Do you remember the streetcars and the interurbans?
Probably not. My father, who was born in 1921, did. But my mother, who was born in 1927, did not. She lived close enough to Downtown Lorain to walk there. By the time she was old enough to use public transportation on her own in the 1940s, the streetcars were gone and buses were the norm. Plus she didn't get out of town much as a child either, so she never had an opportunity to take the Lake Shore Electric anywhere. So streetcars and the interurbans were just not part of her memory.
Nevertheless, that's the question being asked in the above article that ran in the Journal on November 15, 1963. It's a well-written article by Ralph Neumeyer with a lot of interesting local touches about Lorain and Avon Lake. I'll leave it to our resident experts who read this blog to determine its accuracy.
By the time of the article, it had been 25 years since the Lake Shore Electric had only ceased operations in 1938, so a look back was probably in order. Like this similar article written two years later by Neumeyer, a book is referenced that seemed to have triggered the proceedings.
Anyways, time marches on, and there are fewer and fewer people who remember riding the streetcars and the interurbans. That's why it's important for websites like Lake Shore Rail Maps to educate the public about them, and make sure their place in transportation history isn't forgotten.
6 comments:
Of course, I remember what was left of the tracks crossing Broadway at about 31st Street.
An aside, Dan: in the movie listings I discovered that the 1963 rerelease of Disney's 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA was shown at the Amherst Theater.
I don't remember the streetcars in Cleveland, where I was raised - they disappeared when I was four. But before then I did take them to downtown Cleveland with my mom, or so she told me.
I do recall riding the trackless trolleys, which succeeded the streetcars on some routes.
Johnny Cool was playing at The Palace featuring the beautiful Elizabeth Montgomery.I would have to say that Elizabeth,Barbara Eden and Donna Douglas were the three hottest chicks on tv in the 1960's.Many a young boy horndog probably spent countless nights tossing and turning thinking of either one.
While my grandparents didn't often ride the Lake Shore Electric they often rode the local trolleys, especially between Lorain and Elyria. Even in the latter part of there lives, after the trolleys had been gone for years, their references to areas were often tied to trolley stops. To identify where people lived they often would say "they lived out by stop so and so". To the end of their days they referred to the area by clearview school as Penfield Junction --- and this was over 50 years after the trolley ceased operation.
I didn’t know the Clearview area was known as Penfield Junction - I can’t wait to ask my dad if he knew that. He always enjoyed pointing out where all the trolleys ran in Lorain and took us kids to an educational outing to Trolleyville in the early 60’s. I have to admit I faked interest, since it was an unprecedented occasion that he took us out of school - and I wanted that to happen again. Sadly, it never did. I still have the photos from that day - I’m
going to go look at them now!
i can’t believe visconti’s the leopard was playing at the tivoli. that’s amazingly high falutin.
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