Posts filed under ‘history’
Revisionist History/Writing – The Temptation – Guilty- Not Guilty
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-21380622
Richard the 3rd- his remains have been found beneath the parking lot in Leicester. He did apparently have scoliosis but not the withered arm and hunchback as portrayed by so many Shaksperian actors through the centuries. Poor old – well young Richard really- ( he was only 32) he was much maligned by the most famous playwriter of all William Shakespeare- who promoted for the Tudors 
.
Why was that?- was poor Richard the Plantagenet a victim of 16th century swift boating
( Since the political smear campaign conducted by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth against John Kerry, the term “swift boating” has come into common use to refer to a harsh attack by a political opponent that is dishonest, personal and unfair.
It seems the Tudors didn’t like the popular Plantagenets and so since, in the long ago ,having deformities of the body was equated with evil deeds and beings ; poor Richard was given a withered arm and devil’s hunchback by William Shakespeare
( And all you directors and actors -will you now be changing the portrayal” of Richard the Third- or will we, because it is Shakespeare , continue to perpetuate the myth?)
WoM Blog Logo Scott Bakalar
Craig Foltin when he was Mayor of the City of Lorain was accused (by me) on the old WoM Blog of revisionist ( writing) found here -
http://thbarchive.wordpress.com/2009/07/11/the-foltin-fiasco-and-the-pd-and-wom/
You can read more from the Wom on the subject
http://thbarchive.wordpress.com/2009/07/11/foltin-responds-bakalar/
To me, this revisionist writing showed a character flaw. However, even the disappearance of the articles on the WoM has caused history revised by omission , as unless archived by me , the events as originally written have disappeared as though they never happened.. Ironic????
So to MY dilemma:
Angela , Sue and Tim Lombardi
I was accused, within weeks of my son’s death, when our world was in turmoil, of not knowing my son by Angela ( Lombardi) ritchey ( Angela Ritchey DO. )
http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/i-didnt-know-my-son-chris-ritchey/
So I went on a journey in search of my son
http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/category/chris-ritchey/
through his art work- all that was left of him to speak and speak it has!
During the course of that journey I touched upon where he may have, in the family gene pool, been given some talent. This led to posts on family members long gone.
http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2010/04/18/unfinished-portrait-the-artistic-gene/
In the months that ensued, I found a few cousins who had been searching the internet great- granddaughters, grandsons etc. coming to my blog. Families tend to drift apart through the generations; they had information I never heard and I had information about our respective shared ancestral grandfathers. It was very confusing there were a lot of John Henry’s and Jacks and Millicents etc. in the family tree.
To put faces to names, I spent a few days drawing up notes and family photos to go with each family story or event in order to clarify the who is who!.
I, of course, came to my part of the family tree- It was so hard to put my son down as deceased I found I couldn’t write the word for hours- I kept coming back to it and its finality!
Then we came to the “married” part. I truly agonized, I hesitated………….
Chris was married for just over a year( about as long as he experienced the chemo and non cure!) – and it is a day I wish NOW never happened June 7th - it is very painful in light of what transpired – as it was the day vipers came into control of our lives .
But my dilemma, if I left the space blank- as the
“tree” would go down through family members to come there would be an omission.
I would be guilty, by that omission revising an albeit insignificant historical fact( since there were no children) but I would be revising our history by ommission .
BUT as a mother, having watched and lived through the pain caused by Angela Marie Lombardi ( ritchey)DO I no more wanted her name associated in anyway in any part of our family – for perpetuity -she does not have a place in Chris’ “family” . I wish I could expunge the memory of them all!
We have a lot of scandals in our family but they for the most part show character and can bring a smile. So I pondered and pondered :
Do I become one of the guilty of “revisionist writings/history” for my own painful reasons or do I add the event that my son married and died and left a widow ?
This may not seem such a dilemma to you, as readers, but my being as honest as I can be and damn the consequences- got in the way of my need to expunge the events of my son’s death and the people who caused such pain out of my life was overshadowed by “truth”. .
So I finished my part of the notes for the family tree with the following –
Christopher David Ritchey
born – August 21st 1980 died of cancer December 3rd 2009 -no children
Note : ( although he was married for a few months we don’t consider ” her” as part of this family in any way). My particular scandal can be found here http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/december-11th-the-beginning-of-the-beginning/ – for those family members interested in knowing more .
Chris had a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and was an art director for Wyse advertising
He has a category on my blog – found here
http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/category/chris-ritchey/
with regard to his story and his life
As for the rest of the family scandals – they are much more interesting and a couple are the stuff of novels and I am content that I have been as true to history as I can be
June 7th my day of infamy!
Memorial Day- Charleston Village – Heroes Tributes
Artwork Chris Ritchey
It was a beautiful cool and sunny morning today as we walked our neighborhood placing flags and ribbons to honor those who have given so much in so many conflicts. We placed the “RED WHITE and BLUE ribbons and I thought not only of the history of the colors but of those that have walked these streets in the decades before in this Lorain’s oldest neighborhood . I thought of those that had given all they could give in the name of freedom.
The history of the red white and blue:
(photo Lisa Miller)
The Continental Congress left no record to show why it chose the colors. However, in 1782, the Congress of the Confederation chose these same colors for the Great Seal of the United States and listed their meaning as follows: white to mean purity and innocence, red for valor and hardiness, and blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice. According to legend, George Washington interpreted the elements of the flag this way: the stars were taken from the sky, the red from the British colors, and the white stripes signified the secession from the home country. However, there is no official designation or meaning for the colors of the flag.
The official meaning of those chosen colors may have been lost in time but they are the colors of freedom and many lives have been cut short so the colors of freedom can fly proudly in our neighborhoods.
Eric Barnes Heroes Walk
Marine Lance Corporal David Hall
Marine Lance Corporal Joseph “Ryan” Giese
Army Sgt. Louis Torres
Sgt. Bruce Horner
Fleet Admiral Ernest J King
Airman 1st Class Eric Barnes
L-R Veterans Park Civil War – Christian Temple disciples of Christ(5th Street) Veterans Park Lorain Fire Dept
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep…….,
The History Park- 1812- 201 hundred years – a recorded city park – Veterans Park Lorain Ohio
ED NOTE_ I wrote this last year as the park now known as Veteran’s Park was celebrating 200 years as a recorded park- I am not sure why I didn’t publish at the time – maybe I was in one of my “dark places in my other world where apathy for this life reigns supreme” – I don’t know but as we are coming up to Pride Day and Memorial Day I would hope there is no apathy from any of us for this little green space -
Two hundred years a deeded city property since 1812 – HAPPY ANNIVERSARY????
iS THIS HOW WE CELEBRATE – LORAIN??????????????
I started, yesterday afternoon, to write the recent history of veterans Park aka settlement meeting space, Lorain Public Square, Washington Park and Veterans Park , Lorain Ohio. – Oh! how easy it would have been to have gone back to January 2006 archives on the WoM Blog and list the links but that has disappeared and with it a record of a fight by a community to hold what was deemed worthy.
In the closing months of 2005 the Foltin Administration along with Community Development Director Sandy Prudoff, Jon Veard and Morning Journal editor – John Cole, in their infinite wisdom, decided the historic park should be condos. Foltin and Co started the wheels in motion to make this little park unworthy of its heritage .
Mayor Foltin quietly stopped work and maintenance on the park so that after a period of months the park and its infrastructure started to rapidly deteriorate. The fountain no longer was turned on, said to have major problems ( which turned out later to be a false statement)- graffiti wasn’t removed – only the grass was cut – the vagrants were allowed to use it as John Cole’s editorial stated as a “piss park”. In truth Craig Miller the Safety Service Director told me the park would be “blighted”. Events happened when Jon Veard let the plans out of the bag prematurely and I, along with others, started fighting to stop this fiasco of finance.
It was a nasty fight pitting Veterans groups and the community- I was the subject of editorials and nasty letters , name calling and ridicule but we fought for that park.
Thankfully city council ( who had also been kept in the dark about Foltin and Co’s plans ) stepped in and saved the park. Foltin tried to say the pumps weren’t working on the fountain and it would cost thousands to repair, walls would have to be taken down this was not the case. He tried to use the veterans as a tool to sway city council . You can find the council minutes here …..
Minutes Vets Park City Council June 5th
I have been down this path once before - No more turning a deaf ear and a blind eye and doing just enough- The maintenance on the park, the safety of this park the heart of this oldest neighborhood, an integral part of the port area and Broadway development should be a showcase. People and organizations have cleaned painted and honored their citizens in this park for centuries . We have to stop the rot NOW!!
Children should play under those trees not have to worry about who is doing what disgusting thing , people should sit on benches without having to move bedding , I should be able to sit a listen to a fountain and smell the perfumed breezes of flowers not of human excrement . ( check comments after the previous post). This little park is in fact not very large , some “upmarket” properties have more land mass. It is manageable!
http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2012/08/18/the-progess-then-and-now-veterans-park-lorain-ohio/
On the 7th of September 2006 I wrote – Silent Witness
“Nothing but a place for deadbeats and bums!” “ It has outlived its purpose” There is nothing historical about that park!” The city can’t afford to keep it up” It is a “piss park!!Nobody uses it, it is worthless!
So said John Cole and his editorials
The year is 1807 Azariah Beebe and his wife becomes the first family to settle in Black River Township. Nathan and Horatio Perry erect a house at the mouth of Black River and open a store for trade with the Indians. The area begins to be known as the Black River settlement.
“Of the first settlers, some men walked the entire distance from Connecticut and other places, some rode horseback part way, sharing the horse with others. Some rode in ox carts; some drove oxen; some came part way by land, and the rest by water; some came on sleds in mid winter; some plowed through the mud of spring or endured the heat of summer, some had bleeding feet and some serious illness.
Sometimes it was a bride and groom who started alone; sometimes it was a husband, wife and children; sometimes it was a group of neighbors who made the trip. Children were born on the way and people of all ages died and were buried where they died.
But after they arrived, their experience was almost identical.A removal into the depths of the Ohio woods, where a man was directly placed face to face with primitive conditions, brought him at once to the practical contemplation of his problem and the solution was in his own hands; food, shelter, raiment. Here was the earth, whose soil was to furnish bread and clothing, but it was covered with a thick growth of great trees to be removed before it could be planted. Their trunks and barks must be converted into houses.
A temporary supply of food was carried by the immigrant with him. In making his way to his purchase he pursued the trail that led nearest to it, and, with his ax, opened the rest of the way. The point gained, the same implement cut down and prepared the tree trunks for the first cabin, which the hands of the whole party, women and children as well, helped to place in the low crude walls of the primitive structure, while the bark of the basswood and elm made the cover. Doorless, floorless, windowless, chimneyless, the pioneer eagerly took possession of his cheerless cabin.
Thousands of them within 70 years were built and occupied in the Lorain woods. Men and women lived in them there; and children – all the elders of the new generation – were born in them. Death came in them there; and there young women became brides and dwelt the happy wives of happy husbands
.
Of all the dwellings in the woods, scarcely the site of one can now be identified.
Next to the erection of their own cabin, the most important event was the arrival of another family in the woods and the erection of their dwelling received the joyous help of every male within 10 miles of it
No one born of later years can comprehend the strength and warmth of the bands of sympathy and fellowship, which united the first dwellers in the woods in wide neighborhoods.”
A History of Lorain J.B. Nichols 1924
In the next 5 years the little settlement grows all the while they struggle the new nation continues the birthing process.
1807 UK Leopard fires on the US Chesapeake and impresses 4 men
1807 September 1 Burr is acquitted of treason
1807 December Congress passes TJ’s Embargo Act banned all US trade to keep it neutral. Failure. Manufacturing N benefited. S and shipping hurt bad
1808 US bans the slave trade
1809 March 1 Non-Intercourse Act. repealed Embargo, open trade but not with UK&Fr
1810 Macon’s Bill #2;if 1 country accepts US neutrality US would trade
1810 Napoleon falsely repeals the Berlin and Milan decrees
1811 November WH Harrison’s troops ambushed by “the Prophet”
1812 state of US troops: ~12000. Commanders political appointees, weak
1812 June 18 US declares war on UK
1812 July William Hull (US) tries to invade Canada. rooted. Hull sentenced to death for cowardice. Madison pardons
1812 August-December the US Constitution and United States win sea battles, raise morale
1812 December Madison reelected. (every wartime president has been reelected)
1812 December UK blockade of Chesapeake and Delaware Bays
and in the little settlement , now Lorain, Ohio, they also contribute to the founding of a country , of a state of a city
1808 Ferry charges across Black River: hog and sheep (each) – two cents; footman – six cents; man and horse – eighteen cents; loaded wagon and team – sixty cents; and all other carriages – thirty-seven cents. On July 22, 1808 local groups petition Geauga County Commissioners to have Lake Road continued on toward Sandusky. Lake Road is surveyed by Amos Spafford.
1810 John S. Reid arrives to build a house, then returns to Newburgh (near Cleveland) to get his family. Daniel Perry and family settle west of Black River in early March of 1810. The Shupe, Quigley, Lyon, Kelso and Seeley families settle in or near the Black River Settlement. On September 24,
1811 John S. Reid’s family moves to the area. William Martin establishes a farm, three miles west of Black River, on the little stream once called “Martin’s Run” (which runs through what is now Columbus Park). Quartus and Aretus Gilmore join the Black River Settlement.
1812 Edmund Gilmore and family move to Black River. Edmund Gilmore builds county’s first barn. John S. Reid is commissioned Postmaster for “The Mouth of the Black River Post Office”, October 23, 1812. John S. Reid builds the Reid House Inn and Tavern. John S. Reid builds a ferry opposite his block house. Judge Nathan Perry, Sr., (from Cleveland, Ohio) passes away while visiting his son, Nathan Perry in Lorain. Azariah Beebe and his family left the Black River Settlement, relocating on the Huron River to the West. John Lyon is born. He is the first White child born in the Black River Territory. On August 15, 1812 the news of Hull’s surrender to the British fans rumors of a British invasion of Ohio. A “War Scare” is started by a false report of the burning and capture of Fort Huron by Indians. A Militia post is established at Black River to ensure citizenry that they could safely return to their homes and cabins.
***1812 recorded Lorain Public Square (According to Lorain County Recorder Judy Nedwick, the park has been a part of the plat of Charleston since 1812. Since that time, the county records show, the park has remained property of the city. Morning Journal Jan19th 2006
1813 Guns of the Battle of Lake Erie can be heard at Black River on September 10,
1813. Legend has it that Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) planted apple trees in this area and informed settlers of the results of the Battle of Lake Erie.
The decades roll by; those who form this community are born and die, are greeted and mourned, are forgotten or are remembered in the pages of dusty history books. They all contributed, those who sat beneath the trees, played in the grass, watched as horse and buggy gave way to automobiles.
All through the wars and trials and tribulations stood a little place of green, sometimes forlorn, sometimes beautiful and cared for and then in the year, 2006 insulted and deemed worthless.
This silent witness who cannot speak for itself and so has to rely upon the sons and daughters of those that now call this “settlement “ home. Those who see the beauty and the living green memorial to those who through the years have founded a Nation- The United States of America- silent yet in it’s own way a testament of all that has gone before.
Lorain will not have any “formal ” celebration this year of the Battle of Lake Erie , as will other lakeshore communities, but the City of Lorain and her citizens can at least make sure the little green space who witnessed America’s struggle in 2013 is worthy of remembrance
The longing for the magic to come back- one man’s belief another’s terror
William Holmes Sullivan · The Fairy Ring; The Enchanted Piper · 1880 · Oil on board · 9.00 x 12.50 cm · From the Leicester Galleries
It was such a world of wonder and magic when I was a child. There were definitely fairies in the bottom of our garden. On dewy mornings I would carefully search the grass for the silvery fairy rings, where they left their mark having danced in the moonlight.
Photo source
http://fairyroom.com/2013/01/a-treacherous-beauty-the-hazards-of-entering-a-fairy-ring/
Each May the bluebells would appear and I just knew the fairies, imps , pixies and elves made good use of their tiny bells for hats and drinking cups.
Hedgehogs, which are now popular pets here in Ohio, were used by the fairies to ride through the gardens . A saucer of milk would be left out each evening on the door step so they could slake their thirst.
The rockery at the bottom of the garden housed all sorts of wonders, now I see nothing but hiding places for snakes and mice and creepy crawlies, but then I saw tiny houses for the wee folk.
There was a magic in my youth- being the only girl in a mainly all boy street – I was accepted for the most part as one of the “gang”. I admit they always made me the robber, or the Indian to their cops and cowboys but I was included. How was it my parents and other parents of the street let us roam over to the “gasometer” and the ponds and streams where fishing for “newts” was the adventure of the day? I am struggling to remember what we did with them after an afternoon of catching them .
It was such a different time – a time of innocence -even though we played among some of the bombed out buildings of post war London. I don’t remember ( apart from being a girl) references made to our playmates ethnicity or religion , we played and lived in a magical place of childhood innocence .
Of course the magic has been replaced by awareness, even my children in their own neighborhood, as they were growing up, would not have been allowed to wander out of my sight or those of the neighbors. There were no adventures for them with the newts in the gasometer ponds.
No! now the magic is in a kingdom in Florida, California or even Paris. My grandchildren flew away to play in the magic and be sprinkled with a different sort of fairy dust as terror was rearing its dark and ugly head below them at the Boston Marathon .
And whilst they giggled and laughed with pirates and princesses horror once again scarred our world. A horror , whilst new to America and Boston, was so reminiscent of other horrific acts of terror in my own home – London- perpetuated by the IRA.
You can find the shameful very long list of bombings in the UK in the 70′s 80′s 90′s , 2000′s here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents_in_Great_Britain
You will note that whilst the majority of the dozens and dozens of bombs exploded in the UK were IRA ( Roman Catholic by faith)( although Protestants have also caused terror too )- According to media reports the Catholics and the IRA were helpfully funded by Noraid ( Boston and New York). The latest threat is Islam – a group that Representative Peter King ( a “republican” in more ways than one)
Peter Thomas King (born April 5, 1944) is the U.S. Representative for New York’s 2nd congressional district, serving since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party and represents the central Long Island district that includes parts of Nassau and Suffolk counties.
King formerly served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, where he drew attention in early 2011 for holding hearings on the extent of radicalization of Muslim Americans. He also sits on the Financial Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He stepped down after his seventh year as Homeland Security Chair because of self-imposed Republican term limits. He remains a member of the committee.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_T._King
However, ironically this same man, according to the New York Times in 1986, was characterized as an open endorser of the IRA and their cause.
http://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/26/nyregion/l-peter-king-and-the-ira-394786.html
Peter King is (or was – is he toning it down for this, his first statewide race?) the only elected officeholder in this state who is an open endorser of the terrorist Irish Republican Army and supporter of its Noraid fund-raising arm in this country. I am sure Mr. King will welcome the opportunity that the articles didn’t provide, to clarify his relationship, past and present, with the Noraid gun-runners, and to specify whether he continues to support the I.R.A.’s ”armed struggle” against Ulster’s right to political self-determination In Ireland, the civil war among the Catholic nationalists – never mind the struggle for Ulster’s Anschluss, which has significant minority support – ended in the 1920′s. Apparently it lives on in the Irish Catholic chauvinist ghettos of Nassau.
You can read more of Peter King’s walk the walk talk the talk with the terrorist organizations and in bed with the Boston-based NORAID funding group here
http://www.counterpunch.org/2010/12/02/the-hypocrisy-of-peter-king/
“And yet thousands of Americans, including people who live in Boston, gave millions of dollars to NORAID which was used to buy guns and Semtex and support the Provisional IRA terrorist infrastructure.”
Jonathon Ball and Tim Parry victims of the Warrington bombing
Children and innocents maimed and killed then too, mothers losing sons, all for a “cause” an ideology that does not accept another’s beliefs or ways, a dictatorship of beliefs.
http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2008/06/08/when-is-it-ok/
And once again on Monday last in Boston – the magic in the world was lost, replaced in the rockery by the snakes and rats and vermin who breed in the dark rankness of the interior .
The daffodils are blooming , magnolia blossom waving to a blue sky now tainted by man. The grass was wet with dew this morning but I didn’t see any fairy rings just the toadstools( fungus) circling , indicating rottenness beneath the ground – no dancing fairies.
What is left of the magic world of innocence ? Just the pain of those that bully using faith and religious beliefs to cause more suffering. The world needs more magic and less organized religions and their fanatics! Every single person who has ever contributed to the causes of terror as they celebrated their own cause de jour no matter your beliefs is as guilty, in my opinion, of the murder of children, magic and innocence.
Source The Economist The New Wars of Religion
http://www.economist.com/node/10063829
Illustration by Jon Berkley
…AND LORAIN SAID- “NO” !!!!!…… Admiral King – Lorain Ohio
As readers interested in Lorain’s Admiral Ernest J King will recall I have covered some of the highlights of his career. Charleston Village and Black River Historical Society and the City of Lorain paid him homage in 2011.
I must admit, I had to wonder when researching this man of importance, why it had taken so very long for his birthplace to recognize him as they were even doing away with the high school named after him? I suppose, coming from a country and culture which holds history and heroes of ” cherished importance”, it was a bit of a culture shock arriving in Lorain and seeing the throwaway society of history at its finest.
Even the new builds are only built with a life expectancy of 40 to 50 years. Thank heavens that wasn’t the case when they built my old house.
We are only all too aware of government not listening to citizens – until it is too late- but government not listening to their own experts such as Admiral King and the warning of Pearl Harbor – well what can one say?
http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/admiral-ernest-j-king-pearl-harbor-december-7th-the-warning/
But Admiral Ernest J King did not forget his birthplace and sent the signal mast of the USS Arizona home to Lorain.
The battleship USS Arizona (BB 39) was sunk at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The superstructure above the waterline was removed soon after the attack. Admiral Earnest H. King, Chief of Naval operations, sent the signal mast to his hometown of Lorain, Ohio. Commander Edwin C. Keyes, a close friend of Adm. King commanded that naval armory in Lorain. He had the mast modified and erected at the armory to be used for training purposes. The Navy added the yards (cross pieces). Allen Permach of Lorain Steel Fabricators, made the other modifications including the 36 ft. length added to the bottom of the Arizona’s original 26 ft. mast. The vertical shaft represents the 1177 crewmen who gave their lives on the “Day of Infamy.” The yard stands for all those who served aboard.
So what happened ? Where is the mast ? Was it used as part of the Admiral King Tribute space- this piece of United States history? This remaining part of what is probably the world’s most iconic war memorial the USS Arizona?
NO! you see LORAIN REFUSED THE OFFER - so it was stored for 10 years
The Arizona’s modified signamast mast was used until the armory was razed in 1980. It was offered to the city of Lorain, but was refused. In order to save the mast from destruction, Cdr. Keyes obtained authorization from the Navy for Brenne H. Donofrio, a naval engineer to take possession of it. Nick A. Donofrio, the father of Brenne H. Donofrio was a close friend of Adm. King and Cdr. Keyes, and had been honored by the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Navy for having donated several important inventions to the Navy during World War II. The mast
was moved to Brenne H. Donofrio’s property where it was stored for 10 years
Then what ? Even though there are a plethora of Veterans Groups who cherish the memories and valor of their compatriots with ceremonies and memorials this” icon of a day of infamy ” – how did this special symbol of bravery leave this place called Lorain this symbol of “remembrance and reverence” – It seems others recognized its worth but not Lorain.
Robert Manzetti, a retired railroad engineer from Ohio, learned of the mast while visiting his daughter who lived near Lorain. Mr. Manzetti and Dr. Earl L. Field, a professor at Arizona College of the Bible and both residents of Glendale, Arizona formed the U.S.S. Arizona Signal Mast Committee. The Committee purchased the mast, transported it to Arizona and erected it here in Wesley Bolin Plaza. It was dedicated and donated to the State of Arizona on December 7, 1990. All funds and work on the mast came from private donations.
AHHHHHHHHHH Lorain words fail me – vision does not mean ‘HINDSIGHT”!!!
There were two Mayors in the time frame of 1980 -
January, 1972 -January 1980 -Joseph J. Zahorec
January, 1980 -January 1984 -William Parker
and in 1990 when the mast left Lorain
January, 1985-January 1996- Alex M. Olejko
And one has to wonder where was Lorain’s favourite Veteran – Jack LaVriha- what were they thinking?
LaVriha had been president of the Lorain Memorial Association for over 5o years, sponsoring annual Lorain Memorial Day parades, annual Community Memorial Services at the Lorain Palace Civic Center, memorial outdoor services at four area cemeteries and the placing of American flags on the graves of veterans. He was past president of the Lorain Veteran�s Council, serving as its secretary for 22 years. He spearheaded the placing of granite monuments at Veterans Memorial Park and area cemeteries in memory of all Lorain men and women who died in all American wars.
You can find the information of the USS Arizona’s Mast here:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=26610
Thanks to Lisa Miller - Lorain 365 for the link and initial information
Morning Journal and the Carnegie Library
TWB- Post
http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/history-lorain-going-going-carnegie-library-a-lemon/
The Morning Journal has an article this morning with video
“Uncertain future: Lorain hopes to find new use for Carnegie Library building (with video)” RICHARD PAYERCHIN
http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2012/10/28/news/doc508caa0956010310832136.txt
After recent city efforts to demolish nuisance homes, a rumor has spread that the city administration aims to tear down the Carnegie Library, Lorain Safety-Service Director R. Michael Fowler said. That is not true, Fowler said.
“We’re not demolishing it,” Fowler said. “I can tell you unequivocally that during our administration, we have never discussed demolition.”
That comes as welcome news to local history enthusiasts at the Black River Historical Society and the Charleston Village Society Inc.
History- Lorain- Going- Going ? Carnegie Library – a lemon?
Update: I have spoken with the current administration and some council members- there doesn’t seem to be any plans for demolition- however this issue of this building does need to be addressed – what are the plans- can it be renovated for a useful purpose and we need to go on the record stating its worthiness to the community . Unfortunately these old buildings need the TLC and maintenance otherwise we have the 770 Broadway ( Ghoulardis) building going from a viable building to demolition in a few short years.
and who allowed it to sour?
This month’s issue of the Black River Historical Society’s newsletter tells the tale of woe – Click on photos to enlarge
Does the City of Lorain want to tear down the historic Carnegie Library building?
You can find a plethora of information on Dan Brady’s Blog -including the series Then and Now
Part One
http://danielebrady.blogspot.com/2011/03/carnegie-library-streator-park-then-now.html
Part Two
http://danielebrady.blogspot.com/2011/03/carnegie-library-streator-park-then-now_11.html
Part Three
http://danielebrady.blogspot.com/2011/03/carnegie-library-streator-park-then-now_14.html
In 2011 the city began looking at the selling off of some of its park land :
http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2011/02/15/news/doc4d59f78510dec874813769.txt
The city will file a lawsuit to remove deed restrictions that state Lorain can use the building as a library, City Hall or park, said Councilman Myroslaw “Mickey” Silecky, who is chairman of the Building & Lands Committee.
The two-story building, a former Carnegie library, was home to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. Currently, the city uses it for storage of office supplies.
This building – once the pride of Lorain whose fellow buildings are a source of pride all over the world – has been left to sour and decay- where as other communities embrace their connection with Andrew Carnegie
Lorain well just another name to add to the list of forgotten pride…….
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems. 1,689 were built in the United States, 660 in Britain and Ireland, 125 in Canada, and others in Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, the Caribbean, and Fiji.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_library
Once again Lorain, her government, keeps making lemons of her historical worth- even in her marketing concepts her historical worth and attributes are dismissed and are conspicuous by their very absence.
to be continued……………..
The Family Dollar- Design by Design – not Desperation -Lorain
In 1985 (revised in 1989) Preservation in Lorain Design Guidelines were introduced and amended in 2012 See PDF file here
Preservation in Lorain (Guidelines)
In 1987 the codefied ordinance see PDF file here
Chapter 1185 Codified was established the Design review Board> its purpose:
1185.02 PURPOSE.
Council, being mindful of the proud history of this community, the importance of beauty in the everyday lives of our citizens and the need to further efforts to provide for sound community and economic development, hereby declare as a matter of public policy that the preservation, restoration, rehabilitation and overall aesthetic improvements of our community are matters of public necessity involving the health, safety, prosperity and welfare of the people. The purpose of this chapter is to:
(a) Contribute to the economic, recreational, cultural and educational development of the City by:
(1) Stabilizing and improving property values;
(2) Stimulating business and attracting industry by providing a sound economic climate;
(3) Protecting and enhancing attractions to residents, tourists and visitors;
(4) Improving the quality of life by enhancing the visual and aesthetic character,diversity and interest of the City;(5) Fostering civic pride in the beauty and notable accomplishments of the past; and
(6) Promoting the use and preservation of prehistoric and historic locations, architecturally significant structures and other notable objects, archaeological and historic sites for the education, enrichment and general welfare of the people of the City of Lorain, County of Lorain, and the State of Ohio.
(b) Provide for the establishment of procedures whereby certain areas, structures, objects and works of art of prehistoric, historic, architectural or cultural importance to the community shall be safeguarded and allowed that measure of protection afforded by a thorough study of alternatives to incompatible alternatives or demolition before such acts
are performed.
(c) Maintain and enhance the distinctive character of preservation districts by safeguarding the architectural integrity of the various period structures within them, and to prevent intrusions and alterations within the districts that would be incompatible with the established character.
(Ord. 34-87. Passed 3-2-87.
Yesterday I was fortunate to see the process in action .
Morning Journal report: Rick Payerchin
http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2012/09/26/news/doc50627852980d6777581264.txt
Family dollar had come before the Design Review Board with a building design, which in and of itself had it “stood alone” was a very nice rectangular block structure as rectangular flat-roofed block structures go.
Note: this was the previous design , it had been “tweaked with some false windows etc. for yesterday’s meeting
However we, in Lorain, need to stop piece mealing our construction and rehabilitation. In my opinion, we need to adhere to the purpose set out a quarter of a century ago by the city and personally, I believe, the need of comprehensive design needs to be city-wide. .
Charleston Village Society ( of which I am co -chair) Black River Historical Society, Lorain Growth Corporation , the City, the Downtown Consortium – the Port Authority, The Palace, merchants and residents in and around this Lorain’s oldest and historic neighborhood are trying and have been trying to “have an identity” -a place of destination where the ambiance is other than rectangular brick blocks; whose designs are designated by “business structural plans and needs” first and foremost and dressing up the outside to fit the inside .
As I stood before the microphone yesterday, as I have many times over the years, trying to impart the history of Lorain, her founders and how significant it is to this area and could be with the right marketing – I hoped they could see what I see beneath the years of neglect.
Lorain’s oldest continuous green space , deeded to the city in 1812 as a park has on all sides bar one – (the one area the Family Dollar Company wished to build )- buildings of national, state and county historical importance .
Lorain’s now named Veterans Park has to the south a building on the National Historic Register Lorain No 1 Fire Station
an absolutely beautiful church that any founding father would point to with pride ,
Photo source Renee Dore
to the west, also a National Historic Register property The Antlers ,
Photo source Dan Brady
and the Masonic Temple .
to the North , what is now the Frey Funeral Home- the home of George Wickens – whose historical worthiness is well-known to Lorain and Lorain County.
http://danielebrady.blogspot.com/2012/07/george-wickens-wrap-up.html
And whose name is in tribute to the street Wickens Place along whose curb side Family Dollar wishes to build.
These properties have over the years been the subject of art classes ( as evidenced here,
http://danielebrady.blogspot.com/2009/05/summer-art-class-1968-part-2_27.html
subjects of pride, photos and post cards. Alongside of these buildings as they look onto what is probably the oldest continuous green space in the county are other landmark status homes and buildings.
After the meeting I corralled ( no other word for it) one of the gentleman from the Family Dollar group attending the meeting. We walked across the road into Veterans Park . The gentleman had asked me
“well what kind of a building do you want”
– I stated
one that in 50 years time could also be a candidate for the National Historical Register.
As I walked through the park ( a note to city and to self we need to do some maintenance once again) and the gentleman video taped the south view, the north, and the west – I saw some respect for those views and I got the impression no one had really “walked the area” to SEE . Yes, Famly Dollar folks had tried to fit into a footprint and a business design plan, to make their building acceptable but they really didn’t, I believe, look across the space to SEE how they would impact the rest of the square just how could they fit in on that particular piece of property. And that is the problem “tunnel vision” – and that problem with vision has plagued Lorain over the last few decades.
Too many times in the past, desperate as we are for employment ( note the gentleman mentioned the design for the building is to accommodate 2.8 employees ) desperate for taxes and people- desperation should not be part of design. I am glad , in this instance, and I hope in future instances , especially in the oldest and historic part of Lorain a comprehensive “design plan’ based upon
“Improving the quality of life by enhancing the visual and aesthetic character,diversity and interest of the City”
and not desperation! as THE deciding factor.
September the 11th- a reprise
TW NOTE: I wrote this for the 10th anniversary of 911- I have decided to reprise this year-
design by Chris Ritchey
10 years it is unbelievable to me a decade has passed – the sights and sounds of that day so vivid still- an act which will send the perpetrators to perdition.
Normally I would write an updated remembrance but I am in my own kind of man-made purgatory at the moment so I choose to remember as I did last year (below) . I also remember 9-11-09 …. the day of hope as Chris took his first infusion of SGN 35…… that September 11th dawning with hope just as years before a glorious September morn saw hope crashing to the earth…… the outcome was the same “grief and loss”………..a time to remember those that continue to give their lives ………………………….
Loose Change Poster – design by Chris Ritchey
‘Kind” -having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature
There was no “kindness” in the nature of that September day as terror flew into the everyday working lives of those who experienced the dreadful destruction of September 11th 2001
They say you remember where you were and what you were doing until you die certain events-
And September 11th 2001.
ED NOTE:The linked video is from ordinary citizens with a view of the destruction- released 5 years after that September 11th day
I was sitting on the couch that morning, having my first cup of tea- my son- in -law to be called
“We are being attacked”
Knowing his penchant for practical jokes and phone calls I said
yeah yeah right- tell me more”
Just then my daughter came down the stairs with the phone in her hand , hair dripping wet –
Mum he is right a plane just flew into a building in New York – turn on the television.
Another call beeped in it was my mum
“Oh there has been a terrible accident a plane has flown into a skyscraper”
Just as she said that Tony ( my cousin who was over for a trip ) is heard in the back ground
“Bloody Hell there is another one.”
We all went silent, incredulous watching as devastation rained down from the sky on a beautiful September morning.
I called my son- he told me that they were being evacuated from the college and told to return home- there was something going on in Cleveland , as he was heading to his campus apartment there were agents and militia armed with weapons in and around the streets- it was very tense. They were told to stay inside.
That day had a profound effect on this nation – I remember for the next two mornings- as I watered the garden not a sound from the sky , no roaring of the high-speed boats out on the lake- traffic was almost non existent- the sound of a siren sent chills- flags appeared outside the houses and on the streets – as if a patriotic garden bloomed from the carnage.
We did not move from the television- we watched as if from another planet the “human” story unfold that day. We hardly knew how to express our thoughts -the ugliness of hatred brought home -engulfing and billowing out as the towers and civilization fell in the name of “Jihad”.
As for those that carried out these attacks there are no adequate words of condemnation. Their barbarism will stand as their shame for all eternity.
–British Prime Minister Tony Blair
My son used his talents , he did a series of posters – that I have yet to find since his passing. It was after that day my son wore his patriotism proudly – always one to fly the flag ( more on that at the closure of this blog) he defended her the way he knew best through his work.
Yes , I am remembering Septembers and they are tinged with pride , lack of understanding , helplessness and prejudice against those that cause pain to the human heart and condition ………
and all who weep including the willow WE REMEMBER SEPT 11TH IN OUR OWN WAY!
Source needed
Lorain – a moving story? A wasted story ? Forlorn and Forgotten
Tracking back into the history of the Wurmser House
and how could an “old/new model???? come to be on the site
http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/lorains-history-mystery-the-wurmser-house-a-tale-of-two-houses/
turned up a couple of situations where those of previous generations – did not throw away the structures but simply moved them around the city.
http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/lorains-history-moved-about-literally/
I wrote about the traveling 1st parsonage- traveling down the hill to the hollow where it still stands today,
and the odyssey of the little traveling church that went from street to street at least 5 times that ended up as possibly Lorain’s first duplex. I have ranted and raved about these old homes of historical worth- such as Mayor King’s House that went from historical to bad to worse to worthless????
Let us look at another traveling house another which held “another King” and his family- this time it did have the famous Admiral Ernest J. King connection.
This was the Methodists parsonage number 2. pictured here -in 1892 as the community laid the cornerstone for the new church now 6th and Reid.
Apparently Reverend Frank J Smith writes in the Green Book (???) :
that this house was on the property he purchased for a church site and it had been moved east , $35.00 raised and a foundation put under it $85.00 also an addition put on $211.00…”we paid for the new ( to us) parsonage and church site and had $187.00 left to apply on the new church”
http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2011/05/23/fleet-admiral-ernest-j-king-remembering-you/
The house had been the property of Admiral Ernest J King’s father , James King and had its share of sunshine until the church was built so close to it. It lost its glamor, if it had any , and I fear became a sort of stepchild. Probably it kept warm though with so much protection. Therefore less coal for heating and you know how some of the brothers ( monks?) would look at that situation.
The pastors families couldn’t have been too happy in it. No outlook but a cold brick wall on one side and the neighbor’s house too close on the other side. I wonder if the rain on that steep church roof didn’t spatter the parsonage windows . Form 1892 to 1906 seven different pastors and their families resided there. Finally the Official Board decided that we must have something better . There had been much sickness in the old house because of lack of sunshine and the presence of much dampness.
The house was sold and moved off the lot. Mrs. Margaret King Hurst , a cousin of Admiral King’s says the house was moved to “Hoganville” ( the long ago name for that portion of Lorain west of Oberlin Ave. and was placed on the Northeast corner of Brownell and Chestnut ( now 7th ) Street . Sometime later it was enlarged and modernized and is now serving as a two family house. What long ago interesting stories some old houses could tell……………
Well the old parsonage, King House still stands at 1238th 7th Street
Photo Lorain County Auditors site
And as the writer of the history of the Methodist Church in Lorain wrote those many years ago
What long ago interesting stories some old houses could tell……………
Trouble is no one is listening to them – they are non- entities in this city their stories silenced with decay and abandonment – discarded when they can no longer give of themselves……… their stories ….. just so many blog posts on an inconsequential blog from Lorain (e)
http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/civil-war-letters-fannie-gilmore-lorain/
http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/capt-wilford-a-hero-of-the-inland-seas/
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