Description: This is a photo of the Lima Locomotive Works plant. This photo shows a part of the process of assembling locomotives. The company was established in 1879 and originally known as the Lima Machinery Works. The company is best known for producing the Shay geared logging steam locomotive, and for being the home of William E. Woodard's "Super Power" advanced steam locomotive concept - exemplified by the prototype 2-8-4 Berkshire, Lima demonstrator A-1. The company stopped producing train engines in 1949, having made a total of 7,769 locomotives. This made Lima Locomotive Works the 3rd largest locomotive manufacturer in the United States. In 1947, the firm merged with General Machinery Corporation of Hamilton, Ohio, to form Lima-Hamilton. Lima's last steam locomotive was Nickel Plate Road No. 779, a 2-8-4 "Berkshire", which left the erecting halls in 1949. That same year Lima promoted a new wheel arrangement, the 4-8-6. This would have allowed an even larger firebox than the 4-8-4. No example of the type was built, however. In 1951, Lima-Hamilton merged with Baldwin Locomotive Works to form Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton (BLH). The Lima-Hamilton line of Diesels was discontinued, in favor of Baldwin's existing line. Though Lima and Baldwin had been known for high-quality steam locomotives, their line of diesel-electric locomotives was unable to compete with EMD, Alco, and GE. BLH left the locomotive business in 1956. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F08_010_1
Subjects: Lima (Ohio)--History--Pictorial works; Lima Locomotive Works, Incorporated; Locomotive industry; Manufacturing industries--Ohio
Places: Lima (Ohio); Allen County (Ohio)
 

Description: The caption reads: "Lima Public Square. Lima, Ohio." Lima, the seat of Allen County, was established in 1831. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F08_005_001
Subjects: Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project; Lima (Ohio)
Places: Lima (Ohio); Allen County (Ohio)
 

Description: St. Rose is located in Lima, Ohio, on the corner of North West Street and McKibben Street. The parish was established in 1856, and the church (Lima's first Catholic church) built in 1858. It would undergo additional construction over the next several decades, and boasts the oldest and largest steeple in Lima. St. Rose Catholic School, built next door, was established in 1865 by the Sisters of Charity, and has been a primary school for six generations. A new first grade building was erected in 1952 and the original 3-story red brick building (shown in the distance) was demolished in 1955 to provide additional parking. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F12_007
Subjects: Catholic Church--Ohio; Churches; Religion in Ohio; Lima (Ohio)--History--Pictorial works; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Lima (Ohio); Allen County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "Lima Allen C Faurot Park" This is a photograph of a bridge and shelter house in Faurot Park in Lima, Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B10F04_029_001
Subjects: Parks--Ohio; Parks--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Bridges Ohio; Recreation; Lima (Ohio)--History--Pictorial works; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Lima (Ohio); Allen County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "Allen Co. Memorial Lima Allen Co." Lima's Memorial Hall was designed by the Architectural company Dawson and McLaughlin. The building was constructed in 1908 to honor military veterans. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F05_36_001
Subjects: Lima (Ohio)--History
Places: Lima (Ohio); Allen County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "St. John's School Lima Lima Allen Co" Construction on this building began in 1901 and it was razed in 1959. It is unclear if the school is still in operation in a new building. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B12F06_023_001
Subjects: School buildings--Pictorial works; High Schools--Ohio; Lima (Ohio)--History--Pictorial works; Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works; Education; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Lima (Ohio); Allen County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "Social Studies Class, South High School, Lima. Photograph by courtesy of South High School" This is a photo of a social studies class at Lima South High School in Lima, Ohio. There is a teacher at the head of classroom the room and several students working on classwork. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B12F07_003_001
Subjects: High schools; Social studies; Classrooms; Lima (Ohio)--History--Pictorial works; Maps; Students; Teachers; Education; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Lima (Ohio); Allen County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a photo of 2 men working somewhere in the Deisel-Wemmer-Gilbert cigar factory. The cigars can be seen completed in stacks, so it can be assumed that this is either the quality checking process or boxing process. The company was started by Harry Diesel in 1884. Diesel started out by calling his cigars "Harry's Best" and were hand-rolled out of his house. As popularity grew, Diesel could afford a shop on North Main Street and hired some workers to help him with his business in 1886. Two years later in 1888, his workers formed a union and went on strike for more money. Diesel gave in to the demands, but needed a partner to deal with the effects of the strike. He teamed up with brothers Henry and William Wemmer and changed the name of his cigar company to the Diesel-Wemmer Company. The company moved to several different locations as demand for the company's cigars grew and the need for a bigger space and more workers were needed. The Diesel-Wemmer company would eventually end up running 17 plants and employing 4,000 people, mostly women. The invention of the cigar-rolling machine put a dent in the amount of people needed to make cigars. One of these machines could produce 3,500 cigars a day and only needed 4 men to operate. The company continued to roll their cigars by hand for a while but, once the technology improved, moved to machine-rolled cigars. In 1925, cigar production declined and Diesel-Wemmer eventually merged with the Gilbert Cigar Company creating the Diesel-Wemmer-Gilbert Cigar Company (DWS) with Gilbert now controlling the company. Gilbert would control the company through the depression until 1939 when Norman Schwartz would take over as manager for Gilbert. After the war, DWS would buy out several other cigar manufacturers and become the 5th largest cigar producer in the United States making 56 million cigars a year. In 1990, after 106 years of operation, DWS would be out of business due to declining sales and the shrinking cigar market in the United States. A calendar can be seen on the wall, assuming it is correct, the photo was taken sometime in April of 1937. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F08_012_1
Subjects: Lima (Ohio)--History--Pictorial works; Tobacco industry; Cigar industry;
Places: Lima (Ohio); Allen County (Ohio)
 

Description: St. John Catholic Church is located at 777 South Main Street in Lima, Ohio. The church began in 1899 when the Bishop gave permission for a parish in South Lima. Land was purchased for $6,200 and a school building was erected on the property in 1901 with Mass being held on the third floor of the building. By 1912, property adjoining the school had been purchased and a the basement for the new church was built. The parishioners worshiped there, in the basement, for 12 years before the church was completed in 1924. This red brick church has two symmetrical towers and a portico supported by 6 Corinthian columns. Above the portico stands a statue, presumably of St. John. Renovations on the church were completed in 1971 and 1990. A new school was built in 1958 (and closed in 1973), and the original demolished in 1959. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F12_006
Subjects: Catholic Church--Ohio; Churches; Religion in Ohio; Catholic Church; Lima (Ohio)--History--Pictorial works; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Lima (Ohio); Allen County (Ohio)
 

Description: Pediment at side entrance reads "St. Rosa's." St. Rose is located in Lima, Ohio, on the corner of North West Street and McKibben Street. The parish was established in 1856, and the church (Lima's first Catholic church) built in 1858. It would undergo additional construction over the next several decades, and boasts the oldest and largest steeple in Lima. St. Rose Catholic School, built next door, was established in 1865 by the Sisters of Charity, and has been a primary school for six generations. A new first grade building was erected in 1952 and the original 3-story red brick building (shown in the picture) was demolished in 1955 to provide additional parking. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F12_008
Subjects: Catholic Church--Ohio; Churches; Religion in Ohio; Lima (Ohio)--History--Pictorial works; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Lima (Ohio); Allen County (Ohio)