Farmer’s Bank moved to this site on North Main Street in the 1870s, and they moved out in 1929 to Park Avenue when their new skyscraper was completed (most recently known as Chase Tower.) The bank building on the Square seen in this 1890s photo was eventually taken down to make way for Kresge’s Dime […]
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A living heritage: Beaver in Richland County
When the first settlers came to the forested hills of Richland County in the early 1800s they encountered many wild animals we seldom or never find here today. Their letters and diaries and later reminiscences document the abundance of wolves and bears, otters and panthers. But there is one common native of the American wilderness […]
Horseback Priest of Richland County: Father Lamy in 1846
Some people live their lives on Earth with only one foot in this world and the other in a more perfect existence where the ideals of love and kindness are more perfectly manifest. It is the records of their lives, the stories of their struggles and victories, that provide a continuum for hope and inspiration […]
Then & Now: SM Douglass House 1896
MANSFIELD — The Douglass House, on Park Avenue West across from Rowland Avenue, has been on the National Register of Historic Places for about 30 years. Though the old home retains its name from the original homeowner, Judge SM Douglass, it is the Queen Anne style architecture from 1885 that gives the place its historic […]
Sites Lake & the legend of Uncle Jonas’ Plow
MANSFIELD — Sites Lake is only a small body of water, but it has an interesting story behind it … or underneath it — a story that 120 years ago seemed to get only larger and larger, as did the lake itself. The original tale was told simply, in a humble column of the Mansfield […]
Then & Now: Ohio State Reformatory at night 1907
It is almost as if this 20th century photographer had anticipated the 21st century popularity of Ohio State Reformatory as a midnight ghost hunting destination. It is likely however, that by 1907, after only a decade of operation, there were not very many ghosts yet in residence at the majestic facility.
Portrait of OSR: Jon Edgar Webb & Four Steps to the Wall
The mighty walls of the Ohio State Reformatory were originally designed with the expressed intention of inspiring the minds of young men to higher ideals, so it is not surprising to find the place enshrined in powerful works of art. There is a lot of attention given to OSR as it appeared in the field […]
Then & Now: Army Air Force Depot in Shelby 1943
In the wartime 1940s when the US military was looking for safe places in America to serve as storage stations, Shelby was chosen as the site for an Army Air Force Supply Depot. Opened in 1943 as the Parsel Supply Depot, the facility survived the war and was renamed, after the Air Force became a […]
Native Son: The many legends of Pipe’s Cliff
Pipe’s Cliff is the name given long ago to a series of sandstone bluffs that can be seen from Pleasant Valley Road less than a mile north of Malabar Farm State Park. The ridge runs along the north side of the road for several hundred yards, and is most easily viewed during the season of […]
Then & Now: Lincoln Plaza 1954
In the bustling years following WWII when suddenly there were no restrictions on how much gas you could put in your car, enthusiastic drivers took off around the whole country in a wild binge of vacationing. At that time little motels popped up all over America to accommodate travelers. One of these motels was on […]
