OC WAVES 3.9

PRESERVING
HISTORY IN
TOLEDO
There are many people who believe it is very
important to preserve the history of the place where
they live, to remember those who came before them
and pass those memories on to the next generation.
That is the mission of the Toledo History Center,
which recently moved to a new location at 320 N
Main St., just north of Toledo City Hall. To show
off these new surroundings, a grand re-opening
event will be held on Friday, May 12, from 3 to 7
p.m.
Brenda Brown is the treasurer of the Toledo
History Center Board of Directors and volunteers
at the center each week. She, along with fellow
board members Greg Musil and Nicole McKay, met
with the News-Times last week to talk about the
new location and their focus on preserving history.
The Toledo History Center first opened as the
Toledo Centennial History Center in 2005, when
the city was celebrating it centennial anniversary.
The center, which was the brainchild of former
mayor Sharon Branstiter, was originally intended to
be open for just that year. “But it was so popular
that we’ve been able to keep it going, and we’re
pushing 20 years,” Brown said.
Originally located at the south end of Main Street,
Brown said they began searching for a more suitable
location two or three years ago, and that became a
reality earlier this year. They were closed for about a
month, she said, and reopened in the new location
in mid-March — they had 26 volunteers show up to
help them make the move. “A lot of guys did all the
heavy things in one day,” she said.
One of the featured items at the history center is
a model display of the old Toledo waterfront, which
was the city’s first business district and original
main street along the river. These wooden models
were all created by Carl Schroeder. “He did all the
buildings based on photos, so they’re to scale and
accurate, and he did all of the covered bridges that
we have,” said Brown.
Wooden models of the buildings making up Toledo’s first business district were build to be accurate representation
of the structures that were once along the waterfront, as can be seen in the historical photograph.
Other displays include things like a boat builders
exhibit, a major Toledo industry in years gone by; a
timber industry display reflecting multiple mills in
the area back in the day; and a large school display
containing photos and memorabilia, including
annual yearbooks dating back to 1910.
Right: A large display containing old school photos and
memorabilia, including annual yearbooks dating back
to 1910, can be found at the Toledo History Center.
(Photo by Steve Card)
OC WAVES • VOL 3.9
BY STEVE CARD
31