This Week In Toledo History

June 30- July 6

By Lou Hebert

June 30
1905 -Toledo stunt flyer Roy Knabenshue thrills crowds as he lands an airship balloon on the top of the Spitzer building downtown and back again to fairgrounds on Dorr Street.
1906 - Funeral held for the “Immortal J.N. Free” at McCutcheonville his hometown. Free was known as one of the greatest and most colorful characters in Ohio, rivaling only the great Johnny Appleseed. Free traveled the nation for decades with little more than a speech, the clothes on his back, and his long flowing hair. Many regarded him the “Demosthenes of America.”
1918 - More than 35,000 people assemble in Ottawa Park for a community wide religious service to pray for an “honorable” peace in World War I.
1929 - Notorious Toledo gambler and bootlegger Albert Parlow is killed in a gun battle at the Riverview Inn in Point Place.
1931 - Toledo police detective Frank Delora suspended after he started a shooting rampage inside Greenie Taxi's office on Jackson Street. The police surgeon says Delora is emotionally affected by hot weather.
1948 -The end of an era as the last Cherry Street electric trolley ceases operations.

July 1
1909 - Toledo Mayor Brand Whitlock warns young lovers that it’s OK to spoon in city parks, but officers will be watching for any signs that the “affections” shown are improper.
1914 - State teachers’ convention held at Cedar Point, where the state school superintendent reveals to the crowd that most teachers can’t attend because they are too poor.
1977 - The last Ford Tri-Motor aircraft, also known as the “Tin Goose” crashes at South Bass Island. It was during take-off on a scheduled flight for Erie Islands Airlines. The pilot suffered minor injuries and the crash essentially ended the services of the “Tin Goose.”
1979 - A massive strike by Toledo city workers begins after failed talks for a new contract. All unions, including police and fire, go on strike, shutting down city and creating chaos. The strike eventually ends days later with a new labor agreement.
2000 - The Lonz Winery terrace collapses on Middle Bass Island. Eighty people injured, one person is killed.

July 2
1884 - Massive fire destroys most of Pemberville’s business district.
1909 - Last baseball game is played at Armory Park on Spielbusch Avenue in downtown Toledo.
1926 - Toledoans hold fundraiser to help Sadie Modisher, a mother of seven on Paxton Street who was widowed when her husband was struck by lightning. The News Bee reports that they collected $72.01.
1931 - U.S. Open Golf Tournament opens at Inverness in Toledo. Bill Burke wins the tournament.

July 3
1817 - Sea serpent reported by early settlers near Middle Bass Island.
1878 - Reported in a Clyde Newspaper that Thomas Hogg of Danbury Township in Ottawa County came upon a large eagle perched on a fence. Having no gun to shoot it, he hurled a bottle of shoe polish he was carrying and hit the bird in the head and killed it. The giant gray eagle with a six foot wingspan was sent to the taxidermist.
1909 - Swayne Field ballpark opens at Detroit and Monroe Streets. A record 18 innings played between Columbus and Toledo.
1948 - Police officer Harold Stevens dies when his patrol car collides with ambulance at Monroe and 17th Street.

July 4
1865 - Three women on a boat drown in the Portage River when the boat capsizes after the dress of one woman gets caught in the crankshaft of the boat motor.
1887 - Much of Bowling Green’s business district lost to flames, two acres of buildings destroyed.
1907 - Street car service opens to Toledo Beach amusement park. Some 14,000 people take the scenic ride on that day.
1919 - The single greatest sports event held in Toledo, as boxing's heavyweight championship title was decided in a contest between Jack Dempsey and Jess Willard. Held at a newly built wooden arena at Bay View Park, thousands of fans get to see challenger Jack Dempsey win the heavyweight crown.

July 5
1854 - Cholera epidemic spreads through Toledo area and Northwest Ohio, hundreds die in the ensuing weeks.
1914 - Toledo Park Board officials want a plain-clothes detective to keep watch on animal exhibits at the zoo to arrest the “jokers” who are spitting tobacco juice in the eyes of monkeys and feeding stones to animals.
1920 - More than 1,500 people gather for the re-dedication of the statue of General James Blair Steedman in Riverside Park.
1926 - Toledo Zoo animal keeper Louis Scherer is recovering from flesh wounds to the buttocks after being bitten by a black bear while cleaning the cage.
1952 - Tom Henricks, future space shuttle astronaut, is born in Williams County. His family moved later to Woodville where he grew up.
1969 - A major rain and windstorm called a “derecho” rake Toledo area. One of the worst in history. Thousands of trees down, damage to buildings, power outages and flooding reported.

July 6
1921 - Heat wave continues in Toledo. One downtown lemonade seller reports sales of over 10,000 glasses in one day.
1923 - Los Angeles firemen who are touring the nation write letter to Toledo fire chief telling him that “Toledo has the most beautiful women in the country.”
1929 - Official ceremonies are held in South Toledo to celebrate the closing and draining of the Miami and Erie Canal. This event marks the start of planning and preparation for what would become the Anthony Wayne Trail.