by Alliance Historical Society | Sep 11, 2021 | Events, Historic facts, Obituaries
Headline from The Alliance Weekly Review, February 6, 1884 detailing Alliance’s worst disaster
At 4 o’clock in the afternoon of February 1, 1884, Alliance’s worst disaster occurred. Seven people lost their lives and at least 15 others were seriously injured as the fumes from a gasoline spill inside the Orr Block ignited, causing the three-story building to explode.
The victims
Frank M. Orr, age 46, owned the stove and tin ware store, located on the south side of Main Street near 5th Street (now known as Seneca) in downtown Alliance. On the second floor of the building, lived Mr. Orr’s 24-year-old daughter and son-in-law, Homer and Allie Highland, along with their 2-year-old son, Vernon Highland. The Highlands had been married three years. On the third floor lived Frank Evans, his wife Ida, and their two small children, ages 2 years and 4 months. Frank Orr’s son, Elmer, age 21, worked in the store with his father. He was friendly and showed a good talent for business.
How the disaster happened
It was a typical Friday afternoon at the store with a few persons shopping. The building, completed in the fall of 1883, was considered one of the finest in the city. Its exterior consisted of pressed bricks and French plate glass windows. Businesses in the adjoining buildings included a three-story dry goods building, owned by Mr. Miller, to the east, a single-story millinery store to the east of that, and a two-story grocery store to the west of the Orr Block. Noted in the newspaper reports of the day, about seven or eight people were shopping at the grocer’s store at the time of the explosion and a few people were working in the Miller building. Frank Orr was a staunch believer in the Temperance movement and had offered his store to the local WCTU for a meeting on the afternoon of February 1, 1884, but “some trifling matter” caused them to postpone their meeting for another time.
Mrs. Highland and her son Vernon were visiting with her father, Frank, and brother, Elmer, in the tin shop when young Vernon opened the spigot of the gasoline tank. Frank Orr kept gasoline in an airtight galvanized iron tank inside his store for his customers. About a gallon of the liquid spilled out onto the floor of the shop and the fumes began to disperse into the air. Elmer Orr began to mop up the gasoline when the fumes reached a fire-burning stove and caused the great explosion.
The explosion
Two men from Duprez & Benedict’s Minstrels, standing in the doorway into the shop at the time of the explosion, were hurled through the plate glass window to the opposite side of the street. A team of horses on the opposite side of the street, thrown down by the violent explosion, scrambled to their feet. Eyewitnesses remarked that the building appeared to be lifted up before crashing to the ground. The sound of the explosion, heard several blocks away, caused many to think there had been an earthquake. The neighboring three-story building collapsed and thin glass windows within two blocks of the explosion shattered. Property damage estimates were $50,000 and there was little insurance coverage.
Frank and Elmer Orr along with Allie Orr Highland and her young son Vernon all perished in the subsequent fire and building collapse. Frank Evans had just put his 4-month old baby into her crib when the explosion occurred. Their third floor apartment collapsed, trapping the family beneath the ceiling beams and bricks as the fire spread. Evans was able to pull himself out from the wreckage but could not reach his wife, Ida, or either of their children and they perished in the disaster.
News of the disaster
News of the explosion traveled quickly to neighboring Canton and an estimated 4,000 people arrived by train by the next morning to see what had happened. Spectators scooped up pieces of broken glass as souvenirs. Coverage of the disaster appeared in newspapers across the country from The New York Times to Missouri and beyond. The Business Men’s Association constructed a memorial arch on the site of the former Orr Block as a sign of respect for one of their members, Frank Orr.
The funerals
Frank Evans worked at The Hammer Works. Nearly 2,000 people attended the funeral of his wife and children, held at the home of John R. Morgan on Market Street. The funeral service for the Orr family, held in the First Methodist Episcopal Church, included a detail of special police stationed to prevent overcrowding at the service. At the cemetery service for the Orr family, the crowd of spectators and sympathizers, estimated at five to six thousand, attended. The burial service included full Odd Fellows rites since Frank Orr was a member.
All seven victims of the Orr Block explosion are buried at Alliance City Cemetery. Their names:
- Frank M. Orr, age 46
- Elmer Orr, age 21, son of Frank Orr
- Allie Orr Highland, age 24, daughter of Frank Orr
- Charles Vernon Highland, age 2, son of Allie Highland
- Ida Evans, and her two small children, ages 2 years and 4 months
by Alliance Historical Society | Jun 16, 2020 | Events, Historic facts
#25. Goat Hill Neighborhood
A friendly game of football at Goat Hill
Located at the corner of Morgan Avenue and Garwood Street, in the Goat Hill neighborhood, a marker pays tribute to the many sports teams who played for the Goat Hill Athletic Club. The memorial reads, “Dedicated to an era of Goat Hill athletes, 1914-1927,” and lists John Hallman as manager and Lou Skelly as president.
The area known as Goat Hill is bordered by Forest Avenue on the east, Liberty Avenue on the west, Summit Street on the north, and Auld Street on the south. It was named for the large Welsh population who were known for raising goats in Wales.
Goat Hill Neighborhood location
The ball fields of Goat Hill were always busy hosting baseball and football games. Some players even hit the big time, including Pro Football Hall of Famer, Len Dawson, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Between 1930 and 1947, the athletic fields between Garwood and Woodland were converted into GI temporary housing. This included 40 single and 20 double housing units. Later, this field became the home of Morgan Elementary School which was opened in 1957 and demolished in 2004.
For more information on and photos of Goat Hill, visit AllianceMemory.org. A memoir of Red Artino can also be purchased from the Alliance Historical Society.
1919 Goat Hill football team
by Alliance Historical Society | Jun 15, 2020 | Events, Historic facts
#24. Main Street Caboose and the Lake Erie, Alliance, and Wheeling Railroad
Main Street Caboose dedication, April 25, 1993 (The Alliance Review, April 24, 1993)
If you’ve visited Downtown Alliance, you may have wondered, “Why is there a caboose in the parking lot?“
The caboose is a reminder of days gone by when the Lake Erie, Alliance, and Wheeling Railroad passed through downtown Alliance. The track line is now part of the Stark Parks connector trail which goes from the University of Mount Union, past Rodman Public Library and the Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce, and then along Park Avenue to the Mabel Hartzell Historical Home and on to Earley’s Hill Park.
Map of the Lake Erie, Alliance & Wheeling Railroad through Alliance (http://www.abandonedrails.com/lake-erie-alliance-and-wheeling-railroad)
The donation and renovation of the caboose were a joint effort of Alliance Main Street, Inc. and the Stark County Railroad Society to honor Alliance’s railroad past. The idea was suggested by Rev. Roger Skelley-Watts in 1988. Later that year, Mayor Francis Carr was informed by Norfolk and Southern Railroad that a caboose was on its way to the city. The caboose sat idle on an Alliance Machine Co. siding for several years awaiting renovation.
The Main Street Caboose
When the Stark County Railroad Society was formed, it offered to undertake the renovation of the caboose. Approximately $3,000 was raised through the sale of railroad bonds, an idea spearheaded by Karl Fiegenschuh, a downtown merchant, to help with the cost of the renovation.
The caboose was moved to the municipal parking lot at E. Market Street and S. Mechanic Avenue and dedicated in a formal ceremony on April 25, 1993.
In recent years, a stage was added to the east side of the caboose. The stage has been used for performances by local bands during the Alliance Farmer’s Market and the Summertime Friday Night Concert series.
by Alliance Historical Society | Jun 14, 2020 | Historic facts
Dedication of Williamsport, Ohio marker. Alliance Review, June 15, 1953
#23. Dedication of Williamsport Marker
On June 14, 1953, the Alliance Historical Society dedicated a marker at the site of the first church in what is now known as Alliance. The event was covered in the June 15, 1953 edition of The Alliance Review and featured the picture shown here. On hand were Mayor Harley R. Ewing, Mrs. Fred (Dorothy) Donaldson, Mrs. Melvin (Ethel) Van Winkle, both from the Alliance Historical Society, and Congressman Frank T. Bow.
The marker paid tribute to the hardy pioneers who laid the foundations of Alliance in the Village of Williamsport and the men and women who are buried in the first cemetery where the United Brethren Church was built in 1819. The land was donated by William and Martha Teeters, who were among the first settlers in the area. The marker and cemetery can be visited on River Street on the north end of the city.
Williamsport marker on River Street
Williamsport was founded along the banks of the Mahoning River as early as 1805 and formally listed as settled in 1827. The settlers arrived from Williamsport, Pennsylvania. William Teeters had a gristmill and a sawmill along the banks of the Mahoning. The church was reportedly built from logs and had a burying ground next to it.
The markers for most of those buried here have decayed over the years with only a few stumps remaining. The gravestone for William and Martha was replaced in 1952, at the same time as the large marker was placed, by the Alliance Historical Society. It reads, in addition to their birth and death dates: To the memory of the two leaders of the Williamsport settlement.
The large memorial includes the names of those that could be deciphered from remaining tombstones in 1940 and includes veterans of the Civil War and John McIntire, who was killed by the collision of trains in Alliance on December 8, 1856.
The village of Williamsport was merged with the villages of Freedom and Liberty to the south in 1854 to form the Village of Alliance. This marker and cemetery are all that remain of this early settlement.
by Alliance Historical Society | Jun 13, 2020 | Historic facts
#22. Alliance City Schools Adopt the Aviators as Their Mascot After Charles Lindbergh Flies over the City
Navy A-7 Corsair Jet installed at Alliance High School, December 7, 1991
On September 20, 1991, the Navy A-7 Corsair Jet that adorns the front lawn of Alliance High School was officially dedicated in a program before the student body. The planning and preparation for the ceremony and subsequent installation of the jet took 18 months and the final installation came on December 7, 1991, when the aircraft was hoisted onto the display mounts where the jet is tipping its wings to the Alliance High School sign.
The mascot
But how did Alliance High School get its mascot and name? On August 3, 1927, famed aviator Charles Lindbergh flew over the city of Alliance and tipped his wings when he flew over the house of a friend who lived here. The tipping of wings by a pilot is a sign of recognition and their way to “say hello” as they fly over a familiar location.
In the years following this event, the High School adopted the name “Aviators” to refer to their sports teams. The first mention of the name for the football team is found in the January 1930 Chronicle and in the October 4, 1929 Red and Blue student newspaper. A second page article in the October 10, 1929 Red and Blue makes the title official.
ARGO dedication, August 4, 1928
Why the “Aviators”?
During the dedication ceremony for the Jet, Sarah Brown, president of the Board of Education, referred to the appropriateness of selecting Aviators as the school’s mascot rather than a four-legged animal. First, she explained, that the Aviator is a two-legged thinking animal who is able to think critically and behave honorably. It also symbolizes Alliance’s connection to aviation history in the city. She concluded with a mention that the jet symbolizes freedom of flights of imagination that education provides and that all students are free to pursue their dreams to achieve great things.
The Alliance area first entered the aviation arena with the Argo bi-plane in 1927. In the 1930s and 1940s, Taylorcraft operated its factory here and gained a world-wide reputation for contributions made to aviation during World War II.
A DVD of the dedication ceremony is available for checkout from Rodman Public Library.
by Alliance Historical Society | Jun 12, 2020 | Glamorgan, Historic facts
#21. Glamorgan Castle, Col. Morgan’s Home
Glamorgan Castle
Alliance’s most magnificent home is Glamorgan, the residence built by Colonel William H. Morgan, president of the Morgan Engineering Company. It is named for the historic county in Wales where the Morgan family originated. Built between 1904 and 1905, the construction cost was about $400,000. Often called Glamorgan Castle, or the Morgan Mansion, the building, though a completely new construction at the time, is reminiscent of a traditional Welsh castle. The architect was Willard Hirsh of the firm Searles, Hirsh & Gavin of Cleveland. (Mr. Hirsh also designed the First Presbyterian Church on Market and the homes of Frank Dussel and O. F. Transue.) The exterior walls of the Castle are more than three feet thick at the base, and it took 96 train car loads of Vermont marble to complete the project. When it was built, the home had nearly 50 rooms, and was decorated with molded plaster, hand carved woodwork, inlaid floors, and silk tapestries. The interior style was quite eclectic: the rotunda was Italian Renaissance; the living room was French Empire; the reception room, Louis XV; the dining room, Elizabethan; the breakfast room, Japanese; and the card room, Moorish. The home had its own electric power plant to supply electricity, a built-in vacuum system, and a door annunciator and telephone system. It had a ballroom on the third floor, a magnificent domed rotunda, and a basement rathskeller, pool, and bowling alley. There was also a pipe organ from the 1904 St. Louis Exposition. (This organ was destroyed in an electrical fire that damaged the rotunda in 1944.)
Colonel Morgan died in 1928, and Mrs. Morgan sold the estate to the Elks in 1939 for $25,000. The family was happy to find a buyer given the depressed economy, as the alternative might have been to raze the structure. The Elks utilized Glamorgan as their “Elks Home” until about 1964 when they found it too expensive to maintain. The Elks began building a new lodge on 10 acres at the western end of the original property; they sold the rest of the land, including the Glamorgan Castle, to Hilltop Realty Company.
Many feared that the building would be torn down to make way for a shopping center or strip mall after the sale. Luckily, several leading businessmen came up with a plan to save the property. It was proposed that the City of Alliance would purchase the property from Hilltop in 1965; 14 acres in front of Glamorgan Castle would be kept for park land; 22 acres behind the Castle would be sold to the school board for the construction of a new Alliance High School; and a 3.5 acre parcel with Glamorgan Castle would be sold. The buyer of the last parcel was Alliance Machine Company. The Castle served as Alliance Machine’s headquarters, and president Merrick Lewis worked at restoring the building. He also bought the 14 acres of land in front of the castle. Unfortunately, the recession in the early 1970s necessitated that Alliance Machine sell the castle and adjacent property. It was proposed that the school board consider occupying the Castle as an administrative headquarters; once again the local community stepped up to raise funds. In 1972, Glamorgan Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places, making the building eligible to receive federal grant funding. These grant funds and local matching funds made it possible for the Alliance City School District to acquire the Glamorgan Castle from Alliance Machine in 1973. Glamorgan continues to house the administrative offices of the district. A nonprofit organization called the Castle Crusaders assists the school board with the maintenance and preservation of the historic building and grounds. The group does fundraising, tours, and research in addition to renovations. The most recent capital campaign has been funding renovations to the building’s exterior, weatherproofing, temperature controls, and the addition of a new elevator.
In 2012, Glamorgan Castle was named as a Local Historic Landmark by the Alliance Historic Preservation Commission. Long may this iconic symbol of Alliance remain a part of our landscape.
by Alliance Historical Society | Apr 18, 2020 | Historic facts
#20. Clarence J. “Bill” Rodman Becomes a Generous Benefactor to the City
Ribbon cutting at Rodman Public Library, Feb. 9, 1963
Clarence Rodman, benefactor to Alliance through his work and philanthropic legacy, was born in Wisconsin in 1890. He earned advanced degrees in chemical engineering and honorary Doctor of Science and L.L.D. degrees.
Career
He began his career as a research chemist and engineer with Eastman Kodak and Westinghouse. He came to Alliance at the request of his father-in-law William Purcell to take over the management of the Buckeye Jack Company in 1926. At the same time, Dr. Rodman also partnered with Purcell to found the Alliance Toy Manufacturing Company. The company started out producing scooters and wagons, then branched out into hedge shears and lawn tools. By 1927 the company had dropped the toy lines and became known as the Alliance Manufacturing Company. By the early 1940s, Rodman gave up his position with the Alliance Manufacturing Company to concentrate on his other business interests.
In 1927, Rodman had founded the Steel Sanitary Company, which did research and development of the first successful steel bathtub in the country. Utilizing the research from Steel Sanitary, he founded Alliance Porcelain Products Company in 1934, which produced pressed steel bathtubs and sinks. The company would be renamed AllianceWare in 1944.
Another company founded by Dr. Rodman in the 1950s was the Alliance Tool Company, which helped to refurbish the Clarke Observatory telescope at Mount Union College.
Civic Duties and Philanthropic Legacy
C. J. Rodman served on the Alliance Board of Education and was a director of Mount Union Bank and Midland-Buckeye Savings and Loan. He was also a member of the Rotary Club, Wranglers Club, Exchange Club, and Masons.
Rodman Playhouse at Mount Union College
Clarence J. Rodman and his wife Hazel Purcell Rodman were benefactors to many institutions and organizations. In 1956, Rodman pledged $250,000 to build a new library in Alliance if the community would match his donation; Rodman Public Library is named in his honor. He donated $22,500 in 1969 towards the establishment of what would become Butler-Rodman Park in Alliance. The Rodmans donated to Mount Union College to establish Rodman Playhouse in 1954. Dr. Rodman also made donations to other institutions from which he held degrees, Ripon College and Parsons College.
Through his work and companies, C. J. Rodman was the holder of numerous patents; he was also the recipient of many awards and honors for his work and philanthropy. He and his wife were the parents of two sons, Robert L. Rodman and James P. Rodman. Dr. Rodman died in 1972, leaving a legacy of innovation and generosity which will not soon be forgotten.
by Alliance Historical Society | Apr 17, 2020 | Historic facts
#19. Levi Lamborn and the Scarlet Carnation.
Levi L. Lamborn
The scarlet carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) was adopted as Ohio’s state flower on Feb. 3, 1904 in memory of President William McKinley. McKinley often wore a red carnation in his lapel, thanks to Alliance’s own Levi Lamborn.
Dr. Levi Leslie Lamborn (1827-1910) was a man of many talents and interests. He came to the Alliance area about 1849 after studying to become a physician. He practiced medicine for many years and built a beautiful home on the NW corner of Main Street and Union Avenue. He and his wife Maria Grant Lamborn had seven children together, six of whom lived to adulthood.
Dr. Lamborn had many other interests besides his medical career. He started the first newspaper in Alliance in 1854, served as clerk of the Ohio House of Representatives in 1859, opened a hospital in his home during the Civil War, and had numerous local business interests. In company with Elisha Teeters, Hugh Bleakley and others, he developed several large real estate additions to the city of Alliance and enticed Thomas R. Morgan to bring his company to Alliance and the Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad to locate their division headquarters here.
At his home he constructed a conservatory and began cultivating flowers, especially carnations. In 1866 he purchased carnation plants grown from the first carnation seeds germinated in America; he would go on to write a book called American Carnation Culture, which would see four editions. Dr. Lamborn’s son LeRoy would expand this greenhouse business and move it to the Mount Union area, where it would become a major wholesaler of flowers for many years.
In 1876 Dr. Lamborn decided to run as the Democratic nominee for the U. S. congressional district seat. His opponent was a Republican from Canton named William McKinley. According to Lamborn, the campaign was “fervent but friendly.” Even though they differed in politics, the two were personal friends. They canvassed the district making speeches, and it was at this time that Lamborn first presented McKinley with a carnation for his lapel. The future President took a liking to the flower and considered it a good luck charm. McKinley won the 1876 election, the two men continued to be friends, and McKinley would often be seen wearing a carnation as his political career progressed.
After President McKinley’s assassination in 1901 there was a national campaign by florists to honor the late president by wearing carnations each year on the anniversary of his birth in January. This tradition led to the scarlet carnation being adopted as Ohio’s state flower on February 3, 1904, in memory of McKinley and his fondness for the flower.
Dr. Lamborn died in 1910, having lived to see his carnation named the state flower and his family greenhouse business grow and flourish. On April 8, 1959 the Ohio Legislature named Alliance the Carnation City; this was a nod to the city as the home of the state flower, and a tribute to the role that Levi Leslie Lamborn played in the story.
by Alliance Historical Society | Apr 15, 2020 | Historic facts
#18. Mabel Hartzell Helps to Shape the Community
Mabel Hartzell, ca. 1932
Mabel Hartzell was not only a founder and benefactor of the Alliance Historical Society, she also helped to shape the Alliance community through a life dedicated to civil service and education. The daughter of Dallas Hartzell and Margaret McArthur Hartzell. Mabel was adopted by Matthew and Mary Earley in 1886, after the death of her mother.
A Life of Education
Mabel received a teaching degree from Mount Union College in 1898, and began her teaching career at Clayshaft School in Bolton, and then Park Avenue elementary school in Alliance. She then moved to Alliance High School, where she taught for 30 years and served as the head of the Social Science Department. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Mount Union in 1905, and a master’s degree from Ohio State University in 1924. During a hiatus from teaching and after her retirement, she served several terms on the Alliance Board of Education. First elected in 1911, she was the first woman to serve on the board, being elected 9 years before women had the general right to vote.
Sorority sisters – Mabel Hartzell, front row with parasol
A Life of Community Service
Mabel Hartzell never married, likely due to her dedication to her career as an educator. She was not only an educator, however. She was incredibly active in the Alliance community:
- Member of Alpha Xi Delta Sorority and Alumni
- Co-Founder of Alliance Chapter of the American Red Cross and a Director for 33 years
- Founder of the Alliance Historical Society
- Founder, President, and Treasurer of Mount Union College Women’s Club
- Founder and first President of Alliance Woman’s Club
- President of Alliance Sorosis Club
- President of Alliance Garden Club
- President and Woman of the Year of Alliance Quota Club
- Member of the Retired Teacher’s Association
- President and Board of Directors of the Alliance YWCA
- President of Associated Charities
- Director and Recording Secretary of Alliance Community Chest
- Director of City Savings Bank & Building Company
- Life Honorary Member of Stark County Historical Society
Daughters of America Drill Team
- Member and State Counselor of Daughters of America
- Member and Past Noble Grand of the Rebekah Lodge
- Member of Daughters of Scotland
- President of Alliance Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)
- President of Alliance Suffrage Association
- Volunteer for Salvation Army
- Member of Ever Ready Club
- Member of First Christian Church and its Women’s Fellowship group, and a teacher of King’s Helpers Sunday School Class
Mabel Hartzell, ca. 1900
Her Legacy Lives On
Mabel Hartzell’s legacy goes beyond her contributions to education and community service outlined above. Her beautiful Victorian house, which she donated to the Alliance Historical Society and is now known as the Mabel Hartzell Historical Home, is a centerpiece of Alliance history. It sits adjacent to Earley’s Hill Park, the land for which was donated to the City of Alliance by Mabel Hartzell in memory of her adoptive father, Matthew Earley. Thank you, Mabel Hartzell, for your service to our community!
by Alliance Historical Society | Apr 14, 2020 | Events, Historic facts
#17. The Olive Poisoning Kills Seven
Sharer Memorial in Alliance City Cemetery
Col. Charles C. Weybrecht was a big man physically with a warm and winning personality to match. He was liked by all who knew him and one could not imagine his having an enemy. From an early age, the military had a strong appeal to him. He was a student of military history and joined the Ohio National Guard. During the Spanish American War he served as a Major in the 8th Ohio Regiment. By 1916, he was a Lt. Col. and called into service with the Ohio National Guard to New Mexico to fight against Pancho Villa. In 1917, he was a full Colonel, serving with the 146th Ohio Regiment and deployed to France to lead his troops in World War I.
When he returned from France in August 1919, Mrs. Helen Sebring Gahris planned a party to celebrate his return. The most prominent families from Alliance were invited to a dinner at the Lakeside Country Club in Canton, Ohio. On the way, Mrs. Gahris stopped at a store in Alliance to purchase candy, nuts, and a jar of ripe olives. She gave the items to the waiter and told him they were to only be served at her table. The waiter and the chef sampled the olives before serving them. Some of the guests sampled the olives and some were told by others to not eat them because they didn’t taste right.
After the party, Col. Weybrecht and the waiter were terribly nauseous. Several guests had double vision the next day and then became deathly ill. Many theories surfaced – was it the turkey served at the dinner? Was it the mushrooms that Mr. Sharer and Col. Morgan had picked? No. It was the olives, which were tainted with botulism.
Over the course of one week after the dinner, a total of seven people died from the poisoning. The victims were: John Sharer, Katherine Sharer, Helen Gahris, Frank McAvoy (the chef), Robert Jennings (the waiter), Col. Charles Weybrecht, and Jessie Sanford.
The full story can be read on our blog at https://alliancehistory.org/great-olive-poisoning-of-1919-part-1 or, watch the story from our 2019 annual meeting on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/alliancehistory/videos/2451608141822101/
