We tend to think of the use of prefabricated buildings for temporary quarters a new idea, but it seems to be as old as our township schools. I have found pictures of old World War I military barracks, and also portable voting booths, used for schools all over Clintonville. Our Lady of Peace used both types of buildings. Glenmont Elementary School began life as a cluster of portable schools. Clinton Elementary School handled overcrowding with temporary buildings. Shown here are some portable voting booths at the old tile factory along Arcadia (where North High School presently stands). (Photo courtesy of Wallie Palmer)

Northwest corner of Duncan and High Street, 1921. (Photocopy courtesy of Frank Jones.)

I tell the story of Virginia Walcutt Gay in my book, Clintonville and Beechwold. She was born May 9, 1831, and passed away on May 8, 1914. Mrs. Gay was a member of a Columbus pioneer family–daughter of John Macey and Muriel Brodrick Walcutt–and a sister of General C. C. Walcutt, once Columbus mayor. Her husband, Harvey D. Gay, died in 1878. This is Virginia’s private mausoleum at Greenlawn cemetery, section 32, lot no. 35.

Back in 1910, this address served as a home for children.

First of all, in case you are wondering, there is currently no 218 Jason Avenue or 218 W. Pacemont. Pacemont Avenue was originally called Jason Avenue. The area where the orphanage stands was outside of the Columbus City limits in 1910 & 1920, during many of the years when it operated as an orphanage. When the western end of Jason/Pacemont was added as the “the Aldrich’s Riverside addition,” the house numbers were adjusted to compensate for all the new lots. The current address is 56 West Pacemont.

The boarding house/orphanage/nursery was run by Judiah & Mary Ella Throps (sometimes spelled Throp or Throop). Judiah was born in 1844, served in the Civil War, and died in 1913. (His occupation was listed as “Painter” and also, in 1910, as “Nursery.” Mary Ella was born in 1865, and died in 1933. (Her occupation was listed as “Housekeeper” and occasionally “Nurse”.) Both are buried in Union Cemetery.

According to the 1910 Census, the Throps had one 7 year old son living with them (son Ernest Throps). Mary was at the time 45 years old. They also had 12 young boarders living with them, all under the age of 6 and many just babies.

By the 1920 Census, Judiah had passed away. The 1920 census states that Mary (by this time, age 55) had 3 children living with in her household: Earnest Throps (age 16); William Throps (age 9), Mabel Leonard (a servant, age 29) and Glendus Leonard (age 5, listed as a boarder). (I can’t help wondering whether there were additional boarders, not listed by the census taker.)

By the 1930 Census, Mary was 64. By this time she had quite a few extra living companions: William Throps (son, age 19), Richard Throps (adopted son, age 4), Helen Gatewood (servant, age 22), Jeanne Paden (8), Oswin Poletzie (7), Shirley Poletzie (3), Elva Waton (18), Marie Obrien (6), Charles Jordan (6), Mick Tudor (3), Virginia Adkins (2), and Algie Donaldson (2).

This research was conducted by Scott Caputo of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Main branch, Geneaology, History, & Travel Desk. We are so glad he discovered this history. Scott had a library client who knew that their grandmother had a child out of wedlock in 1910. The grandmother had put the infant in an “orphanage” located at 218 Jason Avenue, where he died shortly afterward. The infant was Harry White and is included in the 1910 census in a list of around a dozen “boarders” at this address. All are under 5 years old.

Here’s a directory of the source material used for the above information, and also linked to above:
Sanborn Maps
Censuses
Business Directories
Death and Civil War Records

In 1914 the Bower & Company General Store was located at 2643 North High Street. (This address is currently a liquor store.) This is their delivery wagon around 1914. Standing on the wagon is Ott Helf, a friend of Charles Jones, standing next to the wagon. (Photo courtesy of Frank Jones.)

Here is an amazing photograph of High Street, given to me by Stu Koblentz, who found this image in an old student thesis by Forest Ira Blanchard. The photo looks north, taken around 3070 North High. On the right (east) side of High Street I believe is the house of Mathias Armbruster, which later became the Southwick Good Fortkamp Funeral Chapel at 3100 North High Street at Weber and High. I’m told that some gravestones from the old burial ground are visible on the right. Check my book, Clintonville and Beechwold, for a better photo of this house. You can click on the image to see it in more detail.

[Citation: Blanchard, Forest Ira. 1922. An introduction to the economic and social geography of Columbus, Ohio. Thesis (M.A.)–Ohio State University, 1922. On January 16, I replaced the grainy version of this image on this web site with a higher quality photo after Joe Smith alerted me to its existence.]

And another amazing old photo of North High Street from Stu Koblentz. This photo also looks north, and was taken just south of the intersection of High and North Broadway. The house on the west (left) behind the little shack (marked “ice”) is the Chesnut house (aka Chestnut house), described in this web site’s “Water for Cookies” entry and also found in my book. The school on the east (right) side of High Street is the old Clinton Township school building, a picture of which is also in my book. You can click on the image to see it in more detail.

Stu’s theory about the Chesnut house is as follows:

The image shows the Chesnut house, facing North High Street, about where it currently stands. The facade that faces Wall Street today is the facade facing High Street. This is verifiable in the chimney placements.

So I went through Joe Testa’s web site and I think I know what happened to the house.

As far as I can tell the house stood approximately at 3327-29 North High Street. In the 1910s, when the house (which appears to have been built in the 1860s or 70s) is pictured, the house had been moved on a pivot to its current location, with its northeast corner remaining close to its original placement. This would account for the front lot build out, the twist in the alley and the sudden reemergence of Wall Street as well as the placement of the house in the picture, and the current location of the house.

What is interesting to me is why did they go to all that trouble, when its fairly common in urban settings to build a street facade onto a house and call it a commercial building. I think that part of the reason is that the house sat further back from High Street, making it too far away to convert to a commercial space commonly found in that era.

This diminutive Pure Oil gas station was located at the corner of Hudson and Indianola. It had an outdoor lift instead of service bays. The pump globes say Purol and Detonox, indicating the photograph is from the 1920s. Service bays were added to the station later in the decade. Union 76 purchased Pure Oil in 1965, and completely refashioned the station.

Tom Bartlett was a leading Clintonville businessman. His garage at Kelso and High existed for many years. (Photo courtesy of the Clintonville Historical Society)

In my book I wrote about Crestview Foodtown, presently the Clintonville Community Market. The building has had many lives: at one time it was a Red & White (market), a Piggly Wiggly, and a Kroger’s. At one time there was a barber shop downstairs; and in the late 1920s the corner was a drugstore.