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From: Bill Oliver <>
Subject: Black Swamp Heritage Aritcles, 17 February 2002, Vol 1, #7
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2002 21:41:10 -0500


Black Swamp Heritage Articles
Bill Oliver


17 February 2002

Vol. 1, Issue: #7

ISSN: pending

Good Evening from the Black Swamp of NWoHIo,

Tomorrow we celebrate President's Day. When I was a tad
of a lad
we had February 12th and February 22nd to observe the
birthdays
of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Former
President. Nixon, in 1971 proclaimed one single federal
holiday, the Presidents' Day, to be observed on the
third Monday of February. This to honor ALL past
presidents of the United States of America.

There are two states which claim the honor of being the
"Mother of
Presidents": Virginia and Ohio. Virginia lays claim to
eight
American Presidents. They are George Washington,
Thomas
Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Tyler,
William
Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor and Woodrow Wilson.
While
Ohio lays claim to William Henry Harrison, Ulysses
Simpson Grant,
Rutherford Birchard Hayes, James Abram Garfield,
Benjamin
Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and
Warren
Gamaliel Harding.

If you noticed both Virginia and Ohio lay claim to
William Henry
Harrison. Since there is plenty of material, both in
books and on
the WWWeb, I leave it to the reader to form their own
mind to the
justification of both states. So, enough to say that
William Henry
Harrison was the only President to study to become a
doctor. It is
interesting to see how and where careers take people.
<BG>

George Washington's birthday, by today's calendar,
falls on the
22nd of February 1732; however, by the old style
calendar in effect
at that time, it fell on the 11th of February. At any
rate, the holiday
was first celebrated in the year 1796, the last year of
his presidency, and by the early years of the 19th
century the holiday had taken a firm root in the
American life.

Besides Birthnight Balls, speeches and receptions there
was much
"revelry" in taverns "throughout the land". I wonder
why they
made the universal date on Mondays rather than Fridays;
then one
wouldn't have to get up the next morning to go to work.
<BG>

I believe it was Sidney Harris who said "things I
wouldn't
know if I hadn't opened my mail." To misquote: "things
I wouldn't
know if I hadn't opened the book."

For our family Valentine's Celebration I was given a
copy of
William D Speck's new book, "Images of America, Toledo,
A
History in Architecture, 1835 1890". I certainly do
recommend
it.

Imagine being told by your mother that you were born
with snow
on the bed and that the stars could be counted "through
the holes in
the roof."

Did you know that every one in Toledo picked up their
own mail at
the Post Office at Madison and St. Clair Streets from
1853 to 1864,
when mail delivery was "instituted". It was said that
this would
spare the families of soldiers from having to read
letters in public.

If you like to eat in historic places, the OLIVER
HOUSE, which
officially closed in 1919, has been converted into a
brewery and
restaurant, with loft space apartments. According to a
telephone
call, the restaurant prices begin at $30.00 per
person. The Brewery
is much more moderately priced.

The OLIVER HOUSE construction began in 1853. To serve
overnight guests it had innovative amenities-of-the-day
which
included limited indoor plumbing, gas lights, steam
heat and you
didn't have to share a bed with a stranger.

Land speculator and investor, Major William Oliver,
built the hotel
in a simple "A" shape with wings branching off an oval
lobby. It
has 160 rooms. There was a dining room which served a
"professional business" lunch.

As mentioned, the OLIVER HOUSE had gas light. The
Hotel had
to "teach" patrons how to "blow" out the flame lest
they "wake up
dead" in the morning.

Due to the "name is the same", I collect references,
reports, and
stories concerning the Brevet Major William Oliver.
Please contact
me <> if you have something
about him
to share.

The "uptown" moved further away from the OLIVER HOUSE
location and the "uptown" business folks felt that a
hotel was
needed closer to the business "hub". The BOODY HOUSE
Hotel
was built at Madison and St. Clair Streets. This was
named for a
large investor and railroad magnate, Azariah Boody and
it
contained 150 rooms, sporting emenities of "hot and
cold" running
water and the first elevator between Chicago and New
York cities.
It also had a bathroom and "water closet" on every
floor. Their
famous entree was "baked beans and ham". Toledo's
first
telephone was tested from the BOODY HOUSE.

Wado,

Bill
--
Reference:


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(c) 2002 Bill Oliver All Rights Reserved

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