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.

1926 Avon Lake Power Plant Start-up

Here's the Lorain Journal headline of Thursday, July 29, 1926, announcing the start-up of the Avon Lake power plant.

And below is the text of the article itself. It's interesting because since the article is in the Lorain Journal, it points out two specific aspects of the power plant that would be of interest to Lorainites: one is at the beginning of the article and one is at the end.

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TURBINES OF GREAT STATION READY TO TURN
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$15,000,000 Structure to Generate Current for First Time
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IS THIRD OF LINE
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Lorain Assured of Steady Supply of Power When Operations Start

The Avon power plant of the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co., located five miles east of Lorain, will go into operation August 4, according to announcement today by Robert Lindsay, president of the utility.

Wheels of the immense plant representing an initial cost of $15,000,000 and initial capacity of 90,000 horsepower, will be set in operation by Charles F. Brush, Cleveland, inventor of the Brush electric lamp.

Started in 1925
Construction of the plant, which is regarded as one of the most important industrial developments in the history of Northern Ohio, was started March 16, 1925. When the additions are added to the building and the ultimate capacity of 400,000 horsepower is reached, the station will be the world's largest steam electric plant under one roof.

The ultimate cost of the plant will be $30,000,000.

Members of the industrial development committee and the public utility committee of the Cleveland chamber of commerce, members of the Cleveland city council, educators, engineers, newspaper men, public utility representatives and others have been invited to attend for opening.

"This occasion," said Lindsay, "marks the inauguration of one of the latest developments in electrical generation on a large scale. The plant represents the most advanced engineering practice in the production of electricity by coal and steam in its design, both as a factor and unit in the illuminating system."

Third of Chain
The Avon plant is the third largest power plant to be built by the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. The other two are located in Cleveland. One, the lake shore station at E. 70th St. and the lake has a capacity of 384,000 horsepower and is at present, the largest steam electric plant under one roof.

The new plant is connected is connected with the lake shore station by a 132,000 volt steel tower transmission line, more than 30 miles in length, which surrounds the central and west part of Greater Cleveland with a belt of power. The plant is also hooked onto the high transmission lines of the Ohio Public Service Co. at Lorain and assures Lorainites of uninterrupted electrical service.

Rushed to Completion
According to Lindsay, the initial installation of 90,000 horsepower at Avon has been rushed to completion because of the rapid increase in the demand for electricity. The illuminating company generated in excess of 1,055,000,000 kilowatt hours, in the 12 months ending June 20, 1926, he stated.

The plant is tied in with a super power network serving northern and eastern Ohio, from the lake to the Ohio river and embracing many industrial cities whose development is one of the world's wonders.

Lorain Man Had Part
A Lorain man, W. A. Trigalet, 800 6th St., supervised installation of the boilers – the largest in the world – giant turbines which will produce electricity on August 4. These boilers use pulverized coal for fuel.

Brush, who is to set the wheels of the Avon plant in operation, constructed the first electric motor to be used to drive street cars.

1924 Avon Lake Power Plant Rendering

I found this newspaper clipping while looking at microfilm in the library recently, and seeing as I pretty much ignore Avon Lake in this supposed Lorain County blog, I thought I'd put it up here.

The photo appeared on the front page of the Lorain Journal on Saturday, December 6, 1924, under the heading $30,000,000 AVON PLANT IS SUPER-POWER PROJECT.

The photo caption read, "The Lorain Journal hereby presents to its readers the architect's drawing of the giant super-power station which the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company is to build at Avon. Inset, Harrison Williams."

Here's my recent shot. The sheer size of the plant makes it hard to photograph. It looks like they pretty much stuck to the architect's vision.

It sure didn't take long to build the plant. It was fired up on August 4, 1926.

It's interesting that the plant was built so close to the road (as opposed to Lorain's recently demolished FirstEnergy Edgewater plant). It's still pretty impressive to me whenever I drive by it.

U.S. Route 6 Bridge over Cold Creek Then and Now

Recently, we decided to enjoy a sunny early Spring day by taking a drive out to Sandusky to get some ice cream at Toft's – another one of my favorite places.

Anyway, after getting some ice cream, I was also able to get a then-and-now shot on the way home. The vintage postcard below is from the Arcadia Images of America book Castalia, Cold Creek and the Blue Hole by Glenn C. Kuebeler. (If you're a big fan of the Blue Hole, this is the book for you.)

Vintage postcard of Route 6 bridge over Cold Creek

The book's caption reads, "This 1930s postcard by E.B. Ackley of Sandusky shows the Route 6 bridge, over Cold Creek, after been rebuilt. This view is looking north with Route 6 curving left and the stores straight ahead. Old Route 2 went north to Bay Bridge. Anna Sessler's corner tavern was managed by Frank Trautlein in 1903. This was Nottke's Tavern in later years before being torn down."

Here's the view from today.

The same view today

I don't know for sure, but it might be the same two trees in both views near the intersection. Comparing the two photos also reminds me what a shame it is that we don't build attractive bridges anymore – all that matters is how cheap they are.

Just as a point of reference, if you turned left at the intersection, then you would immediately be looking at Margaritaville on your left, and you would be about 2 minutes from getting back on State Route 2.

As a final thought, if you've never been to Toft's, make it a point to get out there some time. If you've got the time, following U.S. Route 6 west out of Lorain to Sandusky makes for an interesting drive past small Mom and Pop motels. And of course you have that ice cream to look forward to. Or, you can get out there quickly on State Route 2.

Either way, it's a great way to spend a couple of hours.

Paul Attie, R.I.P.

Lorain has lost another local icon. Paul Attie, owner of the well-known Paul's Auto Body in Lorain passed away early Sunday morning. It's especially sad to me, because he was my father-in-law for the last 21 years.

Some people dread going to their in-laws. Not me – I was fortunate enough to have great in-laws who are are fun to be around. Even just sitting around watching Cops or golf on TV with Paul was enjoyable.

Paul's upbeat and easygoing demeanor made him one of those people that everybody liked. He seemed to know just about everyone in Lorain.

Years ago, I was surprised to find out that he knew Alex Visci, my old trumpet teacher. Every so often, Paul would ask me, "Hey, have you seen Bigack lately?" ('Bigack' was Mr. Visci's all-purpose nickname for everyone, and apparently it was used for him as well.) It turns out that over the years, Paul had fixed up or replated many of Mr. Visci's students' tarnished trumpets and mouthpieces – including those of my brothers and me.

Paul was truly a man's man: fun to drink with, a terrific golfer and a guy who liked any kind of cool gadget. He enjoyed yard work, and was very proud of his well-maintained property. He loved to take visitors for a ride in his golf cart for a tour of his yard and garden.

In the last few years, Paul had been sick, but he only complained about it a little when we got together. He handled it so well that you forgot about the severity of his illness. That's why it's so strange to know that he's gone.

Paul was a good guy, and I'll miss him.

1968 Emergency Handbook

Here's another booklet from my collection, this time from March 1968.

It's called IN TIME OF EMERGENCY: A Citizen's Handbook on NUCLEAR ATTACKS – NATURAL DISASTERS. Like the booklet yesterday, it was published by the Department of Defense - Office of Civil Defense.

There's a couple of things that surprised me about this booklet. First of all, the date. Since the 1950's are routinely lampooned as being the era in which everyone was waiting for 'the big one' to drop, 1968 seems a little late in the game for this sort of thing. I guess our government wasn't taking any chances, which is fine with me.

The big difference between this booklet and the one on Fallout Protection from yesterday (besides the battered, faded look of the publication itself) is the look and tone of the illustrations inside. Gone are the happy drawings of the family snug as a bug in a rug in their prefab bomb shelter.

This book is a lot grimmer.

For example, here's a couple pages about what to do if there is a nuclear flash. (Click on the pages so you can read them.)

That's a pretty big difference in art direction from the other booklet, if you ask me. The guy looking for a place to take cover (below) looks like he's already mutated into a lumbering sewer beast.

Here's some useful information in the booklet about tornadoes (which should be of interest to Lorainites). I can't help but chuckle at the illustration of the guy on the phone peering out his doorway as a cyclone approaches. "Uh, hold the phone a minute. Can I call you right back?"

As a graphic designer myself, I like the booklet's use of simple graphics to explain rather complicated topics.

But some parts of the book are still a little curious, such as this page stating, "If anyone has been outside and fallout particles have collected on his shoes or clothing, they should be brushed off before he enters the shelter area again." The man in the tattered raincoat and fedora looks like he is removing the fallout particles like they were just so much pesky dandruff or cat hair!

1961 Fallout Protection Book

The recent earthquake in Japan and resulting damage to their nuclear plants created some concern of a radiation cloud drifting over to the United States. That reminded me of some old booklets that I have on file.

The one shown at left, FALLOUT PROTECTION – WHAT TO KNOW AND DO ABOUT NUCLEAR ATTACK dates from December 1961. It was issued by the Department of Defense - Office of Civil Defense, and is a pretty handy reference guide for survival.

It covers everything from what happens when a five-megaton nuclear burst occurs, what the effects of radiation are (guess I'd better read up on that), and also how to get rid of fallout during the aftermath of the catastrophe.

The booklet also covers how to prepare for a nuclear attack, and that's the part of the book that is the most interesting to me. Part of my family's lore is that for a little while during the late 1950's, my parents seriously considered building a bomb shelter. It was to be a joint effort with some good friends of theirs, who were also the neighbors living right behind us. Logistically, it would have worked out great, since our yards butted up against each other in the back.

Which leads me to the booklet. Here's a few spreads showing how to build a bomb shelter. (Click on each so you can read it; you never know, it might come in handy some day!)

I just love the two-color inked illustrations. There is a sense of simple optimism that pervades them; maybe it's the cheery yellowish color?

Here's an illustration from the booklet showing the cleanup during the aftermath of a nuclear attack. It looks like fire hoses are going to play a big part.

Anyway, the bomb shelter plans ultimately fell through for a variety of reasons. When my mother explained why, her reasons sounded a lot like that classic Twilight Zone episode "The Shelter". In it, a well-prepared family in their bomb shelter is attacked by neighbors desperately trying to get in, during a perceived nuclear attack. In the story, the neighbors on the outside practically become animals, willing to do anything to survive, even using a battering ram to break down the door to the shelter.

I guess the concerns about what to do about other neighbors, relatives in town, etc. created too many questions for my parents and their friends that were impossible to answer. Thus, it was decided to skip the shelter and cast our fate to the wind (even if it if carried a little radiation).

The prefab shelter in the booklet looks pretty cozy, though. I hope they've got a can opener!