World War II --- Some Suffered Much And Returned Home

Larry Noward was drafted into the U.S. Army November 11, 1942 and after basic training was trained in heavy weapons (machine guns and mortars.) He then was sent for jungle training in Alabama and Tennessee. After that the Army needed men for desert warfare in N. Africa so he did desert training in Arizona. When nearly done with that, the North Africa campaign was ending, so Larry was sent to college in California to study engineering. This was by far his easiest and most pleasant duty station, however the army soon realized they had too many would-be officers and not enough fighting enlisted men, so canceled the school. Larry then spent two months in a light infantry division doing mountain warfare training until, again not needed, they were all sent to an infantry division preparing to go to Europe for a final assault on Germany. He was then trained as a radioman with a heavy weapons company. Finally, two years and nearly two months after entering the army, Larry and the entire division were shipped to France, leaving January 10, 1945 and arriving ten days later. They were assigned to Patton’s 3rd Army and spent six or seven weeks in the cold European winter orienting and training for the expected combat. Finally, on March 14th, they reached the front lines as replacement troops for combat veterans. The very next day, March 15, his unit took their first casualties. Typical of many W.W. II veterans, Larry’s memoirs give very little information on his own combat experience. He mentions difficult river crossings including crossing the Rhine River at St. Goar in boats on March 25-27 and casualties there but never talks about any personal combat. He does mention seeing the ugly results, death and devastation on entering towns. The Third Army moved through Germany very rapidly, but Larry injured his foot in a Jeep accident and was in a field hospital when Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945. His unit spent a short time as occupation troops, then were shipped back to France where they first landed. There, many combat veterans, especially wounded or P.O.W.s were being shipped to England or back home. Here our hero was given his last military specialty for which he never trained, being assigned as Motor Sargent. October 27 he was sent to Lintz, Austria, assigned to a different unit and in charge of a large motor pool there. Here at least he found time to do some recreational skiing in the Austrian mountains. Finally on March 14, 1946, his time in-service, based on a point system, was nearly up. He was sent to a German port of departure, and left for the U.S.A. on March 26th and arrived April 5th. He was discharged on April 10th at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, in time to marry the girl he left behind, Miss Betty Wagner of Bowling Green on April 21, 1946.

Author’s note: Larry Noward’s story, self-titled “Not My Best 3 ½ years” can be found in the Wakeman Archives in the Noward Family File. It is an interesting read.

World War II --- And Some Gave Their All

As we celebrate this Memorial Day we want to feature several of the Waterville men who were sent to fight on foreign soil in W.W. II and did not return. Their biographies can be found at the Wakeman Archives.

RALPH WAFFLE, usually known as “Bill”, graduated from Waterville High School in 1933. He worked at American Can, farmed his father and grandfather’s land and served as a Boy Scout Leader. He was drafted into the Army early, in February 1942, only three months after the declaration of war. After basic training he was sent to Officers Candidate School at Fort Knox, KY. Graduating as a 2nd Lt., he was assigned to the Second Army, 67th Armored Division. He served in North Africa but never in combat. He was sent to England in January 1944, to train for the Normandy invasion of Europe. The Waffle diary ends abruptly in April 1944 probably due to censorship and top secrecy about the impending invasion. He and his unit finally landed there just six days after the initial assault, on June 12, 1944. Fighting their way through France, Lt. Waffle was killed in action at St. Lo on August 12, 1944. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for refusing medical aid while leading his men in battle. Left to mourn were his parents, Leroy and Bessie Waffle, sister Lois and his fiancé Miss Betty Thompson of Toledo.

ELLSWORTH GRAF, son of Albert Graf, himself a W.W. I veteran and a Mayor of Waterville, was a 1939 graduate of Waterville High School and President of his class. He was inducted into the Army in March of 1943, served basic training as an infantry man and was shipped overseas (probably to England) in September 1943. The Archives has no record of his experience there, but we assume he trained in England and moved into Europe after the initial D Day invasion. He was part of the 1st Army, 115th Infantry. The record finds him stationed in Holland October 22, 1944 behind the front lines but close to the front. He says in a letter that he has been assigned as a runner for the Regimental Commander. In a November 9, 1944 letter he is still in Holland, living in a two man foxhole with a pup tent over. He is cold and wet but getting hot food from their field kitchen. He says he has been in England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He sent a letter home dated November 15, 1944 saying he was preparing to be sent into action. He was killed in action in Germany (or Belgium) November 20, 1944. We have a photo, dated November 20, 1946, of his temporary grave, a simple cross with his name, serial number and grave number from a battlefield cemetery in Margraten, Holland. The photographs were taken and sent to his Waterville family by a person he had befriended in Holland. His body was returned to Waterville after the war and is buried in Wakeman Cemetery. On the left is Ralph Waffle and right is Ellsworth Graf.

V.E. Day ----- Nazi Germany Surrenders!

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This year marks the seventy fifth anniversary of the end of W.W. II, first with final victory in Europe over Nazi Germany and later in 1945, the surrender of Imperial Japan. It was a difficult and bloody year. The famous “Battle of the Bulge” marked the failed attempt of the German army to drive the allied forces back, followed by the U.S. and allied forces fighting their way through Germany to Berlin and the final victory on May 8, 1945. Meanwhile in the Pacific Theater our U.S. forces were “island hopping”, forced to rout Japanese forces from one Pacific island after another, a long and difficult grind while the U.S. Air Forces put pressure on the Japanese mainland, naval and other targets. The controversial atomic bomb put an end to Japanese resistance by August 14th of 1945 when the final surrender occurred. No matter your thoughts on deployment of the atomic bombs, many soldiers, sailors and marine’s lives were spared by the quick end to that war and their parents and sweethearts were grateful.

There are some of us, this writer included, that lived through that time period and remember well the rationing, victory gardens and reports of allied victories at the cost of too many deaths reported in our newspapers. To our younger readers, the war is history, a time of many stories and movies, sometimes glorifying the bravery of those combatants and also portraying the evil horrors of war. Whatever your perspective on World War II, this 75th anniversary is a time to reflect on the effects of this global conflict on our history, both local and national. To this end the Waterville Historical Society will be placing exhibits in the Robbins House Museum reflecting on W.W. II, the local men and women in that conflict, and effects on our citizens. Since our museums are closed due to the Corona Virus epidemic, this exhibit will not be available to the public until such time that it becomes safe to be open. History remains unchanged, however, and we will try to present some of our World War II exhibits in photographs throughout the year. Perhaps some of our readers will share their memories or thoughts on this time period on our Facebook page. Better still we would like your thoughts of your time in service by sending it to the website or message us on Facebook so we can tell you how to send them to us.

Authors note: This is the first of several articles we hope to share with our readers on World War II. We hope to bring you several more on specific persons or incidents later.

The First Founders' Day April 25, 1965

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L. to R. Betty Becker, Marjorie Shufelt, Elaine Chanady. In front is Jodi Becker

A huge gala event for the entire Village of Watervillle was held in April of 1965 to celebrate the first year of existence of the Waterville Historical Society. The actual beginning was in early March of 1964 when some village leaders including Mayor Dick Farnsworth and bank president Al Sieczkowski gathered a meeting to float the idea of forming a historical society to preserve and present the rich history of Waterville. The idea had much support so they met again on March 15th to formally organize. Officers and six trustees were elected and a constitution to govern the new organization was authorized. Al Sieczkowski was elected the first president. There were 58 charter members in the first year.

January 22, 1965 the group met to elect new officers and trustees. Al Sieczkowski was re-elected president and the group began to organize a big event to celebrate their first anniversary with a village-wide Founders Day (Founding Day perhaps) event. This was not only a celebration of a successful first year but a promotion and membership drive for the society. Plans were already made for the collection and preservation of historical artifacts and papers. The big day was to be Sunday April 25, 1965. There would be artifacts on display in shop windows around the village and in the school gymnasium and guided walking tours plus tours of several historic homes and the Columbian House. A grand buffet supper was held in the evening at the Zion Lutheran Church with a featured speaker, Dr. Randolph Downs from the University of Toledo. These events were attended by almost 1500 people in spite of inclement weather and a tornado threat in the evening. To put this in perspective the village population in 1965 was 2338 persons. The celebration was a resounding success and the society decided to make it an annual event.

The second Founders Day event was held Saturday and Sunday May 14 and 15, 1966 with much the same activities as the previous year plus a costume ball on Saturday night at the school. A tea and tour of the Columbian House was planned on Sunday plus dinner with speaker on Sunday night at Zion Lutheran Church.

By 1967 the third Founders Day was cut back to one day, Sunday May 21, and the society now had museum space in the upstairs of a building on Third Street generously donated by charter member, Marion Swope, which was opened to the public.

Today, 56 years after our founding, Waterville Historical Society continues to enjoy great success in our core mission, but somewhere along the way we have lost the tradition of celebrating our founding. We have three historic buildings serving as museum space plus the Wakeman Building serving as display and archives for paper and photographic artifacts. We continue to be an all-volunteer organization, dependent on the good will of members and supporters. So our story becomes a plea to our readers to please support this society as generously as possible. Things are much more complicated and expensive than in 1965. Buildings require maintenance and utilities. Preservation requires the proper storage boxes and facilities. We are also always in need of active members to volunteer to be a docent and for cleanup, maintenance, repair as well as financial supporters. We would also encourage the public to visit the museums on open house days and visit our amazing archives which is open every week on Wednesdays from 10 am to 2 pm. Waterville’s history is on display in all of our buildings. Museum displays are also viewable on Roche de Boeuf Day. Perhaps one day we can revive the practice of celebrating the founding of the Waterville Historic Society.

Author’s Note: Unfortunately, due to the Pandemic closures, our museums and the archives are not open at present. These facilities still need maintenance so your support is as essential as ever. We will announce the opening as soon as it is safe to do so. Please plan to visit us when we can be open.

WATERVILLE BRIDGE REVISITED AGAIN

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As our old steel truss bridge slowly disappears from the landscape we thought it appropriate to revisit an article we printed some time ago and share our favorite photos of the old bridge. Several years ago we wrote about the history of our bridges or lack thereof, in a series called “Crossing the River,” so we will confine our discussion to the bridge we all know.

This bridge was built and opened in 1947, when peacetime prosperity allowed replacement of the old iron truss bridge that collapsed in 1941. Remember we couldn’t get steel during the war and had to wait a few years before construction could begin. The bridge was rebuilt on the stone piers of the old wagon bridge which were widened and reinforced on the upstream side. Forty or so years later it was in bad shape and did not meet the demands of modern highway traffic. In 1988 the bridge was closed while a new and stronger deck was installed and the overhead clearance was increased to accommodate large trucks and farm vehicles. The extensive re-build was captured on film by Emery Noward, whose photos album of this project can be found in the Wakeman Archives. The bridge’s steel structure still needed repainted from time-to-time and the color may have changed. Today the bridge is no longer meeting the needs of the community again.

Today we have a new beautiful bridge which is a place that everyone is able to walk across and look at the river below in a safe manner. You can also look for the eagles nest and maybe even catch the eagle fishing. On many beautiful sunny days you see the community out taking a stroll across the bridge. Hope to see you out there sometime!

Author’s note: The steel truss bridges, so common in the 20th century, are rapidly disappearing in our state. Save your photographs to preserve the memories. Your children and grandchildren may never see one.

The Bloody Ground

Did you know that the beautiful and tranquil Maumee River Valley in which we live has a violent and bloody history? A long list of bloody conflicts appears on the history pages of the Atlas of Toledo and Lucas County, 1901 and, I am sure, a number of other places. Early on the Iroquois clashed with the Miami and Illinois tribes. The Indian stronghold at Kikonga (Ft. Wayne) was frequently in conflict from the French and English wars to General Harmar’s near victory to utter defeat there. Anthony Wayne’s battle at Fallen Timbers and subsequent complete destruction of Indian villages the length of the river in 1794 lead to a fairly peaceful time until the 1812-1915 War with England. Two sieges at Fort Meigs Dudley’s massacre at Maumee, The Battle of River Raisin and not too far away the defense of Fort Stephenson and Oliver H. Perry’s Battle of Lake Erie are all part of our violent past. At the present all is peaceful except the battle of walleye fisherman for parking places and elbow room in the river. We assume that this one is not bloody.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK DAY!

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This day it seems everybody wants to be Irish and, of course, many of us do have some Irish in our family tree. It was not always so. Some folks came from Ireland in colonial times and were accepted into our culture the same as the Dutch, Germans or any other group. But in the new, free and expanding United States, not so much. The wave of Irish immigrants fleeing from the Irish potato famine were looked down upon and discriminated against. Many labeled them as drunken hot-heads (some were of course.) They came poor and took any job that they could, which led many Irish immigrants to our area to dig the canals being built. It was difficult, hard hand labor for low pay and a daily ration of whisky, and required a large number of men. In January of 1838, Constable Lewis Eastwood of Waterville Township (Waterville government at that time) was ordered by the trustees to warn all “Irish” out of the township before winter for fear that so many of them would be of need of public assistance or welfare that the township could not afford to support them. Actually it was all non-resident persons (canal workers) most of whom were Irish. According to Clark Waggoner’s 1888 “History of the City of Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio” Eastwood served the removal warrant to 546 persons, so the Trustees fears were real even though it sounds cruel. We actually have in the Archives a copy of the original order signed by John Pray and Willard Gunn, Overseers of the Poor and Lewis Eastwood’s list of persons served with the order by name, 520 in all. Eastwood was paid $52.37 for his labors. These people apparently survived because when canal work resumed there was plenty of labor to finish the canal. Some of the canal workers died of malaria or other diseases under the harsh unhealthy conditions of their labor and some may be buried in a potter’s field that is part of the Wakeman Cemetery today. Some of these Irish bought land or established a business in this area after the canal was finished and became accepted citizens. St. Patrick’s Catholic Church at the ghost town of Providence along the canal near Grand Rapids was established by these early Irish citizens. Time heals all wounds and the Irish eventually became accepted and even admired for their hard work, persistence and good humor, so today we all want to claim to be Irish. This story could happen only in America! So wear something green and celebrate being Irish, if only for the day.

Wakeman Archives is closed!

The Wakeman Archives will be closed to the public for the next several weeks. We hope we can open sometime in early April. We will announce our re-opening when it is safe to do so.

THE POLAROID LAND CAMERA

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The most recent donation to our collection of historic objects is a Model 95 Polaroid Land Camera (see photo). Designed and produced by Edwin Land, founder of the Polaroid Corporation, this was the first camera to produce a finished photograph at the time it was taken, or an instant photo camera. The story is that Edwin Land was inspired to create the instant camera when taking a picture of his young daughter, she wondered why she could not see the picture he had just taken. It took years to perfect but he eventually succeeded. The concept was first demonstrated to the public in February 1947 and 57 of these, designed as model 95 were placed in the market in Boston before the 1948 Christmas holiday as a market test. They were all sold on the first day! The instant camera was a smashing success. About 1.5 million Polaroid Land Cameras were sold under the designation of Model 95, then 95A and 95B over the years. Later models were smaller, more streamlined and eventually Land produced a color film instant camera. The secret, of course, was in the film which contained the chemicals needed to develop a positive image. The camera was designed to pass the exposed film through a set of rollers to activate the development process and eject it from the camera. It took about one minute for the finished photo to be ready.

There is no way to know if our camera is one of the first 57 sold in Boston but it is a model 95, the first Polaroid model to go on the market. We are proud to place this camera on display in the Archives along with our big antique mahogany Isham camera and the old box camera which was perhaps the first mass produced camera, popular in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. If you are a camera buff we invite you to come up and see this display

Local Residents Oppose Stitt Road Site for New Toledo Express Airport

I remember the dedication ceremony and air show of the Toledo Express Airport on Oct. 31, 1954 on Airport Highway. It was a cold and windy day, and I was a young girl attending with my parents, George F. and Leona Sherer, my younger sister, Patty, and my grandparents. According to the Blade, 35,000 people attended. It was a big day for area residents, but especially for my father as a land owner and farmer in Waterville Township and member of the group that opposed the favored Stitt Rd. site.

As early as 1939, a search was begun to find a suitable location for a new airport with a longer landing strip that could accommodate the larger jet airplanes that were being built and to be a defensive site between New York and Chicago. The outdated Municipal Airport (Metcalf Field) could not be expanded due to the railroad tracks. The search began in earnest in 1944 for an ideal site. As many as 19 sites were considered, including: Maumee, Sylvania, three near Holland, Union Station, Point Place, Glendale, Oregon, Perrysburg, Garden Rd. and two in Michigan, but a site in Monclova and Waterville Townships was favored by the city of Toledo. Occupying mostly farm land and homes between Whitehouse and Waterville, it was bounded on the north by Stitt Rd., on the east by Waterville-Monclova Rd., Finzel Rd. on the west and an indefinite line on Rt. 64 to the south intersecting Dutch Rd. The Stitt Rd. site was favored since, 2,000 acres were needed to build a runway long enough, there were no obstacles to safe air operations and easy access on the new A.W. Trail. The 445th Bombardment Squadron, Air Force Reserves was interested in locating there.

On April 12, 1948, about 75 land owners met to oppose the Stitt Rd. site and formed the Maumee Valley Protective Association. Glen Niederhouse was elected President, Marion Moser, Secretary and Don Fischer, Treasurer, which is the group my father joined. 154 residents of the two townships presented signed petitions circulated by Clarence Burkett, Herman Moser, Christopher Fisher, Arthur Holliker and Dan Neiderhouse opposing the site. Also, a resolution was presented to Toledo City Council to choose another site where the land is not as fertile, by Waterville Township trustees, signed by George Bidwell, Edwin Berger, John Wittes, and Clark Roach, clerk. Waterville, Whitehouse and Monclova school boards opposed the site since a new consolidated high school was being planned in that vicinity.

The next day, April 13th, by a unanimous vote, the Toledo Aviation Commission voted for the location of the Class IV airport to be the Stitt Rd. site. A protest meeting was held April 28, 1948 at Waterville School attended by 400 residents of the three townships to form a resolution citing numerous objections to the Stitt Rd. site.

In early May at the Toledo City Council meeting, 165 people attended to protest the Stitt Rd. site and voice their objections. Don Demuth, Waterville Village attorney, argued that the area was being increasingly populated, that the city had no right to take away such fertile farm land, would decrease property values and loss of taxes would hurt the schools. Neiderhouse of the M.V.P.A. pointed out that an airport built on clay would “heave” in winter weather. My father, George F. Sherer, read a letter sent to him from Louis Bromfield, author and well known conservationist of Malabar Farm in Ohio. In it, Mr. Bromfield stated that the proposed site near Stitt Rd. would destroy some of the most productive agricultural land in the state of Ohio. He also advised that land near Swanton, Ohio, the same distance from Toledo, where there were large areas of inferior quality land, would be a more suitable location, thereby saving the rich soil of Waterville and Monclova Townships. He argued that our nation can no longer afford the destruction of good soil which causes the price of food to go up and we should take care of our natural resources. Andrew Harvey of Waterville read his letter to the Commission stating that since an airport is considered an industrial use of land, it therefore should be located in an area that is currently industrial. Karis Hanifan stated that by locating the airport on this land Page Dairy would lose a ton of milk a day. A hand vote of those opposed was 100% unanimous.

Finally on Nov. 3, 1952 the final choice was chosen by Toledo City Council. Located near Oak Openings, it met all the requirements: mostly industrial, no concentrated residential areas, no public buildings, room for expansion, adequate soil conditions and met safety requirements in case of emergency landings. It was funded by six local industries; L.O.F., O-I, Owens Corning, Champion Spark Plug, Electric Auto-Lite and Willys-Overland Motors. The Toledo Express airport took two years to build and opened in 1955. This year it will celebrate its 65th anniversary.

LOVE STORIES

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Love, it seems, is timeless throughout history. The means of communication may change but love stories are much the same. Some Waterville love stories are recorded in our history and we will use this St. Valentines holiday to recount a few.

John Pray, our founder and his wife Lucy Dunham Pray came to this Maumee Valley frontier with four children plus an orphan nephew to care for in 1818. She suffered all the privations that all frontier folks endured yet remained, bore six more children and the family all eventually prospered. If that isn’t love and devotion then what is?

Peter Ullrich came from Germany in 1864 to the United States while his betrothed Sophie Schneider remained behind waiting for Peter to become “established” in his new country. They of course communicated by slow transatlantic mail. Peter, after a short two month stint in the Civil War army, settled in Waterville where he established a harness makers shop. This was the trade he had trained for in Germany. Finally, in 1866 he sent for his bride-to-be and to her surprise traveled to meet her at the dock in New York. The newly wed couple settled in the present-day Reed-Ullrich House on River Road and were among Waterville’s prominent citizens, with descendants still in the area. Peter’s letters to Sophie exist, some printed in “Watervillore” by Midge Campbell.

John Findlay Torrence Isham (Torry or J.F.T.) was the youngest son of John George Isham, a canal contractor and maintenance supervisor. Torry was a school teacher as a young man, then in 1888 he worked surveying for the Great Northern Railroad during its westward expansion through Wisconsin, Minnesota and Idaho. He carried on a long distance relationship by mail with the love of his life Emma Knaggs and his “My Darling Emma” letters were kept in his family. The two were married in 1892 after his return to Waterville and they settled on the family homestead built by his father on the canal and river south of town. The house still exists across from the Farnsworth Park shelter house and the farm is mostly part of the Browning property.

The “Pumpkin Vine” electric railway between Maumee and Waterville opened in 1901. A handsome young conductor, Leroy Waffle, would meet the daughter of William Cobb, Miss Bessie Cobb, as the interurban line ran right through the Cobb farm just south of Waterville. Perhaps it started as a wave as the car rolled by and perhaps they met when Bessie would ride the car into Waterville or to Maumee. Loved blossomed and Leroy and Bessie were married on April 11, 1904. They first lived in Perrysburg but later moved back to Waterville when the interurban line closed. Leroy and Bessie were the parents of past and fondly remembered Waterville librarian Lois Waffle.

How Many Remember the Blizzard of 1978

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The weather started on Wednesday, January 25th with rain about midnight, then freezing rain turning to snow which froze on windows, side of house driven by fierce winds, then drifting snow. By January 26 Northwestern, Ohio was paralyzed by the blizzard which had dumped seven inches of snow and the 50-60 MPH winds blew the snow into drifts as high as 10 feet and the snow continued through the day. The highways soon became clogged with motorists stuck in the deep drifting snow. Even the snowplows got stuck. The only vehicles able to move were some with 4-wheel drive and snowmobiles. The stranded motorists needed to be evacuated to emergency shelters set up in all the towns in the area. They were unable to plow the snow from the roads and were calling in the Ohio Army National Guard for assistance. Electricity was off for thousands of people. People had to figure out what they could eat. Those without gas stoves used the candle under the coffee warmer to heat food or ate cold sandwiches. Seems you are never prepared. Electricity went out on the 26th and without electricity the furnace didn’t work to keep the house warm. Houses were getting down in the 30s and 40s. Neighbors with alternators were sharing them but hot water heaters didn’t warm the house as fast as forced air furnaces. Then for some people with hot water heat, the pipes froze and broke when they weren’t able to get the temperature up. Many families had to huddle in bed with extra clothing on to keep warm. As one gets colder it becomes harder to function and thinking becomes difficult. Farm families that live far apart didn’t have the neighbors nearby to all band together. Helicopters were used to fly the sick to the hospital. Waterville was cut off from everyone with all roads blocked. If you had a transistor radio or battery radio you used it only to get updates of what was going on. With no electric you hoped the food in the freezer would not perish. They claimed if the freezer was full it would not spoil for 36 hours. For some the back porch was colder than the freezer. People found it was best to close off rooms to keep the heat in one room and some placed blankets in the doorways to keep the heat in one room. Those with fireplaces fared better if they could get their wood in or had wood close by. Those with gas stoves invited neighbors in for a hot meal if the neighbor could make it through the high drifts safely. There were a few that were stranded and tried to walk home only to be found frozen to death. Locally the electricity went out about midmorning Thursday, January 26th and for many was not restored until late Saturday January 28th. To make matters worse the blizzard which dropped up to 15 inches of snow was followed by near zero temperatures. This was a difficult and scary time for people in the Waterville area.

We wonder if any of our readers have memories of this awful blizzard of 1978? Any pictures to share?

Waterville and the 18th Amendment

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This year of 2020 will be the 100th Anniversary year for two momentous amendments to the United States Constitution, those being the 18th and 19th. Both amendments were the culmination of years of action and lobbying by their adherents. The first and subject of this sketch, enacted January 17, 1920, prohibited the manufacture, transport or sale of alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content greater than 0.5% or better known as the prohibition amendment. The other, the 19th amendment, gave women the right to vote and we will write about that in August when the amendment was ratified. Both amendments had profound effects in American society.

Churches and organized women’s temperance groups led the fight for prohibition, noting the terrible effects of alcoholic fathers on family life. In Waterville the Methodist Church was the leading advocate for prohibition and Peter Briesach’s saloon was right across the street on the opposite corner. (At one time the Methodist Church was located at the corner of Mechanic and the River Road.) Locally, nobody came through town smashing saloons as was done in many other communities but there was intense lobbying of local, state and national governments to ban alcohol sales by statute. Waterville was voted “dry” about 1908 and voted in 1911 to remain dry by a vote of 112 to 103. The outright ban severely impacted our German citizens where drinking beer or wine with meals was part of their culture and many of them were home brewers. The local result of prohibition has been dealt with in this space before. Breisach’s saloon and several other establishments along Main Street became restaurants and, so far as this writer knows, the village was dry. The township beyond the town Marshall’s jurisdiction, not so much. Our article (February 4, 2019) on Dorothy Hattersley, Waterville’s Miss Fisher, shows that hidden distilleries sprang up many places along the river and the canal. A hotel on River Road (now a private home) was known to serve alcohol and many years later a hidden “still” was found in the basement. The 18th Amendment did not produce the intended results. Quite the opposite, as history indicates. This was such a disaster that it became the only amendment to our constitution to be repealed by another amendment, the 21st, which was ratified in December of 1933.

A Polar-Steer Plunge

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Photo by Howard Krause in an AW Standard

As New Years Day approaches we are excited to watch or in some cases participate in the annual Herb Mericle memorial polar bear plunge. We find in an old addition of the Anthony Wayne Standard that many years ago the excitement was caused by a wayward Wood County steer who jumped into the ice-choked river. The animal was owned by Tom Schaller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Merlyn Schaller who lived across the river from the Waterville School. Tom was an Anthony Wayne High School student and the steer was his F.F.A. project. The steer got loose around 9 A.M. and decided to take a swim in the frigid Maumee River. The beast apparently was enjoying itself and would not be coaxed out of the river by the Schaller’s and a growing contingent of would-be helpers, both in boats and on shore. It swam under the Waterville Bridge where the boatmen got a rope on it but the critter still would not climb out of the icy water on the Waterville side. The paper lists those assisting in the struggles with the wayward beast as Herb Mericle, Jack Edwards, Marion Mosier, Kenneth Saunders, Steve Schaller, and Standard photographer Howard Krause. Finally it was decided that the antics of the obstinate steer were a safety hazard to would be rescuers and the animal was shot. The ultimate irony of the story is that the animal was processed, wrapped and stored away … in the freezer.

FREE TO GOOD HOME!

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We are searching for a new home for an executive desk from the old Waterville Gas Company building.  We have been in touch with Habitat for Humanity, Good Will and the Salvation Army but have been unsuccessful. 
The desk is largely composed of walnut, measures six feet in length and is quite heavy.  It is currently covered with a tarp and located in the small parking lot behind the building at 9 N. River Road.  If you are interested and can transport it, you are welcome to it at no cost.  Our desire is to get it to a new home or business where it can be appreciated.

If interested, please call me at 419-878-2228. Ideally, it would be best if you could take it before the rain and snow arrives. Wishing you all a prosperous,, rewarding and Happy New Year.

Jim Conrad, WHS President

How Christmas was Celebrated in 1890

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Every one of us has delightful memories of Christmas time that we cherish. Each year at this season in the same way as we unwrap and hang upon the tree our treasured ornaments, these Christmas days past are recalled and become a part of our Christmas present. Here are some remembrances of Christmas as it was in Waterville years ago. In those days not every family had a
Christmas tree. The exceptions were the German families. They all had a tree and from their example the custom spread. The families who decorated trees would go out into the country and cut their own. Isham’s Woods, located in the area bounded by Neowash Road, River Road and the Bucher farm was one of the favorite sites. The horse would be hitched to the sleigh, everyone would be
bundled up and away they would go to find just the right tree. They cut small trees and also extra boughs to trim the homes with. The only large trees were those in the churches.

The trees were trimmed with ropes of cranberries and popcorn and tiny strings of miniature sleigh bells. Candles 5” or 6” in size were fitted into holders. The candles were only lit for a few minutes at a time, usually when the family gathered around the tree in the evening and sang Christmas hymns. The high point of the year would be the Christmas Eve service held in the churches: the Presbyterian Church at the northeast corner of River Road and North Street: the Methodist Church at the northwest corner of River Road and Mechanic Street and the Lutheran Church then as now, on Second Street. Everyone attended church that evening. The sanctuaries would be lit by many candles and in front would be a huge tree trimmed much the same as the ones at home. One of the members would be delegated to stand by with buckets of sand and water in case of fire. Christmas hymns were sung and then came the children’s part in the program. Various recitations were given, tableaux were arranged or simple re-enactments of the first Christmas would be presented. There would be a story for the children from the pastor. At the close of the service hard candy, nuts and oranges were given to all the children.

At that time almost every home had a fireplace from which to hang stocking and such stockings! Long cotton stockings were worn by both boys and girls and the older the child the more stocking there was to be filled. In
the toe a large Brazil nut was usually to be found. There would be a fat peppermint stick; walnuts, butternuts, hickory and hazelnuts an orange, which was always a special treat, mittens, made by mother or grandmother and perhaps a top or small doll. Gifts were few and simple and were given mostly to the children, such as blocks, or jack-in-the-box, or slates with slate pencils, or jack straws for instance. Many gifts were handmade including items of clothing made by the women in the families; as sweaters, mufflers and stocking cap; or sleds or doll cradles made by the father. 

Note: Christmas 1890, written by Mary Helen Huebner was found in an old scrapbook donated to the Archives.

Pearl Harbor Day------The date which will live in infamy

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December 7, 1941 found Waterville residents peacefully going about their business as were residents of the towns and cities around the nation. Most were still suffering the effects of the Great Depression, which had been lingering for the past ten or eleven years. The news came slowly. After all, dawn in Hawaii is much later in the day in Waterville. Most heard it on the radio, perhaps not until the evening news. Some were not aware until the next day even though most newspapers put out special or extra editions of the paper. News traveled much slower in those days than we are used to today. The Empire of Japan had conducted a surprise dawn attack on our Naval forces at Pearl Harbor on the Island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. Much of our fleet was sunk where the ships lay at anchor. One hundred eighty eight aircraft were destroyed, most on the ground and 2,403 Americans were killed. That is more than twice the entire population of Waterville in 1941. Suddenly we were at war and the “Greatest Generation” were not even aware of what they would be called upon to do. The next four years were times of great trial and tribulation and the world would never be the same.

In 1991 the Waterville American Legion through efforts of the Peinert Family received an American flag that had flown over the Battleship Arizona at the USS Arizona National Memorial at Pearl Harbor and the accompanying certificate as shown in our photographs. These artifacts are now kept on display at the Waterville Historical Society Wakeman Archives.

Note: Flags should be at half-mast and a moment of silence or a short prayer for those whose lives were cut short that day would be appropriate.

Spiritualism in Waterville

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Our November 13th program to be held at the Wakeman Hall at 7 pm is titled “Spiritualism in America” which reminds us that Waterville has a close connection to this movement in the 1860s. Nathan Waldo Daniels, born 1836, came from New York to Waterville about 1850 with his mother Susan Curtis Daniels and brother Waldo Daniels. His father, Dr. Jared Daniels died in a house fire in 1849. Susan’s daughter from her first marriage (also named Susan) was Dr. Welcome Pray’s wife, so the move to Waterville was to be close to family. The boys finished their schooling, went on to college with Waldo becoming a medical doctor and Nathan studied law. Both practiced in Toledo. Nathan married a woman named Henrietta and had a child, also named Waldo born 1858. Henrietta died soon after the birth and Nathan in 1858 moved to New Orleans to seek employment, leaving his child with his mother who was then living in the Reed house next to the school on South Street. This house today is the Reed-Ullrich house at South and River Road on the historic walking tour. Nathan returned to Waterville several times a year the rest of his life to visit his mother and young son but never took the boy to live with him.

In New Orleans Nathan became a strong advocate for both free and enslaved blacks which, of course, put him at odds with some of the locals. When the Civil War broke out in 1861 Nathan, a staunch abolitionist, joined the Union Army and soon was placed in charge of an all-black regiment of Union soldiers in or around New Orleans in Louisiana. During his frequent trips to Washington D.C. to advocate for his troops he also became deeply involved in the Spiritualism movement. Spiritualism is the belief that it is possible to communicate with the spirits of deceased loved ones. To some it is proof of God’s promise of life after death and Nathan Daniels in his diary writings refers to it as “his religion.” The concept was especially popular during wars when many young sons, husband, or brothers and friends were killed or died from disease. Certain people were thought to be “gifted” with the ability to reach across “the divide” to contact those spirts eager to communicate with loved ones and often held seances to attempt to do that for (usually) small groups of people.

March of 1865 the President’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, invited a celebrated spirit artist, Mr. W.P. Anderson and his wife, along with Nathan Waldo Daniels to a séance in the Green Room of the Whitehouse to try to communicate with young Willie Lincoln who had died in 1862. Also while in Washington Nathan met a striking and popular twenty-five year old Cora Hatch, one of the most famous medium and trance lecturers of the 19th century. The two were married December 8, 1865 and traveled together on the lecture circuit. Nathan also worked in post-war reconstruction advocating for the newly freed African-Americans in Louisiana. He eventually procured a government position in New Orleans but on October 7, 1867 he died in a yellow fever epidemic along with a newborn daughter. Cora was also ill but survived and continued her “calling” through two more husbands.

Note: Information for this article comes from Mrs. C.P. (Kitty) Weaver who found the Daniels diaries in her attic, researched and published them. She visited Waterville and the Archives in her research and donated a copy of her book “Thank God My Regiment an African One” The Civil War diary of Colonel Nathan W. Daniels to Waterville Historical Society’s Archives. The original Nathan Waldo Daniels papers were donated to the Library of Congress by Mrs. Weaver, have been digitized and can be found online at “The Civil War Diary of Col. Nathan W. Daniels”.

A Little Bridge History

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No, not the highway bridge. We are talking about the interurban bridge at Roche de Boeuf. Technological advances in the late 19th century showed that electricity could be used to run powerful electric motors which in turn could drive a vehicle without fuel, water and high pressure steam. It only needed to draw electricity from the overhead wire to run the motor, and so the electric railway industry was born. The electric cars could travel very fast along the rails from city to village to city, so we had rapid transit in the horse and buggy era. Many electric railway companies were formed by people hoping to cash in on this new technology and routes were surveyed, track laid and electric cars were designed and built. Stationary steam driven electric generating plants were established at strategic points along these routes.

The Lima-Toledo Traction Company was one of these companies, with plans to connect these two cities with many smaller communities along the route and to expand in time to Cincinnati. By 1907 the planned route reached the Maumee River at Waterville and a lengthy bridge was needed. The National Bridge Co. of Indianapolis, Indiana was chosen to build this bridge using another recent technology, concrete. The bridge was to be the longest re-enforced concrete railroad bridge in the world, some 1220 feet in length and of “Roman Aqueduct” design, with 12 graceful arches. The bridge was to cross the river at Roche de Boeuf, then owned by Clarence Dodd by riparian rights who deeded the traction company a right of way across his property. The citizens were told that the old landmark rock would not be harmed. Unfortunately they were lied to. The right of way crossed the rock and a portion of the east end was blasted away and used for bridge support. The people were outraged at the desecration of their famous landmark but the deed was done. They were left with a beautiful bridge and rapid transit to Toledo in 20 minutes and to other parts of Ohio. Waterville citizen and business benefited from the interurban line with trade to and from Toledo and other Ohio communities.

Today our beautiful bridge is a victim of age and neglect. The interurban railway was too soon replaced by more modern technology, the automobile. The bridge was last used as a temporary auto bridge in the 1940s after the highway bridge collapsed. Since then the earth filled concrete structure has succumbed to freeze-thaw damage causing the collapse of several spans that we see today. Historians and sentimentalists would like to see the bridge stabilized and remain in place. The Ohio Dept. of Transportation, owner of the bridge, sees it as a hazard and liability. The public will be asked to express opinions at a public meeting on November 20th from 5-7PM at the Waterville Primary School. We hope our readers will attend.

ROCHE de BOEUF BRIDGE NEEDS YOUR HELP!

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The Roche de Boeuf bridge, sometimes known from Waterville as the Trolley Bridge, was used by the Lima Toledo Traction Company and claimed to make it from Waterville to Toledo in 20 minutes. It was built by the National Bridge Company of Indianapolis, Indiana. The company promised that they would not damage or destroy the rock known as Roche de Boeuf, sacred to the Native American. Clarence Dodd owned the Rock by riparian rights and deeded the company a right-of way across his property. As the bridge was being built it was apparent that the rock was damaged. In fact almost one third of the rock was blown away to create support for one of the bridge piers. The people were up and arms but what could they do. The deed was done. It was a beautiful bridge built with a “Roman Aqueduct” design, 1220 feet in length with 12 arches spanning the Maumee River. The arches, ranging 70-90 feet in length, were dirt filled and 45 feet above the water at lowest level. This was done with wooden forms as shown in the picture taken by John Findlay Torrence (Tory) Isham, son of John George and Sarah Cooper Isham, who lived nearby. He was an amateur photographer, farmer and former teacher at Neowash School on Neowash Road. He was also a surveyor possibly under local surveyor Charles Shoemaker. He worked as a surveyor in several northwestern states for the Great Northern Railroad Line from 1881 to 1891. He became interested in home photography around 1900, taking many photos of local scenes that interested him. These photos were taken on glass negatives, which were developed and printed in his home darkroom. Some of his photographs are of the bridge at Roche de Boeuf being built. The Wakeman Archives has on display the camera and his mounting equipment that was used in taking pictures of this bridge.

On November 20th  from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Waterville  Primary School the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is holding a public meeting in regards to the Roche de Boeuf Interurban Bridge to address safety concerns associated with the bridge, located in Wood County and Lucas County, Ohio. The bridge is the former Ohio Electric Interurban Electric Railway bridge that crosses the Maumee River near Waterville, Ohio and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The meeting is to present and discuss the alternatives currently under consideration and solicit input regarding the proposed project to stabilize or  remove the bridge to make the waterway safe for canoers and those walking under the bridge. Your attendance is needed to voice your concerns either way you wish the project to go. If you don’t want to lose your voice you need to attend this meeting or send someone to present your ideas.