More Vermilion Postcards

I really like living in Vermilion. It's been my home since 2018 and I've grown quite fond of the place. As I've told my friends, living in a Lake Erie tourist town is like being on vacation all year 'round. (That is, except during the winter when they roll up the sidewalks and everything seems to be closed, tightly shuttered against the brutal winter gusts coming off the lake.)

Anyway, I'm still in a real summertime mood, so here are some vintage summer postcards of my Vacationland haven. I've done this before with a four-part series back in 2019. But this is a new collection, freshly poached (hmmm, why am I suddenly hungry?) from eBay.

Postcards of Lakeland Lodges usually seem to date from the 1950s and 60s. Here's one from a slightly earlier era, reminding us that it's been there a long time. 

Linwood Beach is still very popular. There are many vintage postcards of the quaint vacation community, but here a few that I hadn't seen. The beach postcard has a postmark of 1964.

For you boaters out there, here are two views of the mouth of the Vermilion River with very similar composition. The top postcard is postmarked 1956.

Here's another river view.

And here's a sailboat coming into the harbor on a postcard that was cancelled (referring to the original meaning of the word) in 1959.

Snider's Shore Acres was a little west of Vermilion. I featured it on its own post back here. But here are a few new views. The back of the color postcard reads, "SNIDER'S SHORE ACRES - Mel and Elvera Paul (Owner-Manager). Modern 15 Unit Motel located on U. S. 6, one mile West of Vermilion, Ohio. 700 feet private sandy beach. Complete facilities for family vacation." The black and white postcard of the cottages is postmarked 1954.

And here's something I didn't have when I did my comprehensive two-part series (here's Part 1 and Part 2) on Cask Villa: a color postcard of the place. It's from 1936.

It had a beach too, of course.

Early Vermilion Article – May 14, 1965

Back in the 1950s and 60s, a lot of change was taking place in Lorain County and the surrounding area. Farms were giving way to new housing subdivisions, old houses and other buildings were being torn down to make room for commercial development and sadly, old timers with links to the previous century were passing away.

But not all of them. Fortunately, some of these crusty senior citizens were sharing their memories and recollections in creative ways, such as speaking to civic groups.

And here's one of them: Robert Parsons, who was a lifelong resident of Vermilion and a captain on the Great Lakes. He spoke to the Rotary Club of Vermilion back in May 1965 on a favorite topic – old Vermilion.

This article from the May 14, 1965 Journal tells the tale. It's a pretty good story of Vermilion's fishing industry circa 1910, as well as wooden sidewalks, kerosene street lamps, saloons, blacksmiths and milk that came from the Baumhart farm west of town.

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After finishing this post, I attempted to try and research Mr. Parsons – only to discover that I'd already posted this article a few years back! I guess if you do a blog long enough (16 years), you're bound to have a re-run. 

Sorry about that, Chief.

Brummer's Candies in Vermilion

One of the nice things about living in Vermilion is that we have our own hometown candy store – Brummer's Candies, right downtown. The business dates back to 1904, and so do the chocolate recipes they use. Best of all, the chocolates are made right in the store.

I was in there twice already buying Easter candy, and I felt like, well, a kid in a candy store. Unfortunately, I didn't wait until Easter to sample some of it, and now I have to go back again to replenish my stash. It's really good chocolate.

The store has an incredible display of sweets – just about anything you can imagine. A large display case along the wall contains specialty chocolates you can buy in whatever quantity you wish, while the individual and prepackaged candies are on display in the center of the store. I especially like the vintage molds that they used to make the chocolates in fun shapes – everything from classic Easter designs to unique ones like fish, guns, pigs, canoes, etc.

The store is a gift shop as well, so plan on spending some time poking around.

Easter is only a few weeks away, so be sure to stop in for your holiday needs, and support a great local business.

Here are a few vintage Brummer's ads and photos from the Morning Journal, dating back to the 1990s.

Feb. 9, 1994

March 16, 1994

April 2, 1994

Dec. 2, 1994

Oct. 20, 1995

April 6, 1996

Feb. 11, 1997

April 8, 1998

Dec. 19, 1998

Vermilion Burger Chef Ad – April 1, 1975

The rise of the hamburger as a fast food item in the 1960s continues to be a source of interest to me on this blog. I've devoted many posts to McDonald's and Burger King, as well as both national and regional wanna-be's (Sandy's, Hardee's, Kelly's, Casey's and Burger Chef) that hoped to dethrone them.

And speaking of Burger Chef, did you know that there was one in Vermilion? I didn't, until I saw the ad above, which ran in the Lorain Journal back on April 1, 1975. I was aware of the one on 28th Street near Broadway (a girl I was dating worked there) but had no idea that my current town of Vermilion had one.

The ad reflects that it was under different ownership that the one in Lorain. The Vermilion ad is pretty unique, and seems to be channeling Wendy's old-fashioned shtick. Here's an ad for the Lorain Burger Chef from a day later on April 2, 1975 for comparison.

Alas, by 1975 Burger Chef and Jeff appear to have been put out to pasture (somewhat appropriate as that's where Burger Chef steers were grazing) and replaced by the insipid Smiley face logo.

What's that? You don't remember Burger Chef and Jeff?

They were the animated cartoon mascots for Burger Chef, featured in TV commercials and ads, and doing battle against Ronald McDonald and the Burger King. Here they are on a plastic hand puppet that somehow survived over the last 50 years, currently on eBay. The duo seem to be joined at the hip.

Since the happy, waving partners weren't on the Burger Chef sign in front of the Lorain restaurant on W. 28th Street (as seen on this generic vintage postcard, I used to wonder who the mustachioed chef was.

Anyway, how long was the one in Vermilion open? Here's the Grand Opening ad that ran in the Journal on July 12, 1973. Hmmm... I see Jeff and Smiley in the ad. Where's the Chef himself?

The restaurant lasted until the 1980s, when a fire struck the outlet on April 1, 1984.

Apparently the restaurant did not reopen. This article from a few months later on July 25, 1984 indicated that a new Rax restaurant would be built on the site of the former Burger Chef.

Today the location is home to Fiesta Cancun Authentic Mexican Food & Cantina.

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For a time, Burger Chef featured the Fun Burger, apparently designed to compete with McDonalds' Kids Meal. Here's a commercial with Burger Chef and Jeff introducing it. (Note that the Burger Chef is voiced by none other than Paul Winchell, the voice of Tigger in the Winnie-the-Pooh movie features, Dick Dastardly on Wacky Races, and Gargamel on The Smurfs.

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Here's the Grand Opening ad for the Rax Restaurant that replaced the Burger Chef in Vermilion. It ran in the Journal on October 30, 1984.

New High School for Vermilion – Feb. 1953

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?

A Tale of a Dog at Vermilion Lagoons – Jan. 13, 1955

Are there any dog lovers out there? 

If so, then this front-page story from the January 13, 1955 Lorain Journal might be of interest. It's about a dog named Pepper, living at the Vermilion Lagoons and owned by Mr. Samuel George.

The focus of the article is that Pepper might have been on his way to setting some sort of record for longevity as he was about 22 years old – equivalent to age 161 in a human.

The whole concept of aging in dogs and comparing it to humans is an inexact science at best, since so many factors are involved. And some smaller breeds are known to exceed the average dog lifespan of 10 to 13 years.

Nevertheless, the story of Pepper is a cute one. Like many other locals, she came to Lorain from McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Her owner noted that she had never been to a vet or been seriously ill and simply 'runs and jumps and enjoys life.'

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We never had a dog when I was growing up, although my siblings and I wanted one. I think Mom (who had a dog herself when she was a kid on Sixth Street in Lorain) said it would be too much work. So I ended up with a fish, and then a hamster. The first real pet came much later, when my older brother brought home a kitten from the steel mill in his lunch box. Although we didn't know it at the time, that cat would be my parents' beloved pet for about the next 20 years.

Lorain Journal Front Page – 100 Years Ago Today

One hundred years ago today, this was the front page of the January 10, 1925 Lorain Journal.

Of course, the headline is of great interest: "Amherst Has Booze Ring, Says Rum Runner." It seems that a bootlegger named Dave Brennin of Amherst "squealed" on George Bailey (another Amherst man) and fingered him as being the supplier of his liquor. Surprisingly (to me at least), Bailey was immediately arrested simply on Brennin's information.

It's kind of funny that George Bailey is the name of James Stewart's character in It's A Wonderful Life.

Illegal booze (it was Prohibition times, after all) also figured prominently in the article directly below the Amherst story.

Also of interest to me is the story about the "Hazard On Lake Road To Go." It notes, "Elimination of the grade crossing on Lake Road, between Lorain and Vermilion, of both the Lake Shore Electric and Nickel Plate Railroads, is included in the 1926 program of the state highway department for Lorain County, it was announced in Columbus today.

I wrote about this dangerous crossing (with photos) back here (in 2010) and here (in 2020).

Alas, the bridge over the railroad tracks would not be completed until September 1938.

August 31, 1938

Sept. 17, 1938

As I've noted before, that overpass is literally outside the window of my condo. Of course the bridge there now is the one that replaced the 1938 one. I remember the old bridge, because it was more ornate than the present, boring one.

Also on that 1925 front page: a story about an unfortunate racial attack; a report about the booming business at the Post Office; and the addition of William E. Ashbolt as a reporter covering news in the state legislature.

Grand Opening of Fisher Big Wheel in Vermilion – October 22, 1972

Remember the Fishers Big Wheel stores?

It was a discount department store not unlike Kmart. Local stores included one in Avon Lake across from Discount Drug Mart on Walker Road, one in the Northridge Plaza in North Ridgeville, and one in Vermilion in the South Shore Shopping Center. 

Above you see the Grand Opening ad for the Vermilion store that appeared in the Journal on October 22, 1972.

According to its Wiki entry, "Fishers Big Wheel, sometimes known as just Big Wheel, was a discount department store chain based in New Castle, Pennsylvania, United States. The company operated stores under the Fisher's Big Wheel and Buy Smart names. 

"Fishers Big Wheel primarily located in smaller towns which were not already served by other discount retailers, while in other markets, it competed directly with such discounters as Zayre, Kmart, Walmart, and Hills Department Store. 

"At its peak, the chain comprised more than 100 stores in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. The chain declared bankruptcy in 1993, selling some stores to Pamida and closing others. The chain closed in 1994."

The Vermilion store dodged the closing bullet for a while. An article in the July 10, 1993 Morning Journal noted that "The Fisher Big Wheel in Vermilion has survived another round of closings from the Pennsylvania-based regional discount retailer.

"Company officials in New Castle, Pa., announced the company and its wholly owned affiliates filed for protection under Chapter 11 of federal bankruptcy laws yesterday.

"Ten stores will close, according to a company lawyer who didn't name the victims. However, Mike Amantea, manager of the Big Wheel store in Vermilion, said his store was not among them.

"Big Wheel Holding Co. Inc., and Big Wheel of Michigan, Inc. operate 65 retail department stores in eight states.

"Last year, the company slated the Vermilion store for closing. But it changed its mind after an outpouring of support from the community.

"Big Wheel has 23 stores in Ohio, 17 in Michigan, 11 in Pennsylvania, three in New York, three in Connecticut, five in Indiana, two in West Virginia, and one in Rhode Island, according to papers filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The Vermilion store eventually closed. But the vacant Big Wheel building found new life for many years as the home of Alco, a national discount department store, in October 1998.

Today, the building is home to Harborview Self Storage.

I never shopped at the Vermilion store, but the Avon Lake store was a regular stop when I lived on the east side of Lorain. It was convenient, and I remember some great fireworks there too on the Fourth of July for several years.