Ore Carrier George M. Humphrey Prepped for Christening – Sept. 1954

Vintage postcard

Seventy years ago this month, the ore freighter George M. Humphrey, built at the Lorain yards of American Ship Building, was being readied for its early October christening.

Below is the full-page of photos that ran in the Lorain Journal on September 6, 1954. 

As the article notes, "The 710 foot freighter, largest ever built on the Great Lakes, is scheduled to be christened October 5. Ceremonies will be witnessed by George M. Humphrey, secretary of the treasury for whom the vessel is named.

"Humphrey is a former president of the M. A. Hanna Co. which will operate the new ship for the owners, National Steel Corp.

"The celebration will be in direct contrast to that day in June when the new vessel rode high and majestically into the water for the first time.

"Too large for the traditional side launching, the ship was built in dry dock." (I posted a photo of the then-unnamed ship under construction back here.) 

"The drydock was flooded June 19 and the ship took to the water without fanfare or crowd.

"When put into use, the Humphrey will carry more than twice as much iron ore in a season than possible on the standard 600 foot vessel which was the lakes giant of a few years ago.

"The carrier will take its place among 750 vessels, which makes up the lakes fleet with a total trip carrying capacity of 5,000,000 tons."

The George M. Humphrey was christened on October 5, 1954. Here is the front page of the Lorain Journal the following day with the story. That's Mrs. Humphrey christening the ship named after her husband with the traditional bottle of champagne. 

In addition to Secretary of the Treasury George M. Humphrey, there were quite a few members of President Eisenhower's cabinet on hand for the big event.

Here's the continuation of the above article. That was a big day for Lorain.

Courtesy greatlakesships.wordpress.com

Here's the link to the George M. Humphrey's page on shiphotos.com, which includes some history, and information about the ship's eventual scrapping in 1986.

S. Amherst Church 150th Anniversary – Sept. 1974

Commuting to Oberlin to get to work means that I take a lot of country roads. Although I don't get to see very much in the morning, I do a little sightseeing on the way home.

Many of these country roads, such as State Route 113, have a lot of very old churches on them, which provides some interest. (That's one thing nice about churches – they don't seem to get torn down too often.)

One of these churches on 113 is the Sandstone Community Church, located a little bit east of Quarry Road. Fifty years ago, the church was the South Amherst First United Methodist Church and was celebrating a major anniversary. The article below, which appeared in the Journal back on September 21, 1974, tells the story.

The article notes, "The first meetings of the South Amherst First United Methodist Church were held in the homes of this town's early settlers, and most often, in the home of Reuben Webb, South Amherst's first settler.

"The year was 1824, a century and a half ago. Next Sunday, members of First United Methodist Church will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the church.

Church cornerstone

"The earliest records of the church show it dates back to 1824, when the first meetings were held. The minister of the congregation was the Rev. Charles Eliot Clerk.

"During the late 1800s and early 1900s, families from England migrated to South Amherst to work in the sandstone quarries. Since many of these people had been "Free Methodists" in their native land, the Methodist Church in South Amherst became their new church home.

"The first church building was erected in 1838. Four years later, another building, on West Main Street, was built. This building was the beginning of the present church site.

"Some of the church's prominent families in the early days were the Durands, the Pettys, the Rices, the Blackmans and the Peabodys, church records show.

"On August 16, 1942, the church held its centennial celebration of the construction of the building. Former ministers reminisced with the congregation throughout the afternoon, the church history reports."

From the August 13, 1942 Lorain Journal

"See Rock City" Barns Fading – Sept. 22, 1974

Rocky, the Rock City mascot

Another famous roadside tourist attraction is Rock City. As described on its website, "Located atop Lookout Mountain, just 6 miles from downtown Chattanooga, Rock City is a true marvel of nature featuring massive ancient rock formations, gardens with over 400 native plant species, and breathtaking "See Seven States" panoramic views. 

"Take an unforgettable journey along the Enchanted Trail where each step reveals natural beauty and wonders along the woodland path. Experience the magic of Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village, visit one of our regional gift shops and dine at the Big Rock Grill. Rock City is splendid year-round."

What's interesting (and well-remembered by anyone who saw America by car in the 1950s and 60s) is that for many years, Rock City advertised by painting 'See Rock City" on the roofs and sides of barns along well-travelled highways.

Alas, by the 1970s the iconic "See Rock City" barns were beginning to dwindle, as reported in the story below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on September 22, 1974.

Even without the barns luring tourists, Rock City is still going strong, and Rocky the mascot elf still patrols the grounds. Click here to visit the Rock City website.

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Like Weeki Wachee, Rock City is well-represented on eBay with dozens of vintage postcards.

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I was going through some old photos recently, and was surprised to discover that my parents had taken the painted barns' advice to 'See Rock City.' Here are a few photos from their visit to the famous attraction on July 3, 1953.

Lorain's Own Mermaid at Weeki Wachee, Fl – Sept. 1964

One of the most popular and well-known Florida roadside attractions was Weeki Wachee, the Spring of Live Mermaids, located at U. S. Route 19 and Florida Route 50. Since 1947, the lovely Weeki Wachee Mermaids performed in a unique underwater aqua-theater, presenting a new themed show each year. 

As noted on its Wiki entry, "The spring was named "Weeki Wachee" by Seminoles, which means "Little Spring" or "Winding River" in their language. The attraction was created in 1947 by stunt swimmer and attraction promoter Newt Perry, who based the show on underwater air hose breathing techniques. First an 18-seat theater, then later a newer theater with a capacity of 50, were embedded in the lime rock of the spring with viewing windows below the surface of the water, to allow visitors to watch the mermaids perform in the spring."  

Did you know that one of those mermaids during the attraction's heyday was from Lorain? 

The story below in the September 2, 1964 edition of the Journal tells the story.

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Lorainite's Aim Known--Mermaid

She learned to swim in Lake Erie at the age of 6 but today a native of this city has realized a long ambition – she is a "mermaid."

The native is Debby Poore, 19, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Poore, former Lorain residents, and granddaughter of Frank Poore, 2557 E. 38th St.

This story actually begins when Debby was eight years old and, with her parents, paid a visit to [sic] Weekiwachee Springs in Florida. Having just learned to swim, she made the remark while there: "I want to be a mermaid."

Her unusual ambition was fulfilled 10 years later when she was accepted for mermaid training at Weekiwachee, 50 miles north of Tampa. After two months of rigorous work, she became a "swimmer," a participant in the water show.

Then several weeks ago she performed the deep dive, climax of the underwater swim show which graduates "swimmer" into the ranks of the mermaids.

The dive, 117 feet down into the spring, is made with only air hose and flippers. When the dive is completed the hose is pulled away, leaving the mermaid on her own for a 3-minute underwater routine.

Mermaids never surface during the 45 minute performances, relying on their air hoses. Their act requires training in breath control and underwater rhythm with very little conventional swimming.

According to Debby, learning to eat and drink under water is not as difficult as maintaining the proper level – audience eye level – a feat accomplished by controlling the exact amount of air intake.

To learn on these tricks of the trade is a tough job. Taken under the wing of older girls, the trainees learns acrobatic maneuvers and underwater routines. It means practice and more practice, three times a day, six days a week. Trainees must learn control of the air hose and how to hold their breath for three minutes – and to smile while doing it with eyes wide open.

Debby is a graduate of Northeast High School in St. Petersburg where she practiced in the pool and taught charm school after school.

Her father, William, was former manager of the National Cash Register store on Seventh St. in Lorain and is now employed in St. Petersburg as a salesman for a detergent firm. Debby at one time lived in Sheffield Lake.

Having realize her ambition, Debby, like any true mermaid, is in love with the sea and plans to stay at Weekiwachee "as long as they will have me."

It certainly appears that Debby had a great career with Weeki Wachee. There are several internet references to her performing at the famed attraction in the 1960s, including this photo (below) from Flickr. That's Debby on the right on the bicycle built for two.

The caption reads, "Lovely Weeki Wachee Mermaids, Tammy Gyamarthy and Debby Poore enjoy an excursion on their "Bicycle built for two" in the depths of Florida's Underwater Grand Canyon at Weeki Wachee. The girls and their special bicycle are all part of Weeki Wachee's new 1966 underwater Mermaid Show, "Mermaid Follies."

Today, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park keeps the roadside attraction alive for today's generation.

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UPDATE (Sept. 2025)

Click here to read my update to this article, in which we check in with Debby in 2024!

Humble Station Open House – Sept. 16, 1964

I've probably asked this question before on this blog: are you picky about where you buy your gas? How about when you were younger?

Many of us remember when all the major brands of gasoline were represented in our area: Sohio, Sunoco, Gulf, Shell, Texaco, Sinclair, Pure, Cities Service, Clark, etc. We all had our favorites for various reasons.

Some of these brands, such as Sunoco and Shell, are still around. There are even some ersatz Pure stations that don't seem to have any connection to the classic brand. And there are a lot of weird ones too, such as RaceWay.

Anyway, I was surprised to see in the ad below that Lorain had two Humble stations: one at 2221 E. 42nd Street and one at 1313 Broadway. The ad ran in the Journal on September 16, 1964.

The ad is great in that it presents the idealized gas station in all its retro glory. There are helpful, uniformed attendants, an attractive station exterior, a couple looking at what is probably a free map, and happy moppets running about. And of course, best of all, is the inclusion in the ad of the great Humble tiger, one of the most appealing advertising mascots of all time.

The striped jungle cat appeared on this blog before, on this post when Humble changed its name to Exxon, and on this post where he was a popular Halloween costume.

The Humble Tiger was featured on many promotional items

Today, Humble's legacy lives on in the several Exxon stations that appeared in the county in recent years, such as this station at Pearl and North Ridge Road.