The Statue in the Cemetery

Every small town has the stories that bind them together. The stories that are shared between locals create a single identity in the town and create a line between locals and visitors. Some of these stories are based in events which may or may not have taken place, however they are linked to physical landmarks which make the story feel real, regardless of it's lack of evidence. The following story is told by a local resident about a cemetery in Mt. Blanchard Ohio, a small town about 30 minute drive south of Findlay.

“A long time ago there was a rich family who lived on the end of town. They had made their wealth in farming and animal husbandry.One summer, the beautiful daughter, who was reaching the age when she would be married, met a young farm hand and he asked her to marry him. The girl's parents were displeased and said no, they assumed he could not worthy of her. The couple were married anyway. Later the parents received a call that she was pregnant and going into labor to have the farm hand’s baby. So the parents go to the house to witness the birth and the parents make the farm hand leave the room for the birth. As he waits the daughter gives birth but when the new father goes to see her both the daughter and the baby have died. The birth was going well before the parents arrived. He buried the daughter in the cemetery a block behind the parent’s house and the farm hand carved a statue which looks exactly like his lost wife. It is said on a full moon or the anniversary of her death the eyes of the statue open and reveal two emeralds which stare into the window of the parent’s bedroom to remind them of the daughter they had killed.”

  

This story as also been used as a means of controlling the children in town. They were told to not go into the cemetery or the woman would come after them. The story was perpetuated by children being taken into the cemetery during

school and told the story by thier teachers.

It's stories like this that draw people together. These stories become part of people's memories about their home towns. It separates the locals from the visitors, the old from the new. These small towns have stories like this to create a sense of place and to attribute stories to their town which they can tell each other. These stories bind the people together and create a sense of togetherness which may not be otherwise replicated. 

Source: Nathan Shrider, resident of Mt. Blanchard, Ohio for 26 years.

Dietsch Brother's Chocolate

Chocolate is an important part of life. Findlay is lucky enough to have it's own chocolate shoppe. Dietsch Brother's Chocolate began in the 1920s when Edward Dietsch (pronounced Dets-is) purchased the C.W. Wickham Candy Co. He and his two younger brothers started a chocolate and ice cream company with their own family recipes. In 1934 Edward and his wife passed away forcing the business to close. In 1937, the younger brothers Chris and Don purchased a local bakery shoppe. They then transformed the bakery into the Dietsch Brother's Chocolate Shoppe which is currently in business.

Dietsch's is one of the signature institutions in town. Anyone who has lived in Findlay long enough knows about Dietsch's. In middle school I remember taking a tour of the chocolate factory behind the store front. Most of the chocolates and ice creams are made on site. One of the things that is very old fashioned about this landmark is the fact that women only make the chocolates, women only sell the chocolates and only young men dish up the hand dipped ice cream. Some say it is to fit the 1940s feel of the establishment. However, I'm sure that is not 100% the case. As I understand the company is still being run to some extent by one of the brothers, which could contribute to the 1940s feel of the store. I have only seen one girl work the ice cream counter and she was not their very long. I was told that only guys were allowed because they weren't strong enough, which I don't necessarily believe either.

This Findlay institution has been giving the community smiles and delicious treats for decades. I still have many wonderful memories of going to both locations and have a lot of fun. However, no business is without its faults.The Sexism which has perpetuated the business is in some ways a reflection of the expectations of the town and the people that inhabit it. Women are expected to cook and smell like chocolate while men are needed to do the heavy scooping. I am never really sure what to do with this information due to the fun times I have had at Dietsch's, but it is surly a business that shows no signs of slowing down.

Source: http://dietschs.com/about-us/our-story/

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

During the field study in October, I had the opportunity to tour and learn about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Which, interestingly enough, is not technically located in the city of Indianapolis,. It is actually in the small town of Speedway about six miles from downtown Indianapolis.

While other races are held there, the track is best known for the Indianapolis 500 which has been held there every year since 1911, with a few exceptions in which the race was cancelled due to the world wars. I find it particularly striking how racing has changed between 1911 and today. The first Indy 500 winner was Ray Harroun in 1911 who won with an average speed of 74.6 mph. The 2014 winner was Ryan Hunter-Reay with an average speed of 186.5 mph.


The track has been resurfaced several times over the years, with one surface being piled on top of the last. When the 3.2 million bricks used to pave the track in 1909 were covered with asphalt in 1939 and 1961, part of the original track was left deliberately unpaved. Today, the only portion of the original track still visible is a small strip of bricks at the start/finish line on the track. The tradition here is for race fans to kiss the bricks, but that didn’t appeal to me during the tour, so I did something different. 

My hand on the bricks

 

One tradition about the 500 that had always puzzled me before the trip was explained on the tour. Namely, the winning driver drinking milk after the race. This began in 1936 with Louis Meyer who happened to enjoy a glass of milk in Victory Lane after winning the race that year. A Milk Foundation executive saw a photo of Meyer drinking the milk and wanted to make this a lasting tradition. Between 1947 and 1955, it fell out of favor but the milk in Victory Lane has been a fixture of the Indy 500 since 1956.  

Source: booklet received during the tour, Indianapolis Motor Speedway: A History by track historian Donald Davidson 

Mead Paper Company in Dayton

Growing up, my mother worked as a travel agent in the Mead building that used to be located in downtown Dayton.  Today, the large structure remains, but is now the Key Bank building.  She was a travel agent and had nothing to do with the Mead Paper Co., but her role sparked my interest in learning more about the company.  How did this company begin?

Col. Daniel E. Mead, 1817-1891

In 1846, Daniel E. Mead opened  his first paper mill as the Ellis, Chafflin & Company.  Dayton was a prime location as the mill was located near some of the country's most important trading points and cheap water power.  The first paper mills in this area utilized rags and wheat straw as raw material rather than wood pulp.

Daniel Mead joined the firm of W.A. & J.L. Weston, creating the Weston & Mead Co. in 1859.  This company continued until 1866 when J.L. Weston sold his interest to Thomas Nixon.  The firm became Mead & Nixon at that point.  Mead bought out Nixon in 1881, establishing the Mead Paper Company in 1882.  In 1889, the plant was described as four stories high , 200 x 100 feet in size, surrounded by other buildings operated by the mill.  In 1890, Mead purchased a facility in Chillicothe.  During the first decade of it's existence, the company averaged annual profits of $22,000, peaking at $50,000 in 1891, the year of Daniel Mead's passing.  By that time, the Mead Corporation was one of the largest paper producers in the U.S.    He passed the management of his company off to his sons, Charles and Harry Mead. Poor spending and substantial salaries caused the company to fall on hard times at the turn of the century.  Management turned to Harry's business-minded son, George Mead, who left his job in Philadelphia to help the family company.  It became the Mead Pulp and Paper Company.

The Mead Pulp and Paper Co. acquired the Peerless Paper Company in Dayton in 1925.  This mill produced book paper for several years following the purchase, but was later dismantled.  The building was then leased to the Frigidaire Corp.  The company expanded significantly in the 1950s and 60s, manufacturing corrugated cardboard shipping containers and paperboard in its recycling plants.  Mead purchased Data Corporation, an electronic record keeping service, in 1958, leading to new programs such as LexisNexis in 1973.  These systems were later sold to Reed Elsevier in 1994.  The company began experiencing difficult economic times in the 1980s.  

Mead Tower, now Key Bank, in the 1970s

Key Bank located headquarters in the building after the Mead Corporation moved to Richmond, Virginia during its merger with Westvaco (now MeadWestvaco) in 2001.  Its local presence was significantly downsized in 2006.

Random fun fact:  Daniel Mead was deeded lot 59 in Dayton in 1870, along with the Music Hall Co.  Thanks to him, the Music Hall (aka Victoria Theatre) was opened in 1871 after a fire destroyed the Turner Opera House in 1869. It's been fun learning about Daniel while researching the theatre.  I'm glad I was able to find out some early information regarding his paper empire.

Sources:

http://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/papertype.html

http://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/page/page/3432383.htm

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/the-mead-corporation-history/

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Mead_Corporation

http://www.emporis.com/buildings/128308/keybank-tower-dayton-oh-usa

http://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/ddn_archive/2011/05/17/dayton-industries-and-inventors/