This Week In Toledo History

By: 
Lou Hebert

Nov. 20
1871 - It's reported from the small town of Genoa that a hen has given up trying to hatch an egg that she's been sitting on since July.
1897 - Workmen building the new railway line near the Perrysburg bridge unearth many Indian relics and skeletons. They have found tomahawks, kettles, bones and five skeletons near the Ft. Meigs site.
1926 - Cigar store dealer in Toledo says women no longer want to smoke just cigarettes but are also buying cigars and pipes.
1932 - University of Toledo President Henry Doermann dies suddenly at age 42 of an infected sore throat.
1954 - White Hut drive-in restaurants advertising for curb waitresses. They offer free meals, top pay, hospitalization, uniforms and paid vacations.

Nov. 21
1907 - Long-distance marathon walker Edward Weston passes through Toledo to cheering crowds on trip from Portland, Maine to Chicago.
1925 - Reports of a "phantom attacker" in Toledo surface again after two women report they are clubbed by a large man with daubs of red paint on his cheeks and his eyes painted black. Police and vigilantes comb the City Park area neighborhoods.
1936 - Fire hits Lucas County jail, all 115 inmates escape injury.
1949 - Crime wave continues with robberies of taverns and stores. Revival of the “hoodlum” squad is announced by the Toledo Police Department.

Nov. 22
1926 - Mauk Lumber Company burns to ground in massive fire on Elm St.
1928 - Bowling Green Falcons celebrates first undefeated football season.
1930 - Wealthy black Toledo businessman and reputed gambler Pearl Barber is killed in head-on collision with a drunk driver in East Toledo.
1956 - Teenage rock'n roll idol, Elvis Presley performs for first time in Toledo at Sports Arena. Blade reporter writes that young fans "bordered on hysteria"
1963 - President John F. Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Toledo reacts with shock and stunned disbelief. Shoppers in downtown stores listen to radio reports and many are seen crying. Traffic on the streets slows to a crawl under the dark veil of a light cold rain.
1963 - The Michael DiSalle Bridge over Maumee River is to be opened and dedication ceremonies held, but the celebration is called off because of JFK assassination.

Nov. 23
1892 - The original Way Library building in downtown Perrysburg is dedicated and opened. It is named for attorney Willard Way.
1904 - A Frank Marshall of Toledo is wounded by a turkey farmer in West Toledo when he tries to steal a bird for the Thanksgiving dinner table. He is taken to city jail where he is served turkey for Thanksgiving.
1914 - At Birmingham School in East Toledo, a group of 7th and 8th grade boys have started a "sanitary board" and they are cleaning up the streets and alleys of trash and garbage. At the school they are imposing strict health rules to keep students from falling ill.
1955 - Toledo police say a 2-year old boy riding in a car on Stickney Avenue tries to throw a wad of gum out the car window and hits his father, the driver, in the eye. It causes him to lose control and the car smashes into a light pole. Three people are injured.

Nov 24
1855 - First patient is admitted to the newly opened St. Vincent’s Hospital in Toledo.
1934 -In midst of the Great Depression, 17 federally funded sewing centers will be set up in Toledo to help struggling families meet clothing needs. More than 27,000 yards of material will be available.
1941 - Clem Gersman of Dearborn Street in East Toledo wins national acclaim in "Ripley's-Believe-It-Or-Not" feature as a blind cameraman. It's reported that the former rug maker takes pretty good snapshots as he senses direction from sound of the subject’s voice.
1962 - It's estimated that the average Toledo family makes about $7,000 a year, is paid on Fridays, owns a home, and has lived in Toledo more than 20 years.

Nov. 25
1898 - Telephone service begins for residents of Grand Rapids and Weston.
1900 - A major controversy in Bowling Green as the superintendent of schools has suspended ten boys after they traveled to North Baltimore to play a football game. The boys from prominent families in town say it's because the superintendent doesn't approve of football.
1911 - Saloon keepers and gambling hall owners in Toledo file legal action to stop Toledo Police from raiding their businesses and destroying the equipment.

1942 - Toledo's Paramount Theater plays host to Bob Hope and Roy Rogers to celebrate a 17-day War Chest fund raising drive that netted over a million dollars.

Nov. 26
1827 - The town of Port Clinton is founded on shores of Lake Erie.
1906 - The city of Toledo Board of Health begins the "new" practice of inspecting restaurant kitchens to look for health code violations.
1918 - Toledo City Council OKs the selling off of its flock of sheep at Ottawa Park. The four-legged lawn mowers number 150 and there are no facilities to take care of them.
1925 - Marshall Frank Robel, 37, of Marblehead in Ottawa County is shot to death after his car is forced off the road. Lester Wenner of Lakeside is charged.
1940 - First round of WWII draftees depart Toledo's Union station for boot camp. A farewell speech is given by Mayor Ollie Czelusta who is accompanied by accordion music.
1953 - City of Toledo removes 185 parking meters from downtown streets as the busy Christmas shopping season gets underway.
1956 - Man sentenced to workhouse for trying to pick a fight with Elvis Presley during his visit in Toledo. He claims it was a staged fight.

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