The House Overlooking the Golf Course Part 2

Here's the full-page article I mentioned yesterday (below). Written by Lou Kepler, it ran in the Journal on September 7, 1961 and reveals the unusual history of the house – which is much older than I imagined.

According to the 1961 article, the house was built by Baron von Bonn, an exile from Germany. It supposedly dates back to around 1851.

The article raises a lot of questions, though. If the house really is that old, wouldn't it make much more sense if it was built by the Jaeger family?

1896 Township map showing the house
(just to the left of the "A. C. Jaeger" name)

At the time that A Standard History of Lorain County (1916) was published, the Jaeger family had already been in Lorain County for more than seventy years, making the family's approximate arrival in the area around 1846. Adam Jaeger is identified as the patriarch of the family. According to the book, he was a German school teacher and "a man of unusual education for his time." The book also notes that "after coming to America he located on a farm in Lorain County in 1843 and lived there until his death, being both prosperous and influential."

I wonder if Adam Jaeger himself was "the German baron" who built the house? I suppose that it's possible that the story of the house's heritage could have been mangled, especially if the Jaegers came from Bonn, Germany.

But this is all speculation on my part. I guess I'll have to do some more research (groan).

I did look in the city directories a bit trying to sort all this out. The bad news is that researching that part of Lorain is almost impossible. Aside from finding it on old maps, there are no listings of the road or its inhabitants until around the 1960s in the city directories, since it was outside of city limits until then.

One interesting aspect of the article is that the house is mentioned as being located on Jaeger Road. For many years, Jaeger ran from Leavitt Road all the way to Oak Point Road.

Detail of 1938 Map

The Kubasak home wasn't on Jaeger Road for very long, though. By 1963, that portion of Jaeger Road west of Kolbe Road had its name changed to Longbrook Road. 

Today, the house looks much the same as it did in the 1961 photo. The beautiful fountain seen in the 1961 photo appears to have been a casualty sometime during the ensuing years.

Here's my photo from over the weekend (below).

It's a difficult house to get a drive-by photograph of, and I apologize to the current owners if they were wondering why the same car kept going up and down Longbrook past their house.

The house is still owned by the Kubasak family, and I hope they have enjoyed many happy years in their wonderful, historical home – apparently one of the oldest in Lorain.

Perhaps one of the family members can shed some light on this Baron mystery through a posted comment.

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UPDATE
Here's the link to Part 3 in which a detailed history of the house – with the help of some local historians – is revealed.

The House Overlooking the Golf Course Part 1

If you're driving along Kolbe Road in Lorain and happen to look west towards the well-manicured golf course of the FoxCreek Golf and Racquet Club, you might notice a large, stately white house in the distance.

Turn west onto Longbrook Road and the house looms into view, dominating the wooded, country vista.

Like me, you might have assumed that the house is merely a 1960s or 70s colonial, built by a professional man – perhaps a doctor or lawyer – who wished to be close to the golf course. 

A view of the house from the vantage point of where Beaver Creek flows under Longbrook Road

But the house's stylized facade is quite deceiving, and belies the history to be found within its walls.

Please stop back here for tomorrow's post, where you can read a 1961 Lorain Journal article that reveals some of the surprising history of the house.

Aerial view of house courtesy of Bing Maps

It's That Guy Again

I found yet another appearance of my favorite 1950s clip-art guy (that's currently featured in Ed Tomko Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram ads). This ad is from the 1970s and proves that the little guy had some staying power over the decades.

The ad – for Roberts Specialty Shoppe in Sandusky – ran in the Journal on September 19, 1975. It's a take-off on the Let's Make A Deal game show, even using the same type font. The clip-art man has been slightly modernized with a semi-realistic body.

This particular digital version of him is still available for use through Getty Images®, although a shamrock has curiously been grafted onto his shirt, and he's been streamlined a bit. He's also on a retro-poster offered through www.postersguide.com.

I don't know much about Roberts Specialty Shoppe, since it was located in Sandusky, except that it is closed. (Here's a link to the obituary of Timothy J. Roberts, who worked at the family-run business for more than 30 years.)

Jackie Mayer's Reign as Miss America Ends – September 1963

Courtesy Sandusky Register

Everyone in Northern Ohio has heard of Jackie Mayer (at left), the Sandusky native who grew up to become Miss America 1963. It's hard not to think of her every time you travel on the "Jackie Mayer Miss America Highway" (Route 2) in Erie County.

Her post-pageant life and career is well-known as well. In 1970, she suffered a stroke at the age of 28, and spent the next seven years in rehabilitation, relearning how to walk and do simple tasks. After her recovery, she later became a successful spokesperson and is still a much sought-after motivational and inspirational speaker.

The big 50th Anniversary of her selection as Miss America took place back in November 2012. At the time, the Sandusky Register covered it with a great interview.

In the meantime, below is an article that ran in the Journal on September 6, 1963 – 51 years ago this month – as Jackie's reign as Miss America was winding down. It's a nice look at what she was thinking after spending an exciting and fulfilling year as Miss America.

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Jackie Sad To See Reign End

ATLANTIC CITY, N. J. (AP) "It's quite sad to see it come to an end."

Thus spoke Jacqueline Jeanne (Jackie) Mayer, the reigning Miss America who will relinquish her title about midnight Saturday to one of 52 girls who has been vying in beauty and talent competition for the past two days.

“It’s been a marvelous experience,” Jackie said as she recalled the past year which saw her travel over 200,000 air miles throughout the United States and England. "I just hope that girl I crown will have as wonderful a time as I had."

Courtesy Ohio History Connection

The 21-year-old brown-haired beauty from Sandusky, Ohio who plans to return to her studies at Northwestern University, spoke as she watched the contestants of this year's contest rehearsing their roles Thursday.

"It's very nostalgic to be here she said. "I'm very envious of them. I would like to go through the whole thing again.

"It's been a busy year. Sometimes we would make five to seven personal appearances a week but I've learned a great deal.

"Coming in contact with the outside world and the people in its has given me an education I couldn't get in a year's time at school,” Jackie said. "I've also made so many wonderful friends. It will be very sad not to see them again."

The reigning beauty will return to Northwestern as a sophomore and will major in radio and television. She had completed one year at the school before being crowned.

"I don't think I will have much trouble getting back into the swing of things at college,” Jackie said. "Maybe the first month will be awkward. Perhaps some of the students will stare at me, but they will learn to accept me.

"I know I want an education and will study very hard for it,” she said. "A woman must have an education these days."

From the Lorain Journal of September 7, 1963

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By the way, I was a little confused during my research for this post when I read that Route 2 in Erie County was only officially named the "Jackie Mayer Miss America Highway" in August 2002. I remembered "Jackie Mayer" signs many years before that – going back to the 1960s.

A little online research revealed that the shorter name "Jackie Mayer Highway" did indeed precede the current highway designation, dating back to the early 1960s. Jackie Mayer herself cut the ribbon in a ceremony opening the new Route 2 bypass from Huron through Rt. 250 on November 2, 1962.

 Miss America 1963 Jackie Mayer cuts the ribbon
opening the "Jackie Mayer Highway." The man 
whose face is adjacent to Jackie's in the photo is
Ohio Governor Michael DiSalle.

The Harts Signs on Lake Road in Avon Lake

Looking east on U.S. 6 this past weekend

Anyone who has commuted to Cleveland on Lake Road (U.S. 6) through Avon Lake during the last 20 years has undoubtedly noticed the homemade sign in front of the Hart family's property at 32842 Lake Road, just west of State Route 83.

Well, it looks like the end of an era, because the property was recently sold – meaning that the sign will almost certainly be coming down.

For decades, James and Doreen Hart greeted passing motorists with their large, colorful sign, whose theme changed with the seasons. (The Thanksgiving version had a pilgrim hat, the July 4th had a firecracker, etc.)

Each sign has the family's "signature," THE HARTS enclosed in a red heart.

I've always watched for the Harts' sign during my commutes on Lake Road, going back to the 1980s. It was sort of a checkpoint that indicated what kind of progress I was making on my commute, since much of the route between Avon Lake and Bay Village looks much the same.

There was something reassuring about seeing that sign year after year, especially in an era in which people are constantly on the move, and lakefront properties are rapidly changing hands. Plus, it was fun watching to see which version of the sign was currently on display.

So, I'm going to miss those signs. They were not only a unique touch of roadside Americana, but also a reminder of a simpler, more innocent time.

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UPDATE (9-23-2014)
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Hart, and was informed by him that although the house on Lake Road has been sold, the tradition of the seasonal HARTS sign will happily live on. His son Jeffrey and his wife plan to install the sign post at their home on Deerfield Drive in Avon Lake and continue to offer curbside greetings to the community.

Lorain National Bank Grand Opening at Lorain Plaza – Sept. 8, 1961

I'm sure everybody remembers when Lorain National Bank had a branch at the Lorain Plaza. Well, here's the full-page Grand Opening ad for it. It ran in the Journal on Sept. 7, 1961, the day before the big event on Sept. 8th – 53 years ago yesterday.

The circus-themed ad has a nice rendering of the plaza branch, along with some very stylized cartoons of circus flunkies.

I used to bank at that LNB branch in the 70s, especially when I had my Money Mate card. Actually, I spent a lot of time at the plaza with friends while I was growing up, usually checking out the turtles and other pets at the W. T. Grant department store.

It's too bad that Lorain National moved out of the plaza when it did. I'm sure the space was much too small for it to stay, but the plaza was never the same as losing so many of its longtime anchor businesses.

Augie Kolyno's Barber Shop

Back here, I wrote about the small building at 1815 Oberlin Avenue that once housed the business of Lorain builder O. A. Hafely. Well, as regular Brady Blog reader and contributor Rick Kurish pointed out, the small building was better known later as the location of Augie Kolyno's barber shop.

The address first showed up in the city directory in 1930 as the office of O. A. Hafely. By 1937, however, August Kolyno's barber shop was sharing the address with Hafely.

1948 Phone Book Listing – the earliest I could find

The two companies would continue to share the address until the late 1940s.

According to Rick Kurish, Mr. Kolyno was very devoted to horses and horse racing. He not only had pictures of horses hanging on the walls of his shop, but owned several horses as well.

Here's a small article (courtesy of Rick Kurish) that appeared in the Medina County Gazette at the time of Mr. Kolyno's passing in June 1970.

As for the building, Holland Furnace Company replaced Hafely as the co-tenant of the building in the 1950 directory. It would continue to share the address until the 1963 book, when Augie Kolyno's Barber Shop had the building to itself.

In the 1964 directory, Canalos Vending joined the 1815 Oberlin Avenue address. It continued to appear in the book until the 1968 edition.

It was in that 1968 directory when Ellis Barber Shop replaced Kolyno Barber Shop. Ellis Barber Shop was by itself in the 1968 and 1969 book, before being replaced by another hair-related business, the Wig-Wam Shop (which sold wigs) in the 1970 book.

In subsequent years, tenants for 1815 Oberlin Avenue included Gumina Construction (1972 - early 80s), Lakeside Plumbing & Heating, Gold Construction, Nelson Teleclinic, and Gold Development.

As of the late 1990s, it appears that the building has been exclusively a residence.

Thanks to Rick Kurish for his help with this post.