Ice Harvesting in the Old Days

It’s been kind of a mild winter so far – which is fine with me.

But in the old days, that would have been a disaster for those who made their living as icemen, cutting ice from the lake.

Read all about it in this great article (below) that ran on the front page of the Lorain Journal on Deb. 11, 1950 – 70 years ago this week.

The article looks back at those old days, and the evolution of the ice business since then. It includes comments from old-timer Charles Grescher, who started in the ice business with Lorain’s Crystal Ice Company back in 1908.

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Click here to read my 2015 five-part series on the Crystal Ice Company, which was mentioned in the article.

Lorainite Authors Book on Lincoln – Feb. 1950

Today is President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Although it’s not a national holiday (since it is lumped in with Presidents’ Day), Lincoln’s birthday is still a legal holiday in a few states.

I’ve done several posts over the years honoring the Great Emancipator.

Back in 2017, there was a post about a Wellington man who in 1952 had an original Lincoln campaign medal. I also wrote about the Lorain woman who saw Lincoln twice, who, along with an Amherst man, was also the subject of a post entitled ‘They Both Saw Lincoln.’

Well today’s post is not about Honest Abe spotting. It’s about Archer H. Shaw, a native of Lorain County who edited and compiled a reference book of Lincoln’s speeches, letters and papers entitled, The Lincoln Encyclopedia.

Here's the article (below) announcing the impending publication of the book. It appeared on the front page of the Lorain Journal on February 6, 1950.

Archer Shaw circa 1956

As the article notes, Shaw was born in North Ridgeville and attended Elyria High School. He began his distinguished newspaper career with the Lorain Herald. 

At the time of his book’s publication, Shaw was a nationally known editorial writer with the Plain Dealer, having been with the newspaper for more than 40 years.

Mr. Archer’s motive for compiling the book was explained in the Journal article. In Shaw’s own words:  “It grew out of a newspaper editorial writer’s frequent desire, in pursuit of his own work, to consult the opinions of America’s great spokesman for Democracy.” 

Consequently, Shaw felt it was his duty to publish the book as a resource that he wished had been available to him.

Today, anyone can have a book printed (and call themselves an author) if they’re willing to pay the price. In Mr. Shaw’s case, it’s nice to read about someone who did it with a noble intent: to collect all of Lincoln’s words in one place.

Harry Albacker’s Magic Touch – Part 2

Harry Albacker posing with some of his assistants in his magic act

Although Harry Albacker of Lorain didn’t get his fifteen minutes of fame locally when his idea was used in the There Oughta Be a Law! comic strip in February 1952, he really didn’t need it.

When it came to fame, he did more than fine on his own.

You see, Harry Albacker enjoyed a long career as a popular professional magician, traveling around the country and the world. He only lived in Lorain, Ohio during the 1950s, but during that time he made sure that it was identified as his home in any newspaper publicity.

At the time of his passing in March 1994, his obituary in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette provided a nice summary of his career.

His obituary noted, "Harry Albacker, a popular magician who performed around the world, including numerous appearances at the White House, died yesterday in Jefferson Center of South Hills Health System. He had suffered a heart attack the previous day while performing at Southwestern Health Center in Pleasant Hills.”

"Information compiled by Paul Ajak, a mortician handling his funeral arrangements, list Mr. Albacker's date of birth as April 20, 1925. Over the years, however, he always told reporters that he was born on Halloween in 1926, three minutes, he claimed, after the celebrated magician Harry Houdini died in a Detroit hospital. 

"He lived most of his life in Aspinwall except during a brief period when he was headquartered in Lorain, Ohio. 

Promotional flyer coutesy of Heinz History Center

“He once told an interviewer that the "whole world is my address," and, to an extent, that was true. For years, he traveled more than 40,000 miles in a van to entertain in nightclubs and theaters across the country, including the Hanna Theater in Cleveland, the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco, Nellie Bly Amusement Park in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the American Theater in St. Louis. 

"Over the years, he made 42 appearances at the White House for teas and birthday parties during the Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon and Carter administrations. Mr. Albacker used to give away as souvenirs rabbits he would pull of a hat. Recipients included - Eleanor Roosevelt, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Caroline Kennedy, who received one of his favorite rabbits, Zsa Zsa. 

"He was inducted into the military in 1942 and attached to Army Special Services, entertaining stateside and in the Phiippines, Germany and England, sharing the stage with such headliners as the Andrews Sisters, Horace Heidt and the Musical Knights and the Three Stooges.”

I guess you could say Harry had the magic touch for a rich, full life. He had fun working, and did what he loved right up until the end. And he served his country too.

To learn more about the life of Harry Albacker, as well as his act, visit this link on the Heinz History Center Library website. The article notes that Gertrude wasn’t his only animal that “pulled a disappearance act” but that all of them eventually reappeared.

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I found a few clippings and mentions of Harry online.

One story that hit the wire services involved Harry and his missing python, Gertrude, who was part of his act at the time. Someone stole the suitcase in which Gertrude was traveling! He’s the story, from the Key West Citizen of July 9, 1954 (below). Note Harry was based in Lorain at the time.

Here’s a mention of Harry in the October 30, 1954 issue of Billboard, in which he chides the publication for not helping him promote National Magic Month.

Here’s a wacky item about Harry from the May 12, 1956 Billboard. He had a flair for promotion!

Here’s Harry’s classified ad (the second listing from the top) in the April 13, 1957 Billboard. Note he was still in Lorain at the time.

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Click here to visit Part 3 of this series.

Harry Albacker’s Magic Touch – Part 1

Last week (here), I wrote about a Sheffield Lake girl whose contribution to the Journal feature “Tell Me Why” provided her fifteen minutes of fame back in Feb. 1960.

Today’s post deals with another successful local submission – this time, to a comic strip called There Oughta Be a Law!

I’m sure you remember it. But those who do not, There Oughta Be a Law was a very popular, long-running strip that depicted many of the frustrations and comic situations that people encounter in their everyday lives, all told in a humorous fashion.

The strip was usually presented in two large panels, with the first one establishing the setting or mood, and the second one delivering the joke, often with a twist. The writer of the strip eventually solicited ideas from readers – and credited them if the suggestion was used.

Anyway, while doing some research recently on one of those online newspaper websites, I stumbled upon an edition of There Oughta Be a Law! from February 9, 1952. Lo and behold, the contributor was from Lorain, Ohio!

Harry Albacker of 2015 E. 31st Street in Lorain, Ohio made the humorous suggestion that was chosen that day.

Since the comic strip was distributed nationally, I was sure that the Lorain Journal would make note of Albacker’s winning entry that day. So I headed to the library to see if there was a special article on the front page, or perhaps a mention in the “Log of Lorain” gossip column.

Imagine my surprise to discover that although the strip had appeared in the Journal in January 1952, it apparently had been dropped by February. The ‘winning’ comic strip didn’t even appear in the hometown paper!

It was an situation worthy of There Oughta Be a Law! itself.

But don’t feel too bad for Harry Albacker being robbed of his fifteen minutes of fame. He enjoyed decades of fame – as we’ll see in tomorrow’s post.

O’Neil’s Boy Scouts 50th Anniversary Ad – February 3, 1960

Back in February 1960, the Boy Scouts of America organization was celebrating its 50th anniversary.

There were lots of ads in the Lorain Journal with that theme before and during Boy Scout Week, which was Feb. 7 - 13th. Above is the ad sponsored by O’Neil’s department store.

The ad notes that there were five million boys in Scouting at that time. Sixty years later, there's been a lot of changes.

A quick check of the Boy Scouts of America website reveals that today there are 2.4 million youth participants. Yes, the total includes young women as well, since they were first allowed to join Cub Scouts back in 2017.

Strangely, the BSA website makes no special note of the 110th Anniversary of the founding of the organization.

Anyway, tomorrow is National Boy Scouts Day, so if you were a Scout, share your memories of this worthwhile organization with a young friend.

Back here, I shared some of my memories of being a Cub Scout before I went AWOL. Be sure to read the comments, especially the comical ones left by my older brother Ken, who became a Boy Scout like our dear old Dad.

Sheffield Lake Winner of “Tell Me Why” – Feb. 1960

Remember the old “Tell Me Why” column for kids that ran in the Journal for years?

I’m sure you do. The educational feature was written by A. Leokum and invited children to submit questions, as well as jokes and riddles. If their submission was chosen and used in the column, the winner received various educational prizes, such as a set of encyclopedias.

I first wrote about “Tell Me Why” back here in 2017.

Well, back on February 3, 1960, the Journal featured a photograph of Bonnie Toderick of Sheffield Lake and her father Alex. Bonnie’s submission has been chosen for publication, and she won a 15-volume set of the Britannica Junior encyclopedia.

The photo caption noted, “Her question and the answer will appear in The Journal Feb. 27.”

And here’s the column for Feb. 27th, 1960.

Bonnie’s name is at the bottom of the column as the Fun Time Riddle Box contributor for the day.

Helen Steiner Rice's Poetic Tribute to Rhea Soper Eddy – Feb. 2, 1950

One of the many famous people who were born in Lorain was Helen Steiner Rice.

According to the Images of America Lorain Ohio book (created by what was then called the Black River Historical Society), “Helen Steiner Rice enjoyed writing poetry when she attended Lorain High School and continued that interest all her life.

“She was employed at the Ohio Public Service Co. (later Ohio Edison) and became the director of public relations of the Ohio Committee on Public Utilities Information.

“At a convention, Helen Steiner was introduced to Franklin Rice, a banker, and they married.

“When Mr. Rice died a few years later, Helen was offered a job at the Gibson Greeting Card Co. Her poems began to attract attention and she not only wrote poetry for the company cards, but published books of her poems.

“Born in Lorain in 1900, she died in Cincinnati in 1981.”

Anyway, an example of her poetry appeared on the front page of the Lorain Journal back on February 2, 1950 – 70 years ago yesterday. It was her tribute to her old friend Rhea Soper Eddy, who had passed away in mid-January 1950.

(Rhea Super Eddy was the women’s page editor of the Journal, who for 25 years was the head of the Mary Lee Tucker charity program – which evolved into today’s Morning Journal Clothe-A-Child program.)

Here is the article and poem. The poem is quite lovely.

For more information on Helen Steiner Rice, here is the link to her entry on the Ohio History Central website.

Helen Steiner Rice’s first collection of poetry,
published in 1967