Seventy-two years ago this week, Vermilion High School students enjoyed the informal opening of their new high school. (The official opening would take place a few months later in mid-April.)
Above is the front page of the Feb. 21, 1953 Lorain Journal with the story, and a photo showing the kids parading into the new building.
Elsewhere on the page is a very dark photo of a historic marker that was located on Route 10 just west of Oberlin. Today the highway is designed State Route 511. If the monument was still there, I'd pass it every day on the way to work. Unfortunately it's long gone. Vandals removed the tablet in 1969; one local historian told me the boulder is still on the property, but was dumped in the woods at the rear of the lot.
Here's a better look at it (below). I also wrote about it back here and here.
There are several little articles of interest on the page.
An obituary for Frederick Conradt of Cleveland notes that he was owner and operator of a tavern at 4790 East Lake Road in Sheffield Lake. That was also the address for
Dorothy and Elmer Bartel's tavern (which I wrote about
here). It turns out that before it was Dorothy and Elmer's, it was Conrad's for more than 20 years. The obituary below (from Jan. 11, 1939) explains that Elmer Bartel was Mrs. Conrad's nephew.
The Log of Lorain mentions that "The nephew of two Lorainites is the "cover man" of the Feb. 28 issue of Collier's magazine and is also pictured in an exclusive feature story about the development of a space suit by the navy and how and where it will be used.
Here's the cover, as well as the inside photo.
Lastly, under the heading "13 Films Available Through Library," we learn that the Lorain Public Library had a total of 43 16mm films available for borrowing. One of the brand new films was
Three Little Bruins in a Canoe –a heartwarming and exciting Castle Films classic. Why not enjoy it right now, while you partake of a bowl of Sugar Crisp?
3 comments:
Wonder if the current tenants at that house on Sixth St. know that a man killed himself in that house?And I wonder if there are any unusual activities that take place at the house that nobody can describe,like supernatural activities?At my parents old house a former owner of the house died in the backyard.She was a middle aged lady.And there have been times when I would walk around the yard it would just feel weird and still.Sort of like a calmness that is very hard to describe.I'm not saying the yard is haunted but what else could it be?It's like the owner's spirit is still wandering the yard doing all the things she used to do.
I’m visiting with my mom today and she was in the Vermilion Class of 1953. She recalls walking over to the new school and being very exited. She remembers she felt sorry they could only attend classes there for a few months before being the first graduating class in the new school - in the Spring of ‘53. She grew up at Elberta Beach and said she usually walked home instead of taking the bus and had to walk an extra block from the new school…
When I researched my Lorain County murder book, I found all kinds of existing houses where killings occurred. I've wanted to stop by a place or two and say stuff like, "Hey! Did you know two women were shot-gunned to death in your basement?" But, of course, I never have. I "sanitized" the locations prior to publication, changing a specific address to things similar to, "The 2100 Block of East 5th." No use dropping somebody's property value.
But it sure makes driving around the county a different experience!
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