Terrace Park Historical Society

214 Rugby phone call

Today I had a phone call from someone who at an earlier date as a child lived at 214 Rugby.  She was very upset when she found on our building survey web site that the house had been burned down and so was no longer there.  It's now just an empty lot.  I gave her what background I knew as well as the phone number of someone who I hope can give her more information.  This is just one more example of people contacting us about something they discover on the building survey.  It's also an example of the continuing concern by both former and present Terrace Park residents about what's happening particularly to some of our older homes.  This large Victorian frame house was built in the late 1890s in J. W. Sibley's partition of lots 3 and 4 of failed Camden City.  It was on the Terrace Park Garden Club's Holiday Home Tour in 1996. 

Two interesting inquiries

I'm afraid I'm way behind on writing blogs but that doesn't mean that nothing's been happening at the Terrace Park Historical Society.  Actually there's been a lot of good work accomplished so that I think I can honestly say our archives are getting to be in excellent condition for doing Terrace Park research.  Two very interesting inquiries have come in just in the last couple of days. 
    The first one comes from someone working on pictures for a family reunion in August.  She found our web site because it listed one of her 2nd cousins as married to a 1954 Terrace Park High School graduate. What she wanted was a high school picture of this wife of her 2nd cousin.  I've now sent her an enlarged copy of the senior picture. 
    The 2nd inquiry comes from someone just finishing research for a book he's writing on the founding of the Boy Scouts of America.  I believe he found our web site because I had at one time written an article using material from an article we have in the archives concerning a Terrace Park resident who was perhaps the first boy scout group leader - even before the Scouts were officially founded in this country. I've now sent him that article along with another, which may have been in the same newspaper concerning the founders of the Boy Scouts.
    These are just two examples of material we have that may be of interest to someone we've never heard of before.    People sometimes ask me who's ever going to want to look at the material we're collecting.  This answer is, "One never knows", but obviously our Terrace Park web site is being found useful. 

Fresh Air Farm

I've just heard from two more people who attended the Fresh Air Farm in the 1948-52 era.  It was obviously a marvellous place and very much enjoyed by both parents and children who attended.  My dream would be to get people who attended together for a reunion and to exchage memories.  Do those of you who attended know of others we should contact?  You can view the comments of Ronald and Carol Kidwell (Carol's last name is now Gay) by clicking in the appropriate place below my posting on the Fresh Air Farm.  Ronald and Carol believe a man by the name of Mr. Ray Stormer in Mariemont may have been responsible for getting them to the camp.  Does anyone know anything more about Mr. Stormer? 

1937 Flood

The end of January in 1937 was when the Cincinnati area of the Ohio River experienced its highest flood.  Of course the Little Miami River flooded too but we don't have much information or pictures of the Little Miami River or areas of Terrace Park at that time.  If you have some information or pictures to share we'd love to hear from you. 

Pictures

Some time ago I had correspondence with someone whose family had a summer home in Terrace Park.   Later various family members lived in several other houses here.  Now you can see pictures of all those houses in our survey of Terrace Park Houses on line (www.tpsurvey.org). We always enjoy hearing from former residents of Terrace Park but especially when they can send us pictures of where they lived or will tell us stories about when they lived there.   You can send pictures and/or stories to cccole4@juno.com or by regular mail to 629 Myrtle Avenue, Terrace Park Oh 45174.  We can make copies of pictures and send the originals back to you.  I hope this will encourage more people to conatact us with stories and pictures. 

Former Terrace Park Residents

    Recently I've heard from two former residents of Terrace Park.  Nancy Thomsen Cook grew up at 709 Yale, 607 Floral and finally 622 Myrtle before moving away.  Her parents were Carl and Alice Jean Mitchell Thomsen and they were both Terrace Park High School graduates, he in 1939 and she in 1942.  Alice Jean Mitchell grew up at 624 Yale whereas her husband grew up in Mariemont.  They were married at St. Thomas Church, Terrace Park.   Nancy Cook usually teaches high school but this year is teaching 5th grade.  They are participating in the "great mail race" and so are writing to other 5th grade classes across the United States.  Nancy looked up Terrace Park Elementary School and thus found our web site.      
    Harrison R. T. Davis has also recently found our web site.  He was raised in their family home, 720 Elm Avenue or "Gravelotte".  He remembers especially the school across the street from his house, the Boy Scout cabin and the nearby large pit.  His family owned four acres around their house, much of it wooded, so was a wonderful place to play and grow up.  Besides his mother and father Harrison had two sisters and a brother with whom he raised two collies. 
    The reason all this is important is because we are able to get more information for the archives from these former residents.  Already we now know more about the four houses connected with the Mitchell/Thomsen families and expect to receive more and perhaps pictures of the homes owned by these families when they lived in them.  We'd like to be ale to fill in purchase and sale dates for all Terrace Park houses.       
    How can you help?  If you are or know a former resident of Terrace Park, please get in touch with us at cccole4@juno.com so that we may be able to gather more important information for our archives.  We are really interested in all the Terrace Park homes but also want to know as much as we can about the families who lived in them. 

Tower Hill

Today we received an e-mail concerning pictures of someone's grandfather canoeing on the Lillte Miami River.  On the backs of the pictures it said they were taken near Tower Hill.  The sender wanted to know if we have information about Tower Hill and its location.   We do and we also have a picture of the home with a tower after which we believe the area was named (between Terrace Park and Plainville).  We would like more information and pictures about this area from anyone who has this.  We can make copies of pictures and return the originals.  We are hoping people with any information will contact us to exchange information. 

Fresh Air Farm

     In 1897 Thomas Emery bought property near Terrace Park OH from Nora Spooner and deeded it to The Fresh Air and Convalescent Aid Society in 1898.  This group of people then ran a summer camp for children and mothers to come out of the inner city to enjoy some fresh air and relaxation in the summer.  In the 1960s the Fresh Air Farm became Stepping Stones Center with programs for the handicapped.
     I've recently received an e-mail from Kristy Balzer,the daughter of someone who went to this Fresh Air Farm as a child.  "His name is Albert J. Toepfert (he goes by Jean). He lived in Laurel Homes (subsidized homes during World War II).  Moved there after the 1937 flood.  Before that he lived on Wilstack St. in the Westend.  He says he remembers a man called Mr. Amarant.  Activities director.  He went there in 1941, 42, 43.  He thinks.  He said they wouldn't allow you to go after you were 12 years old.  He says he doesn't remember R. J. Vilardo (another camper)."
     The Terrace Park Historical Society has some information concerning this Fresh Air Farm but we're always looking for more - and especially would be interested in hearing from as many people as possible who attended this summer camp.  It would be fun if these people could get together sometime and share stories of their experiences there.   

Welcome!

We've just set up a new web blog so that interested people can be kept informed of what's going on in the Terrace Park Historical Society and of new information and queries sent in.  We welcome your comments and additions.