Ohio

Western Ohio Highlights (including the J&M Trading Post)

June 1, 2013 by Cece

When I was visiting with New York Director Jerry Peppers at the beginning of this tour, he handed me a postcard with a red building on it. He said, “If you can swing it, stop by this place. Nancy and Joe are lovely people and they are true fans of the highway.”

The J&M Trading Post Antique Shop lies about 20 miles West of Mansfield, Ohio. Built in 1830, it has been store of some type in continuous operation ever since its opening and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Today it is an antique store full of wonderful things as well as Lincoln Highway souvenirs (Note that if you are thinking of making a visit here, you should call them beforehand; they open the place by appointment only). But what makes this stop special is the people who have taken care of the place all of these years – Nancy and Joe Everly.

From the time I was greeted to the time that I drove away, Nancy and Joe became my family to me for that hour I spent at the store. When I told them who I was and what I was doing along the route, Nancy said, “I know who you are! I saw you in the paper yesterday!” She brought down a big box of vintage sheet music for me, and I looked through it. Whatever music I wanted, she said I could keep it and take it with me. We laughed over all of the crazy song titles from the time like “You Can’t Get Along With’em or Without’em, You’ve Got to Have Them, That’s All!” and “Take Your Wife to the Movies (If She Won’t Make Love at Home)”. In that short visit, I found my new “old friend” along the road. Definitely take the time to stop here, it will be worth the trip.

The rest of my time in Western Ohio was pretty much spent in Lima relaxing with an old friend, as well as exploring the Allen County museum in the city. I did take pictures of murals and markers in Crestline, Bucryus, and Delphos, which are all below in my latest photo gallery. Enjoy!

Outside of the J&M Trading Post with the American Songline-Mobile.

Here’s me in front of the famous blackboard at the trading post. It tells the history of the building.

While perusing all of the beautiful antiques in the store, I came upon the sheet music of “Beautiful Ohio” one of the songs that is on the touring program!

Love this directional sign outside of the store. All four sides are covered, and here’s one side.

This Lincoln Highway Marker is across the street from the trading post. It is not an original marker.

This is one of two 1922 Lincoln Highway Markers in Crestline, Ohio.

The “Great American Crossroad” Mural in Bucyrus Ohio is so big, I had to photograph sections of it! Here’s the main middle section of the mural.

Here’s a Lincoln Highway detail in this very same mural, middle left hand side

If you’re standing in front of the Bucyrus mural, these two windows will be on the far left hand side.

LH Marker that is in downtown Bucyrus and “faces” the mural.

The Allen County Museum in Lima, Ohio has a Mini-Lincoln Highway exhibit in their outdoor park.

This is a typed transcription of a letter written by John Dillinger’s girlfriend while he was in prison in Lima.

There were a lot of neat exhibits at the Allen County Museum, and this was one of them. It had beautiful instruments, old opera programs and other performance mementos.

Original gravel stretch of the highway heading westward towards Indiana.

The road beckons! My next post will be about my performance in Indiana as well as photos from the road both in Indiana and in Eastern Illinois (which is part of “Chicagoland” as it’s called). Until then, have a good weekend!

The Hayesville Opera House: The Best Place to Step Back in Time – Literally

May 30, 2013 by Cece

As of today, I’m now almost ten performances into this tour, and every venue I’ve performed in holds a unique space in my mind and heart. The Hayesville Opera House is an amazing venue for a musician like me, and I wish I could take this venue with me everywhere I go so you all could see hear what everyone in central Ohio sees regularly.

Built in 1886, this opera house has been restored back to its original glory, and is on the National Register as a historical landmark. From the time I walked into the venue for my rehearsal, this place took my breath away. From the hat racks under the wooden seats to the hand-painted backdrops, I was blown away at the preservation of this venue. The acoustics were perfect; it was an absolute dream to perform there.

View of the seating area — View from the stage of the seating area. That is cast iron stove in the back was used to originally heat the place, but is no longer in use.

View from the seats — This is a view of the stage from the seats. The piano is on the floor on the right hand side, and that backdrop (painted in Chicago) is an original from 1886.

Another Backdrop — Here is another hand painted backdrop I found backstage. If you go to the Opera house’s website, you can see a photo of this same backdrop which was used in a play in 1916.

Ceiling Detail — Here’s a picture detailing the tin ceiling (added in 1907), and motif work on the walls.

The Opera House is located in a very small town on the highway, which is a pity. I’m sure this venue has been so well-kept all of this time because of its location, but places like these need to be seen and experienced. The president of the restoration board is Dave Roepke, and he was so kind to not only play the piano for my performance, but he let me wander everywhere in the space to take photographs. I’ve performed on stages all over the world, and I’ve never seen as much backstage graffiti as I did in this place. I spent a long time reading all of the names, shows, and dates that people have left over 125+ years (including a disputed signature from Buffalo Bill in 1888). I too left my mark on that place, as you’ll see below.

Buffalo Bill? — If you look closely, you can see what appears to be a signature from Buffalo Bill.

Oldest confirmed signature — This signature is definitely one of if not the earliest I found on the walls.

Dressing Room — There are four dressing room at the Hayesville Opera House, and to me this one had the most interesting writing and drawings on the walls. Plus note in the photo that you can see an original gas lamp too!

My mark — I was very happy to “make my mark” in the dressing room you saw in the last picture.

I had a fantastic time performing in this venue, and would definitely perform there again. You can read more about my performance in Hayesville from Jamie at My Lincoln Highway here, or to read Denny Gibson’s review, click here. I’ll leave you with two more shots of me in at this lovely theatre. I am standing in front of the main curtain, and once picture is in color, and the other is in black and white. If you compare my black and white photo to the historic photos in this link, I think you’ll see that there’s not much difference between the two.

Up next, a short but sweet post about Western Ohio. Until then, keep listening for those songlines!

Sightseeing in Eastern Ohio with My Lincoln Highway

May 25, 2013 by Cece

I have to admit, while it’s fun to explore these places by myself it’s good to have company with you from time to time. And that’s where Jamie from My Lincoln Highway comes in. She walks and photographs sections of the highway in detail, and I’m happy to say I parked the car and walked with her through some beautiful sections of the highway in Eastern Ohio.

Jamie and I spent a Saturday following the Lincoln from Hanoverton to Massillon Ohio, and then also the following Tuesday going from Massillon to Wooster. Again, I won’t duplicate what Jamie wrote in this post, this other post, as well as anything I wrote about when I visited Canton last year for the 2012 LHA conference (to read that post click here).

Here’s my top 5 highlights of the area in words (you can read more in detail in the photo gallery below):

1) First off, I loved walking around Hanoverton. I’ve never been to colonial Williamsburg, but I can imagine Hanoverton being very similar. The Spread Eagle Tavern is definitely a neat place to walk around itself, every room has its own history. If you are watching your budget while traveling, I recommend going for lunch in lieu of dinner. The food is just as good, and you’ll save a few pennies.

2) The McKinley Memorial is a lovely tribute to our 25th president. He wasn’t discussed much during my history classes growing up, so I learned a lot about his life and presidency. Plus, you can get your exercise in running up and down all those stairs!

3) The Massillon Museum has some great collections in it, plus there’s another Lincoln Highway marker right out of front of it. There will be a Lincoln Highway exhibit coming soon, plus you should go try to find both “Oscar” and “Harvey”. Free admission.

4) Downtown Wooster is slowly being revitalized, and there’s some great shops and antique stores that are fun to browse in. The Wayne County Courthouse is neat architectural find along the route; I’ve not seen a building of its type and condition yet.

5) Last but not least, any roads made out of brick. I know it may seem funny to you, but sometimes we have to look at what’s underneath our feet to appreciate our history. There’s some beautiful old red brick stretches of the highway along the route, and nothing transport you back in time faster than hearing your tires rumble as you drive slowly along the road. There are a few stretches of brick road along this route, and you can find where they are on Lincoln Highway Association’s Map: http://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/map/ (make sure the “Points of Interest” box is clicked on the right hand side, and zoom in).

FYI – I’m finding it easier as time goes on to upload photo galleries with all of my images below; it not only means those photos will be easier for you to see, but it’s a quicker turnaround (internet access/time permitting) for me to get updates to you as well. Comment away if you think this format is not working for you all, and I’ll adjust.

Beautiful stretch of red brick road just outside of Minvera, Ohio.

This the sign that hangs outside of the Spread Eagle Tavern, waiting to greet you.

When we were in town for lunch, there were also dozens of Mennonites there eating lunch and touring the city on a separate tour.

View of the Chandelier in the Rathskellar of the tavern

Several rooms that we toured all had fireplaces, and each fireplace had its own mosaic of tiles around it. I think this one is my favorite.

Brick sidewalk in Hanoverton, which has warped and changed over the years due to the tree roots growing under it.

An old building in downtown Canton on the highway.

I was not able to go to the McKinley Memorial when I was in Canton last year, so I had to go this year. It was absolutely stunning. Definitely worth a stop – it’s not that far from the Lincoln Highway at all.

View from the top of the stairs of the Memorial.

Jamie from My Lincoln Highway says “Hi”!

This memorial done by the Lincoln Highway Association in 1949 can be found at the base of the McKinley Memorial.

This 1907-1908 Jewel Automobile in its day would have cost you around $800. This is on display at the Massillon museum which is located right on the highway.

This mural can be found in Massillon right off the highway as well. It depicts the Ohio and Erie Canals.

This stretch of Red Brick is right outside of Wooster, and was originally part of the highway.

I’ve never seen edging of brick like this before, plus it’s interesting to note the two brick patterns.

The beautiful Faber building, which is in downtown Wooster.

The Wayne County Courthouse is also another great example of what you’ll see when you walk in downtown Wooster.

Up next, I’ll be dedicating a post to my performance in the Hayesville Opera house. Have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend everyone!