June 1957 Spitzer Used Cars Ad

It's almost the end of June, so I might as well post this Spitzer Used Car newspaper ad from the pages of the Lorain Journal of June 1957 – a mere 55 years ago.

It caught my eye because whoever did the layout on the ad used up 1/3 of the space with a cartoon. Now that's my kind of layout artist.

It's also kind of interesting because of the now obsolete brands: Plymouth, Oldsmobile, Studebaker and Hudson. According to this Wiki entry, the Hudson brand was phased out by the end of 1957.

If I had been shopping for a used car back in 1957, I'm not sure that I would have been interested in that '54 Studebaker listed in the ad – devilishly priced at $666 dollars!

Lorain's Civil Defense Siren - May 1954

Here's another vestige of Lorain's Civil Defense program of the 1950s: a small newspaper clipping from the May 4, 1954 Lorain Journal about the civil defense siren.

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Few Hear Faint Siren

The siren blew but few heard it.

Civil Defense and city officials today awaited reports from emergency police to determine dead spots in the city where the new siren cannot be heard.

Mayor Jaworski said today the siren is "not powerful enough to cover the whole city." The siren was tested at 6 p. m. yesterday.

He said numerous calls came in at police headquarters from people "even close to the siren" who were listening but heard the warning device only "faintly."

The mayor said he will meet with the Civil Defense Administrator Zimmerman and city electrician Gaylord Tucker to decide where to place nine small sirens. The small sirens are expected to take care of the dead areas.

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You're probably wondering about the photo above. As you can see, it was pretty dark on the library's microfilm and despite my Photoshop work, I couldn't lighten it enough to reveal a face. But the caption for the photo stated, "Connie Smith, 1172 Seventh Street, holds ears while whistle blasts."

Lorain Ground Observer Corps PD Article 1954

Yesterday I featured a vintage postcard of the old Coast Guard Station in Lorain (above). If you look closely at the circled portion on the postcard, you might recognize the tower that was later located behind the old city hall and used by Lorain's Ground Observer Corps as part of the cvil defense effort.

I wrote about this tower a few times in the blog, including this post, which included an interesting article about the volunteers who took turns manning the tower in the 1950s to keep an eye out for enemy aircraft.

Well, here is another great article about Lorain's Ground Observer Corps, this time from the Cleveland Plain Dealer Pictorial Magazine of June 27, 1954. It also mentions how and why the tower ended up being used by the Ground Observer Corps.

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Sky Watcher Doubles as "Matchmaker"

Forest J. Greenshields.
"Man of the Year," he's director of the
Lorain Ground Observer Corps,
auditor-tax consultant, pilot
and "Dan Cupid."

Lorain's Forest J. Greenshields is a man who has played many roles.

The shiny-scalped ex-marine of World War I, selected recently as the steel city's "Man of the Year," has added still another – that of "Dan Cupid" – as director of the Ground Observer Corps.

Greenshields' chest swells, too, when he tells you his G. O. C. unit is one of the finest in the nation and one of a handful of those still on 24-hour duty since their inception on July 14, 1952.

Surprisingly enough, Lorain's observation post was one of 500 set up in Ohio two years ago when the cold fact of Russia's capabilities of bombing United States cities was made known. Ohio was among the 27 states alerted to maintain around-the-clock sky watches.

Today, though, Lorain's post under Greenshields is believed to be the lone 24-hour unit in Ohio. Within three months it received the air force's first unit citation for the Buckeye State.

When the post was first organized, Greenshields, an auditor and tax consultant in private life, obtained use of the roof of the Lorain Eagles Building and with donated materials and labor erected a heated, glass-enclosed structure.

Recruiting personnel from all walks of life, Greenshields signed up 147 observers from among steelworkers, teenagers, mothers, grandmothers and veterans. It was then that Greenshields' "Cupid" role came into being.

Dan's arrow once again found its mark when Miss Ann Miller, now chief observer in charge of the night shift, began dating George A. Gall, another observer. Gall, a brakeman with the Lake Terminal Railroad at Lorains' sprawling National Tube Co., scanned the heavens from noon to 4 p. m. once a week. Miss Gall served the next four hours. They first met last December, have been dating since March and expect to be married within a few weeks.

In between loving glances the observers spot and report all jet and multi-engined aircraft. As soon as such an aircraft is observed, it is logged, then reported to the air force filter center at Canton. With a direct telephone line, the procedure takes but about 10 seconds – thanks to Greenshields' employment of the best possible equipment and facilities.

Recently, when the life-saving tower from the United States Coast Guard station in Lorain was removed to make way for a new small boat harbor, Greenshields obtained it for his sky watchers. A 12-foot section was added to its base and now the 42-foot tower is in operation at a new location adjacent to Lorain's antique city hall.

His observers now number only 97, but Greenshields needs more observers. He has impressed two service clubs, the Sertomas and the Lorain Civic League, so much with the importance of a constant vigil that they have each volunteered to man the tower for a four-hour period once a week.

Should Greenshields' observers ever run out of planes to report, he can solve that, too. For Greenshields – "Whitey" to his friends – has added the role of private pilot to his long list of accomplishments.

U.S. Coast Guard Station Then & Now

Here's a vintage postcard from Ebay featuring a classic Lorain icon of yesteryear: the old Coast Guard Station that for years was a recognizable landmark in the harbor.

According to the Black River Historical Society's Lorain, Ohio book, the station's construction began in 1908 and it was in full operation around 1910. The postcard above was postmarked 1915 so it's a pretty early view.

Here's another view.

And here's a later postcard view showing the whole harbor. Note the tiny image of the lighthouse off in the distance.

The Black River Historical Society's book notes that the station was replaced with a new, larger building in 1989. But however much the new building was needed, it's still not the same – more than twenty years later – for us old-timers to look down from the Bascule Bridge and not see the familiar, quaint original building.

Here's the "now" view from a week ago. It's quite a different scene with the Lorain treatment plant in the background. I remember when you were allowed to drive all the way around the plant and fish from its perimeter. But no more.

Masonic Temple Then & Now

I haven't done a 'Then and Now' of any Lorain landmarks for a while (I'm running out of easy-to-locate subject matter), so here's one that every Lorainite should recognize.

It's a vintage postcard of the Masonic Temple at Washington Avenue and Fourth Street. It was the home of Lorain Lodge #552.

The building was planned in an exact proportion of King Solomon's temple, and is constructed of terra cotta, brick, marble, concrete and steel. It's 60 feet high and 132 feet deep with a frontage of 55 feet. Construction took one year.

The main floor featured an auditorium and gallery. The lodge rooms were on the second floor, and the organ loft was on the third.

It was dedicated during the weekend of October 15-16, 1927. A huge celebration accompanied the unveiling of the building, including a parade on Sunday afternoon featuring many visiting lodges from other parts of Ohio.

Here's the "now" photo.

As I've mentioned a few times before, my grandfather was a Mason. For years, every time I passed this building I thought of him and also of following in his fraternal footsteps. Plus I really wanted to see the inside of that building!

Alas, the building was eventually sold and Lodge 552 was combined with Sheffield Lodge #628 to form the Black River Lodge #786.

Building detail

Today the building is home to New Life Deliverance Ministries.

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Bill Fobell, one of the members of Lodge 552, passed away recently. Bill was a nice guy who used to chat with me where he worked as a cutter in the meat department at the then Giant Eagle in Sheffield Lake in the late 1990s. He did a lot to convince me of the merits of becoming a Mason.

George Wickens and the Civil War Soldiers Monument

I first became interested in George Wickens when my research revealed that he was the original driving force behind Lorain's long-gone Civil War soldiers monument and fountain (shown above in a vintage postcard).

In May 1901, Lorain's Public Square was a weedy, unkempt mess – and George Wickens, the former mayor and now a member of City Council, was unhappy about it. As reported in mid-May in the Lorain Times-Herald, Wickens stated that the park was a disgrace to the city, and he felt that it should be fixed up before the Fourth of July. At Wickens' urging, a motion was passed by City Council to take money from the park fund to accomplish this goal.

Work began on the Public Square at once. The grass was mowed, and plans were prepared by Chief Engineer Loofbourrow for paths to be built, curving from each corner of the square and meeting at the bandstand in the center.

The soldiers monument and fountain
as it appeared in the J. L. Mott catalog

But Wickens thought something else was needed for the Public Square: a fountain. He began to try to get Jason B. Hoge, a former resident of Lorain (and later a director of the Lake Shore Electric Railway Company) to donate one. Hoge was about to order a fountain when the Lorain Post of the Grand Army of the Republic made it known that they wished to combine the fountain with something they also felt was needed: a soldiers monument.

Mr. Hoge offered to contribute one quarter of the amount of a fountain and soldiers monument costing not more than $1,000. The balance of the sum would have to be raised by the citizens of Lorain and turned over to the G.A.R. for the actual purchase.

It took a summer-long community effort to raise the money, but the fountain was finally ordered from J. L. Mott & Company.

With much fanfare and an onlooking crowd of 5,000, the combined soldiers monument and fountain was dedicated on the Public Square on Labor Day, September 2, 1901.

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Undated photo of the statue
after the fountain had been removed

The fountain was removed in 1933 because it had become a safety hazard due to corrosion, and it was feared that it might topple in a storm.

The Civil War soldiers statue was then placed on a pedestal at ground level surrounded by flowers, where – for the next thirty years – it suffered abuse at the hands of vandals as well as the elements. The soldier had his rifle stolen, the brim of his cap broken off and he even lost his head when he was knocked off his pedestal in 1959.

Repaired and repainted for many years, the soldier was finally removed from the park along with the Honor Roll in 1967 when both were replaced by the new veterans monument.

In 1968 he was sent out to his final home: the 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry in Sheffield Lake.

At that time, the Lorain Journal acknowledged George Wickens' contribution towards the acquisition of the civil war statue and fountain with a simple statement describing why he felt it was important.

"Because he wanted to do something to beautify the city."

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I forgot to mention that since I began this blog, I have posted several times specifically about this statue – with this post being the first, followed by this one, and then this one.

It's taken a while, but I feel that I finally have the statue's timeline documented from its installation in the park to its removal.

Meet George Wickens Part 2

When former Lorain mayor George Wickens passed away on March 19, 1908, it was a major event in Lorain, even though today – 104 years after his passing – his name is never mentioned when the honor roll of Lorain's greatest and most famous citizens is read. And that's a shame – because it isn't necessary for someone to have achieved national prominence to have been of great importance to Lorain.

Excerpts from the newspaper coverage surrounding his funeral provide a glimpse of how beloved he was to the city.

On the front page of The Lorain Daily News of Friday, March 20, 1908, the funeral arrangements were described. "The funeral arrangements for the burial of George Wickens have been completed and indications are that the funeral will be the largest ever held in Lorain," the lead article stated. "All business houses of the city will be closed from 12:30 until 2:30 on Monday out of deference to the deceased."

A public viewing was scheduled for Saturday between the hours of two and nine. "At this time Lorain and vicinity will be permitted to look upon his face and render this tribute of respect," the article stated. Sunday was reserved for the family to be alone with the body.

The family had a special wish regarding floral arrangements. "Carrying out the habit of our beloved one, we have arranged that a vast number of floral contributions be delivered to as many of the sick and unfortunate of the city as can be found," they asked.

Elsewhere on the same front page under the heading WICKENS IDEAS BE CARRIED OUT TO THE LETTER,  it was noted that Wickens' final ideas "as to beautifying the cemeteries and the city will be carried out as far as possible by the service board, and improvements inaugurated by Mr. Wickens and now under way will be carried out to the letter."

In addition to the cemetery improvements, there was a specific idea that George Wickens had for the area around City Hall. As the same article stated, "The comfort station to be erected on the square, another improvement which Mr. Wickens fathered, will no doubt be carried through, as the service board has already asked that an appropriation be made for the construction of the station."

The business community also made their feelings known by passing resolutions of respect that were printed on that same page. It noted, "George Wickens, our fellow citizen was a true American, actuated by noble impulses and desirous of performing in full his duties to society, loved by all his friends and appreciated by all who knew him.

"The City has lost a valuable citizen whose place cannot be easily filled, and we, his associates feel that in thus publicly recognizing his worth and merit, we do but extend him his just due.

"His memory too, will be an inspiration to all those who work for the uplifting of our City."

The Lorain Daily News of Saturday, March 21, 1908 continued the coverage. WHOLE CITY WILL MOURN FOR WICKENS was the heading under a front page article. Every business house was to be closed on Monday afternoon for the funeral, as well as city offices. Schools were to be closed Monday afternoon. The shovel works was even working on that Saturday so that the plant could be closed from twelve to four on Monday.

Willis Leiter photograph of George Wickens' funeral procession

Members of the fire department planned to attend the funeral services as a body, as well as the police department.

The trustees of the public library issued a special resolution that was part of that same article. It stated, "Resolved that in the death of Mr. Wickens this Association has lost one of its most useful members. Identified with the earliest efforts to establish a free public library in Lorain, Mr. Wickens gave his time and thought most generously to promote the cause. He was never called upon to assist in the work that he did not promptly respond, often at great inconvenience and sometimes actual loss to himself.

"It should therefore be known to all the people of Lorain that the Public Library as it now stands is in a sense a monument to the public spirit and noble character of George Wickens."

George Wickens' grave in Elmwood Cemetery