Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
May 24
1854: Toledo council votes to hire "night watchmen" at $1.25 per night.
1894: The Perrysburg School on Louisiana Avenue burns to the ground.
1919: It’s the last weekend in Toledo for legal alcohol sales before local prohibition goes into effect. Saloons and bars are jammed with customers eager to get a last drink.
1934: The Auto-Lite factory strike in North Toledo on Champlain St. turns deadly as National Guard troops begin open warfare on strike sympathizers. In the smoked-filled melee on the streets, two men are shot dead and others wounded by guardsmen.
1934: Brand Whitlock, a four-time mayor of Toledo and ambassador to Belgium, dies in Paris at age 65.
May 25
1903: Great excitement is noted as a 20th Century train reaches an average of 70 miles per hour between Toledo and Elkhart, Ind., at times hitting speeds near 90 miles per hour.
1905: A sensational murder scandal is developing in the Wood County town of Weston as reputed quack doctor from Delta, Alexander Green, shoots and kills Ella Tippins to death after she refused to marry him. He confessed that when she spurned his wedding proposal he said, “You shall never be the wife of another man.” He then pulled a pistol from his coat pocket and shot her several times. Green then shot himself but survived and stood trial before being convicted in October.
1919: Jack Dempsey, in Toledo training for his upcoming championship fight, enjoys an afternoon of fishing in the Maumee River with his dog, King, by his side.
1936: Ten-thousand Toledo Catholics hold outdoor mass at Swayne Field to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Toledo Diocese.
1957: Students are reported to have rioted in the streets of downtown Bowling Green. Two fraternities are suspended.
May 26
1887: A statue of Toledo’s Civil War hero, General James Steedman, is unveiled in downtown Toledo on Summit St.
1901: Much excitement is generated by news that oil is discovered on Middle Bass Island.
1906: Toledo police report that two men are stabbed to death and another is near death after an all-day drinking orgy of men, women and boys at 215 Sycamore St. in what was described in newspaper accounts as a “disreputable part of the city.”
1919: Toledo patrolman William Bather is shot and mortally wounded on Emerald Ave. after attempting to question three suspects of a stolen car case. A saloon keeper said he heard several shots, ran outside and found Bather lying on the pavement. The 29-year-old officer died the next day, leaving behind a wife and two children.
1935: Fourteen-thousand people turn out at Scott High School to hear the eighth annual citywide music festival put on by high school music bands and singers.
1942: It’s reported in the Toledo Blade that more “Air Raid Wardens” are needed to be trained for help with planning and coordinating air raid siren tests in the city.
1952: The Lucas County Commissioners continue the prosecution of Rauh Fertilizer Company in Sylvania Township for the dumping of sulfuric acid into Ten Mile Creek, polluting the creek and killing fish.
May 27
1862: Toledo Street Railway begins operation as horse-drawn streetcars start running through the city.
1908: A downtown Toledo beer garden is closed after violating a police order that women not be allowed in city beer gardens.
1921: In a Fremont courtroom, during a civil trial, two opposing attorneys get into a brawl before the bench of Judge Scott Stahl. Others join in the melee before order is restored.
1928: Racecar driver Roy Goodwin is killed in a crash at Fort Miami Race Track in Maumee.
May 28
1902: Witnesses report that two men, Yank Robinson and George Kersey, fought a duel to the death on the main street in Cygnet, an oil boom village in Wood County. The pair dueled with knives over a woman, and it is said they had been long-time enemies.
1911: The Lion Store in Toledo is selling new screen doors starting at 69 cents each and ladies silk hosiery for 35 cents a pair.
1921: It’s reported that seven children in Toledo have died from diphtheria during the month of May. Three of them were children at Stickney School in North Toledo.
1936: An investigation into the “Black Legion” in Toledo reveals there are more than 700 members divided into seven “companies” around the city. Police say they don’t appear responsible for any acts of violence in Toledo.
1948: A well-known Genoa attorney, 74-year-old Lyman Chambers, is killed when his automobile is struck by a train in downtown Genoa at the West St. crossing. Twenty-years prior, his wife was killed when her car was struck by a train at the Main St. crossing.
1970: After reports of armed gangs roaming the streets, Toledo enacts tough new gun laws banning anyone from carrying firearms on public streets or in cars.
May 29
1837: The Toledo Fire Department is formed with volunteers.
1884: As hundreds of adults and children watched, convicted ax-killer Wesley Johnson is publicly hanged in front of the Henry County Jail in Napoleon. They even sold tickets to the hanging.
1892: The first mass is held at present-day St. Rose Catholic Church in Perrysburg.
1917: Anti-draft riots break out on the Lucas County Courthouse lawn as several people are hurt and/or arrested.
1938: Webber’s Tavern in Point Place erupts into flames, forcing 400 patrons to flee. Damage is estimated at $30,000.
May 30
1904: Sixteen boys at the Southeast Toledo School sew a “handsome” bed quilt and give it to the janitor at the school as a present.
1910: Toledo’s population is now reported to be 168,490.
1918: It’s revealed that a 14-year-old Toledo boy, Ells G. Porterfield, has enlisted in the U.S. Army Engineer Corps and is now serving his country. His father, saloon owner Frank Porterfield, said he really didn't want him to sign up, but he also said they are “darn proud of him now.”
1940: Future Toledo mayor Carleton “Carty” Finkbeiner is born.
1972: Betty Mauk, the "Mother of Promenade Park," continues her tireless campaign to promote the new riverfront park in downtown Toledo. She even offers crepes for sale to park goers.
1980: President Jimmy Carter visits Toledo on a campaign stop.
