The building was heavily soot-stained for many years from the trains passing by until a railroad mural was painted on the side. That building was last known as the Creamer Hotel and visitors got a look inside Friday evening. The former hotel was just one of the locations on Mansfield’s Secret City Tour.
Despite occasional showers, the Secret City Tour, the North Main Street Edition, was a popular event. Food and live entertainment were attractions that augmented the self-guided tour of historic buildings.
“It is very successful, despite the rain,” said Jennifer Kime of Downtown Mansfield, Inc., “We got people from all over the state. Some of the buildings are repeats but there are some new, and some old, too.”
Kime noted that some of the past tours have resulted in interest in repurposing the spaces. The former Charles Schroer Mortuary on North Diamond Street, for example, now has a signed lease.
One of the new sites on this year’s tour was the Creamer’s Hotel. It was built in the 1840s to accommodate travelers on what was probably the Mansfield & Sandusky City Railroad. The railroad company later became part of the B&O System.
Visitors who took the time to speak with one of the volunteers at the front door, met Ellie Hamilton, wife of the late Richard Hamilton.
“My husband worked here as a bookkeeper and ran the hotel from 1946-1948 after he was in the service,” said Hamilton, “We got our start for our accounting business here.” They owned and operated Hamilton Accounting for 50 years.
When Hamilton arrived at Creamer’s for the tours, she was surprised to find a 1941 Mansfield Senior High yearbook on a desk. The yearbook included her and her husband’s high school photos.
“It was serendipitous to walk in and see it here on the desk,” she said.
On the second floor, Sue Hunt was waiting to illuminate the way with a flashlight. But she talked about the Bissman building. She has worked for Ben Bissman for 25 years as an administrative assistant. So she has had her share of ghostly encounters.
“I used to walk on the second floor for exercise in the mornings and when I would walk by the elevator, the ghost would walk with me,” said Hunt.
Hunt wasn’t afraid; and she wasn’t surprised that her son Eric, who did some maintenance work for Bissman, also had encounters. She said her son reported hearing a woman’s voice saying his name. He had other experiences as well.
Those tales prompted a walk to Bissman’s and though the second floor was not open for visitors, the first floor offered intricate wood features and historical artifacts. Ben and Amber Bissman were on hand to greet visitors.
Amber Bissman described a day she was working in Pirate Printing, housed in the building, and she was listening to music with earbuds. “I was the only person in the building,” she said, “I pulled them out and heard ‘Buck’ just as loudly as I’m talking to you.” “Buck” was the name Ben Bissman’s grandfather called him.
However, ghost stories were not the object of the tour, the buildings and their histories were. Other stops included the City Mills building. The building features large, open floors, brick walls, and solid wooden support beams.
The floors above City News also offered spacious rooms, brick and plaster walls, and curving wood railings. Suzy Saprano has owned City News for 28 years and said she didn’t remember the spaces above her shop used during that time. Spaces, architecture, and stories led visitors to some interesting places.
The tour was presented by Downtown Mansfield, Inc. in partnership with Richland County Development Group. According to Kime, proceeds from the tour will be used for beautification projects in Mansfield.
