A Visit To Van Wert

I took these on a recent visit to Van Wert. I had found pictures of the Brumback Library while surfing the Internet and had been wanting to make a trip to take some pictures myself.



According to the Ohio Historical Marker it was the first County Library in the United States.



The arched doorway is very impressive.



Unfortunately, the library was closed so I did not get to see what it looked like on the inside.



However, I did find it to be very picturesque.



While taking pictures of the library, news happened before my very eyes. A water main broke on a side street flooding the main road and pretty much trashing the road above it.



I am always on the lookout for Great NON-Franchised places to eat. In Van Wert that would be BalyEat's Coffee Shop. They have the best rhubarb pie that I have ever eaten.



As I was leaving town, I spotted another Ohio Historical Marker in the fairgrounds. I pulled in to check it out.



This Hoghe Road Bridge had been originally built on another location to handle the heavy railroad traffic. It was moved here for preservation.





It was just a short visit, but a good one for sure.

The Historical Loveland Castle and Museum

These lovely pictures were sent to my Jodie Peyton.



Chateau Laroche was built as an expression and reminder of the simple strength and rugged grandeur of the mighty men who lived when Knighthood was in flower.



It was their knightly zeal for honor, valor and manly purity that lifted mankind out of the moral midnight of the dark ages and started it towards the gray dawn of human hope.



Present human decadence proves a need for similar action.
Already the ancient organization of Knights have been re-activated to save society. Any man of high ideas who wishes to help save civilization is invited to become a member of the Knights of the Golden Trail, whose only vows are the Ten Commandments.



Chateau Laroche is the World headquarters of this organization, started in 1927.



It is a great place complete with sword fights, beautiful gardens, and knights. It was a wonderful place to visit!

Click the following link to visit their website.
The Historical Loveland Castle & Museum

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.

Fallen Timbers Monument, Maumee

This monument, in Maumee just west of Toledo, stands on a portion of the battlefield where, on Aug. 20, 1794, Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne and his army met the Native American confederacy led by Chief Little Turtle. Casualties were relatively light on both sides in spite of fierce fighting. But, this victory for Gen. Wayne's army led to the signing of the Treaty of Greenville, which opened the way for US settlement of the Northwest Territory; aka, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Just nine years later, Ohio would become a state.

The figures on the monument are Gen. Wayne flanked by a Kentucky militiaman and a Native American warrior.

The monument has numerous plaques and reliefs memorializing the various combatants, and notably honors the Native Americans who fought and died as well as the US forces. According to the monument's website: " The monument site is a symbol of recognition and reconciliation for American Indians."

A section of the area where the armies marched in to meet each other, looking down the hill from the monument, across the floodplains toward the Maumee River.

http://www.fallentimbersbattlefield.com/

http://www.metroparkstoledo.com/metroparks/fallentimbers/

Eldean Covered Bridge

Spanning 224 feet over the Miami River the Eldean Covered Bridge in Troy is one of the longest covered bridges in Ohio and the nation.



According to the Historical Marker the bridge was constructed in 1860 and restored in 2005/2006.