Return to Spring Grove

The Friends of the Cemetery host a tour of Spring Grove Cemetery every year. This year it will be this Saturday on August 3rd at 1 p.m. and is FREE!

Highlighted people include:

• Sophia Huntington Parker: Her estate provided the funding for the Sophia Huntington Parker home for women. Of course her home is a hot topic of discussion currently in Medina.

• R.M. and Elizabeth McDowell and their daughter Bessie: Prominent members of Medina community. Their home has been in the news as the Medina County Historical Society is raising funds to buy it.

• Florence Phillips: Daughter of F.O. Phillips. Well known and loved history teacher.

• James Collins: died tragically due to suicide in Spring Grove Cemetery.

• Earl Foote, Sr.: was a local housing developer

And this year, the tour will include the Mausoleum:

The 1920's Mausoleum is seldom open to the public and was restored in 2013.

Mausoleum highlights:

• Cornell W. Starr and his wife Sally He was a deputy sheriff and she was a teacher in the Medina Schools.

• And other familiar names: Branch, Spieth, and Foskett.

Join Teresa Merkle and the other Friends of the Cemetery at 1 p.m. for a pleasant and informative stroll around this Medina Landmark.

Meet up at the Chapel.

Tour will be over at 2:30 P.M.

Lighting up the Town

Last week's post on Memorial Day in Medina featured a lot of pictures of the parades around the Square. There was a marked difference in the photos pre-1900 as opposed to after that date. Did you notice?

Medina Square 1889

Medina Square circa 1897

Do you see it now?

Sometime in the intervening years, Medina installed electricity. Didn't really impact last week's blog, but it put that little kernel of curiosity in my brain. Exactly WHEN did Medina get electricity?

{Some of the lines are also telephone lines.}

Bob Hyde's website Beyond the Storefronts is a great place to start off place when researching any  history surrounding the Medina Square. And since he installed a search function, VOILA! Anything I want to find, I can. And I did!

Bob had this picture of the Power Generating Station, and accompanying history about its location at 121 West Smith Road.

According to Bob:

"#121 West Smith Road:

Medina Electric Light and Power Generating Plant, Albert G. Oatman and Ozro Sanders, Props.   (1897-1905)

1.  Albert G. Oatman and Ozro Sanders under the company title of the Medina Electric Light and Power Company have erected substantial brick structure equipped with necessary machinery, power, and dynamos for supplying the town with arc and incandescent lights and power.

2.  The plant was put into operation on September 15, 1897 and already there are 800 incandescent lights supplied to stores, offices, residences and shops in the village.

3.  The rates in effect are reasonable and range from one to five lights furnished for 60 cents each, per month; from five to fifteen at 50 cents and from fifteen to twenty-five lights at 40 cents each, per month.

4.  The Company is equipped for furnishing arc lights for streets, but as for now no contract has been made with the village.  In a few places lights have been provided on a private subscription basis

5.  The plant is equipped with one K. W. generator, one 125 horsepower engine and one 150 horse power boiler, the largest in the town.

6.  Simon S. Oatman bought out A. G. Oatman’s interest in 1905.

Phillips Electric Generating Plant, Judge F. O. Phillips, Prop. (1905-1915)

1.  S. S. Oatman sold Medina Electric Light and Power on Lot 16 to F. O. Phillips for $14,000 in 1905.

Pennsylvania Power Co., Cleveland Southwestern Power Co., Western Reserve Light andPower Co. (1915-1931)

1.  Judge F. O. Phillips sold Phillips Electric to Charles A. Moore of Chicago in 1915.

So, from this information, it looks like Medina got electricity in 1897. 

The Medina Electric and Light Company West Smith Road
Circa 1900-1915

Bob's history on the short lived company seems pretty complete. But is it everything that can be found? Probably, because Bob is an excellent historian.

But to make sure that is ALL the information available about the company, I need to do more research. That is called due diligence.

This cutout is from the 1897 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, a database available from within the library. The earlier Sanborn maps, for 1885 and 1892, don't show any kind of power plant.The  Power Company, circled in red, is near the corner of Elmwood and Smith Road. It was there early enough that it could be included in the publication for 1897. But does it predate 1897??

Joann King's excellent book on 19th
century Medina County. 

Joann King, another excellent historian, wrote Medina County Coming of Age 1810-1900. And she has a lot more to say about the beginnings of electrical power in Medina:

"In Medina, council gave Ozro Sanders the first utility franchise to build an electric plant. Individual industries already had their own dynamos used primarily to power machinery, [A.I. Root was one such company] but this company was solely for the benefit of the private subscriber. Sander's first order was for 150 individual lights, 125 were to go into the Phoenix Block. In 1898, this company officially became Medina Electric Light and Power under the leadership of A.G. Oatman and Sanders. In one year, they had 800 light bulbs shining in offices, stores, and homes."  p. 471

It doesn't give the date that the council gave the franchise to Sanders, just the date that the company was named.

Later in the book:

"In 1892, the Ohio Legislature passed a bill allowing Medina Council to hold an election for the purpose of levying the residents 2 mils for electric lights... Voters approved the light plant 355 to 166." And in the next paragraph:

"O. Sanders started building Medina's first electric plant on the northwest side of town near the depot... Three months later he had 500 subscriptions for incandescent lamps and an order from the village for twenty arc street lamps. Medina Council installed four of those lamps in November..."

Slowly lights began to appear around town. In 1897, the Medina Electric Light and Power Company started its engine and nineteenth century life in Medina was a thing of reality."

It still isn't clear when Medina got electricity. Here is what we have learned:

•  In 1892, the Ohio Legislature passed a bill so that city council could put a levy on the ballot for citizens to be taxed for electric lights. And the levy passed.
• When did the Ohio Legislature pass the bill?
• When did the citizens get to vote on the levy?
• Ozro Sanders won the franchise to build the first electric plant. 
• When did city council award the franchise to Sanders?
• When exactly did he build the plant?
• "Slowly lights appear around town" and then the power plant is turned on? What is powering those slowly appearing lights?

From this information, we can estimate that sometime between 1892 and 1897, the city of Medina generated enough electricity to power lights around town.

In order to pin the date down more exactly, more research was needed.

Question #1- When did the Ohio Legislature pass the bill that enabled Medina City Council to try for the levy?
Judy Russell, the Legal Genealogist, is always blogging about tracking down the original laws. She makes it seem easy. It isn't. But...

In the online Journal of the Senate of the State of Ohio, Volume 89, page 372, I found this:

The bill was read 2 more times.
"Mr. Strock" is Mr. Charles Strock from Niles in Trumbull County, Ohio.

"Tuesday, March 15, 1892.
H.B. No. 612 - Mr Strock (by request): To authorize the council of any incorporated village in the state of Ohio, which contained at the last federal census of 1890, or which at any subsequent federal census may contain a population of not less that two thousand and seventy-three nor more that two thousand and eighty-three, to issue bonds and levy a tax for the payment of the same and interest thereon for the purchase and erection of an electric light plant."

WHAT? Did you catch that wording? " population of not less that two thousand and seventy-three nor more that two thousand and eighty-three". That is a very specific size population, with only a 10 person difference. According to Wikipedia, Medina's population in 1890? 2,073. This bill, while not naming Medina specifically, targeted the town especially.

The bill passed the following day.

Question #2 - So, by mid March of 1892, Medina was permitted to put a levy on the ballot. But when did the election take place?

To find this information, I have been scouring the Medina Gazette newspaper microfilm. I have not found the date of the election, but I did find some more information.

Medina Gazette 12 May 1892, page 4.

So the Village Council had approved the tax by mid-May 1892, but Mr. Herman Holmes was not happy with their decision and was filing a lawsuit to stop them from going forward. Mr. Holmes was a Civil War Veteran and Medina business man. His main complaint was that the proposed plant was too expensive. Oh, and he didn't want any poles put on his East Liberty Street property.

Since the common pleas court only met every quarter, progress on the suit was very slow...

Medina Gazette 21 July 1892, page 1

So now we have narrowed the date that Medina got electricity from 1893 to 1897...

And just like the court case, this blog will have to be continued to allow time for more research...

SOURCES:

Beyond the Storefronts http://www.medinasquare.org/

Historical Highlights of Medina
Medina County: Coming of Age
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Wikipedia - Medina census population
Journal of the Senate of the State of Ohio, Volume 89
Medina County Gazette 

History of the A.I. Root Company

Explore the history of the company that defines the City of Medina and gives the school teams the mascot of "The Medina Battling Bee" and even gave the city its nickname of Bee

City by truckers.

Kathy Summers, an editor of the Bee Culture magazine, will describe the history of the A. I. ROOT Company as it gets ready to celebrate 150 years in business.

Register HERE.

Root Candles

Black History Month

February is Black History Month...

To commemorate it, the Medina Library has a display recounting some of the highlights from 200 years of Black History in Medina, including:

• The Philips family, the first documented Black family in Medina County.
• The influence of churches on the Black community.
• How industry has spurred Black people to move to Medina County.
• Some of Medina County's Black Community firsts.

Julia Williams lived in Wadsworth,. Born a slave, her story
was captured in 1937 as part of the Slave Narrative project.

Stop in to see the display to learn more about Medina's Black History.

Medina County and City are celebrating and commemorating with these events:

• February 10 - Learn About the Underground Railroad, 1-2 p.m. at the Grace Drake Center
• February 22- Black History Through Music, 7-9 p.m. at the Second Baptist Church
• February 24 - Medina Black History: A Bicentennial Celebration, 1-2 p.m. at the Medina Library

One of the stops in Medina on the Underground RailRoad.

New to the Medina Library!

929.5 NEI

The Family Tree Cemetery Field Guide  - How to Find, Record & Preserve Your Ancestors' Graves by Joy Neighbors. There is a LOT of great information packed into this little book.

Burial records can contain so much more information than just the name and date of death of the deceased:

• Children who died young without birth records and never made it to the census records.
• Multiple spouses.
• Military or fraternal affiliations.
• Who paid for the burial

Check out this book to learn the history of cemeteries and the types of records associated with burials. Includes where to look for records, online resources and how to integrate the information into your family history.

Medina County History Fair at the Medina Library

Calling all Medina County History geeks!

On Saturday, January 27th seventeen different Medina County historical and genealogical societies will be hosting tables at the Medina Library for the 3rd annual:

Get a peek at all the unique, quirky, interesting and historical artifacts and trivia about Medina County from 17, count em', that's seventeen different groups. (Bet you have never heard of some of them!)

For the city of Medina, the focus this year will be on Medina's Bicentennial. Meet with Roger Smalley and get a preview of all the great events that are planned for Medina's 200th Birthday.

Or stop by the table for the Northeast Ohio Railway group and see some of the equipment that was employed on the area's railroads.

Meander over to the Medina County Historical Society and see what items Tom Hilburg has brought to share. Do you know what each was used for?

Remember, Saturday, 27 January from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

See you there!

(Yes, the Library will host a table that tells how we can help you with your research!)

S.S. Medina Victory

Medina's World War II War Bond Headquarters

Medina County contributed so much to the war effort during World War II. The newspapers of the time are filled with information on tire drives, paper drives, metal drives. The War Bond building where Medinians donated more that their fair share, still stands, having been moved to a lot to the west of the Medina Hospital.

The young men and women of Medina enlisted to fight the country's enemies, whether it was behind a cannon, a rifle, a medical mask or a typewriter.

Everyone had a Victory Garden and the library had a Victory drive in order for Medina's citizens to donate books to be sent overseas.

And Medina had a United States Victory Class Ship named after it.

WHAT?

The S.S. Victory Medina was built toward the end of World War II and was launched on 10 February 1945.

What is a Victory Ship?

According to Wikipedia, Victory Ships were:

"The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace losses caused by German submarines." They were larger and faster than the previously built Liberty ships.

A Victory Class Cargo ship

A cross section view showing the layout of the ship.

The first 33 of the Victory ships were named for members of the United Nations. The other 500 ships were named after U.S. towns and cities, and colleges and universities. Each state would only have two town names used. The towns had to represent the historic nature of the area. The S.S. Bucyrus Victory, the first Ohio ship to be named after an Ohio town, was launched in January 1945.

How did little ol' Medina get a ship named after it?

In early 1944, local businessman, Frank E. Judkins, was on a business trip out west and met up with Mr. John Carmody of the U.S. Maritime Commission. After chatting awhile and extolling the virtues of his hometown, Mr. Judkins asked how to get a ship named after "Medina". He was told to submit a petition. When he arrived back in Medina, he obtained the signatures of nearly 200 Medina Legion members, business men, and various civic club members. He submitted the request in April.

Weeks and months went by with no word. Judkins kept the pressure on with multiple letters inquiring the status of the request. Finally, in December of 1944, the Medina Chamber of Commerce received notification that a Victory Ship was being built at the Permante shipyards in Richmond California that would be named the "SS Medina Victory." It was to be launched on February 7, 1945. Frank was invited to the launch, but when it was delayed he was unable to attend.

Medina Gazette 22 Dec 1944, page 1

The Maritime Commission requested that the city send a woman the help launch the ship.

As the city would have to pay her expenses to travel to California, the Chamber decided to request that Mrs. Chaffee do the honors. Mrs. Chaffee's mother, Mrs. W.S. Thorpe, was still living in Medina. Mrs. Chaffee had accompanied her husband, Navy Lieutenant Almerin Chaffee when he was stationed to Oakland, California. So she was very near the Redmond shipyards.

Medina Gazette  26 December 1944, page 1.

On February 10, 1945, the S.S. Medina Victory was launched.

Mrs. Chaffee receiving a bouquet from flower girl,
Janet Eggleston
Scrapbook of Launch of S.S. Medina Victory

Mrs. Chaffee christening the S.S. Medina
Scrapbook of Launch of S.S. Medina Victory

The S.S. Medina going down the slipway
Scrapbook of Launch of S.S. Medina Victory

The S.S. Medina Victory is launched!
Scrapbook of Launch of S.S. Medina Victory

Her first voyage took her from San Pedro California, to Melbourne, Australia, to Calcutta, India, Ceylon, Mozambique, Durban and then to Philadelphia, PA. After this one voyage as a cargo ship, the War Shipping Administration decided to convert her to a troop transport ship.

Again from Wikipedia:

"Many Victory ships were converted to troopships to bring US soldiers home at the end of World War II. A total of 97 Victory ships were converted to carry up to 1,600 soldiers. To convert the ships the cargo hold were converted to bunk beds and hammocks stacked three high. Mess halls and exercise places were also added."

When this conversion was complete, the S.S. Medina Victory was loaned to the British. She sailed from New York in October 1945 for the Mediterranean where she ferried troops between  the Middle East and Toulon, France.


In 1948, the ship was purchased by the Donaldson Line and was turned into a passenger/freighter ship and was renamed the Laurentia. The ship was in operation until 1966 and was scrapped in '67.

S.S. Laurentia, previously named the S.S. Medina Victory

Do not confuse the S.S. Medina Victory with the S.S. Medina, a freighter built in 1914 and named for the river in Texas. That ship was once part of the U.S. Coast Guard, but spent most of her time as a cruise liner. At one time, she was a floating book shop and now is being converted into a luxury hotel.

S.S. Medina, built in 1914.

SOURCES:

The Atlantic Liners 1925-70 by Frederick Emmons
Donaldson Line Laurentia
National Park Service
Scrapbook of the launch of the S.S. Medina, donated to the Medina Library by Franz Zrilich, 1994.
Western Ocean Passenger Lines and Liners 1934-1969 by Commander C.R. Vernon Gibbs.
Wikipedia S.S. Bucyrus
Wikipedia Medina/Doulos Phos
Wikipedia Victory Ships
2 page letter detailing the application process, authenticated by F.E. Judkins.

Who was Sidney Fenn?

All Medina City residents know that there is a school named after Sidney M. Fenn on West Union street.

If you have walked the halls of the school, you may have noticed his portrait and the plaque that recognizes his contributions to education in Medina.

Any articles or paragraphs on Sidney Fenn always include a long, long list of all of his accomplishments:

• World War I Veteran
• Charter member/commander of the American Legion Post.
• Chairman/teacher of Americanization classes for the American Legion Post.
• Chairman of the Medina Memorial Day Parade for many years.
• 32nd Degree Mason
• Kiwanis Club member
• Chairman of the Service Union for the Salvation Army.
• Active in the United Church of Christ Congregational and was a Sunday school teacher.
• Lifetime member of the Medina YMCA
• Public Relations Director for United Fund
• First president of the Medina county Retired Teacher's Association.

But any person is so much more than their accomplishments.

From the 1955 Medina High School Yearbook.
Courtesy of Rick Nowak.

Sidney Fenn was born in Medina County on 29 February 1892.  This is a portrait of him taken at a very young age. 

Yes. It was the custom to dress both boys and girls in long dresses and not cut their hair until they were old enough for the boys to graduate to pants.

In 1909, he attended the YMCA States Boys Conference.

After graduating from Medina High School in 1912, Sidney went to Ohio State University, graduating in 1916 with a degree in Agriculture. 

His first teaching job after graduation was at the Kingman Schools in Clinton County, Ohio.

21 February 1919, p. 7 Medina Sentinel

1918, Sidney joined the Army and served as a Corporal during World War I. This February 1919 Medina Sentinel article states that he had been assigned to Company L of the 329th and he had been training soldiers for the front of the war at the time of his discharge.

By 1920, Sidney is back living with his parents on North Court Street and he is listed as a salesman for a drug store.

In 1921, there is a Sidney M. Fenn listed in the Cleveland City Directory as a teller at the Garfield Savings Bank. While it is not certain that he is the same Sidney Fenn, no other Sidney Fenn appears in Ohio for the 1920 or 1930 censuses.

In 1922, he married Helen D. Miller in Wood County, Ohio. His occupation was "clothier" and hers was "musician".

In 1923 he was first hired as a teacher for the Medina Schools. By 1929, he had become a principal. He was principal of the High School for 18 years.

1927 Medina High School Yearbook

By 1937, Sidney is divorced from Helen, and he remarried. His second wife was Doris E. Camp.

In 1937, he earned his Master's Degree in Administration from Ohio State University. In 1947, the Superintendent's job became available suddenly and Sidney stepped into the void. He held that position until 1961, when he retired.

Sidney had three sons: Craig, Raymond and Robert. Tragically, Doris died in 1954. Sidney remarried to Mary Lou Strock, a music teacher at the high school.

1948 Medina High School Yearbook

Sidney's son, Robert Fenn, who also served as Superintendent of Medina Schools from 1980-1990, remembers this about his father (from The Story of Medina's Schools 1817-2017 by Gloria Brown):

      "I remember playing in front of the fireplace in his office. He sang a lot and he had a great sense of humor." After his mother died, Robert recalls, "He'd come home, put on an apron and make me supper. And he made oatmeal for my breakfast every morning."

About Sidney's dedication to the community and his leadership of the Salvation Army in Medina, Bob Fenn remembers, "People would come to the door, needing a place to stay or a meal. The man at the nearby filling station would send people to our house, telling them 'If you need help, go see Sid Fenn.' My father would always help them out."  

Bob Hyde, creator of the MedinaSquare.org web site also remembers "Sid" Fenn. Bob remembers the principal as being "straight forward, no-nonsense administrator and always, very fair. After a "talking to" Mr. Fenn would always say, "Don't do it again. Now go next door and see Mr. Claggett." Mr. Claggett doled out the punishment.

Local resident, Macy Hallock, was a student at the Medina High School, while Sidney was principal. He remembers Sidney fondly and with a smile in his voice recalls, "He was very likable, affable, with a good sense of humor. He was upright. Everyone liked him and he took an interest in everyone."  Macy also shared this incident:

     "One day I was called into the principal's office, and I had no idea why. Sidney set me down and said, "We have no more to teach you here. We want to send you to college early. The paperwork is all signed and ready for you to go."  Unknown to young Macy, Sidney Fenn and his father had discussed his future and didn't want him getting drafted into the war. So they had arranged for Macy to skip his final year of high school and go straight into college. And between them, they had decided that Sidney Fenn would be the one to tell him. Macy Hallock wasn't even 16 years old at the time.

So, who was Sidney Fenn? A pillar of the community? Yes. A good father? Yes. An all-around really nice guy? YES!

And an good sport?

Sidney Fenn commiserating with fellow birthday sharer about
only having a birthday every four years, because they were
born on 29 February. Medina County Gazette, 28 Feb 1956, p.1

I'd say so, wouldn't you?






























SOURCES:
History of Medina County (1948)
Historical Highlights of Medina (1966)
The Story of Medina's Schools 1817-2017
Medina High School Yearbooks, 1927, 1948, 1955
Medina County Gazette
     21 Feb 1919, p. 7
     28 Feb 1956, p. 1

For Enquiring Minds:

Craig Fenn, Sidney's oldest son, did serve in the Army during World War II. In April of 1945, his parents received news that he was Missing In Action (MIA). Later that month, they learned that he had been taken a prisoner of war. And just a week after that, he was released from the POW camp and was reunited with his troops. 

Medina Gazette 1 May 1945, page 1.

Medina Gazette  8 May 1945

But better than that was the story he told when he got home...

Medina Gazette  22 May 1945, page 1

Main Street U.S.A.

Last week, the Gazette ran an article on the upcoming Medina Bicentennial that talks about a movie made in Medina during World War II.  Bicentennial Article

Every couple of years, the Medina Library receives a request for "Hometown U.S.A., you know, the movie that was made back in the 40's."

The movie depicts a fictional lawyer writing a letter to a nephew serving overseas in World War II. The lawyer describes a typical day in Medina and manages to cover all the local industries, shops and some well-known Medina characters, all to encourage the unnamed nephew to settle in Medina when he returns from the war. Pathfinder Magazine  sponsored the movie and it was produced by Pathe Studios.

And yes, the Medina Library has that movie. But the DVD case, and the movie title, as seen below, is Main St. U.S.A.

Main St. U.S.A.  or is it Hometown, U.S.A.

It premiered in Medina on April 10-11, 1945 at the old Medina Theater that was just recently demolished.

And here is were the confusion comes in.

Because the newspaper ads printed at that time and even the actor/lawyer in the film refers to "Hometown, U.S.A."

This promo appeared in the April 6, 1945 Medina Gazette.

This article appeared in the April 10th Medina Gazette, 
the day of the opening. It also refers to the movie as
"Hometown, U.S.A."

Even the marque at the theater entrance calls it "Hometown, U.S.A."

Photo taken from Bob Hyde's web site: www.medinasquare.org

BUT, the opening credits from the movie itself, as shown in the first image above, was "Main St. U.S.A."

Did the movie going public of Medina feel confused or deceived by the title switch? Certainly such a momentous event would be chronicled in the local papers!  Except....

President Roosevelt died the very next day. The Gazette has always been a newspaper with
strong Republican leanings, so this graphic was all that appeared in their pages.

The very next day, President Roosevelt died.

So a big follow up to the premiere did not show up in either The Gazette or The Sentinel.

Bob Hyde, a Medina native, avid historian, and creator of the Medina History web site Medina Square, was just a youngster and remembers everyone was very excited by the movie. And he remembers it was called "Hometown, U.S.A.".

But why the confusion? Why did everyone call it, and remember it as "Hometown, U.S.A" when it is titled and labeled, "Main Street USA"?

World War II, though winding down in Europe, was still very much in the local papers.

The Army was still recruiting women for the
Women's Army Corps

So there wasn't a lot of local coverage after the movie premiered.

A June 5th Medina Gazette article reported that 500 booklets of "familiar" Medina scenes titled "Hometown, U.S.A."  were printed and available from the Medina Chamber of Commerce. Has anyone ever seen a copy of that brochure?

To confuse matters even further, in 1990, the Medina Area Chamber of Commerce produced an 11 minute video that contained a lot of boosterisms for Medina. If you want a laugh, view it just to see the fluffy hairstyles and fashions of the time. And it was called "America's Home Town, Medina, Ohio".

1990's "America's Home Town" movie produced by the Medina Area Chamber of Commerce

If anyone has any answers to this puzzle, please share your information, because ---

ENQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW

UPDATE!!

Tom Hilberg of the Medina County Historical Society brought in a copy of the brochure that was released after the movie. And look what it is titled!!

  

Also, on Facebook, Jay Summers had this comment to add:
Jay Summers I'd surmise the confusion comes from the Marketing Campaign and Editorial Choices didn't match up. Which is fairly typical in Film Production. The Marketing and Advertising folks don't talk w/ the Producers & Editors. Quite often titles are changed prior to release. I'd guess, the Producers in California and Marketers in Ohio, didn't talk. Had planned on "Hometown USA", marketed it as such, then the Producers changed the title to utilize it elsewhere. Most films go through several title changes before release.

LikeShow more reactions · Reply · 2 · August 23 at 11:47am

Thanks for the insight into film marketing, Jay!

School Days

School is starting up again in Medina in just a few short weeks. Now is a good time for a look back at some of the old school buildings of Medina County...

These post cards were given to the Medina Library by Jean Cooper, a long-time teacher in the Medina City Schools.

The Lincoln High School, built in 1872. It used to sit where Broadway and Smith Roads meet in Medina.
The building was torn down circa 1950 to make way for an expansion of the Garfield school.

This post card is also identified as the High School, but the door and windows do not match.
This is most likely the Disciple Church. Perhaps it is the High School in the background?

The first "primary" school in Medina City. It stood where the County Administration Building now stands.

The Garfield School was built in 1912. . It is now an elementary school. The old High School Building can be seen in the background.

Built in 1924 to replace the old high school, this building now serves as the Medina County Administration Building.

Once the new high school was built in 1924, the old Lincoln High School then housed the primary grades and the Garfield School held the "upper grades" perhaps what we would call the middle school grades?

Another view of the school that is now the Administration Building. 

The next new high school built for Medina students was the current Claggett Middle School Building. It opened in 1956.

Now Claggett Middle School, this building opened in 1956 as the new Medina High School.

An early Wadsworth High School

Hopefully you have enjoyed this tour of old Medina school buildings.

If you would like more information, please consult these resources:

• This website lists old schools for each of the counties in Ohio - Old Ohio Schools.
• Here is the listing for Medina County - Medina County Old Schools. 
• For an in-depth look at the Medina City Schools, check out Gloria Brown's book The Story of Medina's Schools 1817-2017.