"We cannot escape history." A. Lincoln 12/1/1862
SPECIAL NEWS UPDATE FOR MAY 9, 2008
Patron Contributions to Fort Recovery State Museum
Enclosed is my/our patron contribution to the Fort Recovery State Mueum. When you become a patron of the museum, you also become a member of the Fort Recovery Historical Society. Please check the group you wish to join:
______ Little Turtle $500 (or more)
______ Blue Jacket $250 - $499
______ Presidential $100 - $249
______ St. Clair $ 50 - $ 99
______ Anthony Wayne $ 25 - $ 49
______ Richard Butler $ 10 - $ 24
In addition to your financial contribution, your donation of time or services would be greatly appreciated also. Please indicate if you would be willing to help in any of the following ways or with any of the following events:
____ Become part of the advisory board or trustees to help make renovation decisions
____ Volunteer one day a month at the museum greeting visitors and/or selling sourvenirs
_____ Volunteer to help with school/scout/adult tours. (selling sourvenirs/taking admissions)
_____ Special Events/Projects
_____ Helping with the Annual Historical Society Auction (lots of fun)
_____ Helping at the Community Christmas Open House
_____ Helping with the 5-K run (exciting – lots of out-of-town visitors/runners)
_____ Planning ahead of time, laying out route, buying prizes etc.
_____ Helping that morning – handing out water/prizes, manning
checkpoints etc.
We must have the following information please:
Name Mr., Mrs., Ms., Mr. & Mrs. ____________________________________
Address:_____________________________ Phone __________________
_____________________________ Email____________________
Please make checks payable to the Fort Recovery Historical Society. Include this form with your check and mail in the FRHS envelope included. Thanks so very much!
Fort Recovery State Museum March, 2008 Newsletter
Opening the 2008 Season
We will be proud to open the museum this year with the attractive changes that were made to the exterior last year. Take a look as you drive past, or better yet, stop in. This 2008 season will open with the new wall and steps with railing in place. The street out in front is now repaired, and attractive new landscaping lines the interior of the wall and steps. I can hardly wait for our new trees to burst forth with spring blossoms. Thanks to the patrons who donated the funds/time/service to make this possible.
Exciting Changes to Come
The legislature of Ohio has provided (through the Ohio Historical Society) special funds for the renewing and updating of the exhibits in our state museum. No significant changes or updates have occurred with our museum for decades. Museum trutees and members of the Fort Recovery Historical Society have started the planning stages of that renewal that will occur over the next year. Part of that preparation for the trustees were field trips to Fort Meigs (near Bowling Green) and to the Garst Museum (Greenville) to see the latest in meaningful and attractive exhibits.
We have a number of big questions we need to answer before we actually begin the process of change. For example: Do we keep our museum an Anthony Wayne museum or do we change the focus to the battle of Arthur St. Clair? How much technology (interactive exhibits) do we include? (Technology eats up the budget very quickly, yet it is what attracts kids the most and may provide the most information?) Lots more questions. If you want to be part of those discussion/decisions come to the next historical society meeting – April 15th!
Guests at the April 15 Meeting of the Historical Society
Representatives of the Ohio Historical Society of Columbus will be present at the April meeting of the FR Historical Society. They will be gathering data about what members want for changes in our local museum. The OHS reps will also be sharing their ideas and expertise and possible timelines in regard to those changes. Here is your chance to be in the know and to contribute your ideas. The meeting is at 7:30 in the community room downstairs in the state museum.
Also present will be a special guest, Victor Wells, of Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado. He has a background in museum curation and has particular interest in Anthony Wayne, his army and his times. Victor visited our museum last summer and since that time has shared a great deal of information about both museum exhibits and displays (did you know there is a diffence?) and also about anything that pertains to our time in history – St. Clair/Anthony Wayne. It’s great to have such interested friends of our museum and we will look forward to his visit with us at the April 15 meeting.
Park Clean Up Day – April 26
Hopefully, we will again have a nice spring park clean- up day when adults and kids alike help to clean the grounds and mulch the beds.at our town parks including the museum grounds and Monument Park What a great service these volunteers perform. Please feel welcome to join us. This effort provides a nice time for community members to get to know each other better and have a good time while doing something good for the community.. Work time is 9:00 to 12:00 (but you can come/go anytime) culminating with a free picnic lunch served at the swimming pool park at noon.
Congratulations to –
Sharon Zehringer for being named Fort Recovery Citizen of the Year 2007! Sharon has done a great deal of work in activities which have directly benefitted the museum and the Fort Recovery Historical Society. She has been an active participant, including co-chair, of the annual Fort Recovery Historical Society Auction. She and Jim were also instrumental in starting the Fort Recovery 5-K run which took participants past the historical sites of our community. Sharon’s involvement in these events is just the tip of the iceberg of her contributions to Fort Recovery.
Pat Wenning for being elected the new president of the Fort Recovery Historical Society. She is positive, organized, willing and enthusiastic, so she will make a great leader. She follows a long line of excellent presidents, including our outgoing president, Neal Spencer. Thanks for his hard work over the last years.
A Point of Interest Regarding our History -An Excerpt from a Message from Victor Wells (mentioned above)
“I often envy Anthony Wayne. He had a rare opportunity
that many military men never have. Most Generals fight
with the army they have. It is organized and trained on
a line formulated by someone else. Wayne was able to
recruit a new army based on a new and unique structure,
that of a legion
. He was able to organize and train his force as he
saw best for the type of war he would fight.
It is unusual for one to be able to organize, train
and lead an army from scratch to final victory
. I believe he made it a condition of accepting
command that he would only report directly to the
Secretary of War, Henry Knox and the President so
that no other party would be able to interfere with him.
He had his problems. There was Wilkinson (a previous
newsletter mentioned that Wilkenson, second in command,
was a double-agent [spy for France and Spain!] nk) and
other poor officers to contend with, and also supply
problems. Most of all the quality of his troops was
very poor. That is why he had to resort to severe
discipline measures to build an army that would perform
so well.” Interesting eh?nk
Patrons for 2008
We were thrilled to have the greatest number of patrons ever in 2007. What a difference
that financial support makes in the upkeep of our museum and in the educational programs we can
offer to the public. We look forward to your support and involvement again in 2008. Attached is
the sheet we want you to return if you are kind and generous enough to become a patron again this year.
Please include your email address if you have one, as sending the monthly newsletter by email saves us
$.41 per envelope, per patron per month!
Next Month
Look for/Hear about -
announcements pertaining to our grand 2008 Opening scheduled for Sunday, May 4.
the interesting ehibit changes archeologist intern, Chris Keller, will be making with our
large Prehistoric Indian Artifact collection over the summer.
A report from the April 15 meeting with OHS
field trips scheduled for May
another tidbit of interesting Fort Recovery history
Again, Thanks for your past patronage!
Nancy Knapke, Director
Fort Recovery State Museum April, 2008 Newsletter
Patrons for 2008
Thanks to all of you who have become patrons of the Fort Recovery State Museum for 2008. We couldn’t operate without your support. As a patron you receive free admission to the museum and free attendance at any of our guest lectures throughout the year. In addition you get a 10% discount on souvenirs, and you receive a monthly newsletter during the museum season (plus a few extra’s ;-).
Come Sunday May 4 – 1:00-1:30!
Archeologist intern, Chris Keller, will kick off our 2008 museum season this Sunday. Chris is an advanced degree student in the school of Archeology at Ball State . She will be here to share her knowledge of prehistoric Indian artifacts found particularly in the regions of Indiana and Ohio. Our museum has the largest prehistoric Indian artifact collection on display in the state of Ohio. Within this collection are some rare and valuable pieces, including sandal sole gorgets which are artifacts artistically crafted from conch shells. Chris is doing her thesis on this particular topic, so you can be sure you will hear fascinating information about these particular and rare attractions. Time will also be allotted for questions! (I had a sneak preview of her presentation and am so excited I want to make sure all of my family is there. I wouldn’t want them to miss this opportunity!)
The public is invited to attend Keller’s 30 minute informational session which will start at 1:00 in the community room downstairs. If you are a patron for this year, of course your admission is free. For other guests/visitors, admission is $3.00 for adults and $1.00 for students ages 7-15. The admission price also includes admittance to the museum. Encourage friends and neighbors to come to see the treasures we have here in FR and to take this great opportunity to hear Chris!
We’re Lookin Good!
One of our “regulars” mentioned that the museum has never looked better from a “shiny clean” point of view. A big “Thank You” to Linda Zehringer who spent many hours shining up the museum and windows. She was ably assisted in the floor cleaning by her husband Ron. Jerry Kramer also pitched in and helped with some high places, and Charlie Hein washed windows on the outside. A big thank you to all of them.
This past Saturday a bunch of school kids along with some museum trustees and patrons worked together to haul and spread mulch all around VanTrees Park, the museums, log cabins, fort, trees etc. Thank you to Linda Schoenherr who very effectively organized and directed the whole effort! What a great amount of work was accomplished in three hours. How can anyone adequately express appreciation for the amount of community service that is given on this one morning and so often at other times throughout the community and throughout the year. One benefit for participants is the good feeling that comes from working together to accomplish good things! Thank you to all who helped!
Interesting Visitors Tour the Museum
Although we are closed from Sept. to May, we are open for tours by appointment. Recently, I have given tours to visitors from Michigan, New Hampshire and Illinois. The visitor from Illinois, Terry Todd and family, had an ancestor, Joseph Todd, who was one of the few who survived the St. Clair Massacre here in 1791! This visitor is also a descendent of Mary Todd Lincoln.
Ohio Historical Society Representatives and Victor Wells Make Presentations Here
On April 15 a “full house” of interested individuals attended the FR Historical Society meeting to hear two featured presentations: Victor Wells, and Connie Bodner and Bill Mahon.
Mr. Wells, a GS13 Contracts Division Branch Chief with the Air Force Satellite Control Network at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, has a particular interest and a great deal of passion for the history of Fort Recovery. Wells presented a detailed power point illustrating the importance of having a master plan for our historical society and museum. He emphasized that the history of the two battles here warrant not only state and regional attention but also national recognition. He gave us idealistic and also practical suggestions on how to accomplish the goals set. Among the immediate goals we can tackle are: expand our PR beyond the local area (I sent notice of Keller’s talk to Ft. Wayne, Muncie, Dayton and Lima papers!); sponsor contests; submit articles for publication; etc. We’re excited about taking on these initiatives. We certainly agree with Victor that FR history deserves wide recognition! Thanks to Victor for his interest, his thorough work, his presentation & his passion for FR!
Members present also enjoyed the enthusiastic and informative presentation of Bill Mahon (Assistant Director for Exhibit Design) and Connie Bodner (Director of Museums.) of OHS. They presented ideas on how to approach the redoing/updating of our museum exhibits. They stressed the importance of getting the ideas and feedback of focus groups. The question to those groups would be: “What would you want to see/hear/learn if you came to the museum at Fort Recovery?” “What would bring you back and make you want to bring others with you?” They suggested we even go as far as Pittsburg where an historical society is working on Wayne’s Legion History and Exhibits. Also mentioned was the possibility of working in cooperation with other museums/forts in the series along Western Ohio. Fort Recovery was the site of the most significant military action and is located exactly mid-way between Fort Washington (Cincinnati) and the end of the 1790’s conflict trail - Fallen Timbers- near Toledo. We are in the prime location and should take advantage of that!
Tours Scheduled for May
May 5 and 6 = Coldwater Fourth Grade (Fort, Museum, Log Cabin, Tool Cabin, Souvenirs) 10:00-1:30
May 14, 20, 21 = Celina Fourth Grade (Fort, Museum, Log Cabin, Tool Cabin, Souvenirs) 9:30 – 1:30
May 19 = Fort Recovery Third Grade (Fort & Museum) 1:00 Thanks teachers! - Cindy, Nicole, Jamie! J
When tours include the log cabin, tool shop, and souvenir sales, groups are divided into sub-groups and Helen LeFevre, Bob Hart, Mary Barman, Pat Hull and Kathy Gonzalez may also help. Incidentally, we really appreciate when Fort Recovery Teachers work our FR history into their curriculum, because what is more important than our own kids knowing and appreciating Fort Recovery History! By the way Patrons, do bring your children and grandchildren by this Sunday or sometime this summer!
Major General Richard Butler – second in command under Arthur St. Clair
During the revolutionary war Butler served with great honor, along with four brothers who were recognized for their bravery and were known as the famous “fighting Butlers.” At the victory dinner for his officers, George Washington raised his glass and toasted, "The Butlers and their five sons!" After the war Richard returned to Pennsylvania, and was a judge and also served in the state legislature. He married Maria and had four children, only one who lived to have children and continue his line.
When American Indians resisted settlement of Ohio, Butler, a Major General, was sent north from Fort Hamilton to be second-in-command in the expedition led by St. Clair. Two of his brothers Thomas and Edward were in the company with him. On the morning of Nov. 4, 1791 that army was devastated by the Indian Forces. Richard, a heavy man, was mortally wounded; his brother, Thomas, was shot in both legs. Edward propped Richard up against a tree and tried to help him but Richard ordered their younger brother to leave him and save Thomas, which he did. Richard gave his sword to another officer with the admonition never to wipe Butler blood from the blade. That sword later was given to Edward's son Edward George Washington Butler for his father's bravery in attempting to save his older brothers. Years later, Chief Little Turtle returned to Richard's widow Maria, Richard's Society of the Cincinnati medal he had been wearing when he was killed.
Now here’s the rest of the story ---
C Rick Hardman, Architectural/engineering Senior Designer from Butler, PA called me recently and asked if there was a statue in FR for Richard Butler. A sign on Wayne Street- yes, but a statue? No. Assured that there exists nowhere a stature honoring Major General Butler, Rick is proposing to his city that he (Rick) design that statue and that the city have it erected as a “welcome” at the entrance of Butler Bridge leading into the town of Butler. This city is located 25 miles from Pittsburg and is at the very center of Butler County, PA. (By the way, Rick is an experienced and respected statue designer/creator)
Rick said that Butler County PA was established in 1800, Butler County, Ohio in 1803 and Butler Co. Ky in 1810. I wonder how many towns in these three states also have a Butler Street? I hope that every time you drive down Butler Street in Fort Recovery, you think of the brave fighting Butlers, one of whom was a Major General who surrendered his life to a tomahawk under a tree here on the banks of the Wabash in that disastrous battle of 1791.
P.S. Rick sent a magazine of Butler Co.PA which includes lots of sites to visit and a map as well. If interested, you can peruse it at the museum. He assured me that Fort Recovery representatives would be invited to the unveiling of the statue of Major General Richard Butler when that happens some day in the future. We welcome the opportunity! J Happy History! See you Sunday? nk
Judge Ingraham Addresses WORTH Graduates
by Ivan Knapp
Judge Jeffrey Ingraham, Mercer County Common Pleas Court
Jeffrey Ingraham, judge of Mercer County Common Pleas Court, recently gave the graduation address to residents graduating from the WORTH program.
The WORTH (Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation Center), which is located on Bluelick Road, Lima, was founded about 10 years ago to serve people in nine surrounding counties with the purpose "to reduce the number of felons committed to state penal institutions by participating jurisdictions, to increase the success of those individuals completing the WORTH program and to provide a 24-hours minimum security lock-up, which offers both incarcerations and more habilitation services."
Judge Ingraham, who serves on the Judicial Corrections Board which oversees the Center, graduated from Newton Falls (southwest of Warren and about the size of Coldwater) in 1968, Wittenberg College in 1972, and Ohio Northern University in 1975. He became acquainted with Mercer County and Celina when he came here on a visit with college friends.
Shortly thereafter he decided to move to Celina and became City Solicitor and began "with no office, no phone, on secretary." In 1977 he became law partner with Murphy Knapke and was appointed judge of Common Pleas Court by Governor George Voinovich in 1991. He and his wife Susie have two daughters, Elizabeth, a pre-med student at the University of Toledo; and Emily a senior at Celina High School who will also be attending UT this fall.
His father taught him as a boy mowing grass for neighbors to "have customers pay what it was worth to them."
Some paid "more than he expected, some paid less and some did not pay anything because they couldn't."
As a boy he had once given thought to becoming a judge and set out to "be a part of a community and someone helping people."
Judge Ingraham recalls another speech he gave in which he emphasized the F word--faith. And he speaks of the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is what man learns, but wisdom comes from God.
Every time he puts on the robe of service and justice, he reaches through to a pocket to a small metal cross to remind himself of his service to God and his fellowman.
Here is address to the WORTH graduates.
I first of all like to thank Director Sandra Monfort for inviting me to speak with all of you today and acknowledge Ms. Davis and Mr. Brinkman for their efforts with the GED diploma recipients that we're here to honor.
You know each of us is different. We are different races, we come from different cultures, perhaps different nationalities, we have different social, educational, and economic backgrounds and status.
But it really doesn't matter where or when or to whom you were born or how you were raised, or the color of the T-shirt you happen to have on, the type of blue jeans or tennis shoes, or the fact that some of us are dressed in business clothing like I am.
You see we all have one thing in common--each of us is a living, breathing human being with the precious gift of life and freedom to choose how to use that gift. Like no other creature on earth we have the freedrom to choose.
Some of you may have the heart of Victor Frankl who wrote, A Man's Search for Meaning. He was a psychiatrist in Germany during the holocaust. He was a resident of Auschwitz, a death camp. He was tortured, deprived of food, clothing, even water and dehumanized to the point that he was castrated so that the Nazis could use his testicles for experimentation.
Somehow he survived the death camp when many of his colleagues did not, and when asked why he was able to survive, he responded, "During that terrible time I always knew that my attitude was my choice. I could choose to despair or be hopeful; but to be hopeful I need to focus on something I wanted.
"I focused on my wife's hands. I wanted to hold them one more time. I wanted to look into her eyes one more time. I wanted to think that we could embrace again and be heart to heart one more time. That kept me alive second by second by second. I recognized that above all else no matter what they took from me, I always could maintain one thing and that was my power to choose my attitude, my response to how I was treated.
That power to choose our attitude separates us from all other living creatures. Each of us was conceived by destiny, produced by purpose and packaged with potential to live a meaningful life. Deep within each of us is a seed of greatness awaiting germination.
Those of you we honor today for obtaining your GED have allowed that germination to continue. Each of has deep within us natural talents and gifts and those of you who have attained your GED have taken a big step in unleashing those talents and gifts. And each of us has deep within us potential. And all of you, including those we honor, have seen a bit of that potential.
But in order to achieve that potential, we must have one quality. We must believe in ourselves and have self confidence. Michael Jordan speaks about it this way--"You have to expect great things of yourself before you can do great things." I suspect that part of the reason that you are a resident of WORTH today is because you have not grasped that understanding that you have to expect great things of yourself before you do them.
But you know, it's never too late to change. No matter what someone's condition, a person is never without possibilities. No matter how much a person may consider himself a failure, that person can change the things that are wrong in his or her life anytime if he or she is ready and prepared to do it. Whenever a person develops the desire and perseveres, he or she can take away from his or her life those things that are defeating it. The capacity for reformation and change lies within you.
An interviewer once asked a successful businessman, "What has made you successful?" The businessman replied, "Two words." Anybody want to guess what those two words were--good decisions.
The interviewer ask how do you make good decisions.
The businessman replied one word--experience. The interviewer asked, "how do you get experience?" The successful businessman raised two fingers and said, "two words"--bad decisions.
We've all made bad decisions. Some of us have been held accountable and you are good examples of that. You need to remember that often those who win at the justice game that we play lose at life. They get off and therefore never confront the real problems of their lives.
In fact, winning in court can harden people even more. They're never forced to stop and truly evaluate their lives. In fact, by winning in the justice game, they lose in the game of life.
I first became a judge about 11 years ago and when I did, I went through the stages of change. The first stage was being unconsciously incompetent--I didn't know what I was doing, but I kind of enjoyed it because I didn't know that I didn't know what I was doing.
I then became consciously incompetent. That's a scary place to be. You're out in the world and you realize you have responsibilities and you're not quite sure how to make good decisions. But if you persevere through that stage, you're able to become consciously competent.
You've learned through the experience of making bad decisions how to make good decisions. You make lists, you follow through, you stay focused, you stay disciplined.
One day I hope to become unconsciously competent so I can truly enjoy the experience of helping people like you direct their lives in a positive way without the necessity of all the hard work that goes into it. That may never happen.
At our court we have three basic and simple rules by which we do our jobs. This includes the secretaries, the financial administrator, the assignment commissioner, the jury administrator, court reporter, bailiffs, magistrate, and even the probation officers.
I presented them a Lou Holtz motivational video. Holtz, the former football coach at Notre Dame is now coaching at South Carolina. He has three simple rules and we've adopted them at the court.
The first one is to be honest. The second is to do the best you can. And the third is to treat other people like you want to be treated. These three rules can get you through a lot and help you to be successful.
Following these three rules will allow you to continue to germinate that seed of greatness inside you. It will continue to help draw out the natural talents and gifts that God has given you, and will help you reach the potential that God has put inside you. It will help you expect great things of yourself so that you can do great things.
The reason these three rules can do all things for you is because they answer the three greatest questions of man.
The questions that you ask one another here in this institution, the questions that you ask your friends back home, your family members, your spouse, your children and what they ask you.
The first question they ask is "Can I trust you?" The answer is, yes, if you're honest. Can I trust you? Be honest, rule number one.
The second question people ask is "Are you committed to excellence?" It is answered by the second rule--do the best you can. If you're part of a team, and we all are, we can't get through this life without one another, we've got to rely on other people around us doing the best they can with what they have to give. And if they are, then we know they're answering that question for use that we want to ask and that is, "Are you committed to excellence? Do the best you can, rule number two.
Rule number three--treat others like you want to be treated. This answers the question--do you care about me?
If you truly do, you'll treat me like you would want to be treated, and I will treat you like you want to be treated.
The Golden Rule. So the question, "Do you care about me?"
is answered by treating other people like you want to be treated.
So be honest, do the best you can, and treat other people like you want to be treated.
I'm going to leave you with one question--tell me, when is the best time to plant an oak tree? Twenty years ago. And when is the next best time to plant an oak tree? Right now.
by Ivan Knapp
Bob Brinkman, Education Coordinator; Betty Fogt, Principal; Sandy Davis
and Marilyn Taylor, teachers; Don Bolinger, Operations Manager; Judge Jeffrey Ingraham
May and June are months of graduation for many students in the area. May was also a time for graduation for adults attending the WORTH Center near Lima, Ohio. On May 6, I traveled there with Judge Jeffrey Ingraham, who gave the commencement address, the second time he has done so this spring.
On hand for the ceremonies in addition to the graduates were staff members Betty Fogt, principal; Sandy Davis and Marilyn Taylor, teachers; Bob Brinkman, educational coordinator; and Don Bolinger, operations director. Director Sandy Monfort was unable to attend.
Mr. Brinkman welcomed the graduates and fellow residents to the program held in the commons area. He introduced Judge Jeffrey Ingraham, Mercer County Probate Judge, who talked about individual differences, attitude, decision-making, and the willingness to change.
Judge Ingraham told the graduates to be honest, do the best you can, and treat other people the way you want to be treated.
After the graduation ceremony, I had the opportunity to talk with the staff and the graduates. Sandra Davis, a 1965 graduate of Bath High School has taught the women residents at the center for seven years. She has an elementary education degree from Ohio State and taught three years at the Lima Correctional Center.
In regards to the residents of the center, Davis said, "They are people, too. They made a mistake. This program gives them a second chance."
Marilyn Taylor, who teaches the male residents, is from Cincinnati and says the most important thing in working with the residents is "to be truthful. Treat them the way you want to be treated." A former teacher in the Allen County Schools, Taylor was trained as a special education teacher.
Davis and Taylor agree that the focus of the 4-6 month program is on completing the courses the residents need to pass the GED and get their diploma--something they need in life, but for some reason missed the first time around. A related emphasis is helping the residents succeed in getting and hold a job.
Each of the residents is assigned a case manager who sits down with them, reviews the credits they have completed in high school, and helps them work out a schedule to meet
the courses they are short on so they can pass the GED before the leave the center. The number of residents vary but can be as high as 25 females and 75 males.
The WORTH program is an alternative to jail and residents are given this opportunity by the probate judges
of the nine participating counties and when space is available, other surrounding counties.
The graduating residents said they see this day as an opportunity to turn their lives around. "It's an opportunity to change and to start over, if you are willing to change. It's a chance to get back on your feet."
Another resident explained, "this gives you a chance that you will not get across the road at the prison."
"Taking the GED is a chance to better yourself. It's a chance to start over. I am glad I've had this opportunity; and I'm glad I took it."
In conclusion, there is life after the WORTH Center--both the residents, the staff, and Judge Ingraham agree that the success of the program rests heavily on the followup, when residents return to the communities.
In addition to the assistance and education they have obtained at the center and the GED, they most of all need a job when they return home.
Judge Ingraham encourages local employers to give these people a chance. "They are a good risk because of this program and the follow-up the court does through the probation department." The judicial system is working on ways to help residents when they return home and to develop
assistance in finding a job as well as a positive lifestyle.
As Sandra Davis said, "They are people, too, who need to be given a second chance."
The Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation Center was founded 10 years ago by nine surrounding counties to reduce the number of felons committed to state penal institutions and to increase the success of those individuals participating in the program.
March 4-March 21, 1961
Departure Cleveland Hopkins Airport March 4, 1961
Pan American DC7C 14 hours to London with stopover in Shannon, Ireland
Dr. Karl Roider directs ONU Choir in London
St. Paul's Cathedral in London
German Village near Struttgart
Gardens at the Palace of Versailles
Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
Boarding Plane in Paris for trip home March 21, 1961
Catcher in the Rye
Recently I had an opportunity to listen to some adults talking to area juniors and seniors about careers and I was reminded of J.D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye,” published 50 years ago and still used in some classes, despite all the swearing but with references to the problems teenagers still face in growing up.
I was reminded, too, of this huge field of rye we had behind the barn that grew four or five feet tall. It made a great place to hide in, to make endless paths to no where, and was a great place for the pheasants—dozens of them. I haven’t seen as many pheasants in one place as they were in that rye field.
Careers—there aren’t any more noble, more worthwhile than to be, what Holden Caufield (Salinger’s main character in “Catcher in the Rye”) decides he wants to be.
Catcher in the Rye
“You know what I’d like to be?” You know that poem by Robert Burns, ‘If a body meet a body coming through the rye.’ I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around—nobody big. I mean, except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going. I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be.”
I am reminded of the difference of jobs and careers—one focuses on the job, the other on the person. Careers include jobs, but jobs do not necessarily include careers. And through no fault of our own, no matter what we do for a living, situations occur where we, too, can be a “Catcher in the Rye.”
Someone once drew the following analogy when he said, “To get to heaven, you have to carry at least one other person along the way”—you have to be a catcher in the rye.
The accompanying photo shows a mother rescuing her small daughter from a field, another “Catcher in the Rye.”
The Glass Block Building after the fire
The Glass Block Building
Some memories of childhood remain as vivid as yesterday’s activities. For many people, including myself one of those memories is of the Glass Block Building, 120-134 East Spring Street, in St. Marys, Ohio. This building, which was recently destroyed by fire, held many different businesses over the years. But the business I remember the most was the Morris Store, with the basement full of toys. Thousands of people remember going as kids with their parents to that store.
And there was the long walk down the stairs with the water of the canal there outside the window. I always wondered what kept that water from coming in and drowning all of us before we were able to reach the top step—it was sort of a tsunami fear all of our own. Attorney Kraig Noble said what he remembered was the vacuum system whereby cashiers and clerks would send the bills and cash via a vacuum system to the main office where change was made and then sent back to the clerks. Several years later when the basement was no longer used, I remember being given a tour of the downstairs—one empty room once filled with all the toys a kids can imagine now empty to everything but our fond memories of that wonderful place.
Local Historian George Neargarder
A few days ago I had the honor and privilege of sitting down with local historian George Neargarder who also remembers the Glass Block Building, but he has done much more with his memory. He has compiled the history of not only this building, but all the buildings along Spring Street from one end to the other. The following is information about the Glass Block Building which George Neargarder shared with me.
The Glass Block Building, heralded in its day as “one of the finest buildings in northwestern Ohio,” was constructed by the St. Marys Woolen Manufacturing Company in 1902. Built of pressed brick and stone it had three stories and a basement, 75 feet by 125 feet with 37,500 square feet of floor space.
In October, 1902, the east side including the basement and three stories was leased to William Piper, dry good merchant from Sidney who already had his business at 134-136 East Spring.
At the same time, the west side of the building was leased to B.B. Bitzer Furniture who moved from 116-118 East Spring. The Glass Block Building was formally opened to the public in November, 1902. and became “the leading dry goods and home furnishing emporium in northwestern Ohio.”
On March 1, 2005, the dry goods, carpet and furniture business merged to form The Glass Block Company. There were eight large departments: furniture, carpet, stoves, queensware (china), dry goods, clocks, millinery, and pianos.
Officers and stockholders of the new company were: B.B. Bizer, president and general manager; William Piper, vice president; W.C. Fisher, secretary and treasurer; Albert Herzing (plant manager of the St. Marys Woolen Mill), L.G. Neely (oil contractor), William F. Brodbeck (building contractor), Tom A White (plant manager of the St. Marys Spoke Works), H.C. Zerbe (agent for the IE and W Railroad), M.K. Clover (oil contractor), W.D. Clover (oil producer), Mrs. Emma Bitzer, Bada Hoewischer (machinist), M.J. Mooney (manager of the Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Company), Louis A. Pauck (owner of Pauck Liquor Store).
In 1932, the basement and first floor of the west side were leased to Morris 5 and 10 to $1.00 Store. The Glass Block Building remained on the first floor of the east side and the second and third floors were used by the St. Marys Woolen Mill.
In 1936, the Glass Block Company focused solely on furniture, floor covering and household furnishing and discontinued dry goods, and ready to wear departments.
In 1946, the Glass Block Company went out of business, selling all furniture and fixtures to Huber Furniture.
The St. Marys Woolen Manufacturing Company sold the building along with the blanket factory to Fieldcrest, Inc. in 1957. The Woolen Mill closed in 1959 and all their buildings were sold to Leshner Corporation of Hamilton, Ohio.
Three merchants, purchased the Glass Block Building and opened in March, 1962, Johns Furniture, Slonkosky Studio, and St. Marys Decoration.
Joe Donnerburg purchased the building in 1990.
Probably the most interesting article about the Glass Block Building was the one that appeared in the Times Democrat published in Lima,Ohio, on November 20, 1902. Here are a few quotes from that article. “Piper’s Big Store and Bitzer’s Housefurnishing Store scenes beauty and elegance that are unsurpassed.”
“The magnificence of these departmental stores is incontestable evidence of the faith of the proprietors in the future prospect and promise of this flourishing city.”
“These establishments in the matter of size, taste, appointment, elegance, and equipment are unsurpassed in all this section of the state.”
“The opening of the Glass Block today is pronounced a brilliant success.”
“The two stores were beautifully decorated with palms and rich draperies, while most bewitching music was discoursed by the W.O.W. and Kid band of this city.”
Sometimes words will not adequately describe an event, a period of time, or a building. Fifty years later words could not describe that magnificent toy department down the steps along the canal even when Morris 5 and 10 cents became G. C. Murphy in 1951.
Even now, with the wind whipping through the remains, what a story could be told for so many of us if those walls could talk. Long live the memories of the Glass Block Building in St. Marys, Ohio.
Remembering Paul Clay
I knew Paul Clay and was saddened to learn of his death on July 16 at the age of 83. I especially knew him in regards to his and Merlin Winner’s efforts to co-found the Old Fashioned Farmers Association in 1976.
Just a year or two earlier he had stopped by our place and purchased a couple of old John Deere tractors we had—one on steel and the other on rubber.
It was 1973. I was still using the one on rubber, but the one on steel, both John Deere B’s, set behind the shed, rusting away with time. It was worth a few dollars just to sell the tractors.
A few days later they arrived with a trailer and some old Volkswagen tires, which they mounted on the one tractor. They hitched the trailer to the tractor on rubber and pulled the one on steel up on the tractor and went whistling down the road. I never saw anyone more happy that day than Paul Clay.
I found out a few years later what he had in mind for those tractors when my wife and I went to visit the first Old Fashioned Farmers Days on the Clay farm northeast of Rockford. That first show didn’t have a lot of tractors or equipment, but it was a start.
July 4th has come to mean not only a celebration for the nation’s independence, but a celebration of what it meant to be a farmer. The success of this annual event, which recently celebrated its 28th year, goes back to Paul Clay and Merlin Winner in 1976 who set up a show of old tractors and farm equipment with plenty of good food and a demonstration of threshing there on the Clay farm.
The family and I were there, but we had no idea (I wonder if Paul Clay and Merlin Winner did) how this show would continue to grow year after year, now how big a show it would become.
There among all those old tractors were both of the tractors they had hauled away that day. I will never forget there was that old John Deere B on steel, putting away on its two cylinders with the tractor resting on four Coke bottles we all know so well.
As historian Joyce Alig recorded, the show moved to the Van Wert County Fair Grounds in 1987, but kept the date to the July 4th weekend. As Alig pointed out, there are now over 250 members “all due to the dedication and caring for the preservation of our rural heritage.
It’s a good thing there’s enough of the last generation around who care enough to share with the present and next generation what farming was all about at that time in history when we first supplemented the family team of horses with a traction machine.”
Now I just barely missed the days of the threshing machine and the threshing rings, but I didn’t miss all those neighborly times when farmers worked together through the heat of the day and then gathered around a huge table full of all the best kinds of food imaginable. Three or four kinds of meat, a couple kinds of potatoes, fresh bread and rolls straight from the oven; pies and cakes, too. My goodness. I haven’t seen such good eating since.
Here’s the poem I wrote about that old John Deere that Paul Clay and Merlin Winner rescued and made a star.
She sat a lone, lonely winter
In the snow and ice, the gale and blow;
Rusting, rusting away
A little more everyday until I knew
There was nothing I could do,
But sell her.
So I did, for fifty bucks—that
John Deere B, we had had a lifetime.
And he hauled her away,
To the junkyard I knew forever.
Then in a year or two came
“Old Fashioned Farmers Days.”
I stood in a daze and I saw her,
Refinished, refurbished, rebuilt;
The pride of the guide who
Showed us around at the ground
Where she sat all in style
On four Coke bottles,
Bringing us smiles;
And rhythmically pump, pump, pumpin.
Out the sound of a well-tuned
Two cylinder she once had been,
And was again.
Area Residents Continue the Custom of Canning
When I think of August, I think of the late Frank Dennings. Not because school will soon start and he was the superintendent of the St. Marys City Schools for several years, but because Frank Dennings, especially after his retirement, had taken up canning.
I remember once when I stopped to visit with him and his wife, he showed me many of the hobbies he was involved in. A science teacher by training and by first love, he showed me the flower garden in the back yard, the large rock collection in the basement, and the canning he had recently completed--tomatoes and corn and green beans and carrots; peaches and cherries and apricots and pears--all in different colors, sealed up for a delightful opening on some cold winter day, ready for table, almost "right from the garden."
I hadn't seen so many Mason jars all in one place, filled with produce from the garden since I was a kid. But I know from the readers, that despite all the modern conveniences of "fresh" fruit and vegetables right from the store, Frank Dennings enjoyed canning just like a lot of other people still do.
Frank Dennings was proud of his canning
When I think of Frank Dennings I can see him diligently gathering in the vegetables and fruits for the canning process. I think I remember Mrs. Dennings telling me "I stay out of the kitchen when Frank is canning."
And in my mind I see him laboring over the pressure cooker, just like your mom and my mom (and maybe you still do). Canning was one of those jobs that sort of took over the kitchen and depending on what was being canned--like sour kraut or tomatoes, took over the whole house. During canning you learned to stay out of the way and don't bother your wife or mother with any dumb questions--like where are the clean socks? or when will supper be ready?
Canning is a time you keep your mouth shut and stay clear of the kitchen, that is unless you want to volunteer your services and/or end up in a can.
Of course the whole family helped get ready for the process, sort of like during threshing or butchering. Every body helped; and everybody had a job.
Ours was a typical "garden grown" family, right during and after the depression and World War II. It was the garden that saw us through the hard times of the spring and summer; and it was the canning (and the smokehouse) that saw us through the fall and winter.
Because everybody back then canned, everybody had a large garden. When I think about the size of those gardens, they weren't gardens in today's sense of the word--they were "truck patches."
Anyway, somebody had to do all that planting and hoeing--my, oh my! All that hoeing--a lot of us grew up on the end of hoe. Some readers tell me they "were born with a hoe in their hand." (I can think of a lot of worse things to have in your hand when you're born.)
Then, if the weather cooperated--not too much rain, not too little rain, not too much sun, not too little sun, and not too much hail, and not too much wind--then it was your and my job to "pick them green beans for canning." I can see my Uncle Irvie sitting out under the catalpa trees with my aunt and mother snapping green beans till this day--the last time I ever saw him doing anything, he was snapping green beans, getting them ready for canning.
And then there was sweet corn--how we did love sweet corn, that is, until is was time for canning. All summer long there was this contest between the coons and us over the sweet corn. Sometimes the coons would win; sometimes we would win; and sometimes it would come out dead even. But when it came to canning, a lot of us hoped the coons were the winners, the big winners.
And tomatoes--tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. I haven't seen so many tomatoes outside of Osgood since I was a kid. Looking back, we can see all those women in all those kitchens all across the area there on hot August days,
sun up to sun down, surrounded by tomatoes. Tomatoes in hampers around the kitchen door step; tomatoes in bowls all over the kitchen table and counter; tomatoes in pans and kettles cooking of the stove. The smell, as good as it is in small doses, was too much. And there was tomato juice everywhere.
Sometimes in August, especially during canning, it seems we had complete meals of nothing but tomatoes. (maybe my memory is bad.) I can see my old sister Grace standing there on the front porch with a large meat platter stacked three high with fresh tomatoes--covered first with sugar; then with salt. And my sister Betty knew how to get her share--she loved green tomatoes, especially fried green tomatoes better than anyone in the family. Betty got the cream of the crop of the tomatoes before they turned red.
As a matter of fact she was so full of green tomatoes by the time canning came around she wasn't real interested--in the red ones.
Now as all gardeners know, there is the "tomato season"
and it's pretty much simultaneous with the canning season. During a wet season, you lose a lot of good tomatoes to ground rot. And if you don't pick tomatoes at the height of the tomato pickin season, you loose out to the grasshoppers and the crickets and all those other creatures who come to enjoy the garden, too.
I remember reading somewhere that "to easily slip tomato peels off, place the tomatoes in boiling water for one half minute, then place them in cold water until they are cool. The skin w