100-Year-Old Amherst Home – August 1971

Here’s yet another blog post about a house. But unlike the subject of yesterday’s post, this house is not a new one; it was one hundred years old back in August 1971.

The full-page article above is another of the charming home stories written by Hermaine Speigle, and it appeared in the Lorain Journal back on August 22, 1971. It profiles Mr. and Mrs. Alfred J. Kreeger and their beautiful home located at 792 South Main Street. 

As noted in Ms. Speigle’s article, “The white frame house, now nearly 100 years old, was Alfred’s birthplace. He brought his bride, the former Emma Brill of Brownhelm, to it in 1929. Since then, everything in the home and much of the house itself has been restored, refurbished, remodeled or designed by its owners.

“They have scouted antique shops and auctions to find furniture which Alfred repaired and refinished. Every piece in their dining room, including a large walnut, carved chest used as a sideboard, was acquired “beat up,” and made useful and beautiful in Alfred’s basement workshop.

“Unique in their living room is a rocker which was a wedding gift to Alfred’s parents, and a marble top table which dates from the birth of Lincoln.”

Alfred was quite a craftsman. The article notes, “Alfred generally prefers to take these pieces down to basics, removing paint and varnish and separating the parts to re-glue them before sanding, staining and varnishing. His pieces are renewed, inside and out, before he’s finally ready for buffing down the gloss with ground pumice stone and boiled linseed oil.

“My furniture never needs wax or polish, it’s perfect as is,” he says proudly.”

The house – now one hundred and fifty years old – still looks perfect too.

Courtesy Google Maps

Avon Lake Model Home – August 11, 1951

Longtime readers of this blog know that I like to post vintage newspaper ads of new/model homes for sale. They're a great representation of what was trendy at the time, and what people wanted.

Over the years, there have been a lot of them featured on this blog, including a house in Lorain on Park Drive (1931); the Master Model Home on Hawthorne Avenue in Lorain (1931); a house in Sheffield Lake on Dillewood Avenue (1941); new homes on Root Road (1950); one on West Erie Avenue in Lorain (1954); the House of Harmony in Sheffield Lake (1955); one in the Sherwood Allotment in Lorain (1957); a home in Lorain on G Street (1961); one in South Lorain (1963); one in Amherst Township on Oberlin Road (1964); and the infamous House of Enchantment on Leavitt Road (1964).

Of course, the fun is going out and seeing what the house looks like today to grab a photo. (In the homes I select for this treatment, I make sure that they are still in good shape before making them the subject of a post.)

Anyway, here’s yet another new home for sale, this time out in Avon Lake on Moore Road. The ad ran in the Lorain Journal back on August 11, 1951 – 70 years ago today.

The house (built by Trivanovich) is interesting, because of its unique proportions. It’s obviously not a cookie-cutter design.

The ‘outstanding features’ of the house include: Large living room with Thermmopane picture window; 2 large bedrooms; dining room gliding window; ultra-modern tiled bath; copper plumbing and hardwood floors throughout; spacious basement with provisions for a bar; large double garage; two big shade trees in front.

The ad noted that the house was located only a short distance from Lake Road, so it was easy to find.

Courtesy Lorain County Auditor

The ’two big shade trees in front’ must have been getting too big, or were past their prime, because they were recently removed.

Rajahland Opens – August 1971

Ad from the August 19, 1971 Amherst News-Times

Do you remember Rajahland?

If you do, then your family must have been a camping family like ours. Rajahland was a campground/resort located out on Portman Road, south of Vermilion. 

Rajahland opened back in early August 1971. It was the brainchild of brothers Rolland and John Angersbach, who decided to fulfill a dream by converting their successful dairy farm into a resort for campers.

The article below, which was written by Journal Staff Writer Dick Hendrickson and appeared in the paper back on August 1, 1971, explains how the brothers came to open the resort.

As the article notes, “We thought about it quite a few years ago,” explains John, the younger of the two at 38. He and Rolland, 41, had milked cows from their school days and had 130 head until last November. “We were mighty proud of those girls,” says John. “We felt we’d made a complete success in the dairy business, so we wanted to try another business.”

The two brothers were campers themselves. As noted in the article, “Rolly and I’ve been camping for quite a few years,” says John. They’ve tried to make “Rajahland” fit some of the best things they’d found in other places.

How did the resort get its name? As pointed out in the article, “The name, “Rajahland,” is drawn from the two names, Rolland and John, with a few extra letters to make it spell right, says Rolland. The camp's emblem is tear-shaped, with symbols of a tent, a trailer and a tree.”

The Vintage Aerials website includes a few views of Rajahland in its collection, with descriptions written by historian and longtime blog contributor Dennis Thompson. Here’s one from 1978.

The park encountered some financial difficulties in the early 1980s, but appears to have stayed open and retained the Rajahland name through most of the decade.

Today the park is known as Timber Ridge Campground. (Here’s the link to its website.) 

When I drove by Timber Ridge on Sunday in preparation for this post, the park was doing a booming business. 

The Angersbach brothers’ vision lives on.

103rd O. V. I. Camp Week 2021 Wraps Up

If you happened to drive through Sheffield Lake last week, you might have noticed all the cars parked on the grounds of the 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. That’s because it was Camp Week 2021, which wrapped up yesterday.

Here’s hoping the organization had a lot of fun and fellowship at this year’s annual reunion, which had a Halloween theme. (Note the word ‘Haunted’ added to their sign on U. S. Highway 6.)

It’s still incredible that this one-of-a-kind Civil War organization is located right in Lorain County, where the descendants of the soldiers honor them 365 days a year in their unique community overlooking Lake Erie.

Did you know that there’s an excellent Civil War museum located right on the 103rd O.V.I. grounds? It’s open during special events (like the Pancake Breakfasts) and by appointment.

To learn more about it, here’s an article that I wrote for the Black Swamp Trader & Firelands Gazette back in July 2009. It appears here through the courtesy of that publication.

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103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Museum Keeps Their Memory Alive

By Dan Brady

There's a popular movie series in which the artifacts and displays in a museum magically come to life and as a result, make history interesting and exciting. Well, at the 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Civil War Museum in Sheffield Lake, it's the tour guides who provide all the magic that is needed to achieve the same result. That's because the guides are direct descendants of the Union veterans being honored. Let's find out how a group of Buckeye soldiers not only helped to preserve the Union, but a precious Civil War legacy in Sheffield Lake as well.

It was back in August and September 1862 that the 103rd Regiment O.V.I. was organized in Cleveland, Ohio to serve in the Union army. Approximately 1,000 men enlisted from Cuyahoga, Lorain and Medina counties to form the regiment, which was under the command of Colonel John S. "Jack" Casement.

The 103rd O.V.I. fought in several major engagements, playing an important part in the battle of Kennesaw Mountain and several others, including Resaca, Georgia.

After three years of strenuous service in the war, the men of the 103rd became very close. Thus when the war ended, a group of the men decided to hold an annual summer reunion to renew their friendships. The first reunion was held in 1866.

Early reunions were one and two-day affairs with only the veterans present. Eventually, the wives and families of the men were invited, and the reunions evolved into weeklong camps. Tents were erected to sleep and cook in, and rousing campfires were enjoyed at night with songs and skits.

Eventually, the surviving members of the 103rd realized they needed to plan for the future. An organization known as the Sons and Daughters of the 103rd was formed. As described in the August 27, 1898 Lorain County Reporter, the Sons and Daughters of the 103rd "are taking upon themselves the responsibilities of the older generation little by little. For they realize that the time is coming when there will be no reunion except they perpetuate it.”

Another important step taken for future generations was to buy land for a permanent reunion site. Four acres of lakefront property were purchased in Sheffield Lake in 1907, with the first reunion at the new location in 1908.

At first, the 103rd O.V.I. grounds were a military-style camp with tents. In order to make the families more comfortable during the reunions, permanent structures were added in subsequent years. These included barracks, a mess hall, a dance hall and cottages. These are the handsome white buildings that are still visible today from U.S. 6, attracting the attention of passers-by.

Today, the 103rd O.V.I. lives on through its descendants, who continue to hold its annual reunion each August on the grounds at 5501 East Lake Road in Sheffield Lake. Membership in the Sons and Daughters Association is limited to the descendants of the soldiers. Many of these descendants live in the cottages year-round.

It's this group of dedicated descendants who volunteer as guides at the 103rd O.V.I. Museum, which is housed in the former barracks. The guides have a unique historical perspective as they proudly talk about their ancestors and present a wonderful collection of artifacts, including Civil War uniforms, shells, bullets, rifles, revolvers, caps and swords. 

Photographs of past 103rd reunions line the walls. There's even a Civil War cannon on display outside.

While touring the 103rd O.V.I. Museum, I spoke with Deborah Wagner, the curator, and asked her what it was like to live on the grounds with so much history of the 103rd surrounding her. "I wake up every day and can't believe I'm so lucky to be a part of this," she replied. "I'm so proud of what they accomplished."

The 103rd O.V.I. Civil War Museum is open by appointment only and during certain special events. For more information or to schedule a tour, call (440) 949-2790.

New Job for Johnny Risko – August 1928

When I last mentioned heavyweight boxer Johnny Risko (on this post), he was congratulating fellow fighter Tom Heeney on his victory over Gene Tunney in late July 1928.

Well, less than two weeks later, Johnny made the papers again – because he was about to start a brand new career, one of particular local interest.

So what was his new job? Read all about it in the article below, which appeared in the Lorain Times-Herald on August 7, 1928.

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JOHN RISKO APPOINTED MARSHAL OF SHEFFIELD

Mayor Decides Heavyweight Boxer Would be Good Man to Quiet ‘Drunks’ Around Summer Resort

Johnny Risko, claimant of the world’s heavyweight boxing crown recently vacated by Gene Tunney, now has another title other than that of a “pug.”

For the erstwhile Cleveland baker boy is now a marshal in his home bailiwick of Sheffield Lake, a small village on Lake Erie a couple miles east of Lorain.

That is, he was appointed marshal Monday by Mayor Fred Hosford, and his appointment is expected to be ratified by councilmen when the village solons convene Tuesday night.

Hosford pinned a big gold shield on Johnny’s coat Monday afternoon, and with no little ceremony put him through the official hand-raising, oath-taking ritual. Johnny accepted the appointment with a big smile on his face.

It seems that the summer resort which is located near Johnny’s home on the east Lake-rd is the "hanging-out” place for a gang of “drunks” as the mayor termed them, and he expects the appointment of Risko as marshal of the village to scare them out.

The Risko name continues to live on in Sheffield Lake,
at the location of Johnny Risko’s home

Lorain Lighthouse Vandalized – August 1971

Although it’s nothing to be nostalgic about, the vandalism of the beloved Lorain Lighthouse was making news back on August 1, 1971. Above is the article that appeared that day in the Lorain Journal.

Apparently some modern day pirates had been busy. According to the article, “The U. S. Coast Guard reported that on July 9 someone broke into the lighthouse, smashed several windows, broke the lenses on the floodlights that light the building, and took expensive lighthouse equipment.

“The thieves took two brass diaphones (the sounding parts of foghorns) and without them the foghorns won’t work. They also took a $200 chain hoist which is used to lift equipment to the lighthouse and a trolley chain.

“This incident is only one of several cases of vandalism to the old lighthouse that has lighted Lorain’s harbor for the last half a century.”

It’s all pretty shocking. The article notes that the lighthouse was on federal property, and that entering it or damaging it was a federal crime. Even the FBI was called in to investigate.

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If you’ve never seen it before, click here to read Valerie Smith’s comprehensive history of the Lorain Lighthouse. It’s extremely well-researched and includes some great photographs (as well as some Passing Scene cartoons).

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Hey, is that a drawing of John Travolta in the Penneys ads for the kiddies to color?

Oldest Book at the Lorain Public Library – August 1938

Do you ever reread a book every so often?

I do. It’s like watching a favorite movie over and over again. Even though you know what’s going to happen, it’s fun to revisit it.

I have several favorite books that I pull off the shelf every few years to enjoy all over again. But sometimes the shelf they're on is at the Lorain Public Library.

One of these books is – or was – Groucho and Me (1959), the autobiography of comedian Groucho Marx. I say, ‘was’ because even though I borrowed it from the Lorain Public Library every couple of years, it finally disappeared from the library’s collection.

Now, I've been borrowing Groucho and Me from the Main Library since I was in high school in the 1970s, back when library books still had the little card in the pocket on the inside back cover that kept track of when it was due. So I was pretty annoyed when the book disappeared from the shelf, leaving a hole right next to the other books about famous Marxes. (Strangely enough, Harpo Speaks – the autobiography of Harpo Marx, one of Groucho’s brothers – made the cut, although it might be gone by now too.)

When I asked one of the librarians why the book was no longer part of the collection, I was told that any book that doesn’t get borrowed very often is gotten rid of. That’s their policy.

But when I inquired as to why the Lorain Public Library couldn’t spare two inches of shelf space for the autobiography of one of the country’s best-known humorists, I received an icy glare. I’m lucky I wasn’t ejected from the premises like some unpopular book.

Anyway, apparently this ‘thinning of the herd’ has been going on for a long time at the Lorain Public Library. But according to the article below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal back on August 24, 1938, one book (actually a set of three) has made the cut for decades, making it the oldest book in the collection. The book? History of the Conquest of Mexico.

So is History of the Conquest of Mexico still on the shelf at the Lorain Public Library? It doesn’t look like it, according to the library website.

But not to worry. Even though History of the Conquest of Mexico probably ended up in a Lorain Public Library Book Sale, selling for a penny, you can still find a copy of it. There are several editions of it on biblio.com, and at least one on eBay.

I might just buy one of these sets and donate it to the library – and start the cycle all over again! But I gotta remember to borrow it more often than I borrowed Groucho and Me.