Warren County
Local History by Dallas Bogan |
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Dallas Bogan on 10 August 2004 |
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original article by Dallas Bogan |
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The first Y.M.C.A. in Lebanon was organized by a group of interested citizens
in August 1946. Its purpose "was to fulfill the need of the boys and girls
in Lebanon for a workable and well-run center for their activities, and a place
to go in their leisure time."
Harmon Hall had previously been the only youth center and by 1946 the facility
was indeed considered too small for the children's need.
At the August meeting Mr. D.D. Donohoo was elected president
of the new organization, with Orville Keever, vice-president;
C.Dale Rosecrans, secretary; and Charles J. Wagoner,
treasurer.
A general meeting was held to choose a Board of Directors, along with permanent
plans for the Association, and to confirm an ongoing charter for the Harmon
Y.M.C.A.
Board Members who were elected, seven for one year, seven for two years, and
seven for three years, were:
William Talbott, Sr., George Sims, G.H.
Townsley, J.C. Vian, W.J. Koch, Rev.
M.G. Mittelstedt, J.A. Volkerding, Jack Decker,
D.D. Donohoo, Cliff C. Beckett, Ted
Lackey.
Paul W. Holthaus, Orville Keever, Kathleen
Oakman, C. Dale Rosecrans, Chester Heery,
Saul Hurwich, Charles C. Waggoner, Meryl
B. Gray, Martha Miller, and Miron Keelor.
The subject matter of the meeting was in part the Civic Trust, which was outlined
by Charters D. Maple, Alfred C. Brant, and
Hewitt P. Mulford. The question was what part the charter would
be willing to play in the new undertaking.
Keith Boys, the first General-secretary, undertook the responsibility
of the association late in 1946. Mr. Boys, from Cincinnati,
was well recommended and well qualified to take over the assignment. Among his
credentials was that of serving as the director of the social program at the
Y.M.C.A Hotel in Chicago.
While Boys was in charge at Harmon Hall, he outlined a program
for the teenagers known as the Warriors' Wigwam. This organization offered the
teens a place to hold a clubroom, a place for dances, and other activities.
Additional projects included a focus on classes in tap-dancing, arts and crafts,
and gymnastics for the younger boys and girls.
James Shedd, of Cincinnati, in January of 1950, assumed the
duties of General-secretary of the Harmon Y.M.C.A., succeeding Keith
Boys, who had accepted a similar position at Chicago's South Shore
district.
Shedd acquired his training at the Park College in Kansas City,
having worked with boys and girls from eight to eighteen. In this capacity he
introduced an effective arts and crafts group and also started a program for
the younger children who sought recreation at the Y.
Irving Peterson took over for Jim Shedd in
October 1951. His full-time duties were not established until November because
of his obligations to the Marietta Y.M.C.A.
Peterson inspired an intense interest in the Y.M.C.A. The Warriors'
Wigwam program was revamped with its name being changed to Harmony Hangout.
In 1902, on the stage of the old Opera House was the audition for the first
minstrel show in Lebanon. It was the premier production of the Belles and Beaux.
The first directors of this fine production were Mrs. McBurney,
and Mrs. J.P. Owens, and later on, Mr. Ray Law
assumed the immense duties. Mike Burk, Bill Lewis,
and Jim Burke were a few of the blackface clowns, but there
were countless others who made the show a success.
The minstrel show's objective was to provide the cast with fun, and the town
with good entertainment. After one night's run, there was no doubt that the
participants should return. The antics of the end men and the end-women actors
had the packed auditorium falling in the aisles.
There was no doubt in anyone's mind that they should return. It became Lebanon's
fastest growing activity, and for ten years the audience was captivated with
the show, laughing and roaring to no end.
Ticket sales skyrocketed, each being grabbed up while still wet from the presses,
each performance being sold out to the last seat.
The money seemed to be rolling in and out, show expenses no object. Costumes
were brought from Cincinnati, long hours were spent toiling over flamboyant
scenery, and clumsy hands soon became adept at applying the unwielding stage
make-up.
The big orchestra performed for the audience in a minstrel type fashion, and
from there on in, the end-men took over.
As time passed, people become restless and a change of pace was called for,
and so, with this inference, the Belles and Beaux Minstrel show came to an end.
A new group was formed under the direction of Mr. Law, a body
committed to dramatic works. This fellowship put on plays for a period of years
from 1914 to 1934. Many of those who were originally cast in Belles and Beaux
were in the new theater group, however, many new faces appeared.
The company finally phased out, with their final undertaking, "Take My
Advice," being presented at the Town Hall. This was the first production
of this type to be held in the new building.
Proceeds from the play went towards decorating the new auditorium. This last
performance was a superb way of bowing out on the part of these folks. They
unselfishly sacrificed so much to bring enjoyment to their fellow townsmen.
William G. Thompson and Devere Gustin were
co-owners of the first laundry in Lebanon, date unknown. It was known as the
Lebanon Steam Laundry and was located directly behind the J.W. Lingo
Hardware Company.
After several weeks into the operation the business ran out of its most precious
source, water. Therefore, the laundry was moved to West Silver Street (in the
vicinity of the present firehouse) where the water could be pumped from Turtle
Creek.
The partnership of Thompson and Gustin was short-lived and the laundry was then
sold to William Bennett. James L. Brown, at
age 13, sole provider for his family, had to quit school and went to work for
Bennett in the laundry, where he spent his life working for
the many owners and himself.
John Oswald constructed for Pete Lewis, his
son-in-law, a new 20 by 40 two-story building for a new laundry business. It
was so constructed that it could be used for a residence in case Lewis' venture
proved unsuccessful.
After Mr. Lewis' undertaking the laundry was operated by Elmer
Smith, Ray Cline, and then by Spencer
and Crawford. Somewhere along the line the name was changed
to the Snow Flake Laundry.
The Centennial Atlas of 1902 reads: "August, 1902, Russell Spencer
purchased the Snow Flake Laundry and in October following took charge of it.
Although never successfully operated under numerous former managers, Mr.
Spencer's management has been a pronounced success. The new pieces
of machinery have been added to the outfit under Mr. Spencer's
ownership, yet he now has in contemplation a plan again adding largely to the
outfit."
A Mr. Mitchell, from Collinswood, N.J., then leased the equipment
from Spencer with the latter retaining ownership of the building.
James L. Brown, mentioned previously, in 1909, purchased the
lease from Mr. Mitchell and on June 16, 1914, Brown
acquired both the equipment and building from Russell Spencer.
The north wing of the building, which extended to South Broadway Street, was
then added. This section housed the press machines, shirt presses, curtain stretchers,
the dry room, and elevator.
A west wing was later added to house the boiler and power equipment, and also
the carpet cleaning equipment. A water softener was added at that time and the
name was changed to the Soft Water Laundry. (These buildings were constructed
next to the Turtle Creek Bridge where now several office buildings are standing.)
The laundry was closed during World War II because of a shortage of labor and
materials. Most of the employees relocated to the defense plants where more
money was available.
However, a few dedicated employees stayed and operated the dry cleaning plant
until lightning struck it July 25, 1944, and as a result, the entire upper floor
of the laundry was gutted by fire.
Both operations, the laundry and the dry cleaning, were closed for a year. During
this shutdown, the laundry was rebuilt and a new dry cleaning facility was constructed.
Each was housed in separate buildings.
A new name was created in December 1951, the Better Laundry and Dry Cleaning.
The late Dixon Maple remembers the old laundry and dry cleaning
facilities. He said the buildings were destroyed by fire, possibly in the 1960's.
He also remembered that the run-off from the plants ran directly into Turtle
Creek. This was long before the E.P.A.
As many of you know, "The Western Star" put out its first newspaper
February 13, 1807, and is the oldest weekly publication in the State of Ohio.
However, there have been several other papers established in Lebanon.
The names of these publications are: The Farmer, the Lebanon Gazette, which
consolidated with the Star in 1822, the Argus, the American Democrat, the Spirit
of Freedom, the Lebanon Spy, Young America, printed and published in 1858 by
Hillborn C. Miller; the Buckeye Mercury, the Democratic Citizen,
the People's Journal, and the Volunteer.
Possibly in the year 1846, a paper was established with a lone title, "The
Sober Second Thought." In just a short time the name was changed to "Second
Thought and Spread Eagle," and still afterwards another title change came,
"Thought and Eagle."
All these businesses failed within a year with a monetary loss to the owners.
The Argus was shipped to Franklin before its absolution, and the Volunteer was
printed for a while in Morrow.
Seth Brown and C.S. Burnet sold The Western
Star to Alfred L. Clements in September 1868, and then started
their own local paper, the "Countryman." This was the first case in
the history of the Star that a former proprietor sold his interest and afterward
started his own paper in Lebanon. The "Countryman" failed and was
then moved to Cincinnati.
W.H.P. Denny, in 1877, who had been editor of the Star for
24 years, returned to Lebanon and started the second Lebanon Gazette.
This paper merged with the Star February 16, 1893, while another paper, the
Republican-Record, merged with the Star in 1905.
The Democratic Citizen was being printed at the start of the Civil War. (This
paper was printed on the second floor of the building later occupied by Hatfield
Floors on West Mulberry Street.) Republicanism was very strong in Warren County
and the Miami Valley, in general. The county residents felt very secure in their
political views, and perceived the term "Democrat" as leaning toward
being a Southern sympathizer.
And so, in the early 1860's, the Democratic Citizen was destroyed, but no one
knew what had happened to the type and press.
Years later, when the workers were cleaning out the millrace near Warren and
Sycamore streets, the press and type were found, buried in the mud.
In 1868, three years after the Civil War, Gen. Durbin
Ward, a highly honored leader of the Democratic Party, established
the Lebanon Patriot. His first office was on the second floor of the Masonic
building.
Gen. Ward was filled with patriotism, as he was the first to
volunteer from Lebanon in the War. The people of the Miami Valley did not forget
this fact, and many Republican patriots were on the first subscription list
of the Patriot. Edward Warwick, in 1871, edited the paper and
after him, A.A. Rowland.
Thomas Meigher Proctor was editor from 1883 to 1891, he being
the most popular columnist in the area. His editorials, his opinions, of course,
were political in structure, following both local and national politics. He
had a political following of friend and foe alike. His many readers eagerly
looked the Patriot forward to.
His wife continued in his footsteps until 1926, she also commanding a large
Democratic following.
J.L. Richardson was the next editor. The Western Star purchased
the Patriot in 1929 and operated it under the editorship of Mrs. Clara
Schwartz until 1937, when it merged with the former.
Another Democratic paper was started in 1934, the Warren County Democrat. It
was purchased by H.I. Dally in 1935 and was established as
an independent newspaper with the name changed to Warren County News. It was
then purchased in early 1941 by Herbert Langendorff and operated
until 1946, when it ceased operation.
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This page created 10 August 2004 and last updated
28 September, 2008
© 2004 Arne H Trelvik
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