Happy holidays everyone!

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We’re happy tonight.
Walking in a winter wonderland.

[Image courtesy of the Hollenback Collection at the Clintonville Historical Society.]

A nice homage to a veteran. I do not know who Bob is, but he certainly did his part. Thanks, Bob–and thanks to all the other vets out there.

[Image is from The Booster, and courtesy of the Hollenback Collection at the Clintonville Historical Society.]

There are several old residential buildings that have disappeared over the last 12 years–I wish we had photos of them.

The old Hollenback home and The Booster building, located at California and North High Streets. I remember this building setting back over a slight rise from North high Street. This is a Google Earth image from 2004 of the roofs of these buildings.

A large Victorian house demolished to make way for the commercial building presently occupied by Lavash Restaurant. This is the Google image from 2004 of the rooftop.

Another big old residential building, this one located on Weber, one building east from North High Street on the north side of Weber. (Another Google image from 2004.) I’m not sure but believe this building was built for and owned by a member of the Armbruster family, whose patriarch lived in what became Southwick-Good-Fortkamp funeral home. You will find lots of additional information about Mathias Armbruster on my web site.

This lovely mill was located on the river, just north of the present Dodridge Street bridge. There is another photo of this, in my book.

The original dam and mill were constructed by David Beers in 1810. Beers owned the land on which the mill was located. Darius Wilcox built a sawmill adjacent to the flour mill. The mills later came to be owned by the John James Piatt family. The buildings burned down on June 13, 1902. The area just to the east and north is where Olentangy Amusement Park was located.

[Image courtesy of Galen Gonser]

The Clintonville Historical Society October 2017 monthly newsletter contained an interesting article about the land at the Clintonville Women’s Club by Mary Rodgers.

________
The Clintonville Woman’s Club: The Women Before the Clubhouse
by Mary Rodgers

I was asked to speak at an evening meeting of the Clintonville Woman’s Club. Specifically, I was asked to speak on the subject of the history of the land that the Clubhouse occupies. I have always understood that the Clubhouse was located on land from the old Fuller Farm. I was surprised to learn more about the “Fuller” family.

In the 1820s, John Rathbone sold farm lot 5 to Edward Amaziah Stanley. Using today’s landmarks, that land would have been bounded on the east by Indianola Avenue, on the west by the river, on the south by roughly Torrence Road and on the north by roughly Overbrook Drive. When Mr. Stanley died in 1862, his land holdings were passed down to his children. Harriet Marie Stanley (aka Hattie) was one of those children. She was born in Connecticut in 1831. Based on the extensive land holdings throughout Ohio, I believe her father Edward was an Ohio land speculator. After acquiring several thousand acres, in 1829, he returned to Connecticut to marry Abagail Talcott Hooker. Sometime between 1831 and 1834, the family moved to the Clintonville area.

In 1856, Hattie married Erskine Asa Fuller, aka E. A. Fuller. E. A. has known as a dealer in stock animals. When her father passed away, Hattie inherited all of farm lot 5 in Clinton Township Ohio. The 1870 census shows a large extended family living together in Clintonville. The Fullers and their daughters, Hattie’s mother, brother, sister and several farm hands and servants. The combined household value per that census was in excess of $25,000. Hattie passed away in 1879. E.A. passed away in 1894. After their deaths, the farm was transferred equally to the four Fuller daughters–Abby, Mary, Katherine and Martha. Martha Fuller and her sister Katherine Fuller Peters lived all of their lives in Clintonville. They owned two brick homes along High Street; Katherine’s was just south of where the Library sits today and Martha’s was where the Christian Science church sits today. Martha Fuller passed away in 1938. She left half of her land holdings to long time farm hand Matthew McCallen and half to her niece (sister Mary’s daughter) Helen Osborn. Eventually, all the land was sold off, some to the Christian Science Church, and some to the Calvary Bible Church and the balance to the City of Columbus. The lane where the Clintonville Woman’s Club land is located was purchased by the Kiwanis Club of Northern Columbus. That Club loaned the ladies the funds needed to build the Clubhouse. In turn, they held a mortgage on the property. The Woman’s Club members worked tirelessly and retire their debt to the Kiwanis within five short years! They have owned the Club house and property ever since.

Old House Journal, April-May 2011 issue, included pictures of 4 North Broadway Lane “then and now.” Beautiful!

Here are some nice pix of the Olentangy Amusement Park’s swimming pool, without water. [Images Courtesy of Galen Gonser]

Looking South:


Looking East:

Looking Northwest:

As I write this, it’s easily 88 degrees and humid. I’d love to have access to an outdoor swimming pool right now…But one with water!

Joyce Ailes Schatz shared some wonderful Maiden of the Roses treasures with us. The photos were taken by her dad, Howard Ailes, on May 30, 1954, and they are of that year’s Maiden of the Roses pageant. The winner that year was Nancy Blanchard (later, Mrs. Clyde Graham). Nancy is Joyce’s cousin.

Nancy attended Mifflin High School, which in 1954 was a county school and located on Sunbury Road near Agler Road. Nancy was born April 23, 1938 in Columbus, and died May 10, 2018. [Images courtesy of Joyce Schatz]

You can read more about this pageant here.

In these images, Queen Nancy is joined by her court, Ruthann Limotta, Carol Newhouse, Dorothy Corfee, Charlene McNair, & Louise Winzenreid (in unknown order). The court’s other member was Barbara Harder, but she does not appear in the picture. Does anyone know who the man is?

In the next two images of the queen and her court, we are not sure who the two extra women are.

Nancy and her mother, Mrs. Bernice (Ailes) Blanchard. Bernice was the photographer’s sister.

In the next three images: Mayor of Columbus Jack Sensenbrenner, Mrs Jane Lausche (wife of Ohio Governor Frank Lausche), and Ray McNamara (Ohio Director of the American Rose Society)

Nancy Blanchard and her court, and Ray McNamara, Ohio Director of the American Rose Society.

And a few more from Joyce’s treasure trove of pictures.

Another beautiful house on East North Broadway is on the market: 250 East North Broadway. Here, courtesy of realtor Judy Minister, is a video tour of the house.

According to Mary Rodgers, the house was built in 1927 at an original cost of $8,320.  The first owner of the home was Vera Hults Benoy.  Her husband Wilbur was an attorney. He graduated from Ohio State University and was admitted to the bar in 1910.  He served as City Attorney, County Prosecutor, and as Special Assistant to the Ohio Supreme Court.  He had some fairly large legal cases, including the 1926 prosecution of the Mayor of Grove City for race track betting.   Later, he maintained an office in the AUI building (now the LeVeque Tower).

Wilbur was raised in Licking Co.  His father owned a grocery in Croton.  Wilbur’s mother died in a car accident in Columbus in 1921.  Vera was born in Delaware, Ohio.    Prior to her marriage in 1912, Vera was a school teacher.

Wilbur and Vera had four children: Alice, Harlan, Ellen (aka Peggy) and Halden.  Their daughter Alice was a music teacher.

[Information and family photograph courtesy of Mary Rodgers, Clintonville Historical Society.]

This picture was labelled, in cursive, “Looking North at the Corner of Hudson and Cleveland.” It was obviously taken April 22, 1948 on State Route 3. The buildings in the photograph, however, don’t match the buildings that are there today–I’m especially eyeing that two story pre-WW II brick building on the left–so I’m doubtful it is that intersection. Any ideas about its location?

[Image courtesy of Galen Gonser.]

Michael Leyshon believes the photo may be looking south from Weber, where Cleveland/Westerville Roads split (see his comment below). Perhaps so! That intersection has an interesting corner curve, but I’m not convinced. I drove up and down the street today, and am not seeing that brick building (with its distinctive roof line) to the left in the photo. Travelling northbound from Hudson, between Hudson and Weber, there IS an old brick 2-story building on the west side of the street, that is now clad in white. That very old, virtually decrepit, building has the only roof line close in appearance, though it seems short compared to the building in the photo. I continue to welcome ideas. Thanks Michael!

See comments below. John Williamson reposted Galen’s photo to the Vintage Columbus–Linden Area Facebook Page, and asked those folks for their expertise and/or memories. Bob Roehrer found a 1953 aerial, shown below, that seems to confirm the wide, rounded curb cut at Hudson & Cleveland, shown in Galen’s 1948 photo.