Lorain Preps for July 4, 1936

Nothing says 'the Fourth of July' like bathing beauties
posing in front of a 5-ft. tall firecracker

Ninety years ago, my hometown of Lorain, Ohio was getting ready for July 4, 1936. But unlike other years, there wasn't going to be a big celebration, as noted on the front page of the July 3, 1936 Lorain Journal.

"Lorain to Mark 'Fourth' Quietly," reads the heading for the article. "With no civic celebration scheduled for Lorain tomorrow, the city's annual observance of the July 4th holiday will consist largely of private outings, either motor trips or picnics in the park.

"If weather holds, park officials said they expected a record turnout at both Lakeview and Century park bathing beaches. The weatherman's predictions were not too optimistic, however, offering the possibility of cloudy weather and showers."

One article entitled, "INVASION! BUGS, UGH!" reminded us that times haven't changed too much for the cities located along the shores of Lake Erie. "Cleveland got a bad storm last night and Lorain got lake bugs," it noted. "Glowering clouds that swept over the lake off the Lorain shore brought little more locally than a scare and a fair-sized shower; and then went on to take a 60-mile-an-hour whack at the Great Lakes exposition.

"But from some place, in the wake of the storm, came the lake bugs. And then more lake bugs. And more lake bugs.

"This morning the streets were filled with piles of the winged pests from the deep, and the air was filled with the odor of fish."

Perhaps the most interesting article is about the 42 Revolutionary War veterans buried in Lorain County cemeteries.

As the article notes, "More than two score of Revolutionary war heroes – a total of 42 – sleep in cemeteries of Lorain-co.

"One was at the Boston Tea Party; two fought at Bunker Hill; two were at Yorktown and two at Lexington; and one was a member of the famous Bigelow artillery, which helped Ethan Allen at Fort Ticonderoga.

"Lorain-co's 42 Revolutionary war figures are buried in wide spread cemeteries. Some of the graves are marked; of others there is only a written record."

The article contains many interesting stories of veterans and their burial places.

"In a humble graveyard in Brownhelm-twp lies George Bacon, patriot. He is believed to have been the only Ohioan known to have taken part in the Boston Tea-Party. He settled in Brownhelm-twp in 1817, and founded a family now prominent in Brownhelm.

In the Brownhelm cemetery lies Col. Seth Morse, a carriage-builder who supplied the Continental army with 120 wagons in record time. For this he was commissioned a first lieutenant and later was made a captain following gallant service in various campaigns. He moved to the Western Reserve in 1823 and took up a tract of 1400 acres around what is now Brownhelm.

"John Ferris, whose grave is in Huntington cemetery, fought in the two battles of Saratoga, the turning point in the American Revolution. He was member of the Continental army commanded by Gen. Gates and later General Benedict Arnold, before the latter turned traitor. It is believed that Ferris moved to Lorain-co in 1818." 

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On Sunday I thought it would be interesting to visit a few of the graves to pay respects. I managed to find two of them in the limited amount of time I had.

In Brownhelm Cemetery on North Ridge Road, I visited the grave of Col. Seth Morse. His grave was appropriately decorated.

A smaller stone inscribed with his name (and signifying that his family was buried there also) was located behind it.

When I arrived at Huntington Cemetery on State Route 58, I was sure that John Ferris' grave would be similarly decorated with flags, as well as a marker from the local chapter of the D. A. R. But I was mistaken. I walked a good portion of the cemetery before locating his stone.

His stone did have a nice Sons of the American Revolution seal affixed to it. But oddly enough, there was also a G. A. R. marker (for the Grand Army of the Republic, the fraternal organization made up of Union Army Civil War veterans) next to his stone.

Maybe someone got their wars mixed up.