Fisher Foods Fall Festival Ad – October 26, 1955

Fisher Foods must have been feeling a little squirrelly when it came time to come up with a theme for its annual Fall Festival promotional ad. Various cute, bushy-tailed nut gatherers romp all over this full-page ad which ran in the Lorain Journal back on October 26, 1955.

It was only a few days away from Halloween, so there are a few sale items related to the holiday, including Fisher's Special Halloween Cake (59 cents), Candy Bars For Tricks or Treats (a box of 24 for 89 cents), Candy Corn or Halloween Mix (29 cents) and Apples for Halloween Treats.

It's funny thinking how we used to get the odd apple while trick-or-treating. I remember one year, a little old lady on Skyline Drive in the next block gave us apples. Nevertheless, Mom used to just have us discard them out of concern that someone might have stuck a pin in it or something. 

There are a few interesting items on the flyer. Donald Duck left his webbed foot print on the ad, with his namesake Orange Juice (2 46-oz. cans for 63 cents) and Donald Duck Grapefruit (4 1-lb. cans for 55 cents) as two of the offerings.

(By the way, my blog has received a lot of hits from people seeking information about the discontinuation of the irascible waterfowl's orange juice. Same with Quisp cereal.)

Anyway, the ad also includes some Aunt Jane products. Aunt Jane was one of the house brands (similar to A&P's Ann Page) carried by Fisher Foods. 

There's also a listing for Cheezee American Cheese Food (a "loaf" for 66 cents). When I tried to research it, Google's AI Overview blew a gasket, giving me a several incorrect assumptions, including informing me that "Cheezee" is a misspelling of "Cheez Whiz." Harrumph. 

So whatever happened to Fisher Foods? 

According to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, it was acquired by a group of local grocery executives that included Carl and John Fazio. Thus a name change occurred in 1967 (below).

Detail from May 31, 1967 ad

Dem Bones, Dem Bones...

Skeletons seem to be pretty popular these days when it comes to outdoor Halloween decorations. The creative displays I seen all over Lorain County, especially those utilizing the 8-foot tall variety, are pretty impressive. They remind me of the Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad railway excursion through Boneville, with its literal skeleton crew of firefighters, etc.

Anyway, I've got a pretty good story involving a skeleton. I wrote the article back in 2015, and it originally ran in the Black Swamp Trader, the well-remembered heritage and tourist newspaper printed in brown ink and available free at various locations (usually antique shops) along the shore of Lake Erie.  It appears here courtesy of that now-defunct publication.

Here is the story (below) as it originally appeared in the Black Swamp Trader.

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Bone up on Wood County History with this Spooky Black Swamp Story

By Dan Brady

Everyone likes a good ghost story, and since this publication is called the Black Swamp Trader & Firelands Gazette, what could be better than a tale that takes place right in the Black Swamp? Here’s a short, spooky saga from Myths & Legends of Our Own Land by Charles M. Skinner, published in 1896. It’s called “The Crime of Black Swamp” and make no bones about it – it’s scary! After the tale, I’ll relate my attempt to research it – and what I found may send shivers up your spine!

THE CRIME OF BLACK SWAMP

Two miles south of Munger, Ohio, in the heart of what used to be called the Black Swamp, stood the Woodbury House, a roomy mansion long gone to decay. John Cleves, the last to live in it, was a man whose evil practices got him into the penitentiary, but people had never associated him with the queer sights and sounds in the lower chambers, nor with the fact that a man named Syms, who had gone to that house in 1842, had never been known to leave it. Ten years after Syms’s disappearance it happened that Major Ward and his friend John Stow had occasion to take shelter there for the night – it being deserted, – and, starting a blaze in the parlor fireplace, they lit their pipes and talked till late. Stow would have preferred a happier topic, but the major, who feared neither man nor devil, constantly turned the talk on the evil reputation of the house.

While they chatted a door opened with a creak and a human skeleton appeared before them.

“What do you want? Speak!” cried Ward. But waiting for no answer he drew his pistols and fired two shots at the grisly object. There was a rattling sound, but the skeleton was neither dislocated nor disconcerted. Advancing deliberately, with upraised arm, it said, in a husky voice, “I, that am dead, yet live in a sense that mortals do not know. In my earthly life I was James Syms, who was robbed and killed here in my sleep by John Cleves.” With bony finger it pointed to a rugged gap in its left temple. “Cleves cut off my head and buried it under the hearth. My body he cast in his well.” At these words, the head disappeared and the voice was heard beneath the floor, “Take up my skull.” The watchers obeyed the call, and after digging a minute beneath the hearth, a fleshless head with a wound on the left temple came to view. Ward took it into his hands, but in a twinkling it left them and reappeared on the shoulder of the skeleton.

“I have long wanted to tell my fate,” it resumed, “but could not until one should be found brave enough to speak to me. I have appeared to many, but you are the first who has commanded me to break my long silence. Give my bones a decent burial. Write to my relative, Gilmore Syms, of Columbus, Georgia, and tell him what I have revealed. I have found peace.” With a grateful gesture it extended its hand to Ward, who, as he took it, shook like one with an ague, his wrist locked in its bony clasp. As it released him it raised its hand impressively. A bluish light burned at the doorway for an instant. The two men found themselves alone. 

And that's the story.

After a little digging at the public library, I found two vintage volumes that confirmed there really was a Woodbury House with a notorious reputation.

The Pioneer Scrap-Book of Wood County and the Maumee Valley, published in 1910, contains some factual information provided by C. W. Evers about Woodbury and the Woodbury House. It relates, “The village of Woodbury was surveyed and platted by Hiram Davis, a pioneer surveyor of Wood county, May 4, 1837, for John Thompson, Henry B. Gibson and Jabez B. Larwell. The location was at a point where the east and west line dividing Liberty and Henry townships, Wood county, intersect the Findlay pike. Two years prior to the survey or in 1835, a post office had been established, kept in a log store room by Joseph Thompson. After the survey General Thompson built the frame house which has been the theme of so many stories uncanny and otherwise. After General Thompson’s dream of a city growing up there had been dissipated by a few wet, sickly seasons, the house stood vacant at times for want of a tenant, and seems to have been occupied by some chance comer who had no other place to go. Now you know how soon a house of this sort will, deservedly perhaps, get a bad name – get “haunted,” etc. Some time in the 60’s, it burned to the ground, no doubt by design of someone to abate a nuisance. The post office was moved about in the settlement still retaining the name “Woodbury” until 1876, when it was dropped from the rolls and is now only a reminiscence.”

1872 Township Map

The Historical Record of Wood County, Ohio, Its Past and Present, published in 1897, acknowledges the murder legend and further embellishes the reputation of the Woodbury House. It states, “The Frame House at Woodbury was built by General Thompson, as the first house on the town site, on the Liberty side. A log house for store purposes was built on the Henry side, in 1835, wherein Joseph Thompson kept store. Neither of the buildings is standing, fire having reduced them to ashes. A number of stories are told about the Frame House, not the least of which relates to its habitation by witches. It was at one time occupied by John Clever and his sister; at another time by equally notorious citizens until fire swept it away. It was reported that a peddler named Nimms was killed there, and that his spirit haunted the place.”

Aside from some minor differences in names (Cleves vs. Clever, Syms vs. Nimms), the material found in the Wood County book corresponds nicely with the legend. (It should also be pointed out that Munger, the town mentioned in the story, is actually named Mungen, which is south of Bowling Green and located on the Dixie Highway.)

Since Skinner’s book contains legends from all across the United States, it is unclear whether the spelling errors are due to unfamiliarity with Ohio, the retelling of the legend over several decades, a deliberate effort to alter real names, or a combination of all three.

Nevertheless, "The Crime of Black Swamp" is ultimately satisfying because Syms's tortured soul finds peace at last. It’s only fitting that the setting of the story is the dark, mysterious Black Swamp. And it’s equally appropriate that the Woodbury House, a place associated with evil and the supernatural, should come to a fiery end, disappearing without a trace and thus existing only in legend and memory. 

The Workman Cabin in Loudonville / Mohican State Park

Last week I headed down to Mohican State Park to check out the fall foliage, and while driving through Loudonville, was curious about this old cabin in Central Park on South Market Street. I've driven past it many times over the years.

Seeing how much I like cabins, I thought it was a good time to finally stop and check it out.

One plaque in the park reads, "Known as the "Workman Cabin," this log home was built between 1838 and 1840. It originally stood three miles northeast of Loudonville along what was once the old Wooster - Mt. Vernon pike and stage route – which later became the 3C Highway. The structure served as the home of Morgan and generations of his descendants, and also being used as a meeting house for the Church of the Brethren and as an inn for weary travelers along the road. 

"Built of white oak logs stacked with a V-notch cut at each end, the cabin originally consisted of two rooms downstairs and a sleeping loft for the children overhead. Plaster walls were used to divide the interior into rooms, while chinking – a mixture of clay mud, straw, and hair – was used to provide insulation between the beams of the outer walls and to help shed water away from the logs.

"It was remodeled a number of times, but in its original state was believed to have only one door in the front with the sleeping loft accessed via a ladder. There is no evidence the cabin ever had a fireplace; it was one of the earliest cabins in the area to rely on a cast iron stove for cooking and heat. A luxury at the time, the home was also built with glass windows – whereas less fortunate settlers relied on oiled paper to provide the slightest natural light."

Another plaque continued the story. "In 1963 the cabin – by then unoccupied since 1915 and its logs hidden by lap siding – was given by Mr. and Mrs. Gene Lifer, on whose land it stood, to the Mohican Historical Society to use as the headquarters for the Loudonville area Sesquicentennial celebration to be held the following year. Volunteers removed the siding, along with an addition to the structure, and transported the cabin, intact on a flatbed truck, to its present site.

"The cabin was not expected to become a permanent fixture in the park, but after the sesquicentennial in 1964 it had become a popular landmark and so the Mohican Historical Society furnished the cabin with items from pioneer days and operated it as a museum until the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum was constructed in 1973. After 1973, the cabin's entry room was used as a tourist information center for a number of years but otherwise was not open to the public. 

"In 1995, thanks again to the hard work of volunteers, the cabin – with most of its pioneer furnishings intact – was opened for tours and has remained an example of early life on the frontier."

I took my picture while returning home late in the day, so my photo of the cabin has the sun behind it – unlike the morning shot seen on the vintage postcard.

Here are a few more shots.

There were also two stones in the park marking the burial of two time capsules – one buried in 1964 that was opened in 2014 on Loudonville's 200th Birthday celebration, and the other buried in 2014 to be opened in 2064.

At least Loudonville doesn't mess around when it comes to burying its time capsules. It would be hard to forget where they are.

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Mohican State Park is are always great to visit. There wasn't a lot of colorful fall foliage that day, but I still enjoyed my visit to the park and the surrounding area.

A hallway in the Lodge

The Gorge Overlook

Brownhelm Congregational church – Then & Now

Recently this great vintage shot of the Brownhelm Congregational Church (now known as the Brownhelm United Church of Christ) on North Ridge Road showed up on eBay. It's kind of a spooky shot, with that murky background. The eBay listing says that it is circa 1910. But I thought it'd be nice to give it the "Then & Now" treatment.

Here's my "Now" shot. It doesn't quite duplicate the angle of the vintage shot, as I was trying to keep some utility lines out of the photo.

The difference in the steeple (or more precisely, the spire) is interesting. 

Brownhelm United Church of Christ is such a beautiful, charming church with an active congregation. It's yet another reason, along with the visits each Christmas Eve by a real live Santa Claus, to make someone want to move to Brownhelm. (By the way, the Community Christmas tradition was started by The Rev. Ralph Albright, pastor of the Brownhelm Congregational church in 1932.)

Anyway, the church has had innumerable mentions in the Lorain Journal over the years, since it was pretty much the center of the community. Besides the expected church functions, a variety of events were held there, including its well-known chicken dinners, club meetings, square dances, etc.

Here are some clippings dating back to 1930. That was the year that the church celebrated its 111th anniversary, which dates it back to 1819.

Oct. 31, 1930

Nov. 20, 1930

Nov. 24, 1930

Dec. 28, 1957

Aug. 22, 1959

This 1969 article (which I posted back here) provides a short history of the church.

June 13, 1969

Jan. 22, 1977

Jan. 24, 1977

Dec. 19, 1978

Sept. 19, 1985

On the church’s 200th anniversary in 2019, an article by Jordana Joy appeared in the Morning Journal. It noted, “After a group of people from Stockbridge, Mass., arrived on the shores of Lake Erie on July 4, 1817, and began holding weekly religious services, what now is known as the Brownhelm United Church of Christ, was organized on June 10, 1819, as a congregational church.

"The first church building was located near the Brownhelm stone quarry on Claus Road and was made of peeled logs with a shingle roof.

"Men and women were seated on separate sides of the church during service while a man of the church stood with a bucket of water or shovel of soot in case a fire needed to be extinguished.

"A new church for the congregation was built in 1832 on Grandison Fairchild’s peach orchard on North Ridge Road, but was poorly constructed and was nicknamed “the church with the broken back” after its roof began to sag.

"The church was reconstructed on the same site in 1850 and still stands to this day.

"The building was raised and a basement was added.

"The church then was lowered again after the building’s spire was struck by lightning.

"The sanctuary was remodeled, a balcony was built and the chancel was rebuilt in 1950.

"An addition was added to the lower bank of the church building in 1977, which added a kitchen, restroom, meeting room and library."

Fall Cavalcade of Color - 2025 Part 1

Along North Ridge Road in Brownhelm

As is my custom each autumn, I've been heading out with my camera phone to try and capture some of the colorful fall foliage. It's a little disappointing this year because the drought affected it, and I haven't been able to get many shots. But the colors are getting better this week (although the rain and wind have stripped many of the trees of their leaves).

Here's a not-so-ample sample of what I've managed to photograph so far.

Brownhelm and Mill Hollow are always favorite subjects each year. 

This past weekend, I headed down to Findley State Park, another favorite place of mine. I was happy to see this sign honoring Judge Findley. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have Findley State Park to enjoy.

So even if the leaves aren't as colorful this year, it's still been a nice fall so far. Every autumn is different, and for me it's the high point of the year.

Indian Burial Pit – Salina, Kansas

Yesterday's post about the Indian burial grounds discovered near Vermilion in 1940 reminded me of this brochure (below) that I had picked up during one of my family's cross-country camping trips in the 1960s. It's for the Indian Burial Pit, located on US Highway 40, four miles east of Salina, Kansas.

As the brochure notes, "Not extremely large, the Indian Burial Pit near Salina nevertheless contains the skeleton remains of 146 Indians. Uncovered and left just exactly as they were placed here many centuries ago, they present an interesting sight. That so many skeletons are found in a pit of this size is due to the fact that they were placed there in layers, and in a flexed position, knees drawn up and hands resting close to their faces.

"Artifacts such as pottery, ceremonial flint knives, necklaces made of clam shells, clam shell pendants, grinding stones, etc. may also be seen throughout the pit."

The Wiki page entry about the burial site observes, "In 1873, Benjamin Marlin accidentally encountered bones when he was constructing a dugout home on his land. In 1936, Guy and Mabel Whiteford started excavating the site. For many decades, it was a tourist trap called the Indian Burial Pit or Salina Burial Pit.”

Indeed, the burial pit was featured on a variety of postcards through the years. Some even featured the Whitefords. (Postmarks are noted where available)

1930s

1941

1944

1965

1971

Needless to say, the Indian Burial Pit was not on the Brady list of vacation attractions to visit.

So what finally happened to the Pit? According to the Wiki entry, "In 1989, the state of Kansas purchased the site. In 1990, the pit was filled with sand and covered with a concrete cap to protect it, then covered with dirt and grass.

Click here to read a well-written student paper that examines the history of the burial pit and how the efforts of indigenous activists successfully led to its closing.