These pictures were taken by my father in Celina, Ohio in July 1953. I believe these are from a parade on July 24, 1953 to celebrate Ohio's Sesquicentennial (1803-1953). I love seeing a glimpse of what his hometown looked like back then!
The float above has Miss Mercer County on it. Zooming in on the dates showed 1803-1953, the dates of Ohio's Sesquicentennial.
I was curious about the movies playing in the theater they were passing. Young Bess is about the life of Elizabeth I before she became queen and starred Jean Simmons, Stewart Granger, and Deborah Kerr. In The Atomic City, an atomic scientist's son is kidnapped by enemy agents. It starred Gene Barry, Lydia Clark, and Michael Moore.
From an article in the Lima News about the parade, there were floats depicting modern and pioneer life and people dressed in a variety of historical garb.The sign on the side of the wagon says "Karch Stone" and is referencing the John W. Karch Stone Co. quarry near Celina. There is a
mention of it in the Mercer County Ohio History 1978 book that says all stone
was transported by horse and wagon in the early 1900s. If anyone can explain why the wagon looks like a hearse, I would love to know!
Update from an email I received:
There is a cemetery next to the quarry (Swamp College) and this could be the
carriage used at the cemetery with Karch’s name on it for advertising the
quarry.
The Chamber of Commerce float wraps it up with "Come Back to Celina" on the back!
Cool old pics. Is that a horse-drawn hearse? What's the story with that?
ReplyDeleteJana, it looks like a hearse to me too. I was able to make out "Karch Stone" on the sign and found there is (or was) a John W. Karch Stone Co. quarry near Celina. The quarry is now known as Stoneco and celebrated it's 100th anniversary in 2003. There is a mention of it in the Mercer County Ohio History book that says all stone was transported by horse and wagon in the early 1900s.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to an old picture of the quarry: http://www.dailystandard.com/date/2003/09/11/photo/pages/09-11_A10-1.htm
Thanks for asking that!