Todays post begins with one of the oldest pictures I have ever seen of Shawnee. This photo taken in the fall of 1891 shows John D. Jenkins grocery store. Built in 1881 it replaced an earlier building that burned in 1880. Older Shawneeites will remember it as Judge Davis lower store, Myron Coxs grocery store, Algean Ervins beauty shop and the youngest of our residents will recall it as the Shawnee Video. This photo show Jenkins with two of his employees though I cant identify either of the three as one or the other, standing in front of the building sans its balcony porch. A 1907 photo shows the entire building facade and it interesting to note that the building still had its original three windows across the front access to the porch being gained by crawling through an open window. A door later replaced the center window. You will note the poster in the left window which announces the Grand Rally for Maj Wm McKinley who was running for his first term as Governor of Ohio on October 3, 1891. The attached article from the New Lexington Tribune, the Republican newspaper, of which party McKinley belonged, reported that McKinley arrived late from Glouster at the Depot. This would have been The Columbus Shawnee and Hocking Depot which sat where Lew Hatems gas station was located. A large crowd met and marched with McKinley to the OBear Hotel which was the situated between the Miners Statue and the Tecumseh Theater and had been the original farm house for the Israel Gordon farm, which covered what is now Shawnee prior to 1870. The article mentions the topics of the Majs speech and adds that 7000 people squeezed into the street to hear him do so. Five bands were part of the ceremonies. Its hard to imagine that kind of a gathering period let alone one such as this right here on Main Street. McKinley used his position as Governor to launch himself into the Presidency in 1897, however an assassins bullet took his life in 1901 paving the way for Teddy Roosevelt to lead the country into the Progressive Era with his catch phrase of Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick which frightened not only the Democrats by many of his fellow Republicans. The final photo shows the OBear Hotel draped in mourning after McKinleys death. The Jenkins building stood until 2007 when it was demolished at the recommendation of a unnamed village official.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 00:23:08 +0000
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