The Clinton League created a community tennis club and tennis courts on Dunedin near Calumet Street, using two vacant lots owned by J. E. Pierson.

During Clintonville’s early years, it had many parades and this is one of the floats. The back of the photograph is labeled the “Lehman Machine” (machine was another name for automobile). According to the 1923 city directory, there was a David and Hattie Lehman living at 47 West Brighton Road. David was a sales manager for the Iron Clay Brick Company, and Hattie was a hemstitcher. (Photo courtesy of Amy Westervelt)

“Several thousand residents take part in North Side Field Day Celebration! Enthusiasm high!

“On a hot and sunny Saturday, June 2, 1923, the North Civic Association sponsored its annual celebration. Brighton Road, owner of the previous year’s wreath, captured first honors in the parade for the second time, while Longview Avenue challenged for second place. Brighton Road received $50 and Longview, $25.00. The impersonation of a number of historical and present prominent men was the feature of Brighton’s representation. The first prize for the best decorated automobile also went to this street, which produced a car encased in pink roses…”—from the Columbus Dispatch Sunday June 3, 1924

Brevoort brothers Frank Jr., Gordon, and Dale play on a railroad box in or near Worthington, in 1931. (Photo courtesy of Gordon Brevoort)

In the early part of the twentieth century, many Clintonville organizations and churches held minstrel shows, as fundraisers and for entertainment. I chose not to sanitize minstrel shows from my book, because they were an authentic part of Clintonville’s history, albeit the part we are all glad we’ve done away with. I regret any offense or hurt caused by these pictures.

I loved the story of Lawrence Huber (1893-1958) and his wife Eunice Louise Dougherty (1900-1986). Lawrence had applied for a job at the Elks Country Club. They told him they wanted the incumbent to be married, so he asked his girlfriend Eunice to marry him. She accepted and they married in 1922–and remained married the rest of thier lives.

Huber, under the direction of Donald Ross, helped to construct the Elks Country Club golf course, which was located north of Morse Road and east of High Street to Indianola Road. Huber eventually took over the position of groundskeeper when the course opened the following year. Lawrence and Eunice, and their three children, lived in a residence on the Elks Country Club property while Lawrence was employed there. Huber was extremely innovative, and invented equipment as needed to cultivate and care for the greens. (Photo courtesy of Betty Huber)

Does anyone out there have a picture of the Clintonville Bridge Club, which met in the basement of the Olentangy Village Tavern for perhaps 50 years until the 1970s/1980s?

I love this ad for Olympic Beach in 1939. “Of interest to the ‘bathers’ of Northern Columbus is the care and precaution the management of the Olympic Pool is taking so that our families may swim in perfectly safe water, free from impurities and its dangers…“ Shortly after the pool was built, the Olympic Amusement Corporation, headed by Orr Zimmerman, assumed ownership of the pool. For many years the O.S.U. swimming and diving teams practiced there and many contestants for the summer Olympics came from all over the United States to train at the pool. Several national championships have been held there. Early on, only male lifeguards worked at the pool.

Here, someone does a kamikaze dive off the tallest tower. (Photos courtesy of the Zimmerman family)

The 46-acre Indian Springs Golf Course extended east of High Street to Indianola, north of East Cooke Rd and south of Schreyer. It opened as a 19-hole course in 1931 and closed circa 1947 as a 9-hole course. The Indian Springs Village subdivision was built in this location around 1947. (Photo courtesy of Columbus Metropolitan Libraries)

Robert Ohaver (b. 1920) lived most of his life in Clintonville and on West North Broadway. He had many stories of old Clintonville to share with us. On September 12, 2003, several community members (Ann and Alan Woods, Barbara Hotchkiss, Nancy Kuhel) interviewed him and preserved the conversation on tape. Now you, too, can listen to Mr. Ohaver’s oral history.

Sadly, Bob Ohaver passed away on June 11, 2009. You can find his obituary here. There is another small entry about his aunt on this web site here.

Bob mother was Laura Ohaver and his father was Walter Harvey Ohaver. Bob also had an older brother named Jack Ohaver who lived in Clintonville at 116 E. Dunedin with his wife Clara Ohaver. Clara passed away May 24, 1993, and Jack passed away on June 14, 2000. Jack and Clara had two daughters. Sue Bowman was born May 8, 1940; she passed away January 4, 2000. Sandra Urban born July 30, 1945. [This family information came to me from Jack's granddaughter and Sandy's daughter, Lisa Adkins. Thanks, Lisa!]

Some technical notes about these recordings: each file is about 30 minutes long. You can use this player to listen to any of the segments listed below, or by clicking on the links below.

Contents

Track 1. Brief Ohaver biography; origins of his family moving to West North Broadway; his World War II years; Clinton Theatre; businesses and homes at the interesection of North Broadway and North High Streets; drugstores and candy stores in Clintonville; the house behind 3391 North High Street; Dispatch carrier’s substation; Olentangy Park; the streetcar storage barn at Arcadia.

Track 2. Olentangy Park cont’d; street fair at North Broadway and High to celebrate Clinton Theatre, the opening of Clinton School pedestrain subway, and the paving of North High Street after a new sewer line had been installed; the Olentangy River; 3 canoe clubs; development of West North Broadway (“the Broadway Extension”) and the Scott farm; development of the area along the adjoining river bank; the Herron [spelling uncertain]/Zinn home at 285 West Kenworth; Bill Moose AKA “Indian Bill”; Chief Leatherlips.
Note: the “Dr. John Scott” is William H. Scott, president of OSU 1883-1895. See my book, page 17, for a photo of his house.

Track 3. Chief Leatherlips cont’d; house at 273 Erie Road and excavation of nearby gravel pit; the Fuller farm/Whetstone Park; rambling through the woods; Indian Springs golf course; Bill Moose AKA “Indian Bill”; Olentangy Park; North Columbus including the Ramlow Building; Picadilly Theatre; streetcars and interurbans.

Track 4. Southwick funeral home; Joy Hunt home; Graceland Shopper’s Mart and Patrick Murnan; Clinton Theatre; the Great Depression; Ohaver family; Brighton Road development; Ohaver’s WWII and postwar years.

Track 5. Ohaver’s return to Columbus from California in 1962; bombing of the Clinton Theatre in the 1930s.