Robert Ohaver (1937-2009)
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!]
Each file is about 30 minutes long.
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.
Tags: Clinton Theatre, N. Broadway, Olentangy Park, Olentangy River, South of Broadway
July 30th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Bob (Robert Ohaver’s) Mom was Laura Ohaver and his father was Walter Harvey Ohaver. Bob also had an older brother named Jack Ohaver who lived at 116 E. Dunedin Clintonville, Ohio with his wife Clara Ohaver. Sadly Jack passed away on June 14, 2000 and Clara passed away May 24, 1993. Jack and Clara has 2 daughters. Sandra Urban born July 30, 1945 and Sue Bowman was born May 8, 1940 and she passed away January 4, 2000. Ohaver is spelled OHAVER. Hope this helps a little with research.
Thanks,
Lisa
(Sandy’s daughter)
January 13th, 2014 at 9:37 am
what a treasure mine of information Mr. Ohaver was!
January 13th, 2014 at 9:39 am
Edited to add: I was especially interested in Mr. Ohaver’s comments about Bill Moose. My father was a caddy at Wyandot Country Club and knew who Bill Moose was and where he lived. Dad could take the interurban to the golf course – that’s where it dead-ended, I believe he said.
June 26th, 2018 at 4:29 pm
I lived in Clintonville from July, 1978 through December, 1981. Bob Ohaver lived about 2 blocks from me, and I’d see him almost every day as I walked over to watch the 315 freeway being built. Bob was a year younger than my father, and he was like a father to me while I lived in Clintonville. I loved hearing his stories! My wife and I got to visit him one last time just before he passed away as we stopped by the old neighborhood.