Thursday, July 2, 2009

John W. Carey Tribute



John Carey not only had an influence in nearby Sidney, but is the founder of my hometown Anna. He had originally named the town Carey's Station but later changed it to Anna in honor of his daughter.



Anna is also home to the local High school's Anna Rockets as noted by the town water tower.



The latest town renovation was a complete overhaul of the main street through town. Street lights now escort you from one end of town to the other.

There are two churches in the town, Anna Methodist and St. Jacob Lutheran pictured here.



There is a placard memorial that gives the details of our founding father beside the Village Hall.

In the town of Sidney just 10 miles south of Anna, Carey built Carey's Hall along with the local jail and did work on the Big Four Railroad Bridge.



"The Old Jail" was closed in 1994 when a new facility was opened. The jail was operational from 1875 till then.



The "Big Four Bridge" is named for the four major railroads that had ownership at one time (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis). It truly is an engineering feet and back in the day people would come just to see this marvel in concrete.



The bridge spans the Great Miami River and two roads.



Check out what Rich Wallace a local historian has to say about the Big 4 Bridge for more information on this unique landmark.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love your new additions--I have to admit, living in Sidney for 21 years I've never eaten at the SPOT--I guess that I should try it out.

Did you hear about the man and his donkey who fell into one of the pillars? Since they weren't able to get the man out, the body is still in the east side of the bridge. I pray for that mystery man every time I go under that bridge.

Love your blog!!

RussDaMan said...

The Spot, Frisch's and the BK Root Beer Stand are childhood memories for me. When I got older Cruising the town circuit included a trip through Frisch's parking lot.

I heard the one about the man and his donkey being buried in the bridge from my parents. There is a placard for the bridge that says that 5 people were killed during its construction and that one them is buried in the columns. Sounds like the makings of a good ghost story.

Glad you like the blog.

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