Friday, January 21, 2011

Long Ago in Downtown Newark

 Boy I thought genealogy research was addictive; I don't know which is worse history or genealogy!  I can't make myself stop......
I wanted to check out some information on the Newark Square and in doing so discovered that there was once house and a brick building on the site where the Midland Theater is today.  The first photo I came across shows a wood framed 2 story house with a woman and man standing to the left of the front stoop and a man in a chair on the left side of the stoop or porch.  It is really a landing with a step, well there is also a woman in a rocker on the right side with a young boy standing beside her.
I found a later photo of a brick building on the same site that housed Heipley Tailor Shop, News Depot, and Tobacco shop.
The Midland Theater opened in 1928.
Down the east of the Midland Theater was a well known restaurant called Kuster.
The restaurant was well known for its huge buckwheat pancakes with maple syrup and country style sausage.  If you wanted a good serving of roast possum and yams this was the place to go.  Many folks went there for wonderful spareribs and sauerkraut also.  At time you might find the overflow of guest from the Warden Hotel taking refuge in the upper room of the restaurant to catch a good night's sleep. The business was named after Joseph Kuster Sr a native of Germany and was born in 1837.

Further north on St RT 13 and the point of Mt. Vernon Rd and Elmwood Ave there was once a school called Whittle Point School as this was the location of Whittle Point.  A tavern later took up residence in the building once the school had closed.  John Duncan's Cavalry Troop made it a regular hang-out.

I found that Elmwood Ave was once called Young's Lane.  This area was actually called Hayesburg back in the 1820's.  It was named after two families by the name of Hayes.  Apparently there was a lady by the name of Barbara Shoe who had the notion she was "chosen" to be the keeper of "The Key to Heaven" by the Lord.  It wasn't uncommon to see her kneeling and praying as she held onto the large wooden key.  As the story goes while she was praying and singing hymns others would stop and join her.

I love to try and imagine the scenery back then and determine which buildings till exist today.  Newark has many wonderful old building and I wonder what events took place in and around them.

As always I hope you find this interesting and it brings you joy to learn or be reminded of our great history in Newark Ohio.

Resources:  Chalmers Pancoast History of Licking County, William Davis Chronicles and Licking County Public Library, files from The Licking County Genealogical Society, N N Hill Licking County History and Newark

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