Waterville Historical Society

your connection to the past

401 Farnsworth Road, P.O. Box 263 Waterville, OH, 43566 United States

The Waterville Historical Society collects, preserves, provides access to, interprets and fosters an appreciation of history that has an impact on the Waterville, Ohio and surrounding area.

The Roche de Beouf Social Club Quilt

August 13, 2020  /  V. J. Rose

Jennifer Witte Yoder

Recently we acquired a beautiful 80” x 76” quilt from Jennifer Witte Yoder, daughter of Charles Fredrick and Janice (Sullivan) Witte who had received it from her grandmother Mildred Krout Witte after her passing on April 17, 1972. Mildred was the wife of Richard Witte. She was born in 1908 and a 1927 graduate of Waterville High School. Mildred was known as “Bud” and she and her husband operated the Witte’s Restaurant at River Road and Mechanic Street where Bud was the cook. Later on they moved to the Flying Horse Tavern beside Kurt’s Mobil Station on South River Road. Mildred was a Past Worthy Matron of Roche de Beouf Chapter Order of Eastern Stars where she was very active. As a young girl Jenni loved seeing the beautiful dresses she wore for the meetings. She was also very active in the Waterville American Legion Auxiliary. Jenni remembers “selling” poppies. It took us awhile but with researcher Bob Chapman looking through the Roche de Beouf Social Club minutes that we have at the Wakeman Archives, we were able to find the information on when the quilt was made. These minutes are always available for the public to use to research. Jenni wanted the Historical Society to have the quilt because of all of the area names embroidered on it.

The Idea of creating a friendship quilt was presented at the October 22, 1958 meeting of the O.E.S. Social Club. Names to be placed on the quilt were to be sold for twenty-five cents each. On February 1959 volunteers began to collect names. The names all seem to be from Whitehouse, Waterville and Monclova area. October 1960 Ethel Stoneman asked for help to embroider names on the quilt squares. The names look like possibly the same person may have written all of the names in cursive on all of the squares and others may have done the embroidering of the names as they were asking for help with the quilt squares. April 1965 the quilt was being quilted by Monclova Ladies Aid. May 13, 1965 the finished quilt was displayed at the meeting and priced for sale at $30. The quilt was sold to Mildred Witte at the June 10, 1965 meeting. The quilt is a large yellow and white quilt with a large star burst pattern in the center surrounded by alternating yellow and white five inch squares. The white squares have four or five names embroidered on each for a total of 286 names in all. One corner square is marked “O.E.S. 163 Roche de Beouf Social Club.” The quilt backing is plain white muslin. There is a border of yellow then white and a yellow scallop outer edge.

Note: the name Roche de Beouf Social Club is not spelled like others spell Boeuf.

World War II -----------The Missing Sign

July 30, 2020  /  John Rose

Our last World War II article concerned the civilian activities patriotism and national pride, such as displaying the blue star flag in a prominent window for family members in service. Small towns and villages, Waterville included, would post a sign board with the names of their honored sons and daughters in the service of their country posted in a prominent location. We have been searching for information on Waterville’s victory sign for some time. Finally a breakthrough.

Recently we received a large photo/negative donation from the Howard Good family. This picture shows the sign with the WW II men and women from Waterville that served during the War. We had been asked 5-10 years ago if we had ever seen this “billboard” so it was really appreciated when we found the photo. We reached out to Ross Farnsworth who originally asked about it and Becky (Potter) Jacobs for any information that they knew. We were told it was in the triangle at Mechanic and the part of the AW Trail not finished. Remember the “Trail” did not continue on past Mechanic Street but Route 24 turned East on Mechanic to River Road and then out south of Waterville. The highway through Waterville was made in the 1950s and about that time this board was probably removed. We are unable to tell you what happened to the Victory Sign and are looking for any help from our readers. Please contact us if you have any information.

We were also told that you could read it as you came up Mechanic Street to the Trail but could not see it from the Methodist church. In the picture, to the left background we can see a house on 4th Street and on the right another house which can help the reader visualize the location of the sign. The other picture is a newspaper clipping of the triangle at the time they were extending the AW Trail and what the triangle looks like now. This may have been the location of the sign (or nearby) as the people we asked mention that it was in the “triangle”.

There were many men and woman that served during the WW II and this picture memorializes some of those that served. Thank a Veteran when you see them, for your freedom.


WORLD WAR II ------On the Home Front

July 16, 2020  /  John Rose

When the United States was suddenly thrust into the global conflict of World War II domestic life was drastically changed in almost every way. As the country geared up for war all manufacturing was switched over to war materials. No new automobiles were made from 1942 to 1946. Factories made military vehicles, airplanes or parts, bombs and shells, etc. Ford Motor Co. in Detroit made B24 bombers on their assembly line. So many men were serving in the military there were massive labor shortages. Woman were called upon even to do jobs men thought they couldn’t do, such as welding, riveting and machine work and could do it very well. For the Civilian population at home everything was in short supply, both due to the need to supply the military and because our imports of materials from silk to rubber were cut off. The federal government took control of most aspects of production, supply, transportation and distribution and the people did not complain (well yes they complained of course) because they realized the need for these actions. People in the war years were extremely patriotic.

Rationing was the most ever present fact of life for the civilian population during the war and perhaps the thing those of us who lived through these times most remember. Instituted by the government to ensure adequate supplies of essential items and to prevent inflation and hoarding, books of ration stamps were issued to every man, woman and child. We had stamps for meat, sugar, margarine, gasoline, shoes, clothes, etc., about all necessities of life. We had red stamps, blue stamps, green stamps, etc. all for different things or quantities of these items. People could buy enough to live on but not (legally) hoard or get more than needed. Silk or nylon for women’s hosiery were non-existent and the ladies became very artistic with leg make-up. Shoes were repaired with half-soles, new heels and tires were given a re-tread as new tires usually were not available. We couldn’t drive far anyway as gas was strictly rationed.

The American people responded to these shortages with the usual American ingenuity. City folks could buy produce and fruit directly from small farmers in the countryside without stamps. Better yet they could grow their own in small gardens. People in town with no room to garden would borrow or rent plots of land in the suburbs with approval and encouragement of the government. These were known as victory gardens, and after the war some of these gardeners built houses and moved to their garden plots. Some folks raised chickens or other small livestock. Canning of fruits and vegetables became very popular. Extra sugar stamps were available for folks to can fruits and to make jams and jelly. I can remember rows of jars of cherries, (we had a cherry tree) peaches, beans, etc. on shelves in our “fruit cellar” in the basement. Chicken feed came in cloth sacks with pretty print designs and were ideal for making dresses for kids and mom, or even shirts.

Patriotism was very strong during WW II. We all bought government War Bonds or savings bonds as we could afford, usually in $25 or $50 denominations. Even us kids could buy saving stamps with our nickels and dimes which would accumulate to enough to get a bond. For some these war bonds served later to buy a new car or make a down payment for house. We saved aluminum foil (we called it tinfoil) from gum and cigarette wrappers rolled into a ball to be turned in as scrap. We saved tin cans, searched for scrap iron and even saved waste kitchen grease which I think could be turned into explosives. We collected milkweed pods which became insulation in pilot’s flight jackets. Families with household members in service would place a flag in the window with a blue star for each person and a gold star flag if someone was killed. All this was our proud contribution to the war effort.

Rationing was the most ever present fact of life for the civilian population during the war and perhaps the thing those of us who lived through these times most remember. Instituted by the government to ensure adequate supplies of essential items and to prevent inflation and hoarding, books of ration stamps were issued to every man, woman and child. We had stamps for meat, sugar, margarine, gasoline, shoes, clothes, etc., about all necessities of life. We had red stamps, blue stamps, green stamps, etc. all for different things or quantities of these items. People could buy enough to live on but not (legally) hoard or get more than needed. Silk or nylon for women’s hosiery were non-existent and the ladies became very artistic with leg make-up. Shoes were repaired with half-soles, new heels and tires were given a re-tread as new tires usually were not available. We couldn’t drive far anyway as gas was strictly rationed.

The American people responded to these shortages with the usual American ingenuity. City folks could buy produce and fruit directly from small farmers in the countryside without stamps. Better yet they could grow their own in small gardens. People in town with no room to garden would borrow or rent plots of land in the suburbs with approval and encouragement of the government. These were known as victory gardens, and after the war some of these gardeners built houses and moved to their garden plots. Some folks raised chickens or other small livestock. Canning of fruits and vegetables became very popular. Extra sugar stamps were available for folks to can fruits and to make jams and jelly. I can remember rows of jars of cherries, (we had a cherry tree) peaches, beans, etc. on shelves in our “fruit cellar” in the basement. Chicken feed came in cloth sacks with pretty print designs and were ideal for making dresses for kids and mom, or even shirts.

Patriotism was very strong during WW II. We all bought government War Bonds or savings bonds as we could afford, usually in $25 or $50 denominations. Even us kids could buy saving stamps with our nickels and dimes which would accumulate to enough to get a bond. For some these war bonds served later to buy a new car or make a down payment for house. We saved aluminum foil (we called it tinfoil) from gum and cigarette wrappers rolled into a ball to be turned in as scrap. We saved tin cans, searched for scrap iron and even saved waste kitchen grease which I think could be turned into explosives. We collected milkweed pods which became insulation in pilot’s flight jackets. Families with household members in service would place a flag in the window with a blue star for each person and a gold star flag if someone was killed. All this was our proud contribution to the war effort.


Dr. Reuben H. Hammon, Flight Surgeon

July 03, 2020  /  John Rose

Dr. Reuben H. Hammon

The WW II Memoirs of Dr. Reuben Hammon, M.D.

This volume in the Wakeman Archives tells another unusual story of a W.W. II veteran in a non-combat but essential duty role. This is a detailed, first person account of Dr. Hammon’s experiences and another interesting read for anyone interested in W.W. II history.

Dr. Reuben H. Hammon (his wife and friends called him Huber) was born in 1908, completed medical school in 1933, and came to Waterville to enter practice with Dr. Waldo Suter in 1934. He married Thelma Luttenberger in 1936 and a daughter, Marian was born in 1938. When World War II broke out medical people were being drafted as essential personnel. Now Dr. Hammon had a love affair with airplanes since his first ride in a barnstorming open cockpit Jenny. He decided that if he had to serve he would like to be in a service branch where he cold fly, so he volunteered for the army air force in late 1942, hoping for duty as a flight surgeon. We must point out that “flight surgeon” is a military term for the medical doctor that cares for and certifies that pilots and flight crews are medically fit for duty.

He entered service as a First Lieutenant September 18, 1942 with a basic officer’s training school to learn military protocol at Morrison Field, Palm Beach, Florida. His very first day he talked a test pilot into taking him along on a test flight in a B24 four engine bomber. In November he went to Houlton Airfield in Maine where the temperature was 10 degrees above zero. Other schools followed, first Pennsylvania then in May to Randolph Field, Texas. His wife and child joined him while in Texas where he trained for flight surgeon duties. Several other stations followed and finally back to Maine for shipment overseas. September 9, 1943 he was flown via Gander Newfoundland, to Prestwick, Scotland, his first duty station. One of his added duties here was to investigate airplane crashes which usually meant flying to the crash site in some borrowed airplane and pilot. Dr. Hamon’s unit during his entire service was a non-combat transportation unit, moving planes and material from the United States to Europe, checking that all were fit for combat, then on to where needed. Early 1944 he was sent to St. Mawgan, England where he had his most traumatic experience. He and a few others were sent to investigate a B17 crash in Ireland. On the return flight they ran into dense fog and bad weather. The borrowed small plane and inexperienced pilot were not equipped for instrument only flight and they had to make a forced landing in a field on the English coast. All survived with minor injuries. Many other experiences followed. He flew on inspection missions to Casablanca and Naples, was promoted to Captain, was transferred to France (several stations) in early 1945. In December of 1944 he had been assigned to a flight of wounded soldiers from Paris to New York and was able to surprise his wife and Waterville friends, being home for Christmas. Back in Europe and after VE Day he was sent on an inspection trip to occupied Berlin. His last most pleasant duty was to fly back to the United States with another load of wounded in September 1945, this time to stay. He was discharged October 1, 1945 and returned to Waterville where he practiced medicine the rest of his long 43 year career. Dr. Reuben Hammon died July 11, 1982 and is buried in Waterville’s Highland Memory Gardens.

World War II ---- The Soldier in the Rear

June 19, 2020  /  John Rose

Jim Page

The Jim Page Diary: It is well known that for every soldier in a combat role there must be five to ten in support roles. There may be trainers, cooks, clerks, medics and nurses, transportation, maintenance and repair, etc. Some may work in or near a combat zone and some will never hear a shot fired in anger. However, all these functions are necessary to maintain a fighting military.

The Jim Page scrapbooks, which can be found in the Wakeman Archives, give us a glimpse into the life of such a soldier. He was older, married and inducted late in the war. A devoted husband, he wrote almost every day and his remarkable wife saved everything he sent home in a scrapbook giving us a day-by-day account of his service, which is very unusual. The scrapbooks are also full of photographs and newspaper clippings including a wonderful collection of “sad sack” cartoons.

Jim was born in Pineville, Kentucky in 1914. Coming of age during the Great Depression, he moved to Detroit, met Miss Helen Martin from Hillsdale, Michigan, somewhat his senior, and the two were married in December 1939. The 1940 census finds them living in Toledo. His draft registration records however remained in Pineville, and in December 1943 he was ordered to report for his draft physical exam in Pineville at age 29. Perhaps Pineville was a small town and had run out of younger eligible draftees. By March 1944 he was off to basic training at Fort Knox. After basic they sent him to Sheppard Field, Texas to train for aircraft maintenance and repair then to T. Field at Madison, Wisconsin, attached to the 90th Depot Repair Squadron of the U.S. Army Air Force. This unit was sent to Bari, Italy, leaving the U.S. January 4, 1945 and arriving January 13. There he stayed for the rest of the war, working as a painter at the air base. He seems to usually have regular hours with much off duty time. His life is routine, boring and sometimes unpleasant. Besides writing his daily letters, he spends much time at the “club”, sees movies and U.S.O. shows and even gets time off to go to Rome and countryside tours. He sometimes mentions being sick from paint thinner fumes. He also talks of having German and Italian P.O.W.s to supervise. He sends money home and instructs is wife Helen to find and buy a farm, which she does. She is working in defense plants in Detroit, so apparently between them there is money to do that. In 1946 she is living at a rural route number near Swanton, Ohio. Eventually, well after war ended in the European Theatre, we find Jim in a unit going to Munich, Germany as occupation troops. His letters describing the move by motor convoy from Bari to Munich are detailed and interesting. At Munich his duties are much the same but he visits some of the German death camps and is near the Nazi war crimes trials. Finally Jim acquires enough points to be sent home, arriving in the U.S. sometime in May 1946 and discharged June 15, 1946, having spent about eight months in occupied Munich, Germany. Jim and Helen settled in on the farm Helen had purchased. In December of 1950 they adopted two children, James E. Page, Jr. and Patricia Ann Page. The family moved to 9874 South River Road (later 10020 South River) in December 1952, when Jim went to work for his brother-in-law Robert L. Martin, owner of the Waterville Hardware. He became owner of the store in April of 1956 and moved the business down the street to 15 N. Third Street after a fire destroyed the building. Jim Page owned the Waterville Hardware business until his death in 1979. Perhaps some of our readers remember Jim Page the hardware man.


Sargent House Window Restoration to begin!

June 11, 2020  /  Barbara Jones

The restoration of six windows in the historic Sargent House is scheduled to begin during June 2020. Funding for this project was made possible through the sponsorship of Fort Industry Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and donations to the Waterville Historical Society’s Capital Campaign.

The Sargent House, located on the WHS’s River Road historical campus, is one of Waterville’s oldest homes. The original portion of the house was built between 1834 and 1840. An addition to the house was used by Edward Sargent as his office when he became Justice of the Peace in 1848.

The work will be done by Fred Curtis from Findlay, Ohio. Fred is a Finish and Trim Carpenter who specializes in restoring historical buildings.

Our thanks to the Fort Industry Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and everyone who donated to the Waterville Historical Society’s Capital Campaign for making this important renovation project possible!

World War II --- And Some Gave Their All

May 22, 2020  /  John Rose

As we celebrate this Memorial Day we want to feature several of the Waterville men who were sent to fight on foreign soil in W.W. II and did not return. Their biographies can be found at the Wakeman Archives.

RALPH WAFFLE, usually known as “Bill”, graduated from Waterville High School in 1933. He worked at American Can, farmed his father and grandfather’s land and served as a Boy Scout Leader. He was drafted into the Army early, in February 1942, only three months after the declaration of war. After basic training he was sent to Officers Candidate School at Fort Knox, KY. Graduating as a 2nd Lt., he was assigned to the Second Army, 67th Armored Division. He served in North Africa but never in combat. He was sent to England in January 1944, to train for the Normandy invasion of Europe. The Waffle diary ends abruptly in April 1944 probably due to censorship and top secrecy about the impending invasion. He and his unit finally landed there just six days after the initial assault, on June 12, 1944. Fighting their way through France, Lt. Waffle was killed in action at St. Lo on August 12, 1944. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for refusing medical aid while leading his men in battle. Left to mourn were his parents, Leroy and Bessie Waffle, sister Lois and his fiancé Miss Betty Thompson of Toledo.

ELLSWORTH GRAF, son of Albert Graf, himself a W.W. I veteran and a Mayor of Waterville, was a 1939 graduate of Waterville High School and President of his class. He was inducted into the Army in March of 1943, served basic training as an infantry man and was shipped overseas (probably to England) in September 1943. The Archives has no record of his experience there, but we assume he trained in England and moved into Europe after the initial D Day invasion. He was part of the 1st Army, 115th Infantry. The record finds him stationed in Holland October 22, 1944 behind the front lines but close to the front. He says in a letter that he has been assigned as a runner for the Regimental Commander. In a November 9, 1944 letter he is still in Holland, living in a two man foxhole with a pup tent over. He is cold and wet but getting hot food from their field kitchen. He says he has been in England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He sent a letter home dated November 15, 1944 saying he was preparing to be sent into action. He was killed in action in Germany (or Belgium) November 20, 1944. We have a photo, dated November 20, 1946, of his temporary grave, a simple cross with his name, serial number and grave number from a battlefield cemetery in Margraten, Holland. The photographs were taken and sent to his Waterville family by a person he had befriended in Holland. His body was returned to Waterville after the war and is buried in Wakeman Cemetery. On the left is Ralph Waffle and right is Ellsworth Graf.

V.E. Day ----- Nazi Germany Surrenders!

May 08, 2020  /  V. J. Rose

This year marks the seventy fifth anniversary of the end of W.W. II, first with final victory in Europe over Nazi Germany and later in 1945, the surrender of Imperial Japan. It was a difficult and bloody year. The famous “Battle of the Bulge” marked the failed attempt of the German army to drive the allied forces back, followed by the U.S. and allied forces fighting their way through Germany to Berlin and the final victory on May 8, 1945. Meanwhile in the Pacific Theater our U.S. forces were “island hopping”, forced to rout Japanese forces from one Pacific island after another, a long and difficult grind while the U.S. Air Forces put pressure on the Japanese mainland, naval and other targets. The controversial atomic bomb put an end to Japanese resistance by August 14th of 1945 when the final surrender occurred. No matter your thoughts on deployment of the atomic bombs, many soldiers, sailors and marine’s lives were spared by the quick end to that war and their parents and sweethearts were grateful.

There are some of us, this writer included, that lived through that time period and remember well the rationing, victory gardens and reports of allied victories at the cost of too many deaths reported in our newspapers. To our younger readers, the war is history, a time of many stories and movies, sometimes glorifying the bravery of those combatants and also portraying the evil horrors of war. Whatever your perspective on World War II, this 75th anniversary is a time to reflect on the effects of this global conflict on our history, both local and national. To this end the Waterville Historical Society will be placing exhibits in the Robbins House Museum reflecting on W.W. II, the local men and women in that conflict, and effects on our citizens. Since our museums are closed due to the Corona Virus epidemic, this exhibit will not be available to the public until such time that it becomes safe to be open. History remains unchanged, however, and we will try to present some of our World War II exhibits in photographs throughout the year. Perhaps some of our readers will share their memories or thoughts on this time period on our Facebook page. Better still we would like your thoughts of your time in service by sending it to the website or message us on Facebook so we can tell you how to send them to us.

Authors note: This is the first of several articles we hope to share with our readers on World War II. We hope to bring you several more on specific persons or incidents later.

The First Founders' Day April 25, 1965

April 24, 2020  /  John Rose

L. to R. Betty Becker, Marjorie Shufelt, Elaine Chanady. In front is Jodi Becker

A huge gala event for the entire Village of Watervillle was held in April of 1965 to celebrate the first year of existence of the Waterville Historical Society. The actual beginning was in early March of 1964 when some village leaders including Mayor Dick Farnsworth and bank president Al Sieczkowski gathered a meeting to float the idea of forming a historical society to preserve and present the rich history of Waterville. The idea had much support so they met again on March 15th to formally organize. Officers and six trustees were elected and a constitution to govern the new organization was authorized. Al Sieczkowski was elected the first president. There were 58 charter members in the first year.

January 22, 1965 the group met to elect new officers and trustees. Al Sieczkowski was re-elected president and the group began to organize a big event to celebrate their first anniversary with a village-wide Founders Day (Founding Day perhaps) event. This was not only a celebration of a successful first year but a promotion and membership drive for the society. Plans were already made for the collection and preservation of historical artifacts and papers. The big day was to be Sunday April 25, 1965. There would be artifacts on display in shop windows around the village and in the school gymnasium and guided walking tours plus tours of several historic homes and the Columbian House. A grand buffet supper was held in the evening at the Zion Lutheran Church with a featured speaker, Dr. Randolph Downs from the University of Toledo. These events were attended by almost 1500 people in spite of inclement weather and a tornado threat in the evening. To put this in perspective the village population in 1965 was 2338 persons. The celebration was a resounding success and the society decided to make it an annual event.

The second Founders Day event was held Saturday and Sunday May 14 and 15, 1966 with much the same activities as the previous year plus a costume ball on Saturday night at the school. A tea and tour of the Columbian House was planned on Sunday plus dinner with speaker on Sunday night at Zion Lutheran Church.

By 1967 the third Founders Day was cut back to one day, Sunday May 21, and the society now had museum space in the upstairs of a building on Third Street generously donated by charter member, Marion Swope, which was opened to the public.

Today, 56 years after our founding, Waterville Historical Society continues to enjoy great success in our core mission, but somewhere along the way we have lost the tradition of celebrating our founding. We have three historic buildings serving as museum space plus the Wakeman Building serving as display and archives for paper and photographic artifacts. We continue to be an all-volunteer organization, dependent on the good will of members and supporters. So our story becomes a plea to our readers to please support this society as generously as possible. Things are much more complicated and expensive than in 1965. Buildings require maintenance and utilities. Preservation requires the proper storage boxes and facilities. We are also always in need of active members to volunteer to be a docent and for cleanup, maintenance, repair as well as financial supporters. We would also encourage the public to visit the museums on open house days and visit our amazing archives which is open every week on Wednesdays from 10 am to 2 pm. Waterville’s history is on display in all of our buildings. Museum displays are also viewable on Roche de Boeuf Day. Perhaps one day we can revive the practice of celebrating the founding of the Waterville Historic Society.

Author’s Note: Unfortunately, due to the Pandemic closures, our museums and the archives are not open at present. These facilities still need maintenance so your support is as essential as ever. We will announce the opening as soon as it is safe to do so. Please plan to visit us when we can be open.

WATERVILLE BRIDGE REVISITED AGAIN

April 07, 2020  /  John Rose

As our old steel truss bridge slowly disappears from the landscape we thought it appropriate to revisit an article we printed some time ago and share our favorite photos of the old bridge. Several years ago we wrote about the history of our bridges or lack thereof, in a series called “Crossing the River,” so we will confine our discussion to the bridge we all know.

This bridge was built and opened in 1947, when peacetime prosperity allowed replacement of the old iron truss bridge that collapsed in 1941. Remember we couldn’t get steel during the war and had to wait a few years before construction could begin. The bridge was rebuilt on the stone piers of the old wagon bridge which were widened and reinforced on the upstream side. Forty or so years later it was in bad shape and did not meet the demands of modern highway traffic. In 1988 the bridge was closed while a new and stronger deck was installed and the overhead clearance was increased to accommodate large trucks and farm vehicles. The extensive re-build was captured on film by Emery Noward, whose photos album of this project can be found in the Wakeman Archives. The bridge’s steel structure still needed repainted from time-to-time and the color may have changed. Today the bridge is no longer meeting the needs of the community again.

Today we have a new beautiful bridge which is a place that everyone is able to walk across and look at the river below in a safe manner. You can also look for the eagles nest and maybe even catch the eagle fishing. On many beautiful sunny days you see the community out taking a stroll across the bridge. Hope to see you out there sometime!

Author’s note: The steel truss bridges, so common in the 20th century, are rapidly disappearing in our state. Save your photographs to preserve the memories. Your children and grandchildren may never see one.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK DAY!

March 17, 2020  /  John Rose

This day it seems everybody wants to be Irish and, of course, many of us do have some Irish in our family tree. It was not always so. Some folks came from Ireland in colonial times and were accepted into our culture the same as the Dutch, Germans or any other group. But in the new, free and expanding United States, not so much. The wave of Irish immigrants fleeing from the Irish potato famine were looked down upon and discriminated against. Many labeled them as drunken hot-heads (some were of course.) They came poor and took any job that they could, which led many Irish immigrants to our area to dig the canals being built. It was difficult, hard hand labor for low pay and a daily ration of whisky, and required a large number of men. In January of 1838, Constable Lewis Eastwood of Waterville Township (Waterville government at that time) was ordered by the trustees to warn all “Irish” out of the township before winter for fear that so many of them would be of need of public assistance or welfare that the township could not afford to support them. Actually it was all non-resident persons (canal workers) most of whom were Irish. According to Clark Waggoner’s 1888 “History of the City of Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio” Eastwood served the removal warrant to 546 persons, so the Trustees fears were real even though it sounds cruel. We actually have in the Archives a copy of the original order signed by John Pray and Willard Gunn, Overseers of the Poor and Lewis Eastwood’s list of persons served with the order by name, 520 in all. Eastwood was paid $52.37 for his labors. These people apparently survived because when canal work resumed there was plenty of labor to finish the canal. Some of the canal workers died of malaria or other diseases under the harsh unhealthy conditions of their labor and some may be buried in a potter’s field that is part of the Wakeman Cemetery today. Some of these Irish bought land or established a business in this area after the canal was finished and became accepted citizens. St. Patrick’s Catholic Church at the ghost town of Providence along the canal near Grand Rapids was established by these early Irish citizens. Time heals all wounds and the Irish eventually became accepted and even admired for their hard work, persistence and good humor, so today we all want to claim to be Irish. This story could happen only in America! So wear something green and celebrate being Irish, if only for the day.

THE POLAROID LAND CAMERA

March 02, 2020  /  John Rose

The most recent donation to our collection of historic objects is a Model 95 Polaroid Land Camera (see photo). Designed and produced by Edwin Land, founder of the Polaroid Corporation, this was the first camera to produce a finished photograph at the time it was taken, or an instant photo camera. The story is that Edwin Land was inspired to create the instant camera when taking a picture of his young daughter, she wondered why she could not see the picture he had just taken. It took years to perfect but he eventually succeeded. The concept was first demonstrated to the public in February 1947 and 57 of these, designed as model 95 were placed in the market in Boston before the 1948 Christmas holiday as a market test. They were all sold on the first day! The instant camera was a smashing success. About 1.5 million Polaroid Land Cameras were sold under the designation of Model 95, then 95A and 95B over the years. Later models were smaller, more streamlined and eventually Land produced a color film instant camera. The secret, of course, was in the film which contained the chemicals needed to develop a positive image. The camera was designed to pass the exposed film through a set of rollers to activate the development process and eject it from the camera. It took about one minute for the finished photo to be ready.

There is no way to know if our camera is one of the first 57 sold in Boston but it is a model 95, the first Polaroid model to go on the market. We are proud to place this camera on display in the Archives along with our big antique mahogany Isham camera and the old box camera which was perhaps the first mass produced camera, popular in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. If you are a camera buff we invite you to come up and see this display

Local Residents Oppose Stitt Road Site for New Toledo Express Airport

February 21, 2020  /  Barbara Jones

updated 1948 Airport Location Stitt Rd. Gray Scale 11-22-2019 (2).JPG

I remember the dedication ceremony and air show of the Toledo Express Airport on Oct. 31, 1954 on Airport Highway. It was a cold and windy day, and I was a young girl attending with my parents, George F. and Leona Sherer, my younger sister, Patty, and my grandparents. According to the Blade, 35,000 people attended. It was a big day for area residents, but especially for my father as a land owner and farmer in Waterville Township and member of the group that opposed the favored Stitt Rd. site.

As early as 1939, a search was begun to find a suitable location for a new airport with a longer landing strip that could accommodate the larger jet airplanes that were being built and to be a defensive site between New York and Chicago. The outdated Municipal Airport (Metcalf Field) could not be expanded due to the railroad tracks. The search began in earnest in 1944 for an ideal site. As many as 19 sites were considered, including: Maumee, Sylvania, three near Holland, Union Station, Point Place, Glendale, Oregon, Perrysburg, Garden Rd. and two in Michigan, but a site in Monclova and Waterville Townships was favored by the city of Toledo. Occupying mostly farm land and homes between Whitehouse and Waterville, it was bounded on the north by Stitt Rd., on the east by Waterville-Monclova Rd., Finzel Rd. on the west and an indefinite line on Rt. 64 to the south intersecting Dutch Rd. The Stitt Rd. site was favored since, 2,000 acres were needed to build a runway long enough, there were no obstacles to safe air operations and easy access on the new A.W. Trail. The 445th Bombardment Squadron, Air Force Reserves was interested in locating there.

On April 12, 1948, about 75 land owners met to oppose the Stitt Rd. site and formed the Maumee Valley Protective Association. Glen Niederhouse was elected President, Marion Moser, Secretary and Don Fischer, Treasurer, which is the group my father joined. 154 residents of the two townships presented signed petitions circulated by Clarence Burkett, Herman Moser, Christopher Fisher, Arthur Holliker and Dan Neiderhouse opposing the site. Also, a resolution was presented to Toledo City Council to choose another site where the land is not as fertile, by Waterville Township trustees, signed by George Bidwell, Edwin Berger, John Wittes, and Clark Roach, clerk. Waterville, Whitehouse and Monclova school boards opposed the site since a new consolidated high school was being planned in that vicinity.

The next day, April 13th, by a unanimous vote, the Toledo Aviation Commission voted for the location of the Class IV airport to be the Stitt Rd. site. A protest meeting was held April 28, 1948 at Waterville School attended by 400 residents of the three townships to form a resolution citing numerous objections to the Stitt Rd. site.

In early May at the Toledo City Council meeting, 165 people attended to protest the Stitt Rd. site and voice their objections. Don Demuth, Waterville Village attorney, argued that the area was being increasingly populated, that the city had no right to take away such fertile farm land, would decrease property values and loss of taxes would hurt the schools. Neiderhouse of the M.V.P.A. pointed out that an airport built on clay would “heave” in winter weather. My father, George F. Sherer, read a letter sent to him from Louis Bromfield, author and well known conservationist of Malabar Farm in Ohio. In it, Mr. Bromfield stated that the proposed site near Stitt Rd. would destroy some of the most productive agricultural land in the state of Ohio. He also advised that land near Swanton, Ohio, the same distance from Toledo, where there were large areas of inferior quality land, would be a more suitable location, thereby saving the rich soil of Waterville and Monclova Townships. He argued that our nation can no longer afford the destruction of good soil which causes the price of food to go up and we should take care of our natural resources. Andrew Harvey of Waterville read his letter to the Commission stating that since an airport is considered an industrial use of land, it therefore should be located in an area that is currently industrial. Karis Hanifan stated that by locating the airport on this land Page Dairy would lose a ton of milk a day. A hand vote of those opposed was 100% unanimous.

Finally on Nov. 3, 1952 the final choice was chosen by Toledo City Council. Located near Oak Openings, it met all the requirements: mostly industrial, no concentrated residential areas, no public buildings, room for expansion, adequate soil conditions and met safety requirements in case of emergency landings. It was funded by six local industries; L.O.F., O-I, Owens Corning, Champion Spark Plug, Electric Auto-Lite and Willys-Overland Motors. The Toledo Express airport took two years to build and opened in 1955. This year it will celebrate its 65th anniversary.

LOVE STORIES

February 10, 2020  /  John Rose

Love, it seems, is timeless throughout history. The means of communication may change but love stories are much the same. Some Waterville love stories are recorded in our history and we will use this St. Valentines holiday to recount a few.

John Pray, our founder and his wife Lucy Dunham Pray came to this Maumee Valley frontier with four children plus an orphan nephew to care for in 1818. She suffered all the privations that all frontier folks endured yet remained, bore six more children and the family all eventually prospered. If that isn’t love and devotion then what is?

Peter Ullrich came from Germany in 1864 to the United States while his betrothed Sophie Schneider remained behind waiting for Peter to become “established” in his new country. They of course communicated by slow transatlantic mail. Peter, after a short two month stint in the Civil War army, settled in Waterville where he established a harness makers shop. This was the trade he had trained for in Germany. Finally, in 1866 he sent for his bride-to-be and to her surprise traveled to meet her at the dock in New York. The newly wed couple settled in the present-day Reed-Ullrich House on River Road and were among Waterville’s prominent citizens, with descendants still in the area. Peter’s letters to Sophie exist, some printed in “Watervillore” by Midge Campbell.

John Findlay Torrence Isham (Torry or J.F.T.) was the youngest son of John George Isham, a canal contractor and maintenance supervisor. Torry was a school teacher as a young man, then in 1888 he worked surveying for the Great Northern Railroad during its westward expansion through Wisconsin, Minnesota and Idaho. He carried on a long distance relationship by mail with the love of his life Emma Knaggs and his “My Darling Emma” letters were kept in his family. The two were married in 1892 after his return to Waterville and they settled on the family homestead built by his father on the canal and river south of town. The house still exists across from the Farnsworth Park shelter house and the farm is mostly part of the Browning property.

The “Pumpkin Vine” electric railway between Maumee and Waterville opened in 1901. A handsome young conductor, Leroy Waffle, would meet the daughter of William Cobb, Miss Bessie Cobb, as the interurban line ran right through the Cobb farm just south of Waterville. Perhaps it started as a wave as the car rolled by and perhaps they met when Bessie would ride the car into Waterville or to Maumee. Loved blossomed and Leroy and Bessie were married on April 11, 1904. They first lived in Perrysburg but later moved back to Waterville when the interurban line closed. Leroy and Bessie were the parents of past and fondly remembered Waterville librarian Lois Waffle.

How Many Remember the Blizzard of 1978

January 26, 2020  /  V. J. Rose

The weather started on Wednesday, January 25th with rain about midnight, then freezing rain turning to snow which froze on windows, side of house driven by fierce winds, then drifting snow. By January 26 Northwestern, Ohio was paralyzed by the blizzard which had dumped seven inches of snow and the 50-60 MPH winds blew the snow into drifts as high as 10 feet and the snow continued through the day. The highways soon became clogged with motorists stuck in the deep drifting snow. Even the snowplows got stuck. The only vehicles able to move were some with 4-wheel drive and snowmobiles. The stranded motorists needed to be evacuated to emergency shelters set up in all the towns in the area. They were unable to plow the snow from the roads and were calling in the Ohio Army National Guard for assistance. Electricity was off for thousands of people. People had to figure out what they could eat. Those without gas stoves used the candle under the coffee warmer to heat food or ate cold sandwiches. Seems you are never prepared. Electricity went out on the 26th and without electricity the furnace didn’t work to keep the house warm. Houses were getting down in the 30s and 40s. Neighbors with alternators were sharing them but hot water heaters didn’t warm the house as fast as forced air furnaces. Then for some people with hot water heat, the pipes froze and broke when they weren’t able to get the temperature up. Many families had to huddle in bed with extra clothing on to keep warm. As one gets colder it becomes harder to function and thinking becomes difficult. Farm families that live far apart didn’t have the neighbors nearby to all band together. Helicopters were used to fly the sick to the hospital. Waterville was cut off from everyone with all roads blocked. If you had a transistor radio or battery radio you used it only to get updates of what was going on. With no electric you hoped the food in the freezer would not perish. They claimed if the freezer was full it would not spoil for 36 hours. For some the back porch was colder than the freezer. People found it was best to close off rooms to keep the heat in one room and some placed blankets in the doorways to keep the heat in one room. Those with fireplaces fared better if they could get their wood in or had wood close by. Those with gas stoves invited neighbors in for a hot meal if the neighbor could make it through the high drifts safely. There were a few that were stranded and tried to walk home only to be found frozen to death. Locally the electricity went out about midmorning Thursday, January 26th and for many was not restored until late Saturday January 28th. To make matters worse the blizzard which dropped up to 15 inches of snow was followed by near zero temperatures. This was a difficult and scary time for people in the Waterville area.

We wonder if any of our readers have memories of this awful blizzard of 1978? Any pictures to share?

Waterville and the 18th Amendment

January 19, 2020  /  V. J. Rose

This year of 2020 will be the 100th Anniversary year for two momentous amendments to the United States Constitution, those being the 18th and 19th. Both amendments were the culmination of years of action and lobbying by their adherents. The first and subject of this sketch, enacted January 17, 1920, prohibited the manufacture, transport or sale of alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content greater than 0.5% or better known as the prohibition amendment. The other, the 19th amendment, gave women the right to vote and we will write about that in August when the amendment was ratified. Both amendments had profound effects in American society.

Churches and organized women’s temperance groups led the fight for prohibition, noting the terrible effects of alcoholic fathers on family life. In Waterville the Methodist Church was the leading advocate for prohibition and Peter Briesach’s saloon was right across the street on the opposite corner. (At one time the Methodist Church was located at the corner of Mechanic and the River Road.) Locally, nobody came through town smashing saloons as was done in many other communities but there was intense lobbying of local, state and national governments to ban alcohol sales by statute. Waterville was voted “dry” about 1908 and voted in 1911 to remain dry by a vote of 112 to 103. The outright ban severely impacted our German citizens where drinking beer or wine with meals was part of their culture and many of them were home brewers. The local result of prohibition has been dealt with in this space before. Breisach’s saloon and several other establishments along Main Street became restaurants and, so far as this writer knows, the village was dry. The township beyond the town Marshall’s jurisdiction, not so much. Our article (February 4, 2019) on Dorothy Hattersley, Waterville’s Miss Fisher, shows that hidden distilleries sprang up many places along the river and the canal. A hotel on River Road (now a private home) was known to serve alcohol and many years later a hidden “still” was found in the basement. The 18th Amendment did not produce the intended results. Quite the opposite, as history indicates. This was such a disaster that it became the only amendment to our constitution to be repealed by another amendment, the 21st, which was ratified in December of 1933.

A Polar-Steer Plunge

December 28, 2019  /  John Rose

Photo by Howard Krause in an AW Standard

As New Years Day approaches we are excited to watch or in some cases participate in the annual Herb Mericle memorial polar bear plunge. We find in an old addition of the Anthony Wayne Standard that many years ago the excitement was caused by a wayward Wood County steer who jumped into the ice-choked river. The animal was owned by Tom Schaller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Merlyn Schaller who lived across the river from the Waterville School. Tom was an Anthony Wayne High School student and the steer was his F.F.A. project. The steer got loose around 9 A.M. and decided to take a swim in the frigid Maumee River. The beast apparently was enjoying itself and would not be coaxed out of the river by the Schaller’s and a growing contingent of would-be helpers, both in boats and on shore. It swam under the Waterville Bridge where the boatmen got a rope on it but the critter still would not climb out of the icy water on the Waterville side. The paper lists those assisting in the struggles with the wayward beast as Herb Mericle, Jack Edwards, Marion Mosier, Kenneth Saunders, Steve Schaller, and Standard photographer Howard Krause. Finally it was decided that the antics of the obstinate steer were a safety hazard to would be rescuers and the animal was shot. The ultimate irony of the story is that the animal was processed, wrapped and stored away … in the freezer.

P.O. Box 263,  Waterville, OH  43566            watervillehistory@outlook.com

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