Posts filed under ‘writers and writing’
NO LIMITS- BK 2- Forward. Beyond the Vale
NO LIMITS- Forward .. Book 2
Beyond the Vale……
Chris Ritchey Source
Beyond the Vale? What is the meaning, a 14th century word, a vale ( valley of tears )
passed away
verb(euphemism) (past of, pass away) (to die)
For the past three years every month I have written of my son, his life , the love he gave us and we gave in return, the journey from hell that saw us diminished, changed and crippled with grief.
Any mother who has lost her son or daughter knows without my explaining the “gutting of grief” No explanation is required. You can find all the 36 links to those months of writing in the last Chapter of Book One – No Limits:
Readers, who are now reading this forward of Book 2. may not understand, may not believe, will try and find “logical” explanations, even call me demented, out of my mind. The tragedy of losing a child will change you, you are no longer the person after such a passing than you were before. It isn’t just mothers, fathers and sisters , death defines the “new” you, you do become less than before, and we are irrevocably changed.
I wonder, how many who start to read this will finish it? How many will think yes she has definitely lost the plot and how many who have so far survived their grief will recognize the traits and actions in themselves .
After someone , who means more to you than your own life passes, and NO! it doesn’t have to be a son, daughter, there are a great many levels of love of those in our worlds; have you looked for the signs? No matter your religious or non religious beliefs?
I believe, we want to make sure somehow those loved ones aren’t totally lost to us forever, a confirmation the love that was so all compelling in our lives someone is still out there in another form, sending and reaching out signals . A great many articles blogs etc have been written on the subject, for instance
https://www.joincake.com/blog/signs-from-deceased-loved-ones/
When Chris was dying in that horrible ICU room with the “gang of grief” hovering, waiting to pull the plug…. ..my daughter ( as I have written) said to him.
‘ Chris come home and see me anytime’ ,
I remember thinking:
Oh my god has she not realized he will never come home , or is she trying to give him last words of comfort?
And then she left the room, I watched as almost imperceptible to my eyes the colour of his face changed before me as the blood drained and settled.
My beautiful son who had been so full of life and love and energy , what happened to those parts of him not hooked up to machines. Where did they “settle “? Does all that love and energy and “life force” just dissipate and decay as our cells, atoms and chemicals that make up our bodies? We do know, as explored in writing in the previous No Limits ,mothers carry the DNA of our child in our bodies for decades after they have been birthed. 
I am, sure we all in our families have the ” dying tales”, the “phenomenon of losing “and what has happened to us, the anecdotal evidence of family history when the “vale of tears” comes our lives.
My father, had told me of losing his stepfather, a man he loved profoundly , rushing back on emergency leave from his ship, as this most important man in his life was passing, he was allowed into the room to say his solitary goodbye. He told me once that sitting there trying to be a brave soul , “Uncle Jacks’ heart stopped, he went to reach to kiss his forehead and there was some force, very briefly that blocked his way . He always thought it was the soul leaving the body. not a religious man by any sense of the term, and maybe it was his own being that stopped that forward momentum , but well….. he believed it so I did.
It seems to me that belief of family and religious structure gets all mythized in books, bibles, religious beliefs, we trust what our community , no matter what part of the world or what religious community tells us for thousands of years and beyond that .
We as humans need to believe there is so much more but by the same token will scoff as “ghosts” , make light of what happens to some. Why , skepticism is all well and good. I will welcome the readers skepticism . And so it begins>>>>>>>
QUOTE CHRISTOPHER RITCHEY
“Nothing should be hidden or untouchable, if it is your truth and you stand behind it – no one should be able to silence you “
Morning Journal- Punishing Press-Part 4
Chris Ritchey
Part One : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/04/13/morning-journal-lorain-the-punishing-press/
Part Two : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/04/14/morning-journal-lorain-the-punishing-press-part-two/
Part Three: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/04/15/morning-journal-the-punishing-press-part-3/
Part Three cont. https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/04/16/morning-journal-the-punishing-press-pt-3-cont/
I have spent hours going through old writings and blogs. Unfortunately, as I have said a lot of the links are missing and in fact blogs have disappeared from the WWW. I can only go by the hard copy I have. I can only assure you the reader the information is true and I have those documents in hard copy or in my files electronically.
Here were go:
Front Page News .. a tale of a super woman, well maybe not 😉
WoM Logo by Scott Baklar
Jon Veard & word of mouth scott bakalar on 22 Nov 2006
SO SAYETH THE NAYSAYERS:
““I’m going to extricate myself from downtown Lorain,” Veard said.
[…]
“I don’t have to do business in Lorain, especially if I’m not wanted,” he said. Veard, 65, who has run his United Properties development company in downtown Lorain for the last 44 years, said it will be “easier to do business elsewhere.”
Why?
“Admittedly, council has taken Jon to task a few times, but council has approved projects with him involved, such as the restoration of the Duane Building,” Foltin said.
Veard said he hasn’t faced opposition only from council, but criticism from citizen activists, such as downtown resident Loraine Ritchie. Veard said Ritchie has been a critic of his developments.
NOTE: THE ONLY CRITICISM I GAVE was his plans to build condos in the historic park”
“What is she attacking me for?” Veard said. “Let her develop downtown Lorain.”
Ritchie declined to speak to The Morning Journal.
But Veard said he’s tired of the criticism.
“I lost money on the Duane Building. I lost money on the Antlers Building. I haven’t made a dime yet on City Center. … Let them throw darts at someone else.”
The quote came from the article in the Morning Journal- Kate Giammarise November 2006
HOWEVER A DAY LATER… Mr. Veard stated to Joe Medici of the Chronicle
“Despite having three buildings up for sale downtown, local developer Jon Veard said Tuesday he has no intention of leaving the city…..“My roots are here. All my business and banking relationships are here. It would be a nightmare to move all that,” Veard said. “These people know me and when I ask for something it’s a done deal because they trust me.”
“I’m not selling because I’m mad about the park. Maybe (City Council) did me a favor when they shot it down. Building condos in downtown Lorain is risky business,” Veard said.
Which publication printed the correct information? Remember media moguls you are only as good as your sources ( biased or not)? This knee jerk reaction maybe to Cole and Co caused Cole to jump once more into the Editorial mode and chastise me a “history bonehead.. sorry can’t link to it BUT here is my response :
As I decided to BOYCOTT the Morning Journal…. You can find that WoM post here TUDOR Boycott
Who got it wrong John Cole? I think I know – tch tch tch – how much egg is on the face of your publication on this one? And poor Mr. Veard – he came across in your article as a whiney, sorry, pouting, juvenile, it seems I have more respect for Mr. Veard than his ”friends”. You did him no favor – believe me – in your portrayal of this Lorain Developer. What my international readers (and I have a “barrelful”) must think of this community, I shudder to imagine.
NOTE – Oh! and one more thing, it has been remarked that Mr. Veard is upset that he didn’t get the chance to show City Council his “plans” for our park ( that other editorial chastising Lorain City Council….before they voted No! the first time. Check the minutes, I think you will find that Mayor Craig Foltin ”called for the vote” that night – that is right Mayor Craig Foltin.And then YOUR “Love letter to Veard” Oh! come on now – hearts and flowers begging him – Don’t go-Please stay – when he apparently had NO intention of leaving. I ask you who is the “blow-hard and crank and short sighted” individual whose “long winded” piece sent the negative message of Lorain’s developer diva -great publicity for Lorain? Shoe fits – wear it JC!
But all is not lost – Cole and Company you can – by a change in editorial policy, adhering to unbiased news reporting and an apology to all who ”dare to suffer the editorial wrath” by stepping up to the plate and to those “long winded politicians” who do the best they can to represent THEIR constituents on City Council stop this ”Old-Boy Cott” Up to YOU!!!!!!!!
2007 was the Lorain Bicentennial we had a city wide celebration focused in on the little park. Now don’t go looking for coverage- John Cole denied any coverage , that is until so many organizations involved took issue there was a small blurb in the Saturday section.
Link to a number of photos of the event :
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12219598@N06/with/1249174028/
However, the opening ceremonies were taped and one participant berated the Morning Journal for their stance and lack of coverage for the event. Problem was it was ME who was spearheading the whole shebang.. Oh well happened without him or the Morning Journal….
.
Tom Skoch
John Cole retired in February 2008 and a new editor Tom Skoch took over the editorial seat. Mr. Skoch reached out to me and we came to a friendly truce. He was really kind and instrumental in getting Charleston Village projects publicity etc. for the Admiral King Tribute Space, Eric Barnes Heroes Walk and Settlers’ Watch . He may not have been overly fond of yours truly but he could see past the tree to the forest.
Although I have been known to come out fingers flying when I felt the Morning Journal and others and its staff needed a different perspective : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/media-as-the-word-turns-or-rolls-lorain/
You see at the same time all this bruhaha was going on with me the news media were all over Councilman Dan Given and others with the Community Reinvestment Areas. This too had its birthing in politics and the blame game ensued.
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2009/03/15/sigh-cra-p-p-stands-for-politics/
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/here-it-comes-crappppp/
Before I get pilloried once more let me tell you I was involved in the CRA situation before any of the media.I did my homework and I have files two inches thick, Courts, the players and their agendas, articles comments and documentation up the ying yang. Anyone wants to see them -only too willing… Oh and the politics are mind boggling.
However Dan Given became the scapegoat even though the Plain dealer article OCTOBER 2007 used in the court case had 11 inaccuracies ( I wrote to the Editor pointing out the journalists biased leanings – no reply)
NOTE: Article is no longer on line but I have the hard copy. There was a friendly relationship between the county’s attorney and the journalist….. I have the article
Later on I took Tom and the MJ to task over an article in 2009– I had just 6 days earlier lost my son to cancer – but it was still important to me that truth and the whole truth should be explored.
Dan Given was also pilloried in the article of December 10th 2009 but the readership of the Morning Journal has been denied the “rest of the story ” and denied so far as they would not print Mr. Given’s rebuttal leading their readership and those of the community in a direction that is less than accurate. I published his letter to the MJ because they wouldn’t- I would suggest a read of that letter found in the link below:
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/two-sides-one-published-one-denied/
When you go to the comments of that post you will find Mr. Skoch had his say .. but since the claim by the editors stated they had reached out to Mr. Given originally they apparently missed the part in all the bru haha that the Law Director had told Council members ( because of litigation they couldn’t comment ) although at least two did …
Does ANY of this matter NOW? You tell me as recently as March 12th 2020 Dan Given was accused of public corruption in a letter chastising now Mayor Bradley from the Lorain FOP for supporting a political candidate they have issues with. Click on jpg for a clearer picture.
Although letters and legal stating no wrongdoing 15 YEARS LATER DAN GIVEN IS STILL BEING ACCUSED. 10 YEARS cleared of any wrongdoing AND YET STILL IN 2020 THE FOP ACCUSATION OF public corruption..
MAYBE THEY MISSED THE ARTICLE FROM 10 YEARS AGO!!!!!
GIVEN CLEARED – CHRONICLE – BRAD DICKEN DECEMBER 10TH 2010
WHY ? If anyone had really done ALL the homework and evidence complied and not just dwelled on the surface of the CRA situation the story would be different, believe me I looked at that CRA situation until I was sick of it and the ones that should be held responsible weren’t.
AND NOW!!! We have Mary Springowski feeling the wrath of imho of a up-jumped egotistical 32 year old reporter Kevin Martin / Morning Journal trying the name and shame game because Mary , in order to reach out and provide information to her constituents with information and participation. by pasting an article on her facebook page ! Horrors she apparently single handedly has brought down the print media local by publishing the article
Facebook post by Mary :
THE REST OF THE STORY!!!!
( Mary) “What is happening with this money? Who should benefit from this? Who CAN benefit from this? There must be some regulations. If this is CDBG then it is geared towards low to moderate income areas. What are your thoughts? Remember, if you want them to be part of the permanent record, post your comments and thoughts on the city’s official Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/CityofLorainOH/
( Morning Journal)Lorain, Elyria to get stimulus money in coronavirus response By Richard Payerchin rpayerchin@morningjournal.com @MJ_JournalRick on Twitter Apr 1, 2020
The cities of Lorain and Elyria will receive money from the first allocations in the federal government’s economic stimulus bill due to the novel coronavirus.
The city of Lorain will receive $725,720, while Elyria will receive $439,110 in Community Development Block Grant money, according to an announcement from Sen. Sherrod Brown.……..
Innocent enough one would have thought HOWEVER Mr. Martin thought otherwise and through Twitter started on April 9th to chastise Mary for an article written NOT by Mr Martin but by Rick Payerchin……..although Martin states he is speaking for himself ( that didn’t last long ) Click on the jpg for a clearer picture
Has Mr. Payerchin , the journalist and writer of the piece, contacted Mary with his displeasure? NO! according to Mary. Has Daryl Tucker the Editor contacted Mary? No! apparently not BUT 13 days after Mary posted the article on face book Kevin Martin of Muck Rack fame and membership https://muckrack.com/ complained to the Facebook Police for copy right infringement –
APRIL 13th
If you believe that this content should not have been removed from Facebook, you can contact the complaining party directly to resolve your issue:
Report #: 253706562467430
Rights Owner: MediaNews Group Inc.
Email: kmartin@morningjournal.com
Copyrighted Work: Other
NOTE Martin does not use a personal email account in filing his complaint but that of the Morning Journal .
This should never have gone this far…. I wouldn’t have had to spend five days writing and reliving the punishing press… and maybe “raking the muck” because I was angry at the “punishment not fitting the crime”
All it would’ve taken was a phone call to Mary to take down the post, explain why there was a concern but No the crusading journalist jumped on his high horse and banner of punishing the politician of the people……
WHY? what is his agenda …. when obviously the writer of the offending piece and the Editor didn’t complain….. but because of Mr. Martin -Mrs. Springowski will no longer share , be interviewed or subscribe to the Morning Journal, and Mary is always newsworthy so who suffers by this petulant posturing? NOT Mary .. maybe Martin should be taught the old adage :
“Cutting off the nose to spite the face” is an expression to describe a needlessly self-destructive over-reaction to a problem: “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face” is a warning against acting out of pique, or against pursuing revenge in a way that would damage oneself more than the object of one’s anger
THE END then again maybe NOT!!!
Morning Journal – The Punishing Press- Pt.3 cont.
Part One : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/04/13/morning-journal-lorain-the-punishing-press/
Part Two : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/04/14/morning-journal-lorain-the-punishing-press-part-two/
Part Three: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/04/15/morning-journal-the-punishing-press-part-3/
Regugitating( in more ways than one) this week has woken up this poor old brain. I started out wanting to show that this particular local paper the Morning Journal had indeed used tactics in the past in order to retaliate and by all accounts a journalist working for them today ( Kevin Martin) had seemingly no compunction about going to the “over the top” reaction when reporting one of Lorain’s “popular with the people” councilwoman. Mary Springowski. You see, my belief, knowing Mary – had Martin or his boss Tucker contacted Mary personally and requested she take down their article from facebook and refrain from sharing in depth again – Mrs. Springowki would have acquiesced.
That “would have been the smart move” in my opinion but that is not what happened . Instead a ” I was reminded of the quote in Maxwell Anderson’s play ” Mary of Scotland”
“We must look to it….. has a woman’s face( and principles 😉 stirred such a confluence of air and waters to beat against the bastions….”
Other thoughts have also been running amok as I go cross- eyed reading the files, news article and editorials and I am thinking my hindsight is telling me there was more going on in that period from 2004- 2007.
Whilst I and others, were in middle of the waters swirling around us and we were fighting for our very homes , way of life and yes opinions we were fighting on more than one front. I can’t believe all these “plans were not part of a bigger picture” but I suppose now I will never know for sure
Shawnee( John Cole, Foltin and secrecy- selling off of lakefront land to the tribe.. being lambasted…. as greedy gobblers saw visions of casino chips dancing in their eyes. Why did it take a small group to point out the folly of having a reservation on the lakefront and the problems that would occur. Did Foltin , Cole Prudoff etc really believe that was going to happen as they spent our money? Thousands upon thousands for what ????? ( as seat at the table with the big boys?? https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/the-read/articles/cashing-in . We , and me mainly , certainly incurred the wrath when speaking out, but you see this was going to be “here” in our neighborhood, all the plans swirling around and the bandwagons rolling … COLE and Foltin were NOT happy with me !!!!
Blight – Before we in this Lorain’s oldest neighborhood could even get a handle on the Shawnee during those same weeks and months another plan quietly slipped into place .
The Administration paying yet MORE thousands upon thousands to go through the process of blighting the whole neighborhood on the lakefront where a casino entranceway, bus parking you name it would go .( for private development) .. can you say land banking??? And once again we were thrust into those swirling waters and coming up against media, politics. We were being stretched very thin. Land banking was what it looked like to me BUT FOR WHAT PURPOSE
From my testimony re Blight maybe ( in hindsight) I wasn’t too far from the mark.…”Eminent Lorain V
“Interestingly enough the land banking- that I believe is going on – happens to correspond to the entranceways to that same lake front property. Our City officials in planning, administration and that same newspaper editor making the decision the sell the 200 year old green space that was the birthplace of this community without informing the public or even our representatives on City Council. City council and myself were politely told to keep our place until the decision and plans were made for that park
Veterans Park ..AND THEN at the other end of the neighborhood “planned Blight of a historic little park .. Oh the wheeling and dealing pitting “history boneheads ” ( Coles words not mine ) against developers, and the administration – Foltin , Cole and Prudoff .. The proposed senior citizens condos in the Park.. we had to take on the Veterans who at one point had received hundreds of thousands for improvement for that park..”WHO TURNED NEARLY $500,000 DOLLARS INTO A BOONDOGGLE, BAD NEWS AND DEAD PARK?” https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/veterans-memorial-park-thanks-for-the-memories/
Oh! we were taking a beating by Cole and Co. Letters sent to Veterans groups and meeting berating the history boneheads, ridicule and downright untruths and nastiness followed us who tried to save a tangible and imho important part of Lorain’s history from the earliest times..
http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2006/02/22/opinion/16173705.txt
Lorain’s City Council shouldn’t be so quick to reject downtown condos (John Cole)
Published: Wednesday, February 22, 2006
But how can city leaders trumpet the need to save the park, when they have stood by and let it become such a vandalized dump? Lorain’s veterans barely use it anymore because it’s so seedy and because all the ceremonial action in Lorain these days is at Black River Landing.
You see the plans ( although NOT shared with anyone in City Council or even employees of Community Development came to light over a lunch… and I made some phone calls
You can read the entire situation here
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2013/08/02/veterans-memorial-park-fini/
and an except of a letter sent to the city administration and in particular Prudoff…. and there they are again
Cole,
Foltin
Prudoff
( if I was a betting person I would say there was some sort of collusion) BUT that would only be my cynical “OPINION” ( lawyers take NOTE!!!)
….[Veard} mention to two representatives of Charleston Village Executive Board on Jan 6th his “plan” as we were eating lunch in a very public place. There was no mention of the need for discretion, if anything the impression given was one of the plans for the park being a “done deal” and that all obstacles such as the Gilmore family restriction was and I quote “not a problem, I have been assured that isn’t an issue any more”.
I believe he was truly shocked when his plan did not meet with favor in our eyes. According to Mr. Veard, “you are the first ones that don’t like it” we were then informed, during that conversation, that other public officials, and non profits had been made aware of the plan to put condos in the “Veterans Park”, such as some members of the Lorain Port Authority, “ the veterans are on board”, the city, including Mayor Foltin and yourself (Sandy Prudoff), as well as the editor of the Morning Journal, John Cole.
At the same time Compass House was setting up as an independent housing and bringing in 10 Registered Sex Offenders a night .. and kicking them out into the neighborhoods a so many days – worrying since the city no longer had a jail and the funding for the Shawnee bond was apparently rolled over into that bond which went on ”
Jail– Lorain City Councilwoman Anne Molnar ( deceased) started to look into the funding and where the money had gone earmarked for a new Jail . Anne wrote to Wom and we put up the minutes of the meeting for her . Anne bless her “fighting for Lorain” heart wrote to WoM at the time
Dear Loraine,
Thank you for posting the minutes of the police and fire committee meeting on WOM. You can sure work miracles on the computer, did a great job posting it on WOM. I believe when most people read them, they can easily see how the Mayor has twisted his words and lied .
There is a lot more to be told, that I found out later regarding the jail, and it is all to late now. Money wasted and spend, many lies told, and not all from the Mayor.[Foltin} Anne
NOTE: The minutes of that meeting and the unbelievable amount of money and spin here Minutes of Feb 2003 No Jail
It seems you couldn’t pick up a paper without my name being “used” . I did seem to be on some vicious treadmill…..me against the media and city government.
–
Why? Yes I was involved but a free press believes in free speech , at least I always thought so . Initially I was confused by Coles’ comment in his editorials (problem is I can no longer link to them) and then I got angry. I started answering back.
The Shawnee excitement came down to earth with a bang when finally City Council etc after receiving much detailed information decided not to renew the option for the land at Black River . I testified at length before members of city council and with a plethora of documentation for the record. ( Was not well received by the Foltin Administration)
Phot by Dan Brady
It was the selling of the little park that really upset Cole and the Morning Journal – you see we along with our sister organization of (Charleston Village Society) Black River Historical Society and Anne Molnar and various residents fought for that park to remain a park. We were gathering our arguments together when Frank Sipkovsky, President of the then Black River Historical Society walked over to City Hall and put in each councilpersons mail box a letter detailing their concerns as to what was going on with the park. Councilman Dan Given called for a vote then and there that evening to settle this situation : and King Cole really went off on them….
March 3rd, 2006: Editorial by John Cole in response to Lorain City Council’s unanimous vote NOT to sell the historic little Park…..
“You can’t make us believe that some council members didn’t cook up Monday’s vote in an illegal backroom meeting. That kind of government stinks as bad as those flooded basements. The state attorney general’s office should give these guys a wake-up call. Their vote could be invalid.
Every one of these zeros is up for re-election next year. Remember how they embarrassed you and your city with their rude and juvenile no-show act………
………Lorain has too many short-sighted, long-winded politicians, cranks and blowhards and not enough people who can look past all that and push forward with positive accomplishments that can make Lorain strong and attractive again.”
To be continued …
Morning Journal- The Punishing Press- Part 3
Part One : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/04/13/morning-journal-lorain-the-punishing-press/
Part Two : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/04/14/morning-journal-lorain-the-punishing-press-part-two/
ED NOTE As I revisit the situations in the early part of this century I am amazed at the amount of time, energy and money wasted. The 2004- through 2007 wheeling and dealing. Most of it centered around this old neighborhood, which of course is why I became involved and why I came up against the press and politics. Naïve is the word I would describe myself. Reading the harsh words today as I went through articles and posts of an Editor and a Mayor of that time.
I couldn’t help but think today
“ I was not a politician, I did not hold a job of work with the city or county or with anyone else.”
I suppose I was visible in the public eye due to all the volunteer situations and events from producing Lorain Community Music Theatre productions of Brigadoon and King and I , saving the Palace – Palace Players, one of the founders of Charleston Village Society and a great many other hats all of which did not bring me in a penny and cost me personally. Looking back and with hindsight I should have walked away years ago.
However, I was pilloried in the press and by local government administration as a “VOLUNTEER”- if this can happen to me it can happen and probably did to others. This is the reason I believe this regurgitating of “old news” is warranted.
Winston Churchill said,
“The further back you can look, the farther forward you can see…”
Apart from selling us ( Lorain’s oldest neighborhood) down the river – or on it by Foltin , Cole and the Shawnee , the gathering storm of the Foltin Follies hit Lorain Portside with not one but two blight studies and to hell with this old neighborhood and its people .
( Planned Blight ) was also on the agenda for the dismantling of the oldest greenspace in the county – now known as Veterans Park. Once again Cole , Foltin and Prudoff gathered together in the tower of power to make this happen for the developer Jon Veard. The paper calling that little slice of Lorain’s tangible history a “piss park”
Unfortunately I cannot link directly to those editorials they have disappeared , as has most of the Wom Blog articles at the time . I did however, manage to save some although the links embedded originally are “broken” through accident or design. A lot of revisionist history happens in Lorain.
Let us start with Blight. As a founding member and co chair of Charleston Village Society ( 1986 to present and a 501C3. )
http://www.loraincounty.com/charlestonlorai/feature.shtml?f=375llage
I received phone calls from the neighbors over on the Portside section of our neighborhood
A Mr. Gould would be coming into their homes to start a blight study.”
This was also around the time Eminent Domain for private development was being used see Kelo case https://ij.org/issues/private-property/eminent-domain/
We (CVSI) did some research and informed the neighbors NOT to let Mr. Gould onto or into their property and homes. We fought with what little resources we had and travelled to Washington D.C to meet with the Institute of Justice , became “friends of court for the Norwood Case” .
With the help of the Institute of Justice – Gould and Associates could not meet the required percentage to “blight the neighborhood”- the first step in eminent domain .
On April 10th 2006 I testified before the State Task Force on Eminent Domain ( Ex Lorain Mayor Joseph Kozuira was a member of that Task Force. part of the testimony was as follows:
We believe the citizens and taxpayers are the last to know. In the Portside case it is the taxpayer that is paying the $125,000 for the study- $50,000 from our Utilities Dept -$25,000 from the Lorain Port Authority and $50,000 from the city- ALL dependent upon the tax payer and yet we were not informed of the ordinance or the fact that our money would be used. Every time a toilet is flushed in Portside they are paying for their homes to be under the tool of eminent domain. This evening (April 10th) they are asking the City to remove them from the study.
The designation of Blight in Lorain gives the following options to the city: the tool of Eminent Domain, TIF funding, and zoning changes and readies the area “in case a casino” or another concept comes across the board. Blight designation HAS worked well in Lorain with Harbor Walk but that development was different in the fact that the city and the developer (who owned the property) took a disused shipyard and turned it into housing and a marina. It is a wonderful asset. The difference being that there was financing in place, architectural drawings and “real plan” not concepts or visions. The community was aware of the project, it was no secret.
The city of Lorain has contributed to the housing infrastructure problems; the city of Lorain has NOT enforced building codes,
therefore contributing to the deterioration of our homes and infrastructure and NOW say-“oh the area should blighted!!”
ED NOTE:You can access the whole testimony here Eminent Lorain V
Are you adding up these costs to the taxpayer for the Shawnee, the Blight ? can you see why I was an irritant in the underwear of Foltin and Cole. Who the hell was I to point out the “waste” and meddle in their plans?
And then came the Park TAKE OVER- Lorain’s Oldest continuing green space from which the City of Lorain was platted and born :
“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.
And John Cole really had a field day with me and his editorials : However, I do have to thank him because it was “HE” who gave me the moniker “that woman” hence the name of this blog ….. Of course I was also named a crank, blowhard and history bonehead…..Nice
To be continued………
Morning Journal Lorain, The Punishing Press- Part two
Part One : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/04/13/morning-journal-lorain-the-punishing-press/
This series stems from the fact a reporter from the Morning Journal, Lorain Ohio in my opinion got his knickers in a twist because Council Woman at Large Mary Springowski shared a full article on facebook ( but with the who what and where it was published) . Happens all the time but Kevin Martin took issue .. went to twitter etc ( operative word here TWIT) and one thing led to another. We will get back to Kevin Martin at the end of this series. He has not been alone in the pseudo bullying behavior over the years by the Morning Journal publication from the publishers to the editors.
However, I bet a lot of people from Lorain have no idea just what the meddling in Lorain has cost in dollars and cents.
ED NOTE : after the expenses were heading upwards of $100,000 dollars the monies were rolled over into a bond (see below) but before that happened I had started to make public records requests and here is the spread sheet from the City of Lorain Auditor at the time for the initial expenses incurred:
Hang on the ride continues. Since John Cole, former Editor, is now deceased he can not rebut my post but he had that opportunity more than once when he was alive and certainly took advantage of his position to make my life “interesting” . I will at the end of this series of course give the Morning Journal their unedited say on this blog!
2004
John Cole , Editor of the Morning Journal and then Mayor Craig Foltin put on a great dog and pony show, dangling the casino carrot to the desperate population of Lorain. It was touted as a cure all for all our economic troubles. My standing up to Cole re the Shawnee fiasco didn’t do me any favors and I was in danger along with Anne Molnar ( Lorain City Councilwoman. now deceased , the only city council person who took issue with the Shawnee ) of being “squashed “.
The following is from the article Condos for Cole which we will explore tomorrow!! Unfortunately the links imbedded in these articles have disappeared as has the original WoM Blog .
“It seems this town has a lot to thank Mr. Cole for in recent months. August 1st 2004 the editorial which pointed Lorain in the direction of the Eastern Shawnee. Starting off a firestorm of wheeling, dealing, controversy and spending of taxpayer’s money. The fact that National Capital One (in whose direction we were pointed) and Terry Casey, spokesperson for National Capital One who had a less than a sterling reputation was never mentioned in the editorial.
In fact although Dayton, Cleveland newspapers carried the story of Casey’s “faux paux” I could never find mention of that fact in any of Cole’s Editorials. The fact that National Capital One has pleaded guilty to securities fraud has not had any mention in any editorial I have seen since. And oh yes! the very person to whom Cole’s ability to “squash” was touted was that same Terry Casey in the infamous e-mail from Mayor Foltin: Also Terry Casey:
http://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article/ohio-group-responds-to-tribal-casino-plans-148588
Plain Dealer 2005:
Repeatedly, Casey stressed that the Lorain plans had to remain secret. Foltin agreed but urged Casey to consider adding one person to the inner circle: John Cole, longtime editor of the local newspaper [Morning Journal]
ED NOTE: This article is no longer on line BUT you can access it here as I saved it : This article was in the Plain Dealer
Lorain mayor’s gamble paid off with casino deal
Talks with tribe kept secret from city officials, voters
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Molly Kavanaugh and Tom Breckenridge
Re: John Cole, longtime editor of the local newspaper. “I feel he should be briefed early (even in the next week or two) with the understanding that we are in very early stages and he will be the first to know if anything happens and when it becomes public,” Foltin wrote Oct. 11 in an e-mail to Casey. “He can personally squash any nay-saying and ensure broad community support.” – Plain Dealer 3/5/05
Now in 2007 I archived after another series of Cole’s decision making for Lorain for my records. The Shawnee fiasco the hundred thousand of dollars wasted and my take on Mr. Cole . Needless to say he wasn’t happy with me . And the citizens of Lorain shouldn’t have been happy with him, we were led down a very expensive garden path and I for one didn’t not like being threatened with being “squashed ” by him….
https://thbarchive.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/october-15th-2007-cole-and-foltin/
COLE-fuc-*-us say :
Apologies to Confucius
Since they don’t put the comics on line TP ( or That Paper) I always get a bit of laugh reading Mr. Cole’s take on life and so since we know that on August 1st 2004 Johnny Boy’s editorial sent Foltin charging off to the Shawnee and Terry Casey – his latest writings -especially this paragraph caused the bile to move up and out of the stomach and nearly choke THAT Woman!
The second throw of the dice for Lorain was Craig Foltin’s pillow talk with the Eastern Shawnee Indians. Predicated on dubious legal claims and if-you-say-so financial, planning and managerial expertise, the treaty was signed, the chief and the mayor blew a lot of smoke in the air and, before you knew it, Lorainites woke up one morning blood brothers to Tecumseh. It was a lot of fun if nothing else. John Cole
OH Johnny Boy! here I go again “nay saying” waiting to incur the wrath of the mighty King Cole! NO FUN for the tax payer -over $100,000 wasted by my calculations thanks to you supplying the bed for the pillow talk. And after a great deal of reasoning why we should jump in bed with your “slot sluts” you end up saying:
It’s time again for Lorain to jump into the casino game.
For your FUN peoples lives were disrupted and bunch of lemmings got on the casino tour bus 
following General Foltin to the Battle of the Little Big Bucks – A town divided , people in other parts of Ohio having their property compromised. I could go on – YOU SIR ! HAVE A PECULIAR IDEA OF FUN?
It seems a lot of the FEES were apparently rolled over into “a Bond” What Bond would that be I wonder? Could it be the Bond for the Jail?
The legal bill from Anthony Calabrese and the law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease was rolled into a bond sale .
ED NOTE Anthony Calabrese was jailed for his part in another scheme according to the FBI press release:
Anthony O. Calabrese, III was sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to pay more than $200,000 for his role in a series of bribery schemes involving Jimmy Dimora, Frank Russo, J. Kevin Kelley, and others uncovered as part of the Cuyahoga County corruption investigation, federal law enforcement officials said.
Remember the “Jail that never was Bond“ Johnny Boy ? The Plain Dealer had an editorial on that subject .
Lorain, the largest city in Lorain County, has no jail. Its police send their criminal suspects to the county’s lockup. Some critics say the city of 68,000 people lacks a jail because Mayor Craig Foltin and Safety Director Craig Miller diverted available money that could have been used to replace the antiquated facility that was closed last year.
They say it was spent on City Hall improvements, downtown lighting, landscaping and the like.
So Johnny Boy the next time you decided to get us in bed together for some pillow talk – cause you good Ole Boys “just wanna have fun” – YOU FOOT THE BILL!!!
ED NOTE: This article among others as I had felt the ire of the editor in his editorials and on his front page did nothing to calm the savage breast… but no-one was going to threaten and squash me not whilst I could write!!!!!
Continued Part three 2005-2007
Feb 3rd – NO LIMITS- Chapter 1. Chris Ritchey
NOTE: At one point in their relationship Angela told me she had said to Chris, ” Your mother ( Me) will write our love story and you ( Chris) will do the illustrations. Well not exactly the story anyone envisioned.. but the truth!
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2020/01/02/jan-3rd-no-limits-the-forward-chris-ritchey/
CHAPTER ONE….
I was married for 8 years before I felt the quickening of a baby beneath my heart, a baby girl whom I cherished and cherish. 3 years and 10 months later a little boy completed our small family. Like countless mothers before me, I would talk to my children as they grew within my body. The day they were born, the moment mother and child were left to one another after all the turmoil of birth, I too, promised them to always love them, protect them and never let anything happen to them. I wish I could put into words the feeling that grabs at your very innards as your child is put into your arms.
Some say that exquisite joy must be compensation for the pain of birth, others will tell you the bond is strengthened by the fact the child’s DNA having passed through the walls of the womb stays with the mother. Therefore, you are always part of your mother’s body. Months of sharing a body, heart and breath of life, there is nothing closer, the sound of a mother’s heartbeat- the lullaby of life. The very life essence that makes each one of individuals shared and a love that knows no limits. All I can tell you is that from that first fluttering of life I was consumed with a love for them that was greater than anything I had previously known.
The bond I shared with my son was different to the one I shared with my daughter. Nikki was so like her father, laid back, non-confrontational and even tempered. Chris, on the other hand, was volatile, passionate, definitely did not suffer fools and loved a good fight. He was more my child. I always knew what would set him off and we had the proverbial test of wills as he was growing up but underneath the clashes of wills he knew I would walk through fire for him and I knew he would do the same for us. The love shared was not on show, it was there and deep rooted.
My little girl and her baby brother soon left childhood days behind, life was normal, school, holidays, hobbies new friends , new loves and yet my daughter Nikki and her brother Chris retained a bond between them that was unbreakable. Nikki was always there for Chris and Chris was always there for Nikki. It wasn’t contrived or for show, they were each other’s sounding board, life line – it was them against the world, if need be.
I would watch them and knew whatever happened to me or their father they would always take care of each other no matter what.
Nikki married, moved out, life went on.
Chris was a student at Cleveland Institute of Art.
Other self by Chris Ritchey
Every weekend he came home and when I say home – he had two, this house where he was born and his sister’s. Nikki’s husband, Jim, became the brother Chris never had.
There was a lot of love and laughter in those years. I knew Nikki would always have Chris in time of need and Nikki would fly to his side no matter what. I relaxed in the notion they would always have each other.
He had been dating a young woman in his last year of High School- Angela Lombardi. She seemed a quiet little thing, I tried to make her welcome when she came for holiday dinners. I always got the feeling we were getting what my mother called the white glove test and that we didn’t measure up to her standards.
photo Angela by Chris Ritchey
Although my son broke up with her for a few weeks in the latter part of 2005 “as she was too clingy and didn’t give him room” they did get back together thanks in part to a conversation I had with him at 4 o’clock in the morning!
He had asked me:
mum what is love ?
We explored, love, the flush of new love and sexual attraction, the role of family and caring. The conversation lasted many hours, a few weeks later Chris renewed the relationship with Angela.
I was happy at the time although the day in June when he came through the door with his sister with “news” – I wasn’t so sure .
I saw the look on Chris and Nikki’s faces that June day- they sat guilty together , after asking their dad to join us in the living room my mind racing, something was up? Finally Nikki said to Chris-
you’d better tell them!
My first thought was Oh God Angela is pregnant- it was that sort of vibe – not such good news coming- I held my breath.
Then Chris said quietly-
Angela wants to get married –
I was stunned, not what I was expecting! Not knowing what to say ‘relief I guess she wasn’t pregnant”
“ Well congratulations, I guess – how about YOU do you want to get married ?
Chris gave a little shrug :
I suppose so –
Worrying to me what he said and didn’t say – this was not the reaction of a young man who was getting engaged.
Chris had just been hired by Wyse Advertising, he had very little money to speak of and was just starting his career.
I said “well you’d better plan on living here to save up for married life.
My thoughts of this is not good timing – my thoughts to the “other mother in the equation” A person I had barely met more that a half a dozen times , and never really had any conversation with her at all. – I asked:
when was the date?
Chris didn’t know and I found myself thinking Sue Lombardi, the mother of Angela, I knew from mutual acquaintances was a controlling individual when it came to Angela – she would surely make it a long engagement .
How many times had Chris ordered flowers on my credit card account to cheer Angela up when the mother, whom they called Mama Sue and Psycho Sue, had upset her for NOT living up to Sue’s standards of achievement? I thought, Sue will not be happy at this and therefore I needn’t worry………..
The engagement – to be continued
Jan 3rd- No Limits- the foreword- Chris Ritchey
I start another decade, recent months have been very hard, some of the situations I have blogged about some may not ever come to light on this blog. I am waiting … I have spent most of December deciding on how to proceed . I am definitely going to “try and finish” the book NO LIMITS as it pertains to my son. Although 10 ish chapters have already been written I have had to decide how to proceed. I have made the decision to not only publish in paperback form eventually but I may start serializing each month on this blog. Here for your edification ( readers who still bear with me ) is the foreword of NO LIMITS!!!!!!
NO LIMITS
By Loraine Ritchey
“Nothing should be hidden or untouchable, if it is your truth and you stand behind it – no one should be able to silence you “
Foreword- NO LIMITS
Brave words from my son, Christopher, on a fall day, his 4th year at Cleveland Institute of Art. I had met him for a meal in Tremont, Ohio. He was so very angry, one of his projects had met with resistance and indeed censorship. His anger and frustration spilled out:
Why were his thoughts not being accepted in a very community that accepts so much more than the general population? Why would he be censored in the very open environment of an art college where nothing it seemed was untouchable?
After all, his fellow students went outside so many politically incorrect boundaries. Had he gone past where even those of his peers were feared to go? Had he come up against the self-imposed limits of a society of his peers?
I never did find out what the project was that caused the censorship and his anger that day. In true Christopher fashion, he changed his project to another, an “Anti-Political Correctness Campaign– complete with displays and posters He used the situation to “speak out” and “show” those who believed themselves to be followers of the out of the box thinking, they were still inside a box, even if the box they had made was larger than most, their walls maybe be transparent yet there were and are walls.
freedom of speech by Chris Ritchey
As I ponder the wisdom of writing the events of life as we know it and death as we believe it to be, I know there will be questions I cannot answer, events I cannot prove.
I am opening myself, my family and my son to a world of naysayers, negativity and ridicule. I will reach the walls with this book. I will push aside and through the walls my peers in this “community” and others have erected for themselves and for me.
Ironically although I have always written the truth whenever I have sat at this keyboard and its predecessors I probably won’t be believed , explanations will abound, logic ( as we perceive things to happen)will come into play .
I have hesitated for months, even years, to tell the story from my self-imposed box. I have written millions of words on my personal blog in the 10 years since my son died. https://www.thatwoman.wordpress.com . I have written his story, I have opened myself and my innermost thoughts and feelings. I have told the tale of cruelty, searing pain and thoughts of suicide. I have exposed myself in ways not many would without fear. So then, why is it I hesitate to share all of our story, a story of continuing love, strength and astonishment?
What could be so dangerous in opening up a world of hurt to my loved ones? Why would a love that continues cause such angst and trepidation in those of my society?
Society? Oh they can’t hurt me, I am beyond their pain, their laughter The sound of laughter to one who rarely laughs is just pleasant echo of what once was. There should be laughter in the world, I do not begrudge laughter or being the source of humor. The disbelief , I don’t care whether they believe or what they believe, so many believe so many different things, worship so many gods, those slings and arrows will not penetrate my being there is an armor in “knowing” The insults and negativity that will come as the story unfolds will bring the comments-
Why not my loved one? Why them? It is the grief, she wants money, she wants her five minutes of fame, and she always was strange. , needs medication, exploiting her son. They are just consumed with grief, hallucinating.
Yes! I can hear those raucous voices, tinged with the cynicism, of organized religion or lack of religious beliefs. So why martyr my family on the pyre of society? Why open this family to those who would wound?
I HAVE to document what happened to this family and my son, for the sake of my daughter, grandsons and future generations. I have to be brave, as my son was brave. I need to tell this story of a mother’s nightmare, of a love that reaches through the barriers of disbelief, of hope. I have the need to document and yet there is a fear my son will once again be negated in death as he was in life by those of “beliefs”.
Every night I see one of my son’s “projects’ from his graphic design course as it hangs framed upon the bedroom wall. It was a small project
Take three words and make the visual connection. Timid- Confidence, Aggressive- coupled with Past, Present and Future to tell a story.
It is the “future” graphic which nags at me, his future was not to be. The cartoon character of a snow boarder explaining his future and the word “aggressive”. I looked at the artwork through tears for weeks as it hung, along with other projects, on the wall. It wasn’t until I looked very carefully one day whilst dusting; I noticed written faintly on the bottom of the snowboard “No limits” and yet I too, have limited the truth by omitting a truth from my writings on my blog..
It is time to tell the story so long in waiting no matter the consequences….
To be continued … Chapter One
A tale of two- continued Lorain’s cast offs
Original artwork Scott Bakalar
Part ONE – https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/a-tale-of-two-city-houses-downing-of-quality/
The tale of woe that has become Lorain’s deplorable housing , especially in the 44052 and 55 didn’t get where we are today by accident. So many years citizens, council people , newspapers and yes ‘Bloggers” pointed out there were situations needing to be followed through.
Multi- property owners going in 4 years from 34 properties to over 300 and the majority in poor condition, proofs those same people were trading properties back and forth to dump them ( so as not to be the registered owner when the Lorain Building Dept. came to call – the process had to start all over again. ). Then the “bank” dumps , unreachable predatory property LLC -majority being out of town- and so many reasons compounded to make the system broken BUT we also have ourselves to blame!
But first let me introduce you to Lorain 365 – Lisa Miller https://lorain365.com/ who wrote about one of the properties back in 2013 – in fact this property is the one we will be focusing upon — Let us start at the beginning: I was introduced to 3620 Clifton by Lisa on a winter’s day in January…..
Once upon a time in the Lorain
3620 Clifton Avenue – Part One
3620 Clifton Avenue – Part One
As Seen In Lorain: 3620 Clifton Avenue and the second chance
Posted on January 13, 2013 by Lisa
“Even though it was noted by Demolition Board member, 5th ward Councilman, and neighborhood resident Eddie Edwards that “Before the sale, the house sat empty for about five years, with its doors and windows open and generally falling apart…” and “The new owners also waited a year before taking action to repair it…” AND the Board went out to see this house for themselves AND took the Fire Chief with them AND talked to the unhappy neighbors – the owners have $17,000 and a plan and that was enough for the Board to grant them a second chance”
ED Note you will see
in the Lorain 365 post this was the original state of the home and was sold to the owners for 200.00 and it just gets better from there – this and the following post is a MUST READ, even if you just look at the photos included.
And then Part Two – a week after the first post as Lisa revisited the property that needed a roof and a few other things to stop it from being demolished .
3620 Clifton Avenue – Part Two
ED NOTE: However the one thing that always worried me ‘WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND ALLOWED THIS CARBUNCLE OF A TWO STORY ADDITION ON THIS LITTLE SLAB HOUSE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! I am not an engineer or architect but to put this “weighty” two story addition on a one story slab home, “a cabuncle on the bum of pre blight” was not a well thought out “plan” – even I know this was so wrong and not just from an atheistic viewpoint.
3620 Clifton Avenue – Part Two
3620 Clifton Avenue – Part Two
As Seen In Lorain: 3620 Clifton Avenue and the second second chance
Posted on January 19, 2013 by Lisa
As Lisa questioned at the time 4 years ago :
I am amazed that this house, which has been inspected and re-inspected by TPTB (and then some), was deemed worthy of a second chance. Sitting exposed to the elements for at least five years, sold for $200 to two guys who let it sit untouched for two more years (sale date January 2011) – it meant nothing to anybody until the city came knocking with the wrecking ball
To be continued………..
Photos Lisa Miller – Lorain 365
Lorain -History Mystery- In conclusion – Clara
Part One https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara/
Part Two https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/28/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-2/
Part Three https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/29/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt3/
Part Four https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/05/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-part-4/
Part Five https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/13/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-5/
Part Six https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/16/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-part-6/
Part Seven https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/24/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-7/
Part Eight https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-8/
ED NOTE Please click on any of the photos to enlarge
The consensus of opinion is the pages found tucked away on top of the beam in the basement of 212 W. 18th Street are in all likelihood the writings pertaining to a “novel” or story. Clara, a character in a writer’s fertile imagination. The research turned up similarities of place names but nothing that could be traced either in Lorain or in Oklahoma. Just the intriguing Lorain Lumber letter head
However, we were able to track the history of the home – and the family that probably built it “The Greggs”. Renee Dore and I were fortunate to have spent a lovely afternoon on Thursday with Mrs. Margaret Gregg. This gracious lady allowed us to look through family photos and documents to see if we could unravel just who may have been the author of the pages.
Frederick S. Lamb’s painting of William Penn at the Brooklyn Museum
The Gregg family has a long history in these United States, one of the documents from the Gregg family was a completed family tree from the 1930’s. The family traced its roots from Ireland and eventually to arriving in the “colonies” along with the group accompanying William Penn. http://www.ushistory.org/penn/bio.htm
A quick search found
Thomas Coulson Gregg born in 1794 and deceased in 1878 in Belleville Ohio –
His son William Alan Gregg born 1823 -1873 also from Belleville
However it was his son Emmett Gregg who was born in 1860 in Belleville but eventually found his way to Lorain where he passed in 1938.
Emmett Gregg married Barbara (Reiff) Gregg 1857-1937from Maytown Pennsylvania
Photos scanned from the original tintypes
Why Emmett and Barbara ended up in Lorain is anyone’s guess but more than likely came for employment.
What is known is that the Sanborn Fire Maps for 1900 show what is now 212 W 18th as being 314 Forest and the dwelling footprint was very different on the 1900 Sanborn Fire Map
but that can be explained, as in amongst the Gregg family photos was a photo ( enhanced) of the Greggs home a small cottage – written on the reverse.
Was this the dwelling shown in 1900 Sandborn Fire Map? When we spoke to Margaret Gregg she remembers the home was added onto ( or possibly rebuilt??) early on .
In June 1905 according the Sanborn maps more changes had been made – it looks like the garage ( outbuilding) had been added.
1905 Sandborn Map
What we do know is that by 1910 the footprint had changed again
1910 Sandborn Map
The 1918 Sandborn Fire Map and 1926 through 1940 see minor changes
1912 Tax Map for the city we have Emmett and Barbara Gregg listed as the owners of the property.
Emmett and Barbara had a son George in 1882 he passed in 1947
George married Cora (Dyce) who was from Florida –
Cora followed her husband George back to Lorain and back to 212 18th Street. Cora was exquisite- the head and shoulders shot ( complete with Marcel Wave hairstyle) from the family album shows such. Unfortunately, we were scared to remove the photo from its folder due to the condition of the album fearing we might do damage . We do have a picture of her with her young son Donald ( Margaret’s eventual husband ) in 1932/3
George and Cora ( thanks to the research by Rick Kurish) listed themselves in the 1930 census as to their occupation as Lecturer in a Traveling Show.
Audience photo source River Time Players
http://www.rivertimeplayers.org/tent/tentshow.asp
These shows were extremely successful in the US and elsewhere .George and Cora it seems were quite the artistic couple – a life of audiences and stories . George seen here posing was quite the “dapper” gentleman 
The vocation of George and Clara also is confirmed by family history. George and Cora were heavily involved with the Circus and Traveling shows of the 20’s and thirties . Margaret told us that Cora would love to tell how she had visited all 48 states and the provinces in Canada.
Don’t I wish I could talk to Cora of those days?
However, back to the pages and the mystery as to the author. Margaret, Cora’s daughter -in- law, doesn’t remember anyone ever mentioning anything like the story or writing .
Renee and I sat on the couch and poured over old writings, photos and family papers hoping to find a similarity in the penmanship.
Cora’s hand was very different to the hand that wrote the pages. Just when we felt all was lost we came across another picture of Cora – The Florida girl and the snow circa 1927
It was with a great deal of excitement we found written on the back of the photo
“It took as great deal of coaxing to get the Florida Girl to sit right down in the snow for this picture but she did”
And there is was the same handwriting as the pages, comparing the style of the words to those of the delicate pages, the “d’s” the a’s the I”s the B’s the “she” and the girl with the capital G- there was no doubt the writer of the pages was the same person as the writer on the back of the photo.
The conclusion was reached by myself, Mrs. Margaret Gregg and Renee, after comparing writing styles , the writer was not Cora but Barbara Gregg. Cora’s mother – in- law.
Barbara Gregg passed away in 1937 – was that the reason we will never know who murdered Bob Sandford? What was the rest of Rose Flemming’s story? Who was Clara and what was her mother’s secret? . Why were the pages tucked away all those years ago? We will never know unless somewhere in that old house there are other pages.
Barbara Gregg’s pages have now been published , the story forever on the internet , her life and times documented and along with her writing has taken us all on a “history tour”
Many thanks to the Gregg family for their permission to continue the story, the photos and a special thank you to Margaret Gregg who was so charming and helpful.
And a thank you to Dennis Flores , who showed up at my door with a file of very, very special writings.
The End???????????????
Lorain- History Mystery- Her Name was Clara – Pt. 8
Part One https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara/
Part Two https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/28/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-2/
Part Three https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/29/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt3/
Part Four https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/05/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-part-4/
Part Five https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/13/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-5/
Part Six https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/16/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-part-6/
Part Seven https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/24/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-7/
And now the pages come to an end but not the mystery …..
Page 8 Clara Oklahoma
I said Bruce what is this talk about us defending this “Rose Flemming” Bruce was walking the floor and finally stopped and said “Judge” The Firm Hartwell and Barton are not defending this girl. But I “Bruce Barton is going to defend her” I sat down at my desk and tried to think ( torn missing)…. finally said Bruce I can’t understand why you want to get mixed … in the thing. I then received an answer from Barton I shall never forget . He said “Judge” ninety percent of the people in this world are always trying to figure out some one elses affairs and I have (always – crossed out) known you for twenty years and I have been a partner of yours for about 14 years
ED NOTE- going back to the original narrative in Part 4 the date of meeting Bruce was 1902 so that would put the time frame of 1922 for the “story”
and I find you are trying to figure out my affairs. I can’t tell you why I am defending this girl but the firm Hartwell and Barton ceases right now. ” I finally persuaded him to sit down and listen to me and told him that whatever he did that I was with him but he said that while he never wanted to lose my friendship he insisted that it be known that it was j(ust) Bruce Barton that was taking the case (torn)…… Hartwell and Barton . You see
Page 9 Clara- OK
When we left the club we went straight to Police Headquarters and talked with the girl and latter on when I saw the Chief he told me when he came from her cell he said “Chief I am defending Miss Flemming and don’t try to grill her anymore …………
And there we have it . I don’t suppose we will ever know the “rest of the story” because that is what I think this is . It was probably written by a Gregg family member all those decades ago . I am not alone in that thinking and one of the people looking to the mystery Rick Kurish ( also contributes to Dan Brady’s Blog http://danielebrady.blogspot.com/ had this to say yesterday and I agree
“After reading this far, I’m inclined to believe that the author was writing a novel loosely based on historical events. No doubt some of the events mentioned actually occurred, but the inability to tie any of the names to historical records is a red flag. An example of an event that may be based on the historical record is the Martha Barton Hospital. An internet search for first hospital in Oklahoma, turned up the following:
“In 1894 Dr. F.B. Fisk purchased a small one story cottage on South Main Street in Muskogee. He greatly enlarged the little house by adding a second story and building an addition to the front. The building sat on a busy thoroughfare where many liveries and wagon yards were located. Early Sanborn Insurance maps of Muskogee note that this hospital was first called St. Mary’s Sanitarium.
With his medical partner, Dr. J.L. Blakemore, Fike expanded the sanitarium to become the first hospital in the Twin Territories. It was briefly called the Fike-Blakemore Hospital after the two physicians. The doctors ran this hospital until 1906. After a donation of support from their good friend, Andrew Robb, the hospital was then called Martha Robb Hospital.
Andrew Robb
Martha Robb was Andrew Robb’s wife. A.W. Robb was an early day merchant in Muskogee. The Robb family was one of the first to settle in the new railroad town and was always involved in supporting the town and its early institutions.”
Interesting similarities to Clara’s story, with names and a few facts changed.
Also further research on the Lorain Lumber Co. letterhead, indicates that the story was written after 1930. In the 1920s, through at least 1929, Charles F. Friend, Carrie Moore’s father was listed as vice-president of the company. Also Conrad A. Horn was living in Columbus and working in various financial Depts. of state government from 1922 until 1929. He did not return to Lorain County until 1930.
Rick was also very helpful in tracking down the initial Lorain Lumber Company time lines
I think the key to the time frame the story was written may be contained in the Lumber Co. letterhead the first page of the story was written on. Richard J. Kutza while an employee of the Lumber Co. for many years, was not listed as the president until about 1925/1926. That would mean the story could not have written before that time. Also Mrs. C.C Moore would probably not have been involved in the business prior to the death of her husband Leonard, which I believe occurred circa 1920.
ED NOTE I have been able to talk with the Gregg family and in fact I will be meeting with Mrs. Gregg tomorrow – hopefully I will be able to flesh out some of the house history in the 1920-1930’s.
However I do so wish we could’ve read more of “Clara” – it seems we had a writer with a good story to tell-
Why was Bob Sandford murdered? Why was Bruce Barton defending Rose Flemming ? Was Rose the mother of Clara
My imagination is running away with itself but the truth is we will probably never know.
But I have to THANK whomever wrote these fragile pages so many decades ago, she ( and I believe it to be a she) took me on a journey of not only furthering the history of Lorain but I journeyed through oil fields, the life out west , the rough and tumble west, riots and woman outlaws. I learned a great deal from these forgotten pages and I hope to learn more Thank you whomever you are !
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