "downstaters.""

Making Room for the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music – May 1964

Demolitions of old buildings are a regular topic on this blog, usually involving my hometown of Lorain. But today, the buildings being knocked down are (or were) located in the city that I work: Oberlin.

I drive through the Oberlin College campus each day to and from work, and the occasional detours (which seem to be more frequent now) allow me to see different areas of both the college as well as the city itself. It's always interesting and enjoyable.

Although much of the historic downtown is intact, some of it was lost over the years due to the college. Above is an article that ran in the Lorain Journal back on May 21, 1964 that talks about a couple of buildings that were sacrificed in the name of progress.

"The last of the wooden frame buildings in the downtown business district are slated to fall before the bulldozers in the near future to clear the way for the completion of the site work around the new Oberlin College Conservatory of Music complex," it notes.

"The building at 42 1/2, 44 and 46 S. Main St. will be razed to facilitate an entrance and exit to the conservatory parking lot and also provide a passageway from Main St. to S. Professor St.

"When the old structures bite the dust, they will carry with them more than 100 years of Oberlin history, except for the 42 1/2 site, which was built about 40 years ago to close off an alley.

"It was in this tiny structure 20 years ago that a barber shop was conducted by a group of Oberlin College faculty members and townspeople, as an outgrowth of a racial dispute.

"The shop was purchased from William Winder, by a non-profit organization, formed for the purpose of operating a bi-racial barbershop after local barbers had refused to integrate their shops.

"In 1949 after the shop had growth from a one-barber business to a flourishing two-barber shop serving all regardless of race, color or creed, the business was sold to Gerald Scott, one of the barbers, with the stipulation that it must continue to serve all races.

"Four years ago, Scott moved the shop to 44 S. Main St., next door to the original shop, and has continued to successfully operate on a bi-racial basis.

"However, he has received a notice from Oberlin College, owner of the building that he must find new quarters by Aug. 1.

"Unless he is successful in relocating, the destruction of the buildings may be the death knell itself for a business which was successful in spite of critics who said it couldn't be done.

"Mrs. Rose Marley, 127 S. Main St., Wellington, proprietor of the Pizza Shop at 44 S. Main St., could not be reached Tuesday, but reportedly she is hopeful of finding another location in Oberlin to continue her business."

"For many years the quarters now occupied by the barber shop housed a laundry operated by a Chinese, and the rooms occupied by the Pizza House were used for several types of businesses including dry cleaning establishments."

Black River Bridge North of Wellington – Part 2

The Black River Bridge on Route 58. The view is looking south.
Note the billboard for Buckeye Beer.

Almost exactly a year after the bridge on Route 58 over the Black River north of Wellington was renovated, it was announced that it was finally going to be replaced.

Here's the article making the announcement in the Lorain Journal on March 17, 1954.

A day later, the paper ran a photo of the bridge.

A little over a year later, the replacement of the bridge began. Here's the blurb about the closing of Route 58 that ran in the Journal on May 12, 1955.

The actual demolition of the bridge was covered in two Journal photo features, one that ran on July 13, 1955 and the other a little over a week later on July 23, 1955.

The new bridge was constructed to the west of the old one. You can see the location of the old bridge relative to the new one in this photo (courtesy of Dennis Lamont). The view is looking south.

This aerial view shows the old bridge route in red, superimposed over the newer bridge route circa 1959.

And here's a modern view of the new bridge, looking south. Sorry, no Buckeye Beer billboard.

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UPDATE 

You can see a little bit of the old Route 58 pavement at the far right of this photo, which is looking north towards the bridge.

Black River Bridge North of Wellington – Part 1

Lorain County has long been a source of enjoyment for historic bridge enthusiasts.

Why? Perhaps because of the Black River, which extends south from Lorain to Elyria, where it splits into two branches and continues even further into the southern part of the County. Its presence in the two largest cities, as well as its meanderings into the countryside, provides many opportunities for bridges to span it. Many bridges over the Black River have been built and replaced over the county's 200 year history.

One of these bridges is one my father told me about years ago. He explained that there used to be a one-lane bridge on Ohio Route 58 north of Wellington that used to have a traffic light at each end so cars would know when to cross. Dad noted that it was where the highway makes a big sweep to the east when you're heading south. (It's the section of Route 58 just south of Merriam Road).

Since Dad told me that in the 1980s, every time I drove through that area, I wondered if the bridge was still there in the woods, bypassed and left standing. As it turns out, there is an old auto bridge in the woods (the subject for another post) but it predates the one that my father told me about.

I never thought I'd see a photo of the bridge Dad mentioned until historian and archivist Dennis Lamont provided me one. That's it at the top of this post. His caption for it noted, "Water bound slag macadam, finished in 1914 using the National Tube Co. crushed blast furnace slag produced at Lorain, Ohio." It was taken June 18, 1918.

So how long did the bridge remain in place? Fortunately its replacement was well-covered in the local newspapers. A January 14, 1950 editorial in the Lorain Journal mentions the long-needed improvements of Route 58, including "a new bridge north of Wellington."

Three years later, an article from the February 20, 1953 Lorain Journal indicated that the traffic light that my father mentioned was about to be installed on the bridge.

Some confusion resulted, however, since the article mentioned that "the light on Route 58 will be placed on the new bridge and will control one-way movement of traffic."

Three days later in the newspaper, columnist Luella Kepler expressed her confusion in her column about which bridge was getting the new traffic light. "It can't possibly be my bridge they are talking about, because The Journal clearly stated it is to take place at the NEW bridge north of Wellington, and my bridge has been there practically before me."

But it was the same bridge after all. It was getting readied for handling the excessive traffic that would re-routed onto it due to the construction on Route 18. Thus it would be somewhat 'new' with the improvements.

This article from the March 28, 1953 Chronicle-Telegram explains.