Friday, March 22, 2013
March newsletter
This week marks the 100th anniversary of the 1913 flood. There has been a lot of coverage on television and books have been written about it. There are photos on our Facebook page. You need to be on Facebook yourself to see it. There are memories by people who lived through it on the Ft. Loramie News blog.
http://fortloramienews.blogspot.com/
There are plans to place a plaque on our barn on Elm Street marking the Buckeye Trail which goes right past there. Many have hiked the trail which is marked with blue blazes on trees and poles.
Tom Busse has been at work. He painted and rearranged the shelves in the doll room and did the same with the Civil War case in the military room. When he took the paper off the inside of the case he found it had been painted in 1970's harvest gold. Mercifully it has been redone in white. The roof on the old part of the building has been replaced. Plans have been made to replace the curtains in the parlor which have been there since we acquired the building forty years ago.
Al Freytag, a long-time member of the historical association has passed away. He and Mrs. Freytag have always been generous benefactors of our organization and many others.
Mary Oldiges, curator of the museum in Minster, is doing their display this year on the businesses that are and were on Fourth St. One of them was the Bornhorst Shoe Store. We have artifacts from that store so we are loaning some of them to Minster for the summer. Mary said she is impressed that Fort Loramie still has most of its old buildings intact.
We still have copies of our latest book, Fort Loramie Main Street and Beyond. It costs $35 plus tax. You can get your copy at the Silver Cross in Fort Loramie or call one of the officers.
If you would like to join the Fort Loramie Historical Association the dues are $10. Call Sheila Quinlin at 937-295-4019. We are also happy to accept donations.
http://fortloramienews.blogspot.com/
There are plans to place a plaque on our barn on Elm Street marking the Buckeye Trail which goes right past there. Many have hiked the trail which is marked with blue blazes on trees and poles.
Tom Busse has been at work. He painted and rearranged the shelves in the doll room and did the same with the Civil War case in the military room. When he took the paper off the inside of the case he found it had been painted in 1970's harvest gold. Mercifully it has been redone in white. The roof on the old part of the building has been replaced. Plans have been made to replace the curtains in the parlor which have been there since we acquired the building forty years ago.
Al Freytag, a long-time member of the historical association has passed away. He and Mrs. Freytag have always been generous benefactors of our organization and many others.
Mary Oldiges, curator of the museum in Minster, is doing their display this year on the businesses that are and were on Fourth St. One of them was the Bornhorst Shoe Store. We have artifacts from that store so we are loaning some of them to Minster for the summer. Mary said she is impressed that Fort Loramie still has most of its old buildings intact.
We still have copies of our latest book, Fort Loramie Main Street and Beyond. It costs $35 plus tax. You can get your copy at the Silver Cross in Fort Loramie or call one of the officers.
If you would like to join the Fort Loramie Historical Association the dues are $10. Call Sheila Quinlin at 937-295-4019. We are also happy to accept donations.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
The 1913 flood
In Ft. Loramie flood waters took out the aquaduct and water was up to the swing bridge at Elm St. Mrs. Mary Fortman who lived just south of where the golf course is now said the water was up to their garden and they could take a boat and row all the way to Ft. Loramie 2 miles away.
According to Scott Trostel in his book, "water in the Loramie Reservoir had risen so rapidly that the feeder was overflowing by four feet. There was a growing fear the bulkhead on the west end of the reservoir would let go. Mr. J. Pauwell, caretaker at the reservoir engaged a large number of men, estimated at between 50 and 60, to fill sacks with sand and dirt which was used to reinforce the levee bank. Their work was dangerous and they were in peril of being swept into flood waters at any moment. It was said that had this precaution not been taken there was not the least doubt that the whole bank in the vicinity of the feeder would have been washed away and probably the larger part of Fort Loramie would have been drowned with water."
There was flooding from Indianapolis to Pittsburgh and north to Lima and south to the Ohio River but the towns that suffered most were Dayton, Piqua and Troy.
The flooding was caused by 3 days of rain from March 21 to 24th. Easter Sunday was March 23. 8 to 11 inches of rain fell on the Great Miami River watershed. The ground was frozen and saturated resulting in 90% runoff.
In Dayton flood waters reached 20 feet in the downtown. Wikipedia says 360 people died, 20,000 houses were destroyed and damage reached 100 million dollars. The National Guard was unable to reach the town for days. Houses floated away with people on the roofs.
In Piqua 39 people died. 17 died in Troy. In Sidney the Big 4 bridge was in danger of floating away. A train was pulled onto it to hold it down.
Towns were isolated. Trains didn't run. Roads were closed. Bridges were washed out. Newspapers couldn't publish. People had no heat or food.
The flood effectively put an end to the canal and gave birth to the Miami Conservancy District.
For thrilling stories of rescues and photos see Scott Trostel's book, "And Through The Black Night of Terror". Some of it is on line.
The Great Dayton Flood, Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Dayton_Flood
http://shelbycountyhistory.org/schs/archives/canalarchives/1913floodcnla.htm
According to Scott Trostel in his book, "water in the Loramie Reservoir had risen so rapidly that the feeder was overflowing by four feet. There was a growing fear the bulkhead on the west end of the reservoir would let go. Mr. J. Pauwell, caretaker at the reservoir engaged a large number of men, estimated at between 50 and 60, to fill sacks with sand and dirt which was used to reinforce the levee bank. Their work was dangerous and they were in peril of being swept into flood waters at any moment. It was said that had this precaution not been taken there was not the least doubt that the whole bank in the vicinity of the feeder would have been washed away and probably the larger part of Fort Loramie would have been drowned with water."
There was flooding from Indianapolis to Pittsburgh and north to Lima and south to the Ohio River but the towns that suffered most were Dayton, Piqua and Troy.
The flooding was caused by 3 days of rain from March 21 to 24th. Easter Sunday was March 23. 8 to 11 inches of rain fell on the Great Miami River watershed. The ground was frozen and saturated resulting in 90% runoff.
In Dayton flood waters reached 20 feet in the downtown. Wikipedia says 360 people died, 20,000 houses were destroyed and damage reached 100 million dollars. The National Guard was unable to reach the town for days. Houses floated away with people on the roofs.
In Piqua 39 people died. 17 died in Troy. In Sidney the Big 4 bridge was in danger of floating away. A train was pulled onto it to hold it down.
Towns were isolated. Trains didn't run. Roads were closed. Bridges were washed out. Newspapers couldn't publish. People had no heat or food.
The flood effectively put an end to the canal and gave birth to the Miami Conservancy District.
For thrilling stories of rescues and photos see Scott Trostel's book, "And Through The Black Night of Terror". Some of it is on line.
The Great Dayton Flood, Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Dayton_Flood
http://shelbycountyhistory.org/schs/archives/canalarchives/1913floodcnla.htm
Saturday, March 2, 2013
1946-47 Ft. Loramie basketball team
Saturday, February 23, 2013
February Newsletter
The February meeting was a busy one with much to discuss. We received $2,000 in donations recently. We appreciate the support of the community. It shows that you take the preservation of your history seriously. Albert Freytag gave us a large photo of the fire department taken in the 1890's
We have sold about 415 copies of Ft. Loramie, Main St. and Beyond. If you don't have your copy yet they are still available at the Silver Cross in Ft. Loramie and by contacting a member.
Last Christmas just before the dinners the big three-piece mirror in the dress shop fell over and 2 of the mirrors broke. It was hurriedly taken apart and moved to the barn and there it has laid since then. Dorothy Quinlin, who was nearly a victim of the disaster, is working on getting it repaired. We would like to return it to its rightful place and anchor it to the wall so it doesn't fall again.
Tom Busse has been painting the window frames upstairs and the shelves in the doll room. The fancy drapes and swags in the formal rooms upstairs have been there for nearly 40 years and are showing their age. If you are someone who enjoys sewing something like that and might like to donate your time and possibly the fabric to design and make new ones contact Tom Busse at 937-295-2519.
The shingles on one of the roofs are falling like leaves and will soon be replaced. An old building needs constant maintenance.
We have ideas for new displays. Something will be done to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the March 1913 flood. There will be a display of old cookbooks in the country store.
We need to hold more events particularly for the school children. One idea is an art contest coordinating with the art teachers and using Ft. Loramie as the subject. If you have any other ideas for displays or events contact one of us. Fund-raising ideas would also be welcome. We would like more people to become involved. If you are recently retired and are looking for something to get involved in we can always use help.
As usual we will be open this summer on Sundays from 1-4 in June, July and August.
The dues are $10 a year. Contact Sheila Quinlin at 937-295-4019.
We have sold about 415 copies of Ft. Loramie, Main St. and Beyond. If you don't have your copy yet they are still available at the Silver Cross in Ft. Loramie and by contacting a member.
Last Christmas just before the dinners the big three-piece mirror in the dress shop fell over and 2 of the mirrors broke. It was hurriedly taken apart and moved to the barn and there it has laid since then. Dorothy Quinlin, who was nearly a victim of the disaster, is working on getting it repaired. We would like to return it to its rightful place and anchor it to the wall so it doesn't fall again.
Tom Busse has been painting the window frames upstairs and the shelves in the doll room. The fancy drapes and swags in the formal rooms upstairs have been there for nearly 40 years and are showing their age. If you are someone who enjoys sewing something like that and might like to donate your time and possibly the fabric to design and make new ones contact Tom Busse at 937-295-2519.
The shingles on one of the roofs are falling like leaves and will soon be replaced. An old building needs constant maintenance.
We have ideas for new displays. Something will be done to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the March 1913 flood. There will be a display of old cookbooks in the country store.
We need to hold more events particularly for the school children. One idea is an art contest coordinating with the art teachers and using Ft. Loramie as the subject. If you have any other ideas for displays or events contact one of us. Fund-raising ideas would also be welcome. We would like more people to become involved. If you are recently retired and are looking for something to get involved in we can always use help.
As usual we will be open this summer on Sundays from 1-4 in June, July and August.
The dues are $10 a year. Contact Sheila Quinlin at 937-295-4019.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
A February story
February 7, 1919
Two high-spirited Minster boys named Gerwells and Schemmel got themselves in trouble in Ft. Loramie. Mr. Gerwells made an insulting remark to Pvt. Arthur Kiefer in the presence of ladies and was asked to apologize. When he refused Pvt. Kiefer knocked him out. Later, Gerwells and Schemmel threw a pop bottle through the window of Brucken's Pool Room. They were arrested and taken to jail where they set fire to the bed clothes. The next day they were taken before Mayor Quinlin who fined them each $5 and sentenced Mr. Gerwells to 10 days in jail.
Two high-spirited Minster boys named Gerwells and Schemmel got themselves in trouble in Ft. Loramie. Mr. Gerwells made an insulting remark to Pvt. Arthur Kiefer in the presence of ladies and was asked to apologize. When he refused Pvt. Kiefer knocked him out. Later, Gerwells and Schemmel threw a pop bottle through the window of Brucken's Pool Room. They were arrested and taken to jail where they set fire to the bed clothes. The next day they were taken before Mayor Quinlin who fined them each $5 and sentenced Mr. Gerwells to 10 days in jail.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
January newsletter
The Christmas dinners were a big success and we are gradually taking down the decorations. We are planning to go in most Monday mornings so if anyone would like to help, stop in when you see the white pickup truck in front or the lights on. There's no hurry to undecorate but you can visit or do research. I should warn you that the water has been turned off for the winter so the pipes don't freeze.
We get a lot of people coming to town and hoping to visit the museum. Unfortunately right now we can't have someone there all the time. But if you know you are coming to town you can contact us ahead of time. There are phone numbers on the door. There is almost always someone willing to come and open up for you.
So far we have sold 365 copies of Ft. Loramie, Main St. and Beyond out of the 500 that were printed. We have sold enough to more than make up for the cost of printing. For those who bought the history book there's a correction on page 201. The picture that is labeled Dirksen School is actually an old farmhouse. Books are still available at the Silver Cross in Ft. Loramie or from Jean Rosengarten at 937-295-3998.
I know we seem to be obsessed with Germans here but we are also interested in French and Irish or any other ancestry. If you have any photos to lend or donate get in touch with one of the officers. We will copy and return.
We appreciate all the help and donations we have received lately. If you wish to volunteer or become a member the dues are $10 and you can become involved as much or as little as you wish. As a member you don't have to do anything at all if you don't want to and you don't have to be a member to help.
There are tabs at the top of the blog now that you can click to find more information about us. Scroll down for more things that might have been added since the last time you looked.
We get a lot of people coming to town and hoping to visit the museum. Unfortunately right now we can't have someone there all the time. But if you know you are coming to town you can contact us ahead of time. There are phone numbers on the door. There is almost always someone willing to come and open up for you.
So far we have sold 365 copies of Ft. Loramie, Main St. and Beyond out of the 500 that were printed. We have sold enough to more than make up for the cost of printing. For those who bought the history book there's a correction on page 201. The picture that is labeled Dirksen School is actually an old farmhouse. Books are still available at the Silver Cross in Ft. Loramie or from Jean Rosengarten at 937-295-3998.
I know we seem to be obsessed with Germans here but we are also interested in French and Irish or any other ancestry. If you have any photos to lend or donate get in touch with one of the officers. We will copy and return.
We appreciate all the help and donations we have received lately. If you wish to volunteer or become a member the dues are $10 and you can become involved as much or as little as you wish. As a member you don't have to do anything at all if you don't want to and you don't have to be a member to help.
There are tabs at the top of the blog now that you can click to find more information about us. Scroll down for more things that might have been added since the last time you looked.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Boerger photos
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