The Winds ( and of change) of Lorain

The winds whipped , tore , howled in anger and made themselves known throughout this city and in Charleston Village. As the mariners, of old, watched the waves and steered a course to home in those by gone days our Ship’s Captain could do no less

Photo Lisa Miller
Video- Lisa Miller

A tree along with the leaves fell along Eric Barnes Heroes Walk

Photo Lisa Miller

but not to be outdone by mother nature the demo men came

and the little house that couldn’t – 1125 West 4th Street-

Tree fall January 2008
came down

so at first light this morning all that was left

Lorain Dude(s) – Lorain Hallowe’en

BUZZ and WOODY say have a safe and mystical Hallowe’en

At Halloween, when fairy sprites
Perform their mystic gambols,
When ilka witch her neebour greets,
On their nocturnal rambles;
When elves at midnight-hour are seen,
Near hollow caverns sportin,
Then lads an’ lasses aft convene,
In hopes to ken their fortune by Janet Little

Lorain: Trick or treat is now scheduled 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 4 Mayor Chase Ritenauer.

Morning Journal and the Carnegie Library

TWB- Post
https://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.

Continuing the sharing – events- and opportunities

Lorain County Metro Parks- Lakeview Park

Lorain Palace – 617 Broadway Ave., Lorain OH 44052 Box Office: Mon.-Fri., 10 AM to 3 PM Closed Holidays(440) 245-2323

Come hear the dramatic story of A STORM LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE which will be presented at The Maritime Museum of Sandusky; 125 Meigs Street in Sandusky, Ohio on Saturday, November 24, 2012 at 1p.m. Find out about one of the largest and deadliest storms of the Great Lakes – the Gale of 1913. More than 200 people died between November 4 and 12 in the disaster which affected both Land AND Sea! This program is open to the public. Admission to the Museum is $4/adults. For more information call the museum at 419-624-0274.

Welcome the Holiday Season with the arrival of the Christmas Tree Ship at McGarvey’s Landin on Lake Rd. in Vermilion, Ohio on Saturday, December 1, 2012 at 10:30a.m. Hear songs and stories of the season presented by Dave Childers and get your Christmas Tree the Great Lakes Way! For complete information about the event, contact Main Street Vermilion at 440-963-0772.

and finally:
Would you like to be part of making Lorain County Beautiful

Lorain County Beautiful Advisory Board ~ Public Notice

Lorain County Beautiful is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful (KAB). KAB’s mission is to preserve and protect the environment. Their core issues are preventing litter, reducing waste and beautifying communities. Keep America Beautiful promotes educating the public, individual responsibility, public-private partnership and encouraging volunteerism.

Lorain County Beautiful is seeking qualified applicants to serve on its advisory board. Selected board members will serve a two year term, voluntary position. This is not considered a salaried position. The board will meet every other month to address topics such as areas in need of litter clean-up or beautification projects.

The Lorain County Beautiful Advisory Board is seeking to fill the following positions:
• Main Street group representative (group to appoint)
• Representative from the public sector involved in environmental groups
• Representative from the private sector company that is environmentally conscious
• Representative from the general public

Interested Lorain County residents should submit their resume and a brief letter describing why they would like to serve on the Lorain County Beautiful Advisory Board to kbailey@loraincounty.us.

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 Threehttp://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……………..

To share mode – Ghosts of WW 2

I was very touched yesterday by an article in the Daily Mail and the photos presented:

The remarkable pictures overlay modern scenes from France with atmospheric photographs taken in the same place during the war.

Historical expert Jo Teeuwisse, from Amsterdam, began the project after finding 300 old negatives at a flea market in her home city depicting familiar places in a very different context.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2219584/Ghosts-war-Artist-superimposes-World-War-II-photographs-modern-pictures-street-scenes.html
Photos of allied soldiers after D Day on the streets superimposed on those same streets today. They are evocative and thought-provoking . You can see more of the photos by Jo Teeuwisse on her Flickr page
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hab3045/collections/72157629378669812/

and follow her on her facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/thenandnowghostsofhistory

LEST WE FORGET!!!!!

Autumnal Lorain- Link up

Lisa Miller of Buster’s House has some autumn Lorain color on her blog
http://bustershouse.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/multicolor-monday-fall-scenes-in-lorain/
However ,two of the photos are my favorites:

The Admiral King Tribute site- you can see the shape of the anchor landscaping – soon to be reflected on the opposite corner of 1st and Oberlin

PHOTO LISA MILLER

Note: the flags were removed after the last storm, as they were ripped- new ones will be flying for the Eric Barnes – Heroes Walk –
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/eric-barnes-heroes-walk-the-update/
dedication joining Settlers’ Watch and the Admiral King Tribute space- and speaking of Settlers’ Watch – Lisa’s photo of the Captain in the sea of grass is one of my particular favorites-

Check out Lisa blog and the photos of Lorain on Lorain 365
http://lorain365.wordpress.com/

Eric Barnes’- Heroes Walk- the Update

Eric Barnes’ – Heroes Walk

Photo- Lisa Miller

A lot of dirt has been moved, beds have been prepared, tons of recycled crushed concrete placed and rolled and placed again and concrete pads laid in the past few weeks. Please bear in mind this is a donation and volunteer driven project.

We are very lucky our project coincided with the fact the City of Lorain and Lorain Utilities Dept. had to take the area where the “sludge bags had been stored ” and re-do the parking area and grassy area.

Charleston Village Society, along with our sister organizations Black River Historical Society and Lorain Growth Corporation were able to piggy back onto their project and as they designed and re graded the property to cut a path way through the trees joining Settlers’ Watch and the Admiral King Tribute space.

Please see video and article in the Morning Journal by Jessica James
http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2012/10/10/news/doc5074edc83d09f817310758.txt

So. where are we now?

Thanks to the generosity of Lorain City Schools donating the two granite benches , from the soon to be torn down Admiral King High School, we are able to honor the two graduates of Lorain City Schools with a bench each –
Army 1st Sgt Bruce Horner ( Admiral King High School)

and Marine Lance Corporal David Hall ( Southview High School).

Full benches will be part of the tribute spaces as well for Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Ryan Giese

and Sgt Louis R Torres

Each Tribute garden space will include a piece of hardscape art work- loosley based on a maritime theme

The hardscape pieces will be set in blue glass mulch and white limestone to tie in with the anchor center piece at Admiral King Tribute Space

At each entrance way ( Settlers Watch and Admiral King Tribute Space will be a sign – Eric Barnes’- Heroes Walk – the sign will be cutwork and have a 3 dimensional look- the colours are navy blue, silver and white incorporating the anchor from the Admiral King Tribute Site and the Eric Barnes Eagle from Settlers’ Watch. – smaller versions of the signs will be placed at each tribute garden with the name of the fallen hero and information pertaining to each son of Lorain

There are a great many other aspects to the walk- it will still be a work in progress until next summer. However we would like to invite everyone to the dedication of the walk way on Sunday November 11th and 11 am. 2012. 1st and Oberlin- Lorain Ohio
As always any donations goes 100 percent to the project – Should you wish to donate or help out in any way you can send your check to

Charleston Village Society Inc- 1127 W 4th Street, Lorain Ohio 44052 ( mark Heroes Walk on the memo portion) – should you wish to volunteer time , plants, ideas please contact cvsilor@yahoo.com or phone 440-246-6046

October 3rd- holding one’s breath/ wishing – Christopher Ritchey

It seems I have been holding my breath forever. I miss you so much- I watch Gavin as goes through the trials and tribulations of being 3 and 1/2. Poor little mite his life is changing so fast since he was three.

First his mummy leaves and comes home with “a ” Braedyn- Oh! not so bad at first doesn’t do much but sleep- but then this bundle of love wants more and more – going from being an only child to being two is hard just as going from being two and now being an only child is so hard.
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/a-letter-a-legacy-nikki-to-chris-ritchey-sister-to-brother/

Now preschool – and this has been particularly stressful on the little chap – and then the start of soccer.

Soccer – It was so much of your life – carried you to England and around these United States- you based your BFA on soccer and the advertising of the game.

As I watch the three-year olds and up dribble , kick and go through their paces – I think of you as I sit on the side lines once more. I remember the days of you sitting in the goal picking dandelions- of the day you realized you could get a ball down the field and score.

I remember your senior year at Lorain Catholic High School – Your game was scheduled for my birthday – you asked:

What do you want for your birthday?

you had a game against Avon as I recall-

I said a goal and smiled-

The last minutes of the game- instead of a throw in you took the chance and lopped the ball over the head of the goalie. I can see Coach Thomas, as clear as anything, hands to his head in frustration and angry as you didn’t pass and took the chance – you scored and you were benched – but you looked back up into the bleachers and gave me wink and mouthed

“Happy Birthday” !

As I watch the coaching of the little ones on a Saturday mornings I remember another coach and little ones
http://lritch7.tripod.com/mothersnew.html

I look at Gavin’s face , he really doesn’t have a clue as to what this is all about, his mum and dad ( who also are struggling with soccer- one a dancer -the other into “football” – trying to explain to this little chap why he is doing what and the inevitable comment –

I wish Chris was here……………….. it would be so different

“Picture” perfect day – Catawba – Gem Beach- 2012

In my “days of dour” – there are moments of respite – moments when a smile once more pulls and tugs at the corner of my mouth and mind. Today I am sharing such a smile!
Click on photos to enlarge
A day on the beach- 2012

Gavin and his late Grandfather’s “Big Jim’s Lighthouse” -Catawba

Beautiful Ohio 🙂

The above photos taken by: