Elks Club Then and Now Part 1

Residence of A.N. Garver, M.D.

Last week at the library, I was thumbing through a facsimile copy of the 1895 Lorain Evening Herald Industrial Edition book (which I also mentioned back here) when I saw this photo. The caption read, "Residence of A.N. Garver, M.D." The article provided a short bio of the doctor and mentioned that "He has his office both at his handsome residence at No. 8 Bank Street, a cut of which appears in this article, and also at the "South End."

The photo is great, we see someone (maybe the good doctor?) watering the tree, as a child looks on from the porch steps.

Of course, I hoped I could do a 'then and now' shot of the house. Since Lorain renamed all of its streets (and renumbered addresses) just in time for the 1912 Lorain City Directory, once again I had to do a little cross-referencing.

It turns out that 8 Bank Street is now 203 Sixth Street – which is why the photo looked vaguely familiar to me. Today it is the home of the Lorain Elks. I pass it every time I go to the library!

And here is my shot from Sunday. I guess that tree that was being watered is long gone.

Memories of Those Famous Brownhelm Eagles of the 1920's

Mother eagle & eaglets in the Great Nest of Brownhelm

Have you ever heard of the Great Nest of Brownhelm?

That’s the name commonly used to refer to a famous American bald eagle nest that was located on Lake Road halfway between Vermilion and Lorain. It was the largest known bird tree nest before it fell in a storm in March 1925. The Great Nest, and several of the nests that followed, were the subject of considerable on-site research by Professor Francis H. Herrick of Western Reserve University.

But while the Great Nest has attracted a lot of national attention over the years, the local angle of the story of the eagles that called it home, and the nests that came after it, has often been overlooked.

Well, now you can read the whole story – in my article in the latest issue of the Black Swamp Trader & Firelands Gazette! It's on the newsstand now, and as usual, it's FREE. (For you locals, it's available out at the Vermilion Farm Market.)

My father used to reminisce about his grandfather taking him and the rest of the family on a Sunday drive to the outskirts of Vermilion back in the 1920's, to see the famous eagle nest in the treetops. It was a happy memory for him, and one he never forgot.

This story was written for him, and I hope you have a chance to read it. (For those of you that can't pick up an issue of the paper, I promise to tell the story here in a future multi-part blog series.)

Observation tower erected by Prof. Herrick next to one of the nests that came after the Great Nest

Photos by Professor Francis H. Herrick and are courtesy of National Geographic

William H. Root House Part 2

This article appeared in the June 21, 1955, Lorain Journal and provides a nice capsule history of the William H. Root house, as well as the Root family, particularly Miss Harriet Root. She had quite an accomplished career.

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Root Home Landmark in Region

Pen and ink sketch of William H. Root house

Historic Lake Road landmark dating back to 1850 and located a few hundred yards from a row of expensive and ultra-modern ranch type homes is the old Root homestead, residence of three generations of one of the pioneer families of Sheffield and Sheffield Lake.

The pen and ink sketch (at left) was made by a Detroit artist for a family postcard. The house is familiar to all older Lorain residents and is on the lake side of the road, just east of Root Road.

It is believed to be the oldest home in Sheffield Lake that is on the present Lake Road. The original Lake Road, long since washed into the lake, was farther north.

Fourth Home
This was actually the fourth Root home in Sheffield, according to Miss Harriet Root, granddaughter of the builder, William H. Root. The Roots arrived in the area in 1816 and built two log homes and a frame house before erecting the present building.

Miss Root recalls that her grandfather was a farmer and also a commission merchant in the days when there were rows of warehouses on North Broadway.

Included in the family collection are account books showing transactions indicating amazingly low prices for pork, potatoes, etc.

Headed Car Line
Miss Root's father, Orville Root, was a Lorain businessman, one of the early leaders in the Lorain Banking Co., and was at one time president of the Lorain Street Railway Co., which operated a horse car line in the late 1880's and early 1890's.

Miss Harriet Root

Among her interesting souvenirs of the past is an 1898 receipt given her father for $240 paid toward securing a suitable 19-acre site for the proposed Cleveland Shipbuilding Co. plant in Lorain – preparing for one of the "big moves" in Lorain history and Lorain industry.

Miss Root is a story and a celebrity in herself, a leader in many local civic and welfare activities who was for many years a public official in Washington. She went to Washington in 1932 to work three months with the Red Cross, and stayed for years. In 1934 she became director of the government information service, in charge of offices in Washington and New York. She service answered about 100,000 inquiries a year.

Special Mission
So proficient the service became that the New York branch was asked to set up the important information service at the New York World's Fair.

During World War II, she was sent to Sydney, Australia on a special government mission. Since returning to Lorain she has been active in the Salvation Army, Civil Defense, Business & Professional Women's club, Red Cross, American Association of University Women, United Appeal, church and other activities.

Photograph of Miss Harriet Root courtesy of www.archivalcollections.com

William H. Root House Part 1

Recent photo of William H. Root House

A little further down U.S. 6 (Lake Road) to the west is another fine old lakefront home from the 1800's – the William H. Root house. It is located at the extreme western border of Sheffield Lake, opposite Root Road.

According to the book Preserving our Past (1976), published by the Lorain County Regional Planning Commission, the house was built by William H. Root, the son of Sheffield pioneer Henry Root. The book states that William H. Root ran a mill on the Black River where it meets French Creek,

Architecturally, the house is wood frame, circa 1850 and is an example of the Greek Revival style.

Reproduced from the book "Preserving our Past"

This grand old house is about 500 feet from mine (and on the opposite side of the street of course), and it's a pleasure to drive by it several times a day!

Tomorrow: More history of the William H. Root House

Peter J. Miller House Then and Now

Since I've just spent a few days focusing on the Avon Lake power plant, I might as well go next door to the Peter Miller house, which is just west of it. The undated vintage photo (above) is reproduced from The Avon Lake Story by Milburn Walker.

I've always enjoyed seeing this house while commuting to Cleveland for the last thirty years. It's nice that something that historical and special has managed to survive for 180 years, and that a group of people had the foresight and love of the past to make it happen.

The house received Avon Lake's first historical marker on July 4, 2010. (Here is the link to the Morning Journal's coverage of the event.) Rather than just paraphrase the content of the marker, I'll transcribe it here.

The marker reads, "The Peter Miller House was constructed around 1830 and is one of the last remaining pre-Civil War lakefront houses in Lorain County. The architecture is Greek Revival. Peter Miller married Ruth Houseworth in 1828. They had five children. In 1851 Peter Miller died and it's believed that his family continued to reside on the property until 1925. The City of Avon Lake purchased the property in 1962. The house was opened for tours, and restoration proceeded as funds were available. In 1975 the water heating system burst and caused extensive damage. In 1985 a new committee took over and was successful in restoring the house. Volunteer trustees have overseen the operation of the house as a museum since September 1989."

And here's the 'now' shot. The house is still quite handsome. If I remember correctly, the modifications made to the house in the years since the vintage shot was taken were made to restore the house to its original appearance.

One of these days, I'm going to have to take one of the tours through the house. But until then, why not take a tour from the comfort of your computer? If that sounds like a good idea, click here.

And before I forget, here's the flip side of the marker, which gives the history of Adam Miller, Peter Miller's father. (Give it a click.)

Weekend Grab-bag of Stuff

For all my out of town readers (both of you), this was the scene (at left) in Lorain just a few days ago, on March 30th. Since then, the snow melted and it appears that Spring is underway again.

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It was just a week ago (on the way home from the grocery store) that I swung by the proposed site for the new Lorain High School over by the Black River. I wanted to understand where the school was going to be, as well as grab a few shots of the undeveloped site for use in a future 'then and now' photo pairing.

Here are a few of my shots.

The sign from the other photo is seen off in the distance.

However, the 'now' photo to go with this 'then' photo will never take place. On Thursday, it was announced that the riverfront site was officially dead as a location for the new high school. This is due to the fact that Lorain was unable to come with $3 million to set aside to cover any 'potential extra costs associated with the riverfront site. (You can read and watch the story here on the Morning Journal website.)

I've gotta admit, I was never of fan of the riverfront site. And after driving over there to take a look – and seeing the boat launch nearby, the railroad tracks, the power lines and the river behind behind the site  – I couldn't see it at all.

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My recent blogs on the Avon Lake power plant seemed to trigger some sort of cosmic coincidence.

After writing about the 1926 opening of the plant a few days ago, I stumbled upon some more information regarding the plant on microfilm a few days ago. (That's usually the way it happens.)

The photo (at left) appeared on the front page of the May 24, 1950 Lorain Journal and tells of a major addition. (Give it a click so you can read it.)

I received a few emails from regular readers about the power plant blog posts; Dennis Lamont sent me this neat aerial view of the plant and the surrounding area from the bing search engine. The aerial views from that site are always pretty remarkable.

It's interesting to compare the photo of the 1950 addition to the recent aerial view. It's incredible how many additions have been added in the last sixty years.

Memories of Avon Lake Beach Park

The Avon Beach Park pavilion in the early 1900s

The day after the Cleveland Electric Illuminating power plant started up in 1926, some Avon Lake residents were already waxing nostalgic about the days when Avon Beach Park occupied the site. They also were none too happy about the name that CEI gave the plant.

Here's an article explaining it all, sent to me by Drew Penfield.  It appeared in the Times on Thursday, August 5, 1926. (For a great online history of Avon Beach Park, as well as the Beach Park power plant, visit Drew's Lake Shore Rail Maps website by clicking here.)

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TRACE PROGRESS IN ITS PAGEANT THRU AVON LAKE
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Old Timers Recall Days When Park Occupied Power Plant Site
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SOME YEARN FOR THE OLDEN TIMES
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Majority Realize Great Industrial Step Just Taken

By J. J. Hromoda


Avon Lake – once an amusement center – now a power center.

Only a few years ago, residents of Avon Lake heard the laugh of the picnickers and the moaning of saxes in Avon Beach Park dance hall.

Wednesday the old timers of the district heard another sound – the humming of electric current being generated for the first time in the new Cleveland Electric Illuminating plant.

On the 28 acres of land with the main structure located on what once was Avon Beach Park, a mammoth building filled with five stories of engines, boilers and generators, now stands.

The first unit of the plant at Avon Lake was set in action Wednesday noon. The enterprise represents an initial investment of $15,000,000, which ultimately will increase to $30,000,000.

Avon Lake may be a power center now but the residents would prefer to have the old amusement park.

1906 poster promoting a picnic

The old timers who settled Avon Lake back in the 80's vary as to the benefits of a power plant in their midst. But they all agree as to pleasure received out of the old amusement park.

Whether the plant will be an improvement or asset falls away as an issue when people speak to these old timers about the Avon power plant.

The residents object to having the plant called Avon power house. It's located in Avon Lake they argue and should be called the Avon Lake power house.

Mrs. W. J. Curtis who has lived in the district her entire 70 some years visions the power plant as another connecting link between Lorain and Cleveland.

"I would prefer a more residential district. Up to 10 years ago we never imagined that Avon Lake would improve as much as it has," Mrs. Curtis says.

Mrs. Curtis has been through the entire development of Avon Lake township, and its general history is brief, she says.

The Nickle Plate was built 45 years ago, the car company followed 20 years ago, and then the park a year later.

The Lake Shore electric powerhouse, now destroyed, followed, then the Lake road and now the power plant. A water plant is to follow in the list of improvements."

Mr. and Mrs. Vern Miller, Stop 63, Lake Road are only two more who miss the good times residents once enjoyed at the park.

"When we had the park, we didn't want it. But now that we don't have it, we miss it." Miller says.

Charles Beard, 73, and Henry Engel, 78, old timers and well known in Lorain, are civic minded. Both believe the plant will be a taxation asset as well as being a general improvement.

Beard is another who would prefer the old pavilion.

Engel is satisfied and he has reason to be – he recollects hardships endured 40 years ago when there were no improvements.

"People nowadays don't know what hard times are," Engel states.

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The two photos above were scanned from the book The Avon Lake Story by Milburn Walker. It's a terrific book with great vintage photos, and you can find a copy of it in the local history section of the Lorain Public Library.