Dr. John Wesley Bond and Family

The Bond family is deeply ingrained in the history of both Toledo and Catawba Island primarily due to their willingness to invest in the lives of others. John W. Bond was born on May 8, 1824, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Dr. Thomas and Christiana (Birckhead) Bond. John Bond attended college in Maryland and then trained in the office of a Baltimore physician for several years. In 1852, he moved to Zanesville, Ohio, where, in June of 1854, he married Amanda Buckingham Sturges. In 1856, John and Amanda Bond moved to Keokuk, Iowa, and John opened a practice there.

Feeling an obligation to his country, Dr. Bond joined the 30th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. When mustered on September 23, 1862, this regiment included 967 men. Dr. Bond was appointed their head surgeon. The 30th Iowa Regiment first traveled from Iowa to St. Lois, Missouri, and then to Helena, Arkansas. On December 28 and 29, 1862, the regiment took part in the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, a battle that was part of the campaign to capture the Confederate fortress at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Due to poor conditions, many soldiers, including Dr. Bond, became quite ill. Dr. Bond was forced to resign his post on March 20, 1863 and return to Keokuk, Iowa. After his recovery, Dr. Bond moved his family from Iowa to Toledo, Ohio.

Dr. Bond remained in Toledo the rest of his life and was an active member of the Toledo medical community for nearly half a century. In 1863, he was admitted to the Toledo Medical Association and began practicing medicine in Toledo in 1864. Dr. Bond’s community involvement began in 1868 when he was named a member of the Toledo Board of Health. From 1869 through 1872, Dr. Bond served the city of Toledo as its health officer, and in 1875, he was again appointed a member of the Toledo Board of Health. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Northwestern Ohio Medical College and, in 1876, became the first Chief of Staff at St. Vincent Hospital. In addition, he served as President of St. Vincent’s Medical Board.
Dr. Bond’s service as the first Chief of Staff at St. Vincent’s is evidenced both in records of his practice in Toledo and the development of the hospital. From its humble beginning in 1855 as a two-story frame building run by the Sisters of Charity, St. Vincent Hospital grew steadily to meet the demand of the growing Toledo community. By 1858, a new hospital, standing three stories high, was constructed. The hospital was again expanded in 1861, and more land was purchased during the period from 1863 through 1866, so as to allow for further expansion. By 1866, St. Vincent’s owned 12 acres. In March of 1875, the Sisters of Charity began yet another and more modern expansion of the hospital which was completed in July of 1876. With this expansion, the hospital formed its first medical staff which was composed of distinguished physicians and surgeons from the Toledo area.
Dr. Bond held the position of Chief of Staff or Surgeon in Chief until 1892 when he began losing his eyesight. He eventually became completely blind. Though unable to practice medicine any longer, Dr. Bond remained an active member of the medical community, serving as a consulting physician until a few months prior to his death in January of 1911.

Three children were born to John and Amanda Bond: Maria born in Iowa in 1859, James born in Iowa in 1861, and Amanda born in Toledo in 1864. The Bond family seemingly had a close relationship, with many members of the extended family joining John and Amanda Bond at their home at 2373 Glenwood Avenue in Toledo. The family’s closeness was exemplified when, after losing his eyesight, Dr. Bond’s daughter, Amanda, and niece, Alice Sturges, read to him to keep him informed of pertinent medical discoveries as well as worldly matters and literature.

Sadly, James Bond died at the age of 2 in 1863. Maria Bond never married and died in Toledo in June of 1887 at the age of 28. After 32 years of marriage, Amanda Sturges Bond died in Toledo in August of 1887. Dr. Bond’s daughter, Amanda, never married, but remained at home until after her father’s death. Thereafter, she made her home on Catawba Island.

For many years, Amanda Bond was associated with the International Order of the King's Daughters and Sons. This order, founded in New York City on January 13, 1886 by Margaret Bottome, comprised a three-fold program of religion, education, and philanthropy to train its members for Christian Service. The organization supported ministries for the elderly, handicapped, and underprivileged. Between 1900 and 1940, the Ohio Branch of the International Order of the King's Daughters and Sons sponsored students, mostly women and girls, to summer educational camps at the Rock Ledge Inn which is located on Sand Road on Catawba Island. Likely, it was Amanda’s association with the King's Daughters and Sons that prompted her to purchase several properties near the Rock Ledge Inn in the early 1900's. In 1907, the Silver Cross Circle of the King's Daughters of Bowling Green, Ohio was organized by Mrs. Hulbert Rogers, a friend of Amanda. This chapter supported the work of the Ohio Branch of the King's Daughters and Sons at the Rock Ledge Inn, and Amanda was appointed to supervise activities there.

Around 1920, Amanda Bond built the house located at 2766 Sand Road on Catawba Island and named it Linden Lodge. Amanda made her residence at another home on her property, the Rock Ledge Farm, likely intending Linden Lodge to serve solely as housing for extra people associated with the Rock Ledge Inn. Amanda’s tie to the International Order of the King's Daughters and Sons was strong throughout the remainder of her life.

Though Amanda sold the property that contained both her residence and Linden Lodge (currently known as the Five Bells Inn Bed and Breakfast) to her cousins, Louis and Anita Dole of Bath, Maine, in 1948, she remained at her residence until her health prevented her from living alone. She died at the age of 89 in June of 1953 in a convalescent home in Toledo. She was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Zanesville, Ohio, in her family plot there.

Pied Piper Ice Cream in Huron, Ohio

A small town just is not the same without a local ice cream stand. The Pied Piper in Huron, Ohio, has a long history and a big following. Here is its story that I published in the March 8, 2012, issue of Huron Hometown News: Pied Piper to Open March 14 Despite the crazy weather and the lack of a true winter, one thing residents of Huron can always count on as a harbinger of spring is the opening of Pied Piper. The official opening for 2012 is only a few days away and preparations are underway! The Pied Piper has been a fixture in Huron since 1952 when it was opened by Ellsworth and Helen Piper. According to Sheila Ehrhardt, the Pipers operated the Dairy Bar, a full-service restaurant that was located on Main Street in Huron. Ice cream was a big seller at the restaurant, and the children often followed Mr. Piper over to the ice cream cooler in mass to make their selection. Hence, Mr. Piper was frequently compared to the legendary Pied Piper. Thus, the name, Pied Piper, seemed fitting for the Piper’s new ice cream stand which they built at the corner of Cleveland Road and Huron Street. The Piper’s operated the Pied Piper for a few years before selling it to Carl Wechter. This was a fitting match since the Wechter family had long been in the dairy business. The Pied Piper has been in the Wechter family ever since. For the past approximately ten years, the Pied has been owned by Chris and Kelly Wechter. According to Chris Wechter, visitors to the Pied will not see any big changes this year, but all of the favorites will be back. So, if you are dreaming of a Nut Dip or a Turtle Sundae or even just a small cone with a face, you will not have long to wait!

Ice Harvesting on the Huron River

One hundred years ago, the village of Huron, Ohio, was bustling with fisherman. These fishermen relied on the ice harvest each winter to provide them with enough ice to store their catch throughout the fishing season. In February of 1912, the Huron River (Huron, OH) had 19 inches of ice, and it was still thickening. What a contrast to the 0 inches of ice we have had in 2012!

Reminders of the Past: The Fox Road Schoolhouse, Huron Township, Ohio

One-room schoolhouses dot the landscape of Ohio and provide a reminder of what life was like for the children of rural areas, including Huron Township, at the beginning of the 20th century. Sadly, only two of the more than eight, one-room schoolhouses that once stood in Huron Township remain.

As early as 1841, a schoolhouse stood on Fox Road just west of Camp Road in Huron Township. In September of 1841, Squire Barrett sold a small plot of land in the north part of Lot 9, Section 3 to Huron Township for school purposes. As the population of Huron Township grew, so did the number of children attending the rural schools. In the early 1860s, there was an average of 25 students attending the school on Fox Road, known as the Sub-district No. 8 School. Hence, a new and improved schoolhouse was needed to accommodate the growing number of students.

In 1868, the director of the Sub-district No. 8 School, George W. Harris, suggested that a new schoolhouse be constructed in his district just to the west of the original schoolhouse. Hence, in May of 1868, the Board of Education of Huron Township resolved that a tax would be levied on all of the property of Sub-district No. 8 in the amount of $500, and a tax would be levied on all the taxable property of the Township (village exempt) in the amount of $700 for the purpose of purchasing a lot, building a 24’ x 30’ brick schoolhouse, digging a well, and fencing the ground in Sub-district No. 8. By April of 1869, the new schoolhouse was well underway. Unfortunately, the $1,200 in taxes that was collected from the residents of Huron Township was not enough to complete the new schoolhouse. Therefore, the Board of Education levied another $900 tax. The new schoolhouse was likely ready for use by the fall of 1869.

In 1868, a vote was put to the people of Huron Township and Huron Village to decide whether or not to build a central high school. The voters in the township voted against the measure; however, the people of the village voted in favor of it. Though defeated in 1868, efforts to centralize the schools continued nonetheless. In 1886, Huron built a large school in the village on the corner of Williams and Shirley streets. The younger grades were composed primarily of students residing in the village, but high school students came from all over the township.

In the early 1900s, August Scheid was appointed director of the school in Sub-district No. 8. Mr. Scheid, who had several children in the district, was a strong proponent of centralized schools. In 1911, Mr. Scheid personally provided the means for children to be brought into the village for school by purchasing a bus to transport students from Sub-District No. 8 into Huron each day. Mrs. Scheid designed the bus, and it was manufactured in Sandusky. Further, the Scheid’s son, Lyndon, who was to attend Huron High School, would be the bus driver. Hence, the schoolhouse in Sub-district No. 8 was no longer in use after September of 1911. A few of the other one-room schoolhouses survived the centralization effort for a short time, but all eventually succumbed.

From 1911 until 1941, the schoolhouse in Sub-district No. 8 sat vacant, but was still under the ownership of the Huron Township Board of Education. During the 1930s, the owner of the land upon which the schoolhouse sat allowed their pigs to use the structure for shelter. The once lovely schoolhouse was now in shambles. In March of 1941, Thurman, Katherine, and Emory Fox purchased 196 acres of land, including Lot 9, from the People’s Loan and Savings Company. The People’s Loan and Savings Company had recovered the property in 1931 in a suit against August Scheid who owed them $47,535. The Fox family likely challenged the Board of Education of Huron Township for ownership of ‘the schoolhouse lot’ since the schoolhouse was obviously not in use as a school, and, therefore, the land upon which the schoolhouse sat was supposed to revert back to the land owner. In June of 1941, ‘the school house lot’, containing 0.65 acres, was subsequently sold to Dennis C. Fox. By the time Dennis Fox came into possession of the schoolhouse, all of the windows and doors were gone. Yet, Mr. Fox had a vision for the old schoolhouse which included rehabilitating it and making it his home. Since that time, many others have made improvements to the schoolhouse and have called it home, but yet have lovingly respected the house’s unique past.

NOTE: Historical Research Partners was hired in 2009 to research the history of this great schoolhouse, now a home.

Vaudeville and Kelleys Island, Ohio

Toward the end of the 19th century, Kelleys Island was a playground for the wealthy, whose visits often lasted several weeks to several months of the summer. Many of these wealthy visitors to the island stayed at the Himmelein Hotel. The Himmelien, like other former hotels on the island, offered exclusive amenities that enticed the elite, such as third-floor accommodations for patron’s servants.

John Himmelein, born on the island in 1868 to hotel proprietors, Johann and Johanna Himmelein, helped with his family’s hotel until approximately 1886, when he left home to attend business college in Evansville, Indiana. Upon completion of his studies, John returned to the island to assist with the hotel operations. There, he was introduced to various Vaudevillian acting companies that lodged at the Himmelein Hotel during visits to the island to practice their repertoires. John’s growing intrigue with the entertainment industry would eventually lead to a new career.

In 1890, John left the family hotel business and began working with Howard Wall’s Ideals Stock Company as the company’s agent. Soon, Wall and Himmelein formed a partnership with Wall focusing on the shows and Himmelein focusing on the business. By the start of the 1892-1893 season, Howard Wall and John Himmelein had organized two complete acting companies, the Robert Wayne Theatrical Company, managed by John, and The Ideals, managed by Wall.

By December of 1892, Himmelein’s company was faltering, and John decided that he needed to hire a soubrette. He learned of a young actress named Bertha Wiles, whom he hired. Bertha Wiles, born in 1869 in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, graduated from the Cincinnati College of Music and first pursued an operatic career with the Spencer Opera Company of St. Louis. Using the stage name of "Beatrice Earle," Bertha soon expanded her repertoire and performed as a dramatic actress, comedian and vaudevillian. Her contributions to the Robert Wayne Theatrical Company, beginning in the 1893-1894 season, resulted in great success for John Himmelein and lead to a life-long partnership. On June 6, 1894, John and Bertha were married at the English Hotel in Indianapolis, after the company’s regular evening performance. By the start of the 1894-1895 season, John Himmelein had purchased Howard Wall’s company and thus began John A. Himmelein ‘s Imperial Stock Company, also known as The Ideals.

Despite his travels, John Himmelein never lost his love for Kelleys Island. In 1905, John and Bertha purchased a choice lakefront lot on the island and constructed a grand home. Bertha christened the home, Cricket Lodge, after one of her favorite stage portrayals from the children’s play, Fauchon The Cricket. While most of the year was spent traveling with their stock company, the Himmeleins always summered at Cricket Lodge.

On December 28, 1909, the Himmeleins only child, Dorothy, was born in Sandusky, Ohio. Thereafter, Bertha left the stage as a full-time actress. Also in 1909, John Himmelein began directing operations of his stock companies, then considered the largest stock-show operation in the country, from New York City. On November 28, 1930, Bertha gave her final stage performance as Mrs. Schultz in the Robertson Young Players rendition of Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch at the Sandusky Theater. However, despite her retirement from the professional stage, Bertha continued to entertain family and friends for the rest of her life. She was often known to begin performing at any given moment, an attribute much enjoyed by her grandchildren.

At the end of 1930, John Himmelein shut down his stock companies, and his reign as “King of the Repertoire” ended with the advent of the movies. Several of the theaters owned by the Himmeleins were subsequently converted to movie houses. In 1942, after 52 years in the theater business, John Himmelein officially retired.

Throughout his life, John Himmelein owned 10 stock companies, five of which were traveling companies, while the other five were permanent companies in Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Texas and Maryland. He also owned two theaters in Sandusky, one in Elyria, Ohio, and financed the building of a theatre in Tiffin, Ohio. In addition, he served as a Sandusky City Commissioner, an officer in Sandusky’s Commercial Bank, and as Vice President and Director of Sandusky’s Western Security Bank, which he helped to found. Bertha Himmelein was an accomplished singer and actress who garnered glowing reviews and was behind much of the success of her husband’s first stock company. On October 6, 1955, Bertha Himmelein died at the age of 86. John Himmelein died on July 23, 1956 at the age of 88.

After John Himmelein’s death, ownership of Cricket Lodge was passed to the Himmelein’s daughter, Dorothy Himmelein Sun. In 1984, a year after her husband’s death, Dorothy Sun sold her treasured family home to Frank and Christine Yako. In 1985, the Yakos opened the doors of their home as Cricket Lodge Bed and Breakfast. Over the past 26 seasons of operating the bed and breakfast, the Yakos have become year-round residents of Kelleys Island, welcomed guests who now return as long-time friends, and continue to host visitors to their fine, historic home. Throughout this time, the Yakos have always respected their lovely historic home and have embraced its history, while becoming part of its history themselves.

Photos of Cricket Lodge and the Himmeleins can be found on the Kelleys Island Historical Society's website: www.kelleysislandhistorical.org.