September-October - Amherst Historical Society

Upcoming Events
Sandstone Village Annual
One-Room School House
Program for public, parochial
and home-schooled third
grade students.
October 9,11,16,18,23,& 25
Volunteers interested in
assisting as docents or docent
aids, please call Viv
Bickley at 988-4234
Halloween Event
By My Lantern’s Light
Amherst Sandstone Village
October 20, 2012
October 21, 2012
4:30 P.M - 8:30 P.M
Christmas in the Village
Christmas Bake Sale
December 1, 2012
December 2, 2012
2:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Grange Hall / School house
Caroling in the Chapel
4:00 P.M.- 5:00 P.M.
Village Christmas Dinner
Grange Hall / School house
December 8, 2012
6:00 P.M.
The Grindstone
September/October 2012
HALLOWEEN IN THE
VILLAGE
Imagine taking a late-afternoon stroll through the Amherst Sandstone Village. As
leaves crunch under your shoes, the soft autumn sun fades into the chilly evening
and a fire’s aroma drifts through the air. Your escort carries a lantern and leads you
through the village where you hear stories of days gone by. Afterwards, you enjoy
sweet cider and donuts.
“By My Lantern’s Light” is Amherst Historical Society’s new offering for Fall
2012. It takes place October 20 and 21 in the Amherst Sandstone Village. Groups of
about ten will make stops within the village, led by someone carrying a lantern. At
each stop, the group will hear a bit of local history with a story that runs about 7-8
minutes. All volunteers will wear period costume.
“By My Lantern’s Light” will educate the public on local history because only true
and local stories will be shared. It also increases the society’s visibility within
Amherst and the surrounding community, and brings history to life in a fun,
interactive way. An event like this is unique for this area, taking full advantage of
the Amherst Sandstone Village’s distinctive setting. This is a living-history
experience, rather than a haunted house or a pumpkin-patch activity.
Society member Kathy Dean-Dielman is the chairperson for what she hopes will
become a yearly tradition. She is recruiting volunteers from the Amherst schools to
be part of this experience, along with members of the Society.
Anyone interested in volunteering should please
contact Kathy Dean-Dielman at 440-506-1137 or at
dielman@hotmail.com.
“BY MY LATERN’S LIGHT”

From the President: Bob Pallante
We are closing out August for activities and it was a busy month. The German Fest on the 11 th was well
attended by the public and again the AHS grounds were appreciated. We had great music and entertainment
for both young and old, as well as, very good food and beverages available.
Bob Pallante
All of the buildings were open and manned by AHS docents until 8:00 P.M. On display were antique
motorcycles and new German (VW’s) cars. Tom Roth worked in the blacksmith shop demonstrating the craft. The AHS booths
featured a number of basket raffles, a 50/50 raffle and a sales booth for AHS memorabilia. A hardy “THANK YOU” to Kelly
Post and the U.S. Bank volunteers as well as the AHS members that manned the various booths and those who served as
docents in the buildings. The Amherst Comet soccer team directed traffic and parking keeping things orderly in the parking
area.
On Sunday the 12 th , a group of antique car enthusiasts came to the grounds with approximately 25 Model “T’s” and “A’s”.
This the second year they have visited to have pictures taken at the Gas Pumps adjacent to the Auto Garage.
You may have noticed that the Chapel, Grange, Harris/Dute and the Octagonal Barn have a fresh coat of paint to brighten them
and improve the overall appearance of the Village. The cost of the improvement was funded by the Nord Family Foundation.
There will be a new program in October to bring families to the Village to enjoy the sights and sounds of Halloween. The full
details are featured in this issue of the Grindstone. We will need volunteers to help make this program successful.
The Fire Museum is 99% complete and the fire department will soon move the display items to the site. The building was open
with a sampling of the display materials on hand for viewing during the German Fest and visitors were impressed with the
building and the intended use.
The restaurant at 150 Jefferson will be opening under new management on September 1st. Beth Mckinney will open the
“SANDSTONE CAFÉ” as a tearoom with a varied menu for both lunches and dinners. Wine and beer will be available. She
will also have a gift shop that will offer different craft items, art and memorabilia.
From the Curator: Col. Matthew W. Nahorn
I have been having an enjoyable time in the Historical Society office, each Thursday from 10am-2pm
when we have a group of volunteers come to do research and organization. We have some great, dedicated
volunteers who have been working on everything from inventorying downtown businesses to genealogical
research. We can always use new faces, so stop in to help out in the office - I am sure we can find a project
for you!
Col. Matt Nahorrn
We have many ideas for research projects awaiting your help. One of the most recent projects has been to
research and document the early portion of history of our local schools from the one room structures to the sandstone "Central"
School building. We have been searching for a photograph of the original brick school building that preceded the sandstone
Central School building, both of which burned at one time. And we're still looking!
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It seems as if every time we begin researching one aspect of the project, something else comes up, which effectively sidelines
our work and takes us in another direction. But that is part of the whole process - develop questions, attempt to find answers,
and develop more questions along the way. All of the research and genealogy completed now will be of great importance for
those in the future doing subsequent research on the topics. Personally, I have been researching our home and property (the
Shupe Homestead) on and off since 1998, and I am still learning new things while attempting to piece together the long forgotten
story having many hidden parts that are often difficult to find or make connections between.
Please take a moment to stop by the grounds and village for an afternoon. This spot is a hidden jewel within our town.

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DO YOU REMEMBER…...by Vivienne Bickley
How We Dressed
When Fashion Had Rules?
1. A lady or girl is never dressed correctly without her white gloves.
2. White shoes are never worn before Memorial Day or after Labor Day.
3. No slax for girls in school even little girls. They could wear “snow pants”
in cold weather but had to remove them before classes began.
4. In cold weather girls did their best to tuck underwear into long, tan stockings without too many
lumps.
5. In Junior High, the girls gave up the lumpy stockings for knee sox or anklets and frozen legs.
Remember the “tingle” as they thawed out?
6. Never polish your saddle shoes! Only nerds did (we didn’t have a name for nerds that I can
recall). P.S. I polished mine.
7. No bare legs except when wearing shorts. When the then new nylons went to WW II
parachutes, etc, the rayons bagged at the end of the day, so in summer women wore leg
makeup. This fad lasted after the war because it was cooler.
I’ll never forget my embarrassing memory of looking at my walnut chair in a restaurant as I
arose and finding two perfect thigh imprints from leg makeup.
This was before air conditioning. I don’t think I ever returned.
8. High heeled wedgies and platform soles? They have returned in all the stores but are much
higher then the ones we wore. Look forward to more knee surgery in the future.
German Fest Raffle Winners
Item Winner Donation Provided By
Kaiser Porcelain Squirrel Basket Eleanor Northeim AHS & Cargo Warehouse
Kaiser Porcelain Yellow Ducks Basket Janet Gross AHS & Cargo Warehouse
Kaiser Porcelain B/W Rabbits Basket Helja Janzik AHS & Cargo Warehouse
Kaiser Porcelain Ballerina Basket Angie Tedrow AHS & Cargo Warehouse
Rudesheimer Coffee Service Nadja Acosta Anonymous
German Beer Steins Steve Webster Cargo Warehouse
Columbus Zoo & Aquarium VIP Pass Donna Rumpler Marilyn Jenne
Lake Erie Crushers Basket John Dunn U.S. Bank
Fall Cornucopia Hummel Basket Marie Sayers AHS & Judy Ryan
Fall Floral Hummel Basket Tim Logar AHS & Judy Ryan
Lottery & Wine Basket Rob Trace Gary L. Post & Company
Bavarian Scene Oil Painting Gerry Timko Cargo Warehouse
50/50 Raffle Gerry Timko

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There was authentic German cuisine
provided by J&J Catering.
Noel Sholl delighted the crowd
with his amazing balloon
creations.
Savory and Sweet Crepes
provided by Bonjour.
Michelle Charny of M&S Equine Services
with Jerry Torma and his grandson, Marcus
Nichols.
GERMAN FEST
A great selection of Raffle Baskets were
available for just the price of a ticket!
Kathy Dean-Dielman with
daughter, Maddie, in period
costume.
Outback Ray with his alligator ….and….chinchilla ….and albino burmese python astounded both adult, teen and child with his
hands-on presentation of animals raised by he and his family. Pictured with the python is Molly Lynch, Elisa Barber and Erin
Lynch ...and holding the python’s head is Outback Ray.

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AUGUST 2012
Ed Klimczek entertained the
afternoon crowd with a variety of
polka music.
Fancy polka footwork! Hank Haller and Marilyn Jenne
during a musical break.
Tom Roth displaying his “smitty” skills in the
Blacksmith shop.
The evening crowd danced away to the German polkas and waltzes
played by the Hank Haller Ensemble.
Barb Diedrich discussing German beer with
beer tenders Kent Sutton and Ronan Lynch.
Mayor Taylor seated at the ticket table.
Visitors enjoying their day in the village.

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The Firelands Archaeological Research Center teamed with the Lorain County Metroparks and its members to
investigate connections between one of its sites and the Underground Railroad.
Volunteers worked excavating and screening materials from near the historic
Burrell Home site in Lorain County, and what they found tells how the house's
occupants lived and what they were doing throughout roughly the past 100
years, and possibly even further back into history.
We are currently in the process on cleaning and looking over the materials unearthed
so check back to find out what we discovered, or join us. Volunteers
and future members are people just like you who want to know about the historic
and prehistoric past in our backyard.
No experience required, contact us for more information or to get started today!
www.firelandsarchaeology.org
St George’s Chapel
Volunteers Working the Dig
St. George Chapel was originally constructed in 1882 by the Amherst Board of Education on property purchased by Joseph
Trost and John Becker. Its construction location was on Spring Street near Cleveland Avenue. This building was used as a
school until 1912 when many of the existing one-room schools of the Amherst School District were deemed impractical. The
larger school on Church Street, then known as The Union School, was able to accommodate the increasing enrollment.
On March 21, 1912, at a meeting of the Board of Missions of the Episcopal Diocese, a petition signed by thirty-four persons
bearing the written approval of the Bishop asking that the mission be received into the diocese under the name of St. George
and it was so ordered. And so on May 31, 1913, this building was purchased from the Amherst Board of Education for
$1905. A 900-pound circular sandstone with a cross carved in its center was placed over the front door. The building served
as an Episcopal church for about 18 years. The Walter G. Nord family attended this church until it closed.
In the following years, the building was sold and remodeled into a two-family apartment. The
windows were made smaller and an outside stairway added for access to the apartment upstairs.
Many years later, the property was acquired by Amherst Hospital. The property was needed for
parking, so the house was sold to the Amherst Historical Society for $1.00 and the agreement that
the building be moved. Moved it was– stone by stone! The stones were numbered and laid in a
planned arrangement at the future site of the Amherst Sandstone Village on Milan Avenue.
Through the generosity of the Nord Family Foundation, Amherst Historical Society funds, and
many hours of volunteer labor, and donated and contracted labor, the building was reconstructed where it stands today.
The interior was completed almost entirely by volunteers. Funds to construct the bell tower were raised by the Development
Committee. Eric and Evan Nord located the organ that was originally used in the Episcopal church. The Historical Society
gathered many other interesting photos and artifacts. The baptismal font came from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Amherst,
the pews and stained glass windows that adorn the front of the chapel were acquired from the razed
catholic church on Tenny Avenue, and the hymnals were donated by St. John United Church of
Christ in South Amherst. On the north wall is large silk flag and on the south wall two framed
rosters donated by St. Peter’s United Church of Christ. The items were displayed in their church
during World War I to remember those members of the church serving in the war.

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The Genealogy Corner # 43 by Orville Manes
The Eggert Family
Charles Eggert and his half-brother Friederich Eggert were born in Thurkow, Mechlenburg, Prussia.
With their father Christian Eggert and Charles’s mother Dorothea and four of their six siblings, they
emigrated to the United States in 1872 and settled in Wayne County, New York State.
Josephine and Charles Eggert with Four Daughters in 1893
Josephine, Elida, Wilhelmina,, Hattie. Charles, Anna
Orville Manes
Charles Eggert moved from New York to North Amherst,
Ohio where he met and married Josephine
Sabiers in 1884. She was born in Rosen, Prussia, before
it was lost to Poland after WW I. Josephine with
two brothers and her parents Gottfried and Henrietta
Sabiers emigrated to the United States in 1873 and
settled in North Amherst, Ohio.
In 1885 Charles and Josephine decided to homestead
in Dakota as his half-brother, Friederich had. They
were given 160 acres in the same section in Cunningham
township where Fred’s farm was. Later Charles
was able to homestead two 160-acre farms in Elida
township that were adjacent to his first farm. Two of
their ten children died in infancy and are buried in the
Gettysburg Cemetery. In 1906 the rest of the family
moved back to North Amherst.
Charles and Josephine Eggert with their six daughters and one son and members of the
Kolbe family on July 1, 1909, the wedding day of Anna Eggert and George Kolbe.
Top row from left: George’s step-mother Katherine Kolbe holding his half-brothers Oliver and Carl,
George’s father Henry Kolbe, Charles Eggert, Hulda E., Josephine Eggert, Wilhelmina E.,
Bottom row from left: Carl Eggert, Martha E., Mary E., Hattie E., George’s brother Henry Paul
Kolbe, George Kolbe, Anna (Eggert) Kolbe.
Text and pictures provided by Laverne Kolbe Burke

T HE AMHERST HIST O RICAL SOC IET Y
113 SO U T H LAKE ST REET
AMHERST, OH 44001
PHONE: 440-988-7255
FAX: 440-988-2951
EMAIL :
AMHERSTHIST O RY@CEN T URYT EL .N ET
W EB :
W WW .AMHERSTHISTO RIC AL SO C IET Y.ORG
T HE AMHERST HIST O RICAL SOC IET Y
B O ARD OF DIRECT O RS
Donita Abraham
Jami Anderson
John Dunn
Gregg Fior
Frank Janik
Kathy Litkovitz
Bob Pallante
Kelly Post
Judy Ryan
Steve Sayers
The Amherst Historical Society wishes to acknowledge
a charitable remainder trust created by Mr. Evan Nord
and administrated by
The Community Foundation of Lorain County.
Grindstone edited by Bob & Martha Pallante
and Donna Rumpler
Printed by SQP Print Center
SCOUT PROJECT
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
ADDRESS LABEL
Non-Profit Org
U.S. Postage
Paid
Amherst, OH
Permit No. 4
You may have noted the addition of the flag pole on the grounds of the village. This endeavor was undertaken by Eagle
Scout, Byron Smith of Amherst as an eagle scout badge project. Through fund raising activities, Byron acquired the
revenue needed to pay for a flag, electrician, installation, paint and hardware including the brass eagle atop the pole.
Terry Traser assisted in setting the pole and placing the sandstone wheel at the base. Byron donated the remaining funds to
the historical society.
Volunteers assisting Byron with
installation of the flag pole.
Pictured left to right:
Jesse, Erin Justice, Elisabeth Smith,
Gina Smith, Martin Smith, Byron
Smith, Drake McKelvey.
(In front) Ryan Sooy
Not pictured: Forest Dodson
Scout Troop 427
Under the leadership of scout master, Howard Messer, Boy Scout Troop 427 had a work meeting at the Village the week
prior to the German Fest. The scouts pruned trees, cleaned up brush and cleared the overgrowth that was hiding the stream
at the small bridge where the girl scouts troops have their cross-over ceremonies.