Waterville Historical Society

your connection to the past

401 Farnsworth Road, P.O. Box 263 Waterville, OH, 43566 United States

The Waterville Historical Society collects, preserves, provides access to, interprets and fosters an appreciation of history that has an impact on the Waterville, Ohio and surrounding area.

The Clark Gourley Post #463 ~ Waterville's American Legion

November 08, 2015  /  John Rose

A Salute to All of Our Veterans

Clark Gourley was the first local serviceman killed during World War I. Robert Clark Gourley was born February 11, 1895 at Van Buren, Ohio. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in Toledo June 24, 1916 and was shipped to France in June 1917. He saw action in the Aisne and Toulon sectors and died August 8, 1918 from wounds received in the Battle of Belleau Wood. Clark Gourley was buried with full Military Honors in the U.S. Military Cemetery in France. The American Legion movement began at national and state levels in 1919 as the American servicemen returned home from the “War to End All Wars”. The local chapter received its charter from the State organization on October 1, 1920 and chose to honor Clark Gourley’s sacrifice in the chosen name. The first officers were Howard Allion, Harry Witte, Jacob Disher, Eugene Taylor, John Wannamaker, Roy Long and Herbert Winterstien. There are forty names on the Charter Membership Roll which can be viewed at the Wakeman Archival Research Center. The Legion Post met in the upstairs of the old State Savings Bank building at Farnsworth Road and Third Street until 1923 when that building was moved up Third Street where it still stands. They then purchased two portable classroom buildings from the Waterville Schools and had them moved to a lot on Mechanic Street purchased from A.K. Myers. This site remained the Legion home until it was sold in May of 2009. Following World War II the Post decided to drop the Gourley name to better honor all of the fallen and then changed their name to Waterville American Legion Post #463. As Veteran’s day approaches the Legion members everywhere will be preparing to honor all veterans, living, deceased and long ago deceased … and so should we all.

HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION ~ 1932 STYLE

October 22, 2015  /  Verna Rose

     Waterville held a big Halloween carnival with parade and contests on October 31, 1932. The event was sponsored by the Waterville Chamber of Commerce in a novel ‘All Saints Eve Frolic’ that offered many prizes. A newspaper article found in the Wakeman Archives described the event as follows:

     “A parade will be headed by the village fire department starting at 8:15. The line of march will be from Graf’s garage to Third, to Mechanic, to the railroad to Farnsworth road and repeat. Business houses have promised several floats, and the school buses will take part. During the parade prizes of ice cream bars and loaves of bread will be thrown to the crowd. Masqueraders must be in the parade to be eligible for prizes. A program of stunts and contests will follow the parade. Third Street will be roped off for the games.

    ”Businessmen of the community have donated 60 prizes. First and second prizes will be given for the best decorated float in the parade, most comic and most grotesque costumes, worst hard time costume, the best pair of twins, the most dilapidated car (which must run under its own power) and the largest pumpkin, etc. In other contests prizes will be awarded to winners in the two-mile run, the peanut race, three-legged race, wheelbarrow race, nail driving contest for ladies, relay race, 100-yard dash, rolling-pin throw and apple bobbing.

    “ The list of prizes and donors were: Kurtz Garage, 5 mile tow-in or grease job; Gulf Filling Station, 1 quart oil; Hi-Speed Filling Station, 1 quart of oil; The Home Lunch, apple pie a la mode, Esmond’s ice cream; Clark Roach, shampoo or haircut; Bob Cashen, shampoo or haircut; Sid Van Tassel, shampoo or haircut; Junior High School class, two free tickets to Junior play; High School Athletic Association, two free tickets to basketball game, Waterville School Faculty, good grades to all who study hard; Tom Hahn, two jugs sweet cider; Stickney Electric Co., six 25-watt bulbs.

“Also Wm. Disher Waterville Post Master, 1 year courteous service to all; Waterville State Savings Bank, $1.00 savings account to new saver under 17; Metcalf & Klatt, 5 lb cup grease, Monomobile; Rupp’s Store, merchandise; Kroger Grocery, merchandise, Starkweather, merchandise; Waterville Service Store, merchandise; Foster Garrett, merchandise; Waterville Garage, 1 battery recharged; Waterville Hatchery, 25 chicks or 100 egg.

“Fred England, two games pool free; A.L. Mills, nickel Plate R.R. free use of waiting room for all passenger traffic; Waterville Elevator, “We’ll grind your grist”; Dr. H.F Gschwend, 1 free veterinary trip; Dr. B.B Buck, 1 office call, Dr. W.A. Suter, 1 office call; Koch Lumber Co,. can of paint or equivalent on roll of roofing, W.W. Farnsworth, apple butter; W.G. Farnsworth Co., 1 bottle of grape juice.

“Marion Utz, 1 basket assorted apples; Ray Donnan, 1 Christmas tree; Long’s Dairy, 2 quarts milk delivered in city; Cliff Gallup, 2 quarts milk delivered in city; Paul Wingate, 2 quarts milk delivered in city; Waterville Ice Co, 1 cake ice; Droessler’s Meat market, merchandise; Waterville Gas Co., double discount on October bill.

“Fife’s Restaurant, 6 bowls soup; Waffle Dog, 5 school tablets. Ernest Delventhal, ‘I will advise landscaping your yard”; Waterville print Shop, discount on job printing; Waterville Times & Chronicle, Posters and 1 years subscription to new subscriber.

“Lutheran church, free sermon most any Sunday a. m.; Howard Allion, ‘I will haul the stone for your repair job’; Methodist church, free sermon most any Sunday a. m.; Buerch and Gschwend repair job; Ed Keller, ‘I’ll solder your milk can’; Witte Hardware; pair paring knives; Presbyterian church, free sermon most any Sunday a. m.; Haley’s Shoe Shop, 1 pair rubber heels; Ezra Fox, merchandise; C.M. Gray, 2 bushels potatoes; Waterville Electric Light Co., decorations; Franklin Creamery, 11 ice cream cones.”

Ariel Bradley "1776 Spy" For George Washington

October 01, 2015  /  Jim Conrad

The Ohio Historical Society marker at Mogadore, a suburb of Akron, OH, reads in part:  “Legend has it that Mogadore’s first settler, Ariel Bradley, was a spy for George Washington in 1776. As a nine year old boy, Ariel crossed British lines on a supposed errand to the nearest grain mill and returned with troop positions and tent counts…” Buried in Waterville Wakeman Cemetery, the legend of the boy spy continues to both inspire and intrigue.

 Whereas a legend generally contains anywhere from a kernel of truth to a great amount of truth, it is often difficult to know what to believe. What do we know for certain?  The autumn of 1776 had not gone well for General George Washington’s Continental Army. Although previously determined to defend the city of New York from invasion by British General Sir William Howe with naval support from his brother, Admiral Lord Richard Howe, Washington and his army barely escaped capture and/or destruction at the Battle of Long Island on August 17.   

Thus began a series of battles, defeats and narrow escapes before a much needed, morale-building victory could be achieved at Trenton, New Jersey on December 26. One of those narrow escapes occurred at White Plains, New York on October 28. Enter our local legend, Ariel Bradley. Born December 30, 1767 in Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut, Ariel was the only son of Ariel Bradley (1728-1795) and his second wife, Mary Mercy Bird (1724-1820). He had two older half-brothers, Thaddeus (born 1752) and James (born 1756) from the union of his father and his first wife, Amy Thompson. Young Ariel was educated in the common school and raised as a farmer. 

Prior to the Battle of White Plains in 1776, Washington was in desperate need of information regarding the strength and positioning of British forces. An article from the Toledo Blade dated May 31, 1929 states:  “A number of soldiers who had been sent out as spies had never returned and Washington was about to proceed without the desired information. At this time the two older brothers of Ariel Bradley, who were serving as regular soldiers, went to Washington and told him that if there were anyone in camp who could get through the British lines it was their nine-year-old kid brother. As a result, Ariel Bradley was put on a horse with a sack of corn, ostensibly an uncouth lout on his way to the mill to have some meal ground. The ruse worked, and the British soldiers under General Howe, after seizing the boy and searching him thoroughly, allowed him to proceed to the mill.   

Young Ariel, however, was not so dumb and green as he acted. While going to the mill he made an estimation of the force of the enemy by the number of tents and took a good mental picture of the layout of the forces along the river. When he returned he was searched again but maintained the same dumb demeanor and was allowed to go through the lines and home. As he departed, however, he heard a British officer say ‘I bet the little devil will betray us yet’.” Bear in mind that Nathan Hale had been hanged as a spy barely a month before. 

Although the Battle of White Plains was hardly a victory for Washington’s troops, it did allow his army to withdraw from the field largely intact and begin the arduous trek culminating with the convincing victory at Trenton. While we cannot positively place Thaddeus or James Bradley at the scene, both had enlisted in the patriots’ cause early on and served in Connecticut regiments involved in the New York retreat. It seems that both of the brothers eventually attained the rank of sergeant and served through the duration of the war.  No written record indicates that Ariel continued his service to the cause.  James died March 3, 1817 in Johnston Township, Trumbull County, Ohio.  Having lived in Johnston Township himself at one point, Thaddeus died November 16, 1840 in neighboring Geauga County. 

Ariel married Chloe Lane in Killingworth, Connecticut in 1792. They had four children before migrating over the Alleghany Mountains to the Western Reserve of Ohio where they had four more. After spending several years in the frontier towns of Canfield in Mahoning County and Suffield in Portage County, he purchased 120 acres of land in the fall of 1807 and erected the first house in what is now Springfield Township in Summit County. The community became known as Bradleyville and retained that name until 1825 when it was renamed Mogadore, Arabic for beautiful. 

Sometime after the death of Chloe in 1848, Ariel headed to Wood County to stay with his son, Ariel Bird Bradley, and perhaps be closer to his daughters, Amelia and Phoebe.  He died there on March 25, 1857 and is buried in Wakeman Cemetery.  Daughter Amelia Emma would die in Portage in 1842 and Phoebe Marilla in Bowling Green in 1872.  Ariel Bird died in 1887 and is buried with his wife and father in Wakeman, Waterville, Ohio.

ariel bradleysign_edited-1.jpg

Waterville's Sampler Maker

August 30, 2015  /  Toni Stoma

In 1834, the Sargent House was built by Edward Sargent and Rowena Edwards Sargent.  In August of 1839, Rowena P. Sargent was born to the couple. Ten years later, on her tenth birthday, this young lady completed a hand stitched sampler which exists to this day. On May 9, 1861, she married Seth Duane Bingham of Wyandot, Ohio and they eventually settled in Haskins, Ohio.  Two children were born to them, Jessie May Bingham, born May 8, 1864, here in Waterville and Frederick H. Bingham, born December 30, 1867, in Haskins, Ohio. She died at the age of 44 on November 1, 1883 and is buried in Wakeman Cemetery along with other Sargent family members.

This is the only known surviving sampler made in Lucas County.  There have been no other documented Lucas County samplers.  Although plain in composition and lightly faded, Rowena Sargent’s sampler displays excellent stitching techniques.  Letters and numerals are nicely done in block and script in cross-stitch and Algerian eye stitch – a relatively difficult stitch to master. 

Rowena also tells us her name, the date she completed her work and her place of residence – Waterville, Lucas County, Ohio.        

What makes this sampler so unique is the fact that the Sargent House at 118 South River Road still exists and is a museum owned by the Waterville Historical Society.  

THE WORLD'S FAIR EXPRESS

July 17, 2015  /  Sally Waggoner

     This article is a condensed version of a fascinating story written by John Spafford, one of the participants in this adventure. The complete story can be found at the Wakeman Archival Center. John Spafford recently passed away and his obit is on this website and on Facebook.

      In mid-June 1933, three new Waterville High School graduates, Gale Buerk, Ralph Emerson “Bill” Waffle, and Johnny Spafford, were discussing how they should spend their summer.  The senior class had gone to the Chicago World’s Fair by train; Gale suggested that they go back to Chicago to see more exhibits. It wouldn’t cost much if they had a car because they could pitch a tent in South Chicago and ride the streetcar to and from the Fair.

     Who did they know who had a car they could use?  Gale knew that Old Man Boston had a Model T on blocks in his barn.  He also had seen a Model T chassis with wheels in the junk pile behind Graf’s garage.  Then Gale squatted down under the bench in his father’s shop and found a Model T Ford engine with the transmission as well as a radiator and two front tires hanging in the shop.  Johnny said his Uncle Frank Lyon, a respected mechanic, had told him that most of the Model T parts from 1922 through 1927 were interchangeable. The boys decided they would keep the parts at Johnny’s home.  Although all of them had work to do, they decided they could work on the car in the evening. A few days later the three boys visited Earnest Graf, who was well-known as a mechanic and a sharp dealer in the automotive business. In the end of the conversation, Ol’ Ernie made a deal:  The boys could have the chassis if they would load Ernie’s truck with all the other pieces and leave the area neat. Deep in the pile they discovered a drive shaft which Ernie said would fit the rear end of their chassis, but he charged them two dollars.  At the same time he gave the boys six inner tubes of unknown condition.  As they were about to leave, Ernie came back with a tube repair kit that cost them another sixty-nine cents. Besides the parts Gale found in his father’s plumbing shop, Johnny discovered  parts in the family corncrib, Bill got a fourth tire from Old Man Boston, and various items were found at the Toledo scrapyard for which they paid sixteen dollars.  Uncle Frank also gave them many pieces, and, most important to the boys, a manual for the car. Ol’ Ernie came one day to see how the boys were doing.  Johnny told him they needed a fan belt and some gas before starting up.  After looking the car over, he reminded them they needed oil and water, too.  When Ol’ Ernie left, he told them he would set aside a fan belt for them, and he would mark it off to public relations. A fourth boy, Freddie Bellner, had joined the venture in early summer. He was an outgoing, fun loving boy who was working for Uncle Roy in the farm next door.  During the latter part of July, Uncle Frank’s family had Sunday dinner with Johnny’s family.  The highlight of the day was after dinner when Uncle Frank revved the engine of the Model T and drove down the driveway.  After driving around, it was decided that the four bearings should be adjusted.  Then they needed gasket material, finally using a flour bag to cut out a new paper gasket.  Eventually the job was done and dramatically improved the Ford’s performance.  A license was procured with Johnny declaring their vehicle was a touring car because they were going to tour the World’s Fair.

    They still needed a body for the Model T.  One day Gale learned that Doyle Clear’s family had a Model T body they no longer wanted.  Gale and Johnny together paid two dollars and fifty-seven cents for the body. While the boys were putting the body on the frame, Mom Spafford was busy taking pictures.  Her comment was, “You’re not going to stop now are you?  It looks pretty tacky; you ought to paint it.”   The boys painted the body and hood forest green, and the fenders shiny black.  The paint on the oak wheels was scraped off with pieces of glass, and then the forty-eight spokes were varnished.

     Finally in the third week of August plans were made for the trip to the World’s Fair, packing a tent, tarpaulin, tools, picnic dishes, blankets, and clothes.  Each boy took thirty dollars and gave Gale five dollars for running expenses.  At about 5:30 a.m. on Saturday boys left Waterville.  Gale was the number one driver by mutual consent, but all of the boys would take turns.  Calamity stuck at about 6:30 when they were going through Swanton.  Suddenly a lot of engine vibration and heavy thumping began.  They needed a new connecting rod with shims, a can of oil, and some shop towels, which Gale was able to purchase from a garage which was nearby.  The boys were able to fix the problem. After that, they stopped often to check the oil, gas, and water.  Because of the stops, they were not going to get to Chicago that day.  They decided they could make it to Hammond where Maxine, Uncle Roy’s daughter, lived.  Unfortunately, there was a parade in Hammond, and the car was having some problems.  The long evening gave them time to do more work on the car.  Using the blankets they had brought along, the boys were able to spend the night on Maxine’s long side porch. As they came to the outskirts of Chicago the next day, they were looking for a place to camp.  They also needed to check the oil and buy gas.  Bill noticed there was an empty lot behind the gas station, and they made a deal.  Each boy paid two dollars to raise the tent on the highest area for the week.  While the boys went by bus or streetcar to the Fair, the men at the gas station displayed the boys’ car. Each morning the boys put together a lunch and ate a light breakfast.  On Monday they purchased a five-day ticket for admission to the Fair.  On Wednesday afternoon they had rain, and the boys decided to take the Model T’s seats into the tent. 

    Saturday night they decided it was time to head home. When they started to leave, the boys had a good feeling and were singing.  However, it wasn’t long before rain began.  Freddy wanted to pull over and cover the car with the tarpaulin.  There was a roadside park where they parked and then pulled the tarpaulin over the Ford’s top, leaving an open space above the doors on the leeward side.  In South Bend the Model T was treated with oil and gas, and its passengers treated themselves to a late pancake breakfast.  During the rest of the day they took turns driving, stopping only occasionally to add oil.  It was almost five o’clock when they left U.S. Twenty and headed south toward Swanton, Ohio. They waved at the nice lady’s house where they had their trauma a week before.  After stopping for banana splits, they then drove the last twenty miles to Waterville, and so ended the big adventure for the Summer of 1933. 

Meet J.F.T. Isham, Teacher, Surveyor, Farmer, and Photographer

July 01, 2015  /  John Rose

John Findlay Torrence (Torry) Isham was born November 19, 1865, the youngest son of John George and his second wife, Sarah Cooper Isham. John G. came to Waterville in 1840 as a superintendent on the construction of the canal. The Coopers were early Waterville pioneers. John G. and Sarah built a Greek Revival farm home on River Tract 42 overlooking the river and the canal. This home stands today, opposite the Farnsworth Park shelter house. Torry worked as a boy and young man on his father’s farm and was educated in the local schools. He received a teacher’s certificate in 1885 and taught at the Neowash School on Neowash Road. He also learned surveying, possibly under local surveyor Charles Shoemaker. He worked as a surveyor in several northwestern states for the Great Northern Railroad Line from 1888 to 1891 while courting the love of his life, Emeline (Emma) Knaggs, long distance.

Torry and Emma married in 1892 and settled in on the family farm. Torry worked the farm, did some survey work and also was a bridge inspector. He became interested in home photography around 1900, when he purchased a big wooden box and bellows camera and home developing equipment. He took many photos of local scenes that interested him, many of his own farm and animals. The photos were taken on glass negatives, which were developed and printed in his home darkroom. Some of the iconic Waterville scenes found commonly in the public domain are Torry’s work, especially the photographs of the construction of the Ohio Electric Bridge at Roche de Boeuf.

 J.F.T. Isham died in 1933, but his survey equipment is on display at the Sargent House museum. His camera, photography equipment, and some photographic prints, are displayed in the Wakeman Archival Research Center. Many of his glass negatives are held by the Center for Archival Collections at Bowling Green State University. A more extensive biography of the Isham family can be found in the W.H.S. publication Waterville, Ohio Memorial Profiles which can be obtained at the Wakeman Archives.


Farnsworth Fruit Farms

June 15, 2015  /  Verna Rose

The Farnsworth Fruit Farm was established in 1877 when Mr. Watson Wales Farnsworth purchased ten acres of  land just west of Waterville, on the north side of Waterville – Neapolis Road, (later known as Farnsworth Road) and started his stock of small fruit trees. He incorporated as W.W. Farnsworth Company in 1911 and had expanded to well over 200 acres. It has also been known as Clover Leaf Fruit Farms, Farnsworth-Young Fruit Farm and later, when operated by the only son of W. W., it was known as the Frank Franksworth Fruit Farm. The orchard produced apples, peaches, pears, plums, cherries and currants. Early in the operation they would take loaded horse drawn wagons to Toledo and make the return trip the next day. In 1920 they had a special railcar to take fruit from the Waterville orchards to Toledo by the interurban line. Later, in 1923 they had a farm truck to take the fruit to market. The Farnsworth Orchards were also known for strawberries, potatoes, apple cider and apple butter.

From 1911 to 1938 W.W. Farnsworth operated the farm in partnership with son Frank and Frank’s brother-in-law W.E. Young. During the first few years of operation his younger brother Willie, later W.G. (Willard Grant) had a part in the operations, but in a few years started his own orchard across the street from W.W.  Mr. William Young’s chief responsibility was for marketing. He developed “The Farnsworth Family Fruit Basket.” It was their warranty that every apple, pear, peach or plum was sound, ripe, tasty and healthful, and that the fruit at the bottom of the basket would be as good as that on top. Each one of these baskets was attractively labeled and had gauze netting over the top which protected the items from fruit flies and other insects. It was probably big enough for a family of four and when it was empty they perhaps would bring it back to refill – a very good advertising gimmick.

During the cherry picking season as many as three hundred people would be employed. There were eighteen houses on the two farms used by the family and regular yearly help. During the war German prisoners were used, being brought in from Camp Perry. At one time Farnsworth Farms was one of the largest businesses in Waterville. Sadly, due to lower prices of produce, the great amount of spraying to control pests such as codling moth, and the orchard having passed maturity, production declined and brought an end to the Farnsworth Fruit Farms, last known as Frank Farnsworth Fruit Orchards.  In the summer of 1962 the remaining eighty acres of peach and cherry trees were uprooted and converted back into farm land or sold to developers for residential subdivision building lots.  In its heyday the orchard sent produce to markets as far away as Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburg, and south to Cincinnati and Columbus.

Much more information on the Farnsworth Orchards and the families that operated them can be found in the Wakeman Archival Research Center.

 

W.W. Farnsworth Orchardist, Senator, Preservationist

June 01, 2015  /  Verna Rose

Do you enjoy visiting the Farnsworth Metropark or perhaps you live in a part of Waterville that was once the Farnsworth Fruit Farm? Watson Wales Farnsworth, a native and lifelong resident of Waterville and the grandson of Watervilleʼs founder, John Pray, played an important part in each historical event. “W. W.” as he was known, was born November 21st, 1855, and died from cancer and pneumonia on January 13, 1939. He married Anna Norton on June 15, 1881, and together they had two children, Ruth E. (Mrs. William E. Young) and Frank Norton.

After Anna Nortonʼs death in 1908, W.W. married Adelaide A. Counter, the daughter of a fruit raiser, city forester and city councilman of Toledo on October 4, 1911. As farmers, scientific fruit growers, and good citizens, the Farnsworths and their orchards attracted sightseers and those interested in horticulture from all sections of the country, some coming exclusively to northwest Ohio to see W. W.ʼs property. His fruit business deserved to rank along with the leading manufacturing industries of the nearby City of Toledo. As a teacher and lecturer on horticultural subjects, W. W. was an authority and elevated the industry throughout the United States. He worked on his father’s farm until the age of twenty-one when he bought the original ten acres of land on the western edge of Waterville where he first engaged in fruit cultivation. In 1908 he became one of the organizers and then president of the Rex Spray Company of Toledo, a firm designed to produce sprays for fruit trees and farms. In 1926, when he turned his holdings over to his children and grandchildren, he owned 500 acres, more land than any other person in the district.

In 1912 Watson Wales Farnsworth was a delegate from Lucas County to the Fourth Ohio Constitutional Convention. In 1922, he was elected to the Ohio Senate, 85th General Assembly, and in 1924 was re-elected to serve in the 86th General Assembly as Senator from Lucas County, the 34th District. This service was interrupted in 1926 by defeat for Lt. Governor, but he served as a State Senator again from 1929 to 1933. He authored legislation permitting canal lands to become the Anthony Wayne Trail, and for municipal park systems in Ohio to be separate tax supported entities. He built the park system of Lucas County, Ohio, 1,200 acres of which took in the old Miami and Erie Canal. The park, named after W. W., contains many historic spots, the sites of old battlegrounds and places of historic value. He was the first executive-secretary of the Toledo Metropolitan Park Board.

Farnsworth Road, and Farnsworth Metropark in Waterville are named for “W. W.” who was a lifelong member of local Masonic Order and United Methodist Church serving 50 years as Sunday School Superintendent. He was a delegate to the Republican Convention in 1928 and selected by President Wilson in 1917 to serve on selective service appeals board. In his lifetime, W. W. served in many public and semi-public capacities, at one time being a member of the Waterville Board of Education.

W. W. Farnsworth did much to improve the conditions existing among farmers and orchardists, and earned high standing in every quarter in which he was known. He was kind, generous, fair, and considerate, whether in business or in the affairs of every day human relationships.

Winter on the Miami and Erie Canal

February 05, 2015  /  Kathy Saco

The Miami and Erie Canal, which carried both cargo and people between Toledo and Cincinnati, making myriad stops along the way at places like Waterville and Providence, was well traveled during the 1840s. Although traffic and business bustled along the busy canal during the warmer months, winter weather brought canal travel to a screeching halt.  Canals, having no current, quickly froze over when the temperature dropped and the winter winds blew. This was great for children and young people who enjoyed ice skating and other games on the ice, but the men and their families who lived aboard the canal boats had to stay busy and employed too.

Canal boat families did not shelter aboard their boats in the winter. Canal boats were constructed entirely of wood and after being used twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, boat maintenance and repair were much needed if the boat was to be ready for service when spring returned. This kept many workers busy. In addition, the canal itself needed lots of attention. Portions of the canals were actually drained of water so repairs could be made along the banks where erosion and burrowing animals like muskrats had done damage. This also afforded an opportunity to periodically repair or replace the heavy wooden gates that controlled the flow of water in the locks. Although Ohio appears to be fairly flat when traveling the entire 240 mile length of the canal the land elevation actually changes hundreds of feet along the way. Locks were necessary for raising and lowering the boats.

In the canal itself, silt which had been moved and deposited by all the warm weather traffic also had to be cleared away so that the boats could maintain their nice steady four mile-an-hour pace (the legal speed limit).

In addition to all of these cold weather chores some boat workers also sought employment in the various gristmills, sawmills and other businesses located along the various rivers and canals that connected Lake Erie and the Ohio River.

As many people already know, today’s Anthony Wayne Trail (formerly State Route 24) which runs through the city of Waterville follows the route of the old Miami and Erie Canal.

Source:  “Frozen in Time,” a guided tour conducted by Jennifer Christensen at Providence Metropark and sponsored by the Toledo Metroparks, January 19, 2015.  The purpose was to explore the impact of winter on life along the Miami and Erie Canal.

Ice Skating on the Canal

January 15, 2015  /  Rose Kandik

Brrrr…it’s winter time again, isn’t it? Makes me mindful of the time I was a teenager and looking for some outdoor winter fun. My name is Marie Conrad and I was born here in Waterville in 1889. My papa built a two story brick building on Mill Street (you now call it “Third Street”) where our family of nine children lived.

We worked hard in those days but occasionally an opportunity came along to enjoy an outing with friends. That’s what happened when I experienced the scariest moments of my entire life!

I was 20 years old at the time and my sister Hannah (Hanse) and I were invited to go ice skating all the way to Maumee on the canal with our friends Charlie and Paul. Charlie was an older bachelor and Paul was younger (and so handsome!). Charlie was my date and Hanse went with Paul. They met us at our house and walked us down the banks to the canal where we put on our skates.  


Off we went gliding along toward Maumee talking excitedly and enjoying the cold late afternoon air. Charlie and I were in the lead when we heard a gradual cracking sound and realized we were breaking through the ice! Unbeknownst to us, there was a paper mill located at the outskirts of Maumee near the canal bank. As I recall we were later told that hot water ran from this mill into the canal, causing only a thin layer of ice to be frozen over that area. Charlie told me to be calm and hang onto the ice for if we were to go down again and plunge under the surrounding 12” ice shelf, we may not be saved!

We struggled and called out for help. Luckily, two railroad workers heard our cries and ran to save us by throwing out large tow ropes and pulling us up the canal banks. My head was cut, my coat was torn, and I could hardly catch my breath from shivering so violently. But those men knew that to keep us from freezing, they had to make us run all the way to the nearest cottage where it was warm and dry. A very kind woman and her daughter helped us into dry clothes that they had and warmed us at their fireplace hearth. They sent us on our way on a street car, “The Pumpkin Vine,” that luckily ran between Maumee and Waterville.

When we got into the house, we were exhausted and bedraggled! Papa made us drink a cup of hot “hop” tea and sent us straight to bed.

The canal provided much entertainment and many fond memories to residents but it was also very dangerous. Eight years later, the Utz girls, Clara and Jessie, broke through the ice near the interurban bridge. They were not as fortunate as Hanse and I were. Tragically, they drowned. After that many parents no longer allowed their children to risk ice skating on the canals in winter.

NOTE: This article is adapted from a letter written by Marie in 1962 relaying this canal ice skating incident.

Hannah (Hanse) Conrad

Marie M. Conrad

The Christmas Connection to Baer Park

December 15, 2014  /  Phyllis Witzler

     One of Waterville's most active volunteers, John H. Baer, 47, was killed in a tragic accident while helping to hang Christmas decorations at Third and Mechanic Streets in 1971. He was a member of the Waterville Recreation Committee for 15 years, had coached the Waterville Little League baseball team, served as chairman of the village summer festival committee and was elected to serve on village council. As a result of a 15-foot fall from a scaffold, he received serious head injuries and died after surgery. He was survived by his wife Eileen and three children.

     An eight acre plot of land behind Elm Street and next to the railroad tracks had been reserved to build a new elementary school when needed. When it was deemed impractical for that purpose, it was decided to develop it into another park and to name it Baer Park in honor of John Baer. For the next three years it was delayed by controversy and financing problems. The plans drawn up by landscape architects included a large pond for fishing and ice skating but was met with opposition, and the pond was erased from the plan. A proposal for lights at the baseball diamond also drew the wrath of nearby residents.

     After tearing down a small house on Elm Street to make way for an entrance drive into the park from the north end of Fifth Street, the park was finally completed with the rest of the original plan intact. Tennis and basketball courts, baseball and softball fields, playground equipment, picnic areas and a pavilion were constructed. Even a sledding hill was added.

     Dedication day for the park was held May 21, 1977 with speeches, music, and ceremonies in the morning, followed by a family picnic lunch, games, contests and more music all afternoon. In the following years the playground was improved, and a paved trail now surrounds the whole park. It is a very popular recreation area for all ages.

Check it out with the City of Waterville and Global Tennis.

P.O. Box 263,  Waterville, OH  43566            watervillehistory@outlook.com

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