Volunteer Bay – Part 5

Plaque in the private lakefront park at Volunteer Bay

Volunteer Bay continued to be mentioned in the local newspaper in the 1950s and 60s, usually due to the annual Memorial Day ceremonies held there, honoring fallen comrades.

This article in the May 23, 1958 Sandusky Register notes that since the Spanish War Veteran Association was formed in the early 1920s, it had lost 54 members – of which 46 were either veterans or their family members.

This article from the May 29, 1959 Sandusky Register outlines Vermilion’s various Memorial Day activities, which included memorial services at Volunteer Bay.

A “50-star flag presentation” was part of the Memorial Day ceremony at Volunteer Bay as noted in this article from the May 18, 1961 Sandusky Register. The 50-star flag had only been adopted in July 1960.

When Volunteer Bay was first established in 1922, an eleven-room house on the property that had been part of the John M. Johnson farm was put to use as a clubhouse and hotel. Well, in 1965 a new memorial clubhouse was dedicated, as noted in this photo and accompanying caption that appeared in the September 23, 1965 Sandusky Register.

And here are a few recent photos of the clubhouse, taken in preparation for this post.

Although the Spanish-American War may not be as well known or understood as other conflicts, its Veterans deserve to be remembered – and they are not forgotten at Volunteer Bay.

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Back in 2019 (here), I wrote about a memorial tablet in Lorain’s Veteran Park honoring the USS Maine (the destruction of which led to our involvement in the Spanish-American War).

Volunteer Bay – Part 4

Although the Spanish-American War had been over for more than a half-century, there were still Spanish War Veterans living at Volunteer Bay in the 1950s.

Read about a few of these old gents, as well as a nice history of Volunteer Bay, in this interesting article that ran in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on May 30, 1955. A block of photos that accompanied the original Plain Dealer article can be found at the bottom of this post.

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VETS OF ’98 SNUG
IN VOLUNTEER BAY
Spanish War Community 
Is Near Vermilion

BY JOHN G. BLAIR

There’s a snug harbor three miles west of Vermilion.

Volunteer Bay was the name given to this haven by the Spanish-American War veterans who established it.

Here the veterans in their declining years sit by the side of Lake Road and watch the rest of the world go by.

Traffic is heavy on Ohio Route 2 and U. S. Route 6, which cuts through Volunteer Bay.

But not many of the veterans are content with sitting. Despite advancing years, they are a lively bunch.

Idea Born in 1922
As time has depleted the ranks of the volunteers, sons and daughters of the veterans have succeeded them in the little community.

Volunteer Bay has 100 members, of whom 13 are veterans of the war with Spain.

There are 23 sons and daughters belonging to the Spanish War Veteran Association. Twelve widows of veterans live at Volunteer Bay.

Back in 1922 the idea of Volunteer Bay was born at a meeting in Cleveland of veterans of the conflict.

The meeting was prompted by the plight of a comrade in arms who had fallen on ill days. Out of work, getting old and faced with a future living on a government pension, the veteran needed help.

Bought 52-Acre Farm
A haven where the aging Spanish-American War veteran could get by on a limited income was the solution, the organizers decided. Volunteer Bay was the answer.

For $35,000, a good figure in those days, the old Johnson farm of 52 acres was purchased by the association. The land is bounded by Lake Erie on the north and the New York Central System tracks on the south.

Because all the men who fought in the Spanish-American War were volunteers, the name Volunteer Bay was selected.

The land was divided into 278 lots and originally leased only to veterans of the Spanish war holding an honorable discharge. Later the lots were offered to others.

Roads Have Military Names
Volunteer Bay is governed by a board of trustees elected for three-year terms. The board, in turn, elects the association’s officers.

The community has its own water system, buying water from Vermilion and distributing it to the members. Roads and grounds are cared for by the association.

There is little room left for doubt that Volunteer Bay is the home of old soldiers. The gravel roads running north and south bear such names as Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery Roads. Navy Lane runs parallel to Lake Road. Marine Road forms the east boundary of the land.

Last Organizer Nears 78
A park overlooking an 800-foot-long beach is called McKinley Parade. Dewey Field is a natural amphitheater where the veterans in younger years played baseball. Woods at the south end of the land are called San Juan Hill.

Last of the original organizers, Frederick A. Stanley, 78 on June 16, lives at Volunteer Bay with his wife, Minnie, who is past Ohio department president of the United Spanish War Veterans Auxiliary.

Stanley helped guard Washington during the war. He is a retired railway mail service employee.

Lakewood Veteran There
A veteran of service in Puerto Rico living there is Herman Holl, 78. Holl is a retired tool and die maker and lived in Lakewood until he moved to the Bay.

Ulrich J. Bauer, 76, calls Volunteer Bay “the best place on earth.” He has lived there 10 years since retiring as a school custodian in Lorain.

Bauer has the job of keeping up the grounds. He served in Cuba.

Another retired railroad employee living there is Harry F. Keeling, 79, who was with the Fifth Ohio Volunteers. They were ready to sail from Tampa to Cuba when the war ended.

Hit by Cannon Ball
A wounded veteran of the Spanish War is Emil Schellmann, 78, who lives with his wife, Pearl, at the Bay. He was wounded in the Battle of San Juan Hill when a solid cannon ball fired by the Spanish hit his left foot, crippling it.

Schellmann has lived at Volunteer Bay since 1942, following his retirement from the old Cleveland Railway Co., for which he was a conductor 31 years.

Life moves at a slow pace at Volunteer Bay. There will be no formal Memorial Day rites, but the boys who are still there have a wealth of memories of their departed comrades.

Next: The Clubhouse

Volunteer Bay – Part 3

The current sign at the eastern approach to Volunteer Bay

Volunteer Bay enjoyed regular mentions in the Sandusky Register over the years, in a column entitled, “Soldiers’ Home” with news about the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Sandusky.

This April 5, 1938 column notes that the United Spanish War Veterans were celebrating their 40th Anniversary that year. Volunteer Bay is mentioned as the location for an upcoming Corn Roast and Picnic sponsored by the Booster Association.

A few months later, this ‘Soldiers’ Home’ column from the August 4th Sandusky Register notes an upcoming Booster picnic dinner on August 14th at Volunteer Bay, “where the Spanish American War Veterans have a summer colony with splendid beach for swimming and boating.”

That Corn Roast received another plug in the August 12, 1938 Sandusky Register.

Apparently it was possible for Volunteer Bay owners to sell their summer cottages to the general public, judging from this ad that ran in the Sandusky Register on August 16, 1940.

With the passing of many years and apparent difficulty in locating some Spanish War Veterans and/or their heirs, the lawyers for the Spanish War Veteran Association filed a ‘quiet title suit’ in August 1948. (My understanding is that this type of lawsuit is used to “quiet” or remove a claim in order to clarify ownership of the property.)

This official legal notice appeared in the Sandusky Register on August 23, 1948. The top portion (below) is a roll call of the various people and/or their heirs that the Spanish War Veterans Association had been unable to locate.

The balance of the notice provides a nice legal description of the property, including a mention of the former owners (John M. Johnson and his wife). The legal notice also defines how and where the Lake Shore Electric Railway and the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad crossed the property.

This portion of a vintage drawing from the Erie County Tax Map website shows Lot No. 33 in Vermilion Township, where the Spanish American Veterans property is located. The ROAD indicated is Lake Road; the dotted line immediately below it is the path of the Lake Shore Electric Railway.

There is still an old Lake Shore Electric passenger shelter on the Volunteer Bay grounds, decorated with the old Stop number (137).

For a well-written historical account of the various Lake Shore Electric Railway stops associated with this area (including the Shore Inn indicated on the map), visit this page on Drew Penfield’s Lake Shore Rail Maps website.

Next: A 1950s look at Volunteer Bay

Volunteer Bay – Part 2

So how long has the Spanish War Veterans' summer camp community at Volunteer Bay been there? This article from the December 31, 1921 edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reveals some of the details.

As the article notes, “Spanish War Veterans of Ohio are planning to establish a summer camp on the shores of Lake Erie, two miles west of Vermilion, with cottages for 325 veterans and their families, according to announcement made yesterday by W. A. Grigsby, 521 Caxton building, who with George Vaughan, chapter of Cramer Camp, No. 6 S. W. V., is promoting the project.

“We have forty-two acres under option,” said Grigsby. “We plan to lay this out in 325 lots. Thirty-three lots have been sold to veterans. A strip of land 300 feet long and 250 feet wide has been retained for common use as a bathing beach and campaign ground. A grove of several acres also will be used as a campaign ground in common.

“An eleven-room house now on the land will be converted into a club house and hotel.

“Our idea is to make this a resort where Spanish War veterans can send their families for the summer and where they can spend their vacations. Arrangements probably will be worked out to enable organizations of veterans throughout the country to use the resort at times.

“My own idea is to make of this land a mecca and headquarters for Spanish War veterans throughout the nation.”

By the summer of 1922, there were already newspaper reports of the Spanish War Veterans enjoying their new property. 

Under the heading, “SPANISH WAR VETERANS TO PICNIC – Promise Old Fashioned July 4 Celebration at Vermilion,” a small article in the Plain Dealer of June 25, 1922 noted, “An old fashioned celebration is promised for the annual Fourth of July basket picnic of the Spanish War Veterans at Stop 137, near Vermilion.

“Spanish War veterans from all over the state and their families have been invited to attend. The program includes boating, foot racing and baseball games.”

An article in the Plain Dealer published on July 5, 1922 reporting on Cleveland’s holiday celebration of the day before mentioned the Spanish war veterans' activities out at Stop 137.

Just as envisioned, the Spanish War Veterans camp was made available to a variety of veterans groups and their families. An article in the June 30, 1923 Chronicle-Telegram noted, “Arrangements were made for a picnic of all Lorain County Spanish War veterans and their families to be held at the Volunteer Bay Resort, early in August."

This small item from the social pages of the August 14, 1927 News Journal notes an upcoming weeklong visit to Volunteer Bay by Mrs. Ralph Gretzinger and Mrs. T. A. Barrett, and their children.

And this one from the August 14, 1929 Plain Dealer noted that Mrs. Lena Hall and Mrs. Mary Weller were going to be hosting women’s auxiliary groups (of both the Grand Army of the Republic and the United Spanish War Veterans) at their summer homes at Volunteer Bay.

Next: Into the 1930s and 40s

Volunteer Bay – Part 1

Summer is rapidly winding down, so let’s head out to Vacationland for a few days.

The blog has already spent some time in Beulah Beach this summer; how about another jaunt down U. S. Highway 6 to Volunteer Bay?

Volunteer Bay is another one of those blink-and-you-miss-it places on West Lake Road, west of Vermilion. For many years, I have driven by the small lakefront park with the ancient cannon and big white “VB” letters, wondering, “What was that all about?”

To find out, let’s first consult my copy of Lake Erie Vacationland in Ohio – Revisiting a 1941 Travel Guide to the Sandusky Bay Region. It includes a brief entry: “Only members and their guests have the use of the SPANISH-AMERICAN VETERANS’ CAMP, 5.5 m., a summer camp (R) with cottages, a clubhouse, and a bathing beach.

Much like the 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry bought land in Sheffield Lake for use as a summer camp for their Civil War veterans reunions, the Spanish War Veterans Association of Cleveland, Ohio had their summer camp and private community at Volunteer Bay. Over the years, cottages originally built for use in the summer have become year-round residences.

Tomorrow, we’ll get into Volunteer Bay's early history.