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Special Events Archive: [2005] [2006] [2007]
“MEMORIES OF OLD RT. 40,” Program Review Lee spoke about coming to this area in the 1950s and opening his barber shop in the rear of the old Farmers State Bank at the NW corner of routes 40 and 48. He told stories about some of his regular customers, other businessmen in the area and the time a clerk at the bank pushed the panic button by mistake and the local constable came charging through his shop, gun drawn, to enter the back of the bank to stop the burglary in progress. Fortunately it was a false alarm. Bob Lodge took us on a memory walk along Rt. 40 from Englewood Dam to the west edge of town. He recalled that during W. W. II, he and his father saw soldiers patrolling the road across the dam to make sure it was safe for convoys to pass since Rt. 40 was a major supply line for military troops and equipment. Memories of the Overlook Inn (later Overlook Apartments), Shaw’s Inn, Wolf’s Variety Store, Doty’s, etc. came spilling out. One of the favorite Saturday night past times of Bob and his friends was sitting on the bank steps watching traffic at the Rt. 40/48 junction. Quite a few accidents occurred at this junction (the only stop light in Englewood at the time) as trucks speeding east to make the light missed the south turn and plowed straight ahead into the Shell Station. Many times, the boys would earn money by helping with clean-up after an accident. Both Bob and Lee talked about Indian Joe who used to live in a tent along the old railroad tracks claiming squatters rights. People in the audience chimed in with their own stories about cars backed up along Rt. 40 to the western limits of town after the Indy 500 races each spring and about travelers caught in the Big Snow of 1950. All this was saved on audio tape by our board member Paul Dewey. Kay Dawson is transcribing the tape so we will have a hard copy of this important program.
“MORE MEMORIES OF OLD RT. 40” Program Review - May 10, 2006 “When you find something that works, stick with it.” That is exactly what the society did on May 10, 2006 when it sponsored its second program for the year that featured long time residents sharing stories about old Route 40. This time the presenters were Robert “Lynn” Binkley, Roger Garwood and Carl Wagoner. We won’t add up the total number of years these three gentlemen have spent in the Englewood area, but suffice to say, they were not born yesterday. Lynn began by showing copies of Binkley family photos he brought with him and was donating to the society. Photos of young Lynn and his twin sister Leona, taken in 1928 at their house at 8 W. National Road (now a scrapbooking store), showed good views of Doc Furnace’s office, Wolf’s Store, Rapp Jewelers, Farmers State Bank and Waymire’s grocery in the background (not to mention two very cute kids). He told how his present house (that used to sit at 9 S. Main St. where Jack’s Aquarium is now) was moved to 106 N. Walnut St., in 1933, so Sam Berger could move the old hotel and build the Pure Oil Station. He also displayed a Sheets rifle that had come down through the Waymire side of his family and had photos of several of the Wenger family homesteads. Carl Wagoner indicated that he and Lynn are shirt-tail cousins who have known each other since first grade. Carl was born on a farm west of Englewood (the old Caylor Welding Service site) in a house now torn down. By 1930, he was living with his parents and brothers and sister on Union Road, a site he still owns today. He started his shoe and Brethren clothing store there in 1956 and still operates the store today. His family stood market in Dayton until the 1940s and he had many tales about butchering hogs, dressing chickens, gathering eggs and milking before heading to the market. In later years, Carl farmed for Howard Evans, the Cassells and several others. Getting to the Evans farm required crossing Route 40. Even on Memorial Day weekends, when traffic from the Indianapolis 500 race was backed up for miles, kind motorists would stop and let him cross. Roger Garwood shared photos of Shaw’s Inn where his mother had been a waitress in the 1950s and added commentary on many topics. Paul Dewey taped the program. Typed versions by Kay Dawson will be combined into a “Memories of Rt. 40 Booklet” that will be for sale later this year.
“ALONG THE NATIONAL ROAD” MUST NOT BE MISSED! “Along the National Road” is a multi-media exhibit that celebrates the building of the National Road across America. This exhibit, organized by our Randolph Township Historical Society, is set up in the lobby of the Englewood Government Center at 333 W. National Rd., in Englewood, OH. It focuses on the National Road, past and present, across northern Montgomery County, which includes Butler, Randolph and Clay townships. The Clay Township and Vandalia-Butler Historical Societies have joined with us to make this exhibit really special. The photos below will give readers an idea of the extent of the visual displays. The self-guided tour starts at STOP 1 with a video tape, produced by RTHS member Paul Dewey, that documents the building of the road across Ohio. STOP 2 takes the visitor into Butler township and through the “lost” town of Tadmor on the eastern edge of Butler township and then to Vandalia, OH which became known as “the Crossroads of America” at the intersection of U.S. Route 40 (the National Road) and U.S. Route 25 (the “Dixie Highway). At STOP 3, you enter into Randolph Township. In the early days, you would cross the old wooden bridge that spanned the Stillwater River (now part of Englewood MetroPark) and come up the hill into Harrisburg. Today, Route 40 crosses into Randolph township via the Englewood Dam, follows north along Route 48 and then heads west from Englewood, OH into the rural areas of Clayton, OH. Ten display boards with historical as well as current photos show changes along the National Road in Randolph Township block-by-block. By STOP 4, the visitor will have entered Clay township at the interesection of the National Road and Diamond Mill Road. Sights along the way include buildings in historic Swanktown, at the intersection of Route 40 and Ohio Route 49, and other rural communities. The grand opening of “Along the National Road” took place on Friday evening, June 23rd, with Sylvia Miller, National Road historian, song writer and storyteller, showing slides and telling stories of the workers who built the historic National Road across the state and into Montgomery County. Over 120 people attended this presentation that was sponsored in part by the Ohio Humanities Council. Attendees overflowed the council chambers into the lobby but everyone seemed to enjoy the unique presentation of live and recorded folk songs and stories. Nearly everyone stayed afterwards for refreshments (provided by Liberty Bank) and took a final look at the exhibits. Many people said they would come back again when they could spend more time! If you have not seen the exhibit yet, plan to come soon for your self-guided tour! The lobby is open every weekday from 9 am to 4 pm and the displays are up through July 31st. The video runs continuously and all photos and memorabilia displayed are well documented. This display is a once-in-a-lifetime event. When it comes down, the individual displays will go back to their respective societies and may never be seen together again!
REPORT ON 2006 ENGLEWOOD FESTIVAL
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