Area History
Posted inArea History
Loudonville was once home to Corell’s potato chip factory
Around 1937, Wilbur Corell and his parents opened Corell’s Potato Chips in Strasburg, Ohio. The business did well, but Wilbur went off to World War II, and when he returned he settled in Mansfield while his parents and brother continued the family operation. After a few years, Wilbur decided to strike out on his own […]
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Ashland County opera singer performed across the world
ASHLAND — Who knew Ashland County was once home to a very famous and accomplished opera singer? Miss Mabel Berra was born in Crestline, Ohio, on October 1, 1886, to Ashlanders John Berra and Sarah “Sadie” Stiner. She moved from Toledo to Loudonville in 1913 after her parents separated. Mabel worked hard and trained in […]
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Mansfield courts shaped the men who shaped America: 1840s
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally published on Richland Source in 2014. MANSFIELD — Walking across the Mansfield square in the 1840s, one might come across a huddle of young lawyers joking, joshing and conferring. Because the Square was such a rustic cow pen at that time, and the attorneys likely had mud on their shoes, […]
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Isaly’s stores popped up all over north central Ohio in 1930s
Long before America’s love obsession with McDonald’s and other fast food began, one restaurant chain dominated the Midwest and perhaps the country: Isaly’s. The grandson of Swiss dairy farmers and cheesemakers, William Isaly purchased the Mansfield Pure Milk Company in Mansfield, Ohio in the early 1900s. The Mansfield Pure Milk Company had originally processed milk […]
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A Plymouth from Plymouth in 1910
EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece was previously published at Richland Source in 2013. PLYMOUTH — In 1910, these roadworthy gentlemen took off in the first Plymouth automobile — driving to New York and Atlantic City from … Plymouth, Ohio. This car, named for the village, was a prototype created by the J.D. Fate Company in Plymouth, better […]
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Red & White supermarket was a novel concept in 1947
In 1947, Irvin Mumper introduced Loudonville to the self-serve supermarket when he opened the Red & White store. Prior to the Red & White, shoppers would provide a list or tell clerks what they wanted and the clerks would then fetch the goods and bring them to the counter. In 1916, Piggly Wiggly developed the […]
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A historic look at Mansfield’s Park Gazebo
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published on Richland Source in 2014. MANSFIELD — The gazebo is a familiar site on Park Avenue West today, where it stands atop a hill in South Park. But the longest part of its history was spent in a different place not too far away. Originally the little “resting […]
Posted inArea History
Star Telephone Company began in Butler in 1896
ASHLAND — The first telephone company serving Ashland was known as the People’s Telephone Company and was established in 1896, in Butler, Ohio. George A. Ullman, Joseph R. Swartz, Samuel H. Grabill and George R. Freer purchased the People’s Telephone Company for $30,000 in 1899 and incorporated it under the name of the Star Telephone […]
