Alex Justice – Pioneer Woodsman, Indian Expert and Recluse

Courtesy the Spirit of 76 Museum

“He was Alex Justice, a long-haired man who wore leggings and a battered, slouch hat. Justice left his mark indelibly on the history pages of southern Lorain-co. He was one of the few to know the Indians so well he might have been one except for a difference in the coloring of his skin. He lived among them, shared their trials and tribulations, and accompanied them on long and tiring foot trips to southern Ohio where the Indians gathered salt at natural salt licks."

That was the description of Alex Justice written by Don Miller in the 1951 Lorain Journal article featured in yesterday's post about the Wellington Indian mound. Miller was explaining that Justice was one of the few that knew its location.

"So, with the passage of time, Justice became acknowledged as the last word in Indian lore in this section of the country," wrote Miller. "He knew their history and their customs. He knew how and where noted ancestors of his friends were buried – but he kept this secret to himself."

The book Looking Back on Lorain County (1978) by Ernst Louis Henes includes a page about Alex Justice, as well as the photo below. 

"The champion hawk, crow and owl hunter of the Western Reserve was Alex Justice who lived as a recluse in a 2-room log cabin on a 70-acre farm on Route 18 in Brighton Township. In fact, he was one of the best hunters in the state," wrote Henes.

"Alex was even better known as a collector of Indian and related artifacts. He walked all the way to Florida searching for articles of historic interest. A bachelor, his wants were simple, and he did very little farming, preferring to hunt, trap, and fashion miniature tools in his blacksmith shop. These and other items he sold or swapped with other collectors.

"He died in 1926 at 88 and was buried in a black walnut coffin which he had made a quarter of a century before. He used it for his bed, and it was out of this that he was lifted in his last illness to be taken to the New London Hospital.

"Burial was in Brighton. By his request there were no flowers, or hymns, or minister. A friend read a short prayer as he was lowered to his last resting place. His hundreds of artifacts were divided between the Firelands Museum in Norwalk and Herrick Memorial Library in Wellington, the latter turning most of its portion to the Spirit of ’76 Museum upon its establishment in 1970."

Two years before he passed away, Alex Justice and his coffin were mentioned in the "What One Man Thinks" column in the Lorain Journal on April 19, 1924.

His obituary appeared in the paper on February 24, 1926.

About a week later, the small item below appeared in the March 4, 1926 edition.

It sure sounds like Alex Justice was quite a unique character – a Lorain County original. He lived his life in his own meaningful way, and he bestowed a gift of priceless history to his home county with his donation of his one-of-a-kind relics and belongings.

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The Spirit of 76 Museum in Wellington has a whole page dedicated to its Alex Justice collection on its website, which you can find here.  

Wellington Indian Mound – 1951

While trying to find the four other articles about Col. Raymond C. Vietzen (mentioned in the October 16, 1951 article that I posted here), I "unearthed" something else: a three-article series about an Indian mound located near Wellington.

The series starts with the article below about the Indian mound on the E. M. Prentiss farm, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on October 9, 1951. 

The article notes that "The slumbers of an ancient Indian chief appear due for an interruption when spring of 1952 rolls around to greet this southern Lorain-co village.

"For that's when it's highly probable Harry Martin will resume operations at an Indian mound near here, operations which were suspended 18 years ago.

"At that time Martin and his two sons, Leland and Chester, had completed a large tunnel into the heart of the mound and from 13 to 15 feet above where they believe an Indian chief to be buried in a sandstone vault.

"Martin, a village waterworks employe, was working at the filter plant west of town and in his evenings after work would walk over to the mound, about one-half mile away, and dig further into the man-made hill. It is located on the E. M. Prentiss farm.

"That was in 1932, and the tunneling required almost five months of hard labor. Martin and his sons gradually forged their way back into the mound, thru layers of varying types of earth and finally wound up with the shaft directly under what appeared to be a sandstone layer placed above the chief's burial vault in order to shed water.

"And why is Martin so certain this glamorous figure of the past is buried within the mound? His reasons are two-fold. First, because of certain scientific knowledge and processes, the second because of the actions of an old pioneer and good friend of the Indians."

The article goes on to explain that Alex Justice was that good friend of the Indians, and that Justice "knew how and where noted ancestors of his friends were buried – but he kept this secret to himself."

But as noted in the article, Justice supposedly left a clue on or near the mound as to where a chief and/or Indian princess were buried. 

Part two of the series ran on October 10, 1951. It provides some details of the actual digging done by Martin and his sons, and why they felt there were on the right track.

The last article in the series continues the account of the Martins' tunneling efforts and why they were forced to pause: the transfer of Harry Martin from the filter plant to the city, and his inability to find the time.

I was unable to located any article from the spring of 1952, which was the planned date to continue their work. My search for articles from the early 1930s (the period in which the initial work was done on the mound) was also unsuccessful.

I can safely say, however, that while searching the Journal archives for the phrase "Indian mound," I discovered that it was used far too frequently by sportswriters when writing about Cleveland pitchers.

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So where was the Prentiss farm? A 1965 Journal article about a fire on the Earl Prentiss farm located it on Pitts Road, three quarters of a mile south of State Route 18 – locating it quite close to the Filtration Plant also on Pitts Road. 

The Adams House in Wellington – 1951

The Lorain Journal featured a lot of old houses dating back to the 1800s in its pages during the 1950s. With a full crew of reporters and photographers, the newspaper had the ability to go out of its way to embrace and document the area's history, and contrast it to the fast-paced Postwar environment.

Above you see one of those feature articles. It ran in the paper on October 23, 1951 and shines the spotlight on one of the oldest houses in Wellington at that time.

"Watching over speeding automobiles on N. Main-st here is an old house which in bygone years has watched Indians, hunters and pioneers pass over a muddy trail in the same place.

"The house is known as the old Adams place and is one of Wellington's oldest structures. Undoubtedly, it is the oldest still in existence which housed one family for more than 100 years.

"The solid brick structure, now painted white, replaced an old log cabin which had been erected on the same site by one of the pioneer Wellington families.

"This was the Adams family, headed by Deacon Amos Adams. The deacon was seventh in descent of John Adams of Plymouth, Mass, who came to America in 1661 aboard the tiny vessel "Fortune."

" The deacon's two sons, Amos Jr. and Milton, came to Wellington in 1821 when this was known as the Western Reserve country. With the two men came their sisters, Altamira and Julia.

"Just one half mile from the center of the village, they erected a log cabin. Two years later the cabin received several more occupants, the elder Adams, his wife and five children. 

"The family lived in the log cabin until sometime around 1833 when the present brick home was erected. From that time until the 1930's, descendants of the Adams family lived in the brick house. Last of the family to live there was Mrs. E. W. Adams who was still there when the house reached the century mark in age.

"Pioneer history was made in the building. Here Mrs. Adams spun and wove garments for her big brood,  using flax and wool. She wanted her children to have the advantages of a religious background, so she and her husband, along with eight others, organized the First Congregational church here."

The article goes on in much detail about the Adams family, including a great story about Milton's wife and her encounter with a donut-loving Indian. There's also the tale of Wellington's first Fourth of July celebration.

"Altho it is past the century mark in age, having stood in rugged splendor on the same spot for the past 118 years, the Adams house apparently is due to remain for many more years, " notes the article.

"It, like the country itself, was made by honest workmen who put their hearts, souls and sound American resources into its construction."

Alas, while researching the location of the house so I could go over and get my "now" photograph, I learned from the 19th-Century Wellington blog that the house was demolished back in 2012.  The house was on State Route 58 opposite the entrance to the Wellington schools campus.

Be sure to visit the 19th-Century Wellington blog. It's a great, well-researched website. I really like its "When Was It Built?" pages, which provide a wealth of information on the age of various churches, houses and commercial structures.

A Google Maps comparison showing the Adams house in 2009 and its location today

Mid America Boat Show – 1963, 1975 and 1985 Ads

The Cleveland Boat Show is on at the I-X Center through Sunday, so it's a good time to post a few of its vintage ads. It's an annual tradition extending back to the late 1950s, and it's a welcome reminder that summer will be here eventually.

For years it was previously known as the Mid-America Boat Show, and that's how it's referred to in the ad above, which appeared in the Journal on Jan. 25, 1963. 

It's interesting that the Lennon Sisters from the Lawrence Welk Show were the headliners. Google's AI feature notes that they were at the peak of their popularity in 1963 with hit records and plenty of personal appearances.

Here's a sample of their beautiful harmonies performing "Fascination" and "Theme From A Summer Place." I'm old enough now that I can finally appreciate their talent.

Here's a blurb for the 1963 Boat Show that ran in the popular "Koz's Korner" column by Hank Kozloski on Jan. 22, 1963.

The 1975 Boat Show ad isn't as interesting. It ran in the Journal on January 24, 1975.

What's more interesting are some of the ads that appeared on the same page of the Journal, including the popular The Mark as well as local legend Big Dick.

My post on The Mark still gets a lot of hits, as well as great comments & reminisces. And I did a previous post on Big Dick's (here).

But back to the Boat Show. Here's the 1985 ad from the Jan. 18, 1985 Journal.

I noticed that the website for this year's Boat Show has no mention of Twiggy, the Water Skiing Squirrel, which is unfortunate. But the bushy-tailed skiing star will be appearing at the Cincinnati Travel Sport & Boat Show this month, as well as the Open Season Sportsman Expo taking place in Columbus in March.

Looks like Ohio loves Twiggy.

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The Mid-America Boat Show has been the topic of two previous posts.

Tim Horton Museum – Cochrane, Ontario

Longtime readers of this blog know that I'm a big fan of Tim Horton, the beloved Toronto Maple Leaf defenceman. (I also love his namesake coffee – it's my favorite).

Well, Tim Horton's birthday was a few days ago (January 12, 1930) so it's a good time for me to post some photos that I've had in my files. 

You see, Tim was born in Cochrane, Ontario, which is about a day's drive north of Toronto. His hometown proudly hosts the Tim Horton Museum inside the Tim Horton Event Centre honoring him. 

I happened to be in Cochrane back in the summer of 2017 (to catch the Polar Bear Express train to Moosonee) and was fortunate enough to visit the museum, which has very limited hours. The museum houses a variety of memorabilia of both his hockey career and his donut chain. Here are some of the photos from my visit.

I have a Tim-mug identical to the mug in this photo

Mr. Timbit was the mascot of the Tim Hortons 'donut hole' menu item

The museum is low tech but has its own charm.

A new bucket list item for me is to visit the Tim Horton Mini Museum in Hamilton, Ontario on the site of the original Tim Horton Donuts store. I'll get there eventually, eh?

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Although my preoccupation with Canada, Niagara Falls, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tim Horton have nothing to do with Lorain County, I enjoy writing about them from time to time. Plus, Canada really isn't all that far away.

Lorain Lighthouse Saved – January 1966

The Lorain Lighthouse is the very symbol of Lorain – a beloved icon that neatly encapsulates the city's maritime history. And it's one of the city's biggest tourist attractions.

That's why it's so hard to believe that at one point in the 1960s, it was scheduled to be torn down. A new fully-automatic red light was to be installed on the tip of a detached outer breakwall.

From the July 12, 1965 Journal

And sixty years ago this month, some of the first steps were taken to 'save' it by a civic group. Here's the front page of the January 5, 1966 Journal with the story.

Later that year a follow-up story appeared with the good news that the Coast Guard agreed to 'continue to operate and maintain the lighthouse.'

May 10, 1966

And a Journal editorial celebrated the decision and gave credit to several citizens who played a major role in the effort to save the structure.

May 11, 1966

Of course, Gene Patrick had a special cartoon in honor of the occasion in his weekly The Passing Scene strip.

May 14, 1966

The story didn't end there, however. 

The Lighthouse would need to be 'saved' again in the 1970s when the Coast Guard put it up for sale. You can read all about it in Valerie Smith's well-researched history found on the Lorain Lighthouse website. 

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The Lorain Lighthouse has been a favorite topic on this blog.

Marketing Meat – Jan. 1966

Lorainites ate a lot of meat back in the 1960s. In addition to the supermarkets with their weekly meaty specials, the city supported at least a half-dozen retail butcher shops.

Several of them incorporated a beef cow into their store's logo, including Mike Polansky's, Lorain County Meats and Tony's Meats. Here's a sample of each that ran in the Journal from early January 1966.

Jan. 5, 1966

Jan. 5, 1966

Jan. 3, 1966

As you can see, the Tony's Meats ad tried something different than the other ads. It gave up some of the retail space in its ad in order to feature a little cartoon. This continued for several months.

Each cartoon depicted some interesting fact. A week later, an "answer" revealed an explanation. It was loosely referred to as a quiz although there wasn't really a question.

Here's the rest of the January 1966 ads. (Be forewarned, the one from Jan. 31st is needlessly racist.)

Jan. 12, 1966

Jan. 17, 1966

Jan. 26, 1966

Jan. 31, 1966

I had wondered if all the cartoons were created by a Journal artist until I noticed that two of the illustrations contained a small credit line: © TOBY EATON ASSOC.

I couldn't find anything online about Toby Eaton Associates. Its weekly quiz feature didn't seem to be widely used across the country, since I could only find one other meat market (in Lompoc, California) using it.

Tony's Meats used the quiz in its ads until the end of March 1966, when it was apparently dropped to make room for cartoon Easter rabbits.

"Batman" Debuts on TV – Jan. 12, 1966

Holy Diamond Jubilee, Batman – your TV show on ABC debuted sixty years ago tonight!

Below is the TV page of the January 12, 1966 Journal making the announcement of the debut, with a photo of Batman (Adam West) in the Batmobile. 

The caption reads, "Batman, the legendary nemesis of evil, the Caped Crusader whose very name strikes fear into the hearts of villainous villains everywhere, sets out with Boy Wonder Robin on another crime-thwarting adventure in his super vehicle, the atom-powered, parachute-breaked [sic], multi-weaponed four-wheel arsenal, the Batmobile, as ABC-TV's "Batman," a new series of twice-weekly, live-action color adventures, premiere tonight at 7:30. The program will also be seen Thursdays in the 7:30-8 p.m. time period.

It was pretty much a stroke of genius to program the show two nights in a row, as my brothers and I loved the show and were suckered into watching it both nights. (We pretty much commandeered the TV in the early evening; I don't remember my parents ever watching it until we went to bed.)

As I wrote back here, my parents bought us the paperback reprints that were rushed into print to capitalize on the popularity of the TV show. Just as we each had a favorite Beatle, we each had a Batman villain that was 'assigned' to us depending on which paperback we had. Mine was the Penguin. At least he didn't seem as evil as some of the other bad guys to me.

Watching the occasional late-night  Batman reruns on MeTV the last few years have really surprised me. I had forgotten the big-name celebrities that appeared on the show as the villains, or in cameo appearances in which they stuck their head out the window of the building that Batman and Robin were scaling. The villains always seemed to have some good-looking henchwomen too (such as Edy Williams). And what boy watching the show in the 1960s didn't have a crush on Catwoman (Julie Newmar)? I remember feeling bad when she fell in that bottomless pit.

During my recent viewings, the celebrity that I was most surprised to see was none other than Jack Kelly – Bart Maverick! He was playing some kind of fedora-wearing guy that was in cahoots with the baddies. In one scene he was comically straddling some kind of 'getaway rocket' (shown below) and I felt bad for him – except that he was probably having a blast working on a wildly popular TV show, not to mention sharing some scenes with Catwoman!

Courtesy David Richardson

Civil War Oddities – Jan. 2, 1965

Wilmer McLean

For all you Civil War buffs, here's an interesting 'Stranger Than Science' column by Frank Edwards that ran in the Journal on Jan. 2, 1965. It's an assortment of odd tidbits about the Civil War, including the story of Wilmer McLean and how his house and farms – one at the Battle of Bull Run, and his second home at Appomattox, Virginia – were involved in the first and last land battles of the Civil War. Unbelievable!

McLean and his family on the porch of his house at Appomattox

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Frank Edwards' weekly 'Stranger Than Science' column ran in the Journal from 1963 to 1966. It looks like it was always interesting and a lot of fun, especially if you were into flying saucers and stuff like that. I wonder where he dug up all of his material?

Here's an ample sample of random columns.

Nov. 23, 1963

Nov. 23, 1963

Dec. 28, 1963

June 6, 1964

Aug. 15, 1964

Nov. 21, 1964

Sept. 18, 1965

Dec. 4, 1965

Dec. 11, 1965

Dec. 18, 1965

April 23, 1966

June 11, 1966

Dec. 10, 1966

The Dec. 10, 1966 column was the last I could find in the Journal. Frank Edwards passed away in June 1967.