Civil War Statue in Washington Park Part 2

Here's a small article about Lorain's Civil War statue that appeared in the Lorain Journal dated May 5, 1952. It's a pretty amusing little prank – tame by today's standards!

I was excited just to see the photo of the statue in the newspaper. The statue looks like it was painted to make it more lifelike, and seems to match the appearance in the more recent postcard.

There isn't much information about the Civil War statue online or anywhere for that matter. The Images of America book on Lorain says that the statue was eventually taken down and given to the 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry out on Route 6 in Sheffield Lake.

Last summer I paid a visit to the 103rd OVI since I was writing an article about it for the Black Swamp Trader & Firelands Gazette. I asked them about the statue and whether it was on display somewhere on the grounds. Unfortunately, they told me that the statue had been in such poor shape that it was literally falling apart and was eventually scrapped.

Anyway, here's a link to a website on Ohio Civil War monuments that briefly mentions the statue near the bottom. And here's a link to an interesting discussion as to whether there is any significance as to what direction a Civil War statue faces.

Civil War Statue in Washington Park Part 1

Did you know that Lorain used to have a Civil War statue in the park across from Lorain City Hall?

There are a few vintage postcards that show it through the years. A reproduction of a postcard (top) dating from around 1908 appeared in the Images of America book, showing the statue atop an ornate fountain. A more recent postcard (from the 50's or 60's?) shows the same statue atop a simple pedestal (below).

Walter A. Frey Funeral Home Then and Now

I ran across this ad for Walter A. Frey Funeral Home in a 1945 Lorain telephone book. The photo caught my attention, since I drive by the building at 700 West Erie Avenue near Lorain City Hall almost every day. So I figured it was a good candidate for the 'then and now' photo treatment.

Walter A. Frey Funeral Home has been a Lorain business since the early to mid-1940's. A 1942 city directory still included its predecessor, Royce Funeral Home, but by 1945 it had acquired its present well-known and respected name.

Walter A. Frey Sr. passed away on January 27, 2002.

The 1945 phone book indicated that there was a church at 600 West Erie Avenue, between the funeral home and City Hall. But the church, along with the original City Hall, are long gone.

The Lorain County Auditor's website indicates that the building dates back to 1870, making it a true survivor in a downtown that doesn't have a lot of really old buildings, thanks to the 1924 tornado and urban renewal.

I photographed the building a few weeks ago on a sunny Saturday morning. As you can see, there have been a few architectural and landscaping changes, including enclosing the porch. The addition to the west end of the building has brought it literally up against Pete's Repair next door.

Dog 'n Suds is now open, you lucky dog!

They say that every dog has his day. And for Rover, the Dog 'n Suds mascot, that day is today. Because today, the Dog 'n Suds on North Ridge Road opens for the season! I'm not sure what ever happened with the plan to sell the drive-in to one of the employees, but if I find out anything I'll be sure to post it here. I'm just glad that the Lorain County favorite has opened for another season.

Dog 'n Suds was one of my favorite blog subjects last year. I first mentioned it here, and then went on about it for several days, before eating there and posting this. (If you want to read them all, you can always type in Dog 'n Suds in the Search box at the top of this page and then click on the small magnifying glass icon. Then, any and all blog entries from the archives that include those words will be collected on one page for you to read. Of course, that works with any topic you're interested in on this blog, such as Yala's Pizza, Willow Hardware, etc. Try it!)

Anyway, the picture above is of a promotional record album that Dog 'n Suds issued around 1969. As you can see, the company was tinkering with the design of Rover, making him sort of a wacky clown chef instead of a uniformed car hop. (See closeup above.) 

That sort of makeover shouldn't happen to a dog!

Happy Easter!

Here's wishing all of you a Happy Easter! And don't forget to head down to Lakeview Park with your camera later on!

Here's a 1960 Brady photo; don't know why I didn't look at the camera!

Lakeview Park Easter Basket or Floral Basket?

Here's something I haven't seen before: a vintage linen postcard of the Floral Basket in Lakeview Park. But don't true Lorainites usually refer to it as the Easter basket?

You might be surprised to learn that when the concrete icon was first unveiled in early April, 1941 (not 1937, as is commonly believed) it was referred to as a flower basket.

Here is the article from the Lorain Journal of Thursday, April 3, 1941.

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Flowers to Bloom in Concrete 'Basket' Latest Addition to Lakeview Park

Flowers that bloom in the spring, (tra-la), will bloom in a three and a half ton concrete flower basket in Lakeview park this year.

The huge flower basket, looking for all the world like the concrete bands had been hand-woven, was put into place recently by the city park department at the extreme end of Lakeview park between the lawn bowling rink and West Erie av.

It is the handiwork of National Youth administration workers who spent many weeks completing the basket in the park department garage during the winter, according to Park Superintendent George Crehore.

The basket is 10 feet long, four feet wide and four feet high and has been placed on a pedestal approximately four feet high.

Flowers will be planted in the top and in openings in the sides of the basket, Crehore said. The basket is, or will be surrounded by a pool of water, or "moat," about two feet wide.

Another unusual piece of work which will grace the park drive this year is an ornamental wrought-iron decoration, painted silver, with a light in it which transforms it into something like an old-fashioned lantern.

Actually, the "lantern" is a made-over corner post decoration off the old Erie-av bridge. Three others will be placed in Lorain parks this summer, according to Crehore.

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Strangely enough, the newspaper account did not mention the name of the man who designed the basket and received a patent for his creation: David Shukait.

Rona Proudfoot wrote the hands-down best article about the history of the Easter basket for the Chronicle-Telegram last Easter. It even featured a photo of my mother and sister in front of the basket as part of a montage.

And here is the Easter basket as it looks today, all set for the pilgrimage of people eager for their family photo this Sunday. The new bunny cutout is great!

Easter's Coming and that means it's Faroh's Candies time!

Here's a vintage 1970's Faroh's Candies newspaper ad (click on it for a closer look) that should put you in the Easter mood! If you grew up in Lorain, then you know that it just wasn't Easter without Faroh's candy in your Easter basket.

I stopped in at the downtown Lorain mini-store to get some dark chocolate mallo eggs a few days ago. (Of course my wife and I already taste-tested them to make sure they're okay – and they were great.)

The store wasn't egg-zactly busy when I stopped in, so I hope that things pick up for them as the holiday is only a few days away. The store's future depends upon community support.

I remember when there seemed to be a Faroh's outlet everywhere. Besides the main store on Henderson Drive (see photo at left, courtesy of the Black River Historical Society website), at various times there were stores in the Avon Lake Landings, the Amherst Plaza Shopping Center, and one right below Alex Visci's music studio on Broadway in downtown Lorain. There were outlets in other cities as well.

Here is a link to the current website.

So stop in at the Faroh's store at 657 Broadway for a taste of old time Lorain.