Description: This color photograph shows key participants in the ceremonial unveiling of an Ohio Historical Marker in Elyria, Ohio, on May 23, 1969. The marker honors the Easter Seals Society and its founder, Ohio businessman Edgar H. Allen (1862-1937). In this photograph four people are standing next to the historical marker. They are (left to right): Chauncey B. Smythe, president of the Elyria Memorial Hospital Board; Leon Chaterlain, president of the National Society for Crippled Children and Adults; Michelle Williams, the 1969 Lorain County Easter Seal poster girl; and Richard Elliott, president of the Elyria Rotary Club. A tragic event inspired Edgar Allen’s crusade to help children with disabilities. In 1907 his teenage son Homer died after sustaining injuries in a streetcar accident in Elyria. Eight other people died in the accident, and eighty were injured. The lack of local medical facilities prompted Allen to raise money to build the Elyria Memorial Hospital, which opened in 1908. His work with the hospital sparked his desire to help children with special needs. He led the successful effort to open a hospital in Elyria devoted solely to the care of children. The Gates Hospital for Crippled Children opened in 1915, the first of its kind in the nation. In 1919 he established the Ohio Society for Crippled Children. Three years later, Allen and leading Ohio Rotarians launched the National Society for Crippled Children, precursor to the Easter Seals Society and its affiliates. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06953
Subjects: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio); Historical Marker; National Easter Seal Society (U.S.); Ohio Society for Crippled Children
Places: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)
 

Description: This color photograph shows key participants in the ceremonial unveiling of an Ohio Historical Marker in Elyria, Ohio, on May 23, 1969. The marker honors the Easter Seals Society and its founder, Ohio businessman Edgar H. Allen (1862-1937). In this photograph five people are standing next to the historical marker. Leon Chaterlain, president of the National Society for Crippled Children and Adults, is pulling the drape away from the marker. To his immediate right is Chauncey B. Smythe, president of the Elyria Memorial Hospital Board. The other individuals, including a dark-haired little girl wearing hat, are unidentified. A tragic event inspired Edgar Allen’s crusade to help children with disabilities. In 1907 his teenage son Homer died after sustaining injuries in a streetcar accident in Elyria. Eight other people died in the accident, and eighty were injured. The lack of local medical facilities prompted Allen to raise money to build the Elyria Memorial Hospital, which opened in 1908. His work with the hospital sparked his desire to help children with special needs. He led the successful effort to open a hospital in Elyria devoted solely to the care of children. The Gates Hospital for Crippled Children opened in 1915, the first of its kind in the nation. In 1919 he established the Ohio Society for Crippled Children. Three years later, Allen and leading Ohio Rotarians launched the National Society for Crippled Children, precursor to the Easter Seals Society and its affiliates. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06954
Subjects: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio); Historical Marker; National Easter Seal Society (U.S.); Ohio Society for Crippled Children
Places: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1935-1940, this shows four photographs of Cascade Park in Elyria, Ohio. Cascade Park, located on Park Road, near the intersection of West River Road North and Furnace Street, lies in a deep gorge of the Black River, carved by the same glaciers that created the Great Lakes. It is the largest and most popular park in Elyria and has retained its natural beauty despite is modern playground. Ohio Guide mentions a swimming pool, but it appears to be gone. Winding trails lead through thick clumps of trees and shrubs, though picnic groves, and past craggy masses of the gorge. Time and erosion have carved Shelter Cave, Bear Den, Robber's Den, Natural Bridge, and other configurations scattered throughout the park. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B09F16_071
Subjects: Waterfalls; Parks; Geography and Natural Resources; Geology; Lorain County (Ohio)
Places: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of John Paterson, a man with a jawline beard and wearing a hat, taken in Elyria, Ohio, and titled "American Worker." The image was submitted by John G. Kenney of Elyria, Ohio, in the Professional category of the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest. In August 1976, the Ohio American Revolution Bicentennial Advisory Committee (OARBAC) began the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest as part of a larger effort in Ohio to celebrate the 1976 American Bicentennial. The contest was meant to document "the spirit and character of the people and places which represent Ohio during [the] bicentennial year," and to create a permanent photographic archive of the year's festivity for use by future researchers. Both professional and amateur photographers submitted over 500 photographs for consideration, all taken within the state between January 1 and December 31, 1976. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA2734AV_B03F06_09_01
Subjects: American Revolution Bicentennial (1976); Employees; Labor--Ohio;
Places: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio);
 

Description: Taken at Kid's Breakfast at Hamilton School in Elyria, Ohio, this photograph shows a young boy eating breakfast. On the table in front of him, a box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes has a picture of a boy that looks like him. The image, titled "Look Alikes" was submitted by photographer John G. Kenney of Elyria, Ohio, in the Professional category of the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest. In August 1976, the Ohio American Revolution Bicentennial Advisory Committee (OARBAC) began the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest as part of a larger effort in Ohio to celebrate the 1976 American Bicentennial. The contest was meant to document "the spirit and character of the people and places which represent Ohio during [the] bicentennial year," and to create a permanent photographic archive of the year's festivity for use by future researchers. Both professional and amateur photographers submitted over 500 photographs for consideration, all taken within the state between January 1 and December 31, 1976. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA2734AV_B03F06_01_01
Subjects: American Revolution Bicentennial (1976); Students;
Places: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of two children in a rubber raft on Black River in Elyria, Ohio. The image was submitted by photographer John G. Kenney of Elyria, Ohio, in the Professional category of the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest. In August 1976, the Ohio American Revolution Bicentennial Advisory Committee (OARBAC) began the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest as part of a larger effort in Ohio to celebrate the 1976 American Bicentennial. The contest was meant to document "the spirit and character of the people and places which represent Ohio during [the] bicentennial year," and to create a permanent photographic archive of the year's festivity for use by future researchers. Both professional and amateur photographers submitted over 500 photographs for consideration, all taken within the state between January 1 and December 31, 1976. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA2734AV_B03F06_05_01
Subjects: American Revolution Bicentennial (1976); Rivers; Recreation;
Places: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)
 

Description: Caption on reverse reads: "Downtown, Elyria (typical of Western Reserve). Photograph courtesy of Elyria Chamber of Commerce. This photo must be returned to Ohio Writers' Project. 8 E. Chestnut St., Columbus, O. - In the Cities (page 4, upper)." This photograph shows the Civil War Monument in the town square in Elyria, called Ely Park, facing south towards the old Lorain County Courthouse. Ely Park is bounded by Broad Street, Court Street, 2nd Street and Middle Avenue. The Civil War Monument stands 41 feet 8 inches tall and was designed by Joseph Carabelli. The granite memorial cost $8,500 and was dedicated June 26, 1888. A Union soldier holding a flag stands at the top. Two soldiers flank the bottom of the statue, each standing 'at ease', with rifles held horizontally in front of them. The inscription on the front reads: "1861 - 1865. Elyria. To her heroes who fought and her martyrs who fell, that the Republic might live." The Lorain County Courthouse, located at 308 2nd Street, was designed by architect Elijah E. Myers and completed in 1881. Built of Amherst sandstone in the Renaissance Revival style, the building cost $200,000 and is identical to the courthouse in Marion, Indiana. Declared unsafe, the dome was removed in the 1940s, amidst a campaign to have the entire building demolished in order to be replaced by a WPA financed structure. The main floor was originally a large, ornate court room. Brick floors, covered with Zanesville tile, vaulted between iron beams, created scalloped ceilings in the floor below. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Renovations took place in 1981 - 1982, and much of the ornate woodwork, fireplaces and vaults were insensitively removed. The current use of this building is unknown. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B09F10_037_1
Subjects: Monuments--Ohio;
Places: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads "Elyria mill?" This interior photograph shows a mill most likely located in Elyria, Ohio. Two workers are pictured in the foreground of the image. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F09_009_1
Subjects: Factories; Manufacturing industries--Ohio; Labor--Ohio; Factory workers
Places: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)
 

Description: A group of children on a grassy lawn play with a playground parachute in this photograph taken by John G. Kenney of Elyria, Ohio. The image won first prize in the Professional category of the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest. In August 1976, the Ohio American Revolution Bicentennial Advisory Committee (OARBAC) began the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest as part of a larger effort in Ohio to celebrate the 1976 American Bicentennial. The contest was meant to document "the spirit and character of the people and places which represent Ohio during [the] bicentennial year," and to create a permanent photographic archive of the year's festivity for use by future researchers. Both professional and amateur photographers submitted over 500 photographs for consideration, all taken within the state between January 1 and December 31, 1976. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA2734AV_B01_24
Subjects: American Revolution Bicentennial (1976); Children; Outdoor recreation; Games;
Places: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of a father and daughter riding a sled, taken by Tom Mahl of Elyria, Ohio. The image was one of ten to win Honorable Mention in the Amateur category of the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest. In August 1976, the Ohio American Revolution Bicentennial Advisory Committee (OARBAC) began the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest as part of a larger effort in Ohio to celebrate the 1976 American Bicentennial. The contest was meant to document "the spirit and character of the people and places which represent Ohio during [the] bicentennial year," and to create a permanent photographic archive of the year's festivity for use by future researchers. Both professional and amateur photographers submitted over 500 photographs for consideration, all taken within the state between January 1 and December 31, 1976. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA2734AV_B01_16
Subjects: American Revolution Bicentennial (1976); Winter; Families; Sleds; Outdoor recreation
Places: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)
 

Description: These three photographs document Cascade Park in Elyria, Ohio, in Loraine County. Two waterfalls plunge nearly forty feet along the Black River, and dozens of caves and smaller waterfalls line the Black River gorge. Cascade Park includes picnic areas, a playground, and hiking trails. The park features waterfalls, the Black River, geological features, waterfalls, and forests. The land that now composes Cascade Park was once inhabited by ancient American Indian groups, highlighted by a fortress along the Black River. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3097_3735508_001
Subjects: Arts and Entertainment; Geography and Natural Resources; Parks; Recreation; Waterfalls
Places: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)
 

Description: Middle Avenue runs along the east side of Elyria's town square. The Lorain County Courthouse sits on 2nd Street, which is on the south side of the town square. The intersection shown here is to the left of the front of Lorain County Courthouse. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV101_B01F04_284
Subjects: Streets--Ohio; Stores and shops; Automobiles; Small business--Ohio; City and town life
Places: Elyria (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio);