Bonnie Dell Motel Revisited

Back in the early days of this blog, I used to take it on the road once in a while – outside of Lorain County – to some of my favorite destinations around Ohio, including Ashland.

Driving around the Ashland area always takes me right past the former Bonnie Dell Motel on U. S. 250. I gave it the “Then & Now” photo treatment back here in 2011 using the vintage, stained postcard shown above.

Although the strip of motel rooms behind the main house is long-gone, the property is of historic interest today. That’s because right next door is a historic monument honoring John Studebaker and the location of his farm and blacksmith shop. (Studebaker later founded a wagon works in South Bend, Indiana that evolved into the well-known automobile brand.)

Anyway, last month I received an email from Andrew Bennett, whose parents owned the Bonnie Dell property. He took the time to write me in appreciation for the post about the motel. 

Andrew noted, “My father was the person who bought that property right before I was born and ended up tearing down the motel when I was only a few years old. If my memory serves me correctly, that was the result of some zoning dispute." 

He also had a few treasures that he wanted to share.

"I was doing some cleaning and went through another box of his belongings that I hadn't checked in years, only to find the key to Room 5.”

Andrew also had a color postcard of the motel. Its view is very similar to that of the black and white one (although there are subtle differences in the trees and landscaping, as well as a parked car). 

Here’s my new “Now Photo” (below) to go along with the color postcard.  

(The photo wasn’t easy to get, as U. S. 250 there is a narrow two-lane highway with a lot of traffic zipping to and from I-71, which is nearby. This was shot out of my car window as there was no place to pull over safely and park.)

Anyway, Andrew was pleased to see that the Bonnie Dell Motel isn’t entirely forgotten. He noted, "Your blog posts appear to be the only remaining evidence online that the motel ever existed aside from some vintage aerial photography. Thank you for preserving local history.”

A 1971 aerial view, courtesy of VintageAerial.com

The John Studebaker Monument near Ashland

August 2009 photo

Five miles east of Ashland on the top of a hill on US 250, right next door to the former Bonnie Dell Motel is a large granite boulder with a plaque on it: the John Studebaker Monument.  A few concrete steps and a hand rail lead up to it.

Cars and trucks whiz by it daily at top speeds without noticing it. (I passed it dozens and dozens of times in the late 1970's going back and forth to Ohio State University in Columbus, and never even knew it was there!)

What does it commemorate? Here is the explanation, according to my battered 1940 copy of The Ohio Guide (compiled by workers of the Writer's Program of the Works Projects Administration).

The JOHN STUDEBAKER MONUMENT (R), 16.2 m., a large granite boulder with an inscription plate, marks the site where in 1835 John Studebaker erected his house and blacksmith shop. In 1852 two of his sons, Henry and Clement, with a capital of $68 founded a wagon works at South Bend, Indiana – a plant that later entered the fledgling automobile industry with the now well-known Studebaker.

August 2009 photo

Several people had the idea of erecting a monument on the site of the original Studebaker blacksmith shop on what was then part of the new coast-to-coast Lincoln Highway, according to an article by Richard Quinn in Turning Wheels (official publication of the Studebaker Driver's Club). A Studebaker distributor in San Francisco, as well as W. A. Duff, the editor of the Ashland Press, had the same idea. But Duff appears to have pushed it the most in his newspaper, and the monument was most likely his brainchild.

In a letter written in 1914 to the last surviving son of John Studebaker, Duff wrote that he wanted to present the monument "to the rising generation that they may emulate the example of the good and the grand and the noble who have wrought in their native county and state." Duff also added that he wanted the Lincoln Highway in Ashland County "to be remembered by the thousands who shall pass over it every year."

The monument was dedicated on May 18, 1927 by the Studebaker Historical Society and has been there ever since. 

Although the monument now sits on private property, various owners through the years have permitted visitors to climb the steps to view the monument. (While photographing it, I have parked briefly in the driveway just to the left of it.)

August 2009 photo

Bonnie Dell Motel Then and Now

Last week I mentioned the Perkins down on US 250 near Ashland as being a favorite Sunday afternoon destination. Well, the road that is now US 250 used to be one of the early alignments of the cross-country Lincoln Highway, and it was dotted with lots of small motels like the one shown on the postcard above: the Bonnie Dell Motel.

Although the motel portion of the property is gone, the brick building near the highway is still there, and we pass it every time we go to Perkins. Here's a modern view.

The back of the vintage postcard reveals that the motel was apparently operated by Mr. & Mrs. E. R. Emminger, and J. & Bonnie Garn, so we know at least where the 'Bonnie' in the name comes from. The back also states that the motel was at "Route 250 at Studebaker Monument."

Studebaker Monument? What's that – and is it still there? Stop back here tomorrow to find out!

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UPDATE (April 21, 2020)
Click here to visit my new post about the Bonnie Dell Motel, with reminisces and photos provided by the son of one of the owners.