Throughout the years, the growth of the First Presbyterian Church made it necessary to expand the building. A basement was placed under the frame structure in 1914. In 1946, the sanctuary was remodeled with new pews and carpet, and new chancel furnishings were added. The Emmett Albright family presented a memorial organ and chimes. In 1952, the congregation named two study committees for the erection of an educational building, and on March 29, 1953, the Building Fund campaign was completed with $50,000 pledged. Construction began on September 13, 1954, with the laying of the cornerstone on October 17, 1954, and dedication on October 16, 1955. In the early 1960s, plans for a new sanctuary were drawn up by prominent Alliance architect Richard Zuber. Construction began in 1964 by Charles Cartwright Construction Company, and the dedication services were held on March 28, 1965.
The Church of Christ has always had the largest Bible school class throughout Sebring’s history, as the classes were open to everyone in the community. The success of the class is depicted in
Maple Ridge School, which opened in the fall of 1925, was established through the consolidation of the surrounding one-room schoolhouses. Fish Creek, Bandy, and Quaker Hill eventually closed in the 1920s and 1930s. Hazel Phillips’s students include Mrs. Charles (Hazel Brunie) Strain, second from the left in the second row, and Mrs. Eddie (Evaline Brunie) Oliver, seated in the first row third from the right.
this early 1930s panoramic photograph.
Maple Ridge Staff, who posed for Wilbur Dimit on April 30, 1954, from left to right, are as follows: (seated) Virginia Rill, Phoebe Fasnaught, Jesse Brunie, two unidentified, and Gladys Byham; (center row) three unidentified, Elizabeth Boehm, Dorothy Jolley, and unidentified; (back row) ?, Helen Hodge, Robert Ackenhead, and two unidentified.
Shown here is the game schedule for the Sebring High School 1947 football team, which was given out by Ashton’s 5 & 10 cent Store.
The Sebring High School Tri-County Champs of 1935 are, from left to right, as follows: (first row) Earl Ells, Ken Armitage, George Freetage, Scotty Burns, Bob Iddings, Sonny Campbell, and Art Fullerton; (second row) Bob Falkner, Jim Campbell, Bob Howell, Church Mercer, Gene Rogers, Carlos Craven, Jack Cardinal, and James Hostetler (coach); (third row) Frank Conny, Wayne Hoptel, David Messinger, Steve Tucker, Schlenbargarl, Bill Workman, Lower, and Dale Becker; (fourth row) Bob Cardinal, Denny Steed, Wade Rittenhouse, Huck Crewson (assistant coach), William Smith, Colin Anderson (assistant manager), and Robert Lower (manager).
The Frank A. Sebring School was built in 1949, replacing the old South Side School. Located on West Texas Avenue, it was constructed at a cost of $150,000.
The Beatrice L. Miller Elementary School, located at 506 West Virginia Avenue, was made possible by its namesake, through her generous donation of $20,000 in 1967 and a bond issue that was paid off in 1992. Beatrice L. Miller was a founder and head of the Royal China Company. Miller was very generous to the community and her church. She set up a scholarship fund at the Sebring United Presbyterian Church, which has given many youth the opportunity to attend college.
This photograph illustrates the 1923 and 1924 Sebring High School girl’s basketball team. Not much has been written about this and other girls’ teams in Sebring’s history, and only a few names can be identified. Lenora Patton (standing at the far left), Gladys Dairyman, Charlotte (Jones) Daugherty, Alda (Patton) Watson, and Mildred (Welch) Hineman are shown here.
Bob Maus and Ed Eddy take time out during a golf outing to pose for this 1940s snapshot.
Shown here is the playbill from a Sebring McKinley High School play.
In 1904, George Sebring and Sebring’s first mayor, Richard Albright, took a walk in a grove near Quaker Hill. As the two friends discussed their faith in Christ, they came upon a little sugar house in the maple grove. After entering the building the two men kneeled down to pray, and this was the beginning of the Sebring Camp Grounds. Mr. Sebring gave 19 acres of property for the sole purpose of “preaching salvation to a lost world,” according to text from the 50th anniversary book. Shortly after that meeting, Anne Murphy, daughter of O.H. Sebring and a niece of George Sebring, invited Dr. George F. Oliver, a Methodist minister, to preach at the first meeting. One large tent served as the auditorium and several small tents were placed in the grove for campers. In July 1905, approximately 85 people attended the first meeting. The second meeting attracted over 250 individuals seeking salvation, and by the fifth meeting, 2,000 people passed through this once quiet sugar grove. Soon afterward, a building and many cottages were erected to accommodate the crowds.
On July 27, 1918, a formal group of men and women took time out to gather together for this photograph at the Sebring Camp Grounds. According to Stella McNutt Purviance’s story, in Sebring’s 50th anniversary publication, “A great many of the world’s best workers have had a part in its [camp meetings] success. God has been pleased to bless and own the efforts put forth for the upbuilding of His Kingdom and His glory. Many have gone out on the King’s business to South America, Africa, Japan, India. Hence the fragrance of the prayer which went up to God from the ‘sugar house’ lingers over many a life, many a home, and many a land. Countless thousands of men and women have attended Sebring Camp, and have now gone to their reward. What will Eternity hold?”
These are interior shots of the First (later Faith) United Presbyterian Church before and after the 1949-50 remodeling. The rooms to the left and right of the pulpit and chancel were used for Sunday school classes and the minister’s study.
In this early view of the Sebring campground meeting, we see members of the Sebring family and other worshipers taking time out to eat. George E. Sebring Sr. (seated second from right), the thin man with the beard, looks toward the camera, and Fred Sebring is the rotund gentleman standing.
In the days before million dollar players, America’s favorite pastime was played on a dusty field with tick pillows for bases, hand-sewn catchers’ gloves, and tattered uniforms. Everyone was
This photograph depicts the Quaker Hill Friends Church in the 1960s.
welcome to play, and the spirit of just having fun was goal.
This is an early photograph of the first grade class at the Lincoln School building. One person identified on the back row is Franklin Henry LeFevre (first row, fourth from the left). LeFevre’s father, Frank T., entered the insurance business in 1910 and was prominent in the community for many years. F.H. LeFevre continued in the business for many years.
Shown here, is the Sebring McKinley High School football team of 1942-43, under the direction of Coach Robert “Sonny” Akenhead.
Four
MUD, PLANK BOARDS, AND BRICK STREETS
At the time our country was established, and in the decades that followed, men and women from the British Isles and Europe envisioned the chance for a better life in America. First impressions are always an important factor in maintaining hope and opportunity, and the arrival at ports in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York left a lasting impression on all. Seeing the stern but determined Statue of Liberty and the quaint Hall of Independence were reassuring signs, however, arrival in Sebring was not so impressive. The men and their families, many of whom were unemployed due to the poor economic conditions in West Virginia, were greeted by the black billowing smoke of the pottery’s beehive chimneys, hastily constructed frame structures, and very muddy streets with plank board walks. This left many wondering what their futures would hold. As you will see in this chapter, the Sebring family’s aggressive determination to build a better life for all would be realized. The community became an official stop for the railroad in November 1899, and the first station was housed in an old boxcar until the new station was completed in 1900. In this c. 1905 postcard, a passenger train has stopped at the Pennsylvania Station. In the distance, another train is arriving.
The men who worked in the Pennsylvania Railroad Station shortly after the turn of the century included railroad clerks, operators for Western Union Telegraph Company, and an official for the Railw
ay Express Company. Pictured, from left to right, are Jim Meek, chief clerk; T.D. Keenan; Matthew A. Sutherin, railroad agent; Emerson Heacock; Howard Cook; and E.T. Whiter. The Western Union Telegraph Company was located in the station until it established its own office in 1920. One employee, Lloyd Strain, also served as telegraph operator in the famed “Lost Battalion,” during WW I. He was the first enlisted soldier to receive word that the American troops were going home after a year-long occupation in Europe. Strain, who was exposed to the Germans’ poisonous gas, never fully recovered, and he took his own life in 1941.
Five-cent bottles of Coca-cola greeted the passengers as they arrived at the railroad station in Sebring. Also posted on the window was an invitation to the Second Annual Harvest Home Celebration on September 26, and at the bottom of the sign, an advertisement read: “Cold bottle of MOXIE to take home.” In the 1949 anniversary book, the caption of this picture states: “ Sebring Brothers [sic] Take A Trip.” They are probably the two men standing with the newspaper; however, the exact identification is uncertain. The back of this card also indicates that Jacob Smith is pictured. The items on top of the trunk appear to be carefully wrapped samples of pottery; perhaps the men were sales representatives for one of the local potteries.
This postcard view, taken between 1910 and 1912, shows the Pennsylvania Station at the Fifteenth Street crossing. The manual crossing gates are visible in this picture, as are some of the beehive stacks of the E.H. Sebring Pottery Company. When the station was in danger of being razed, the Salem Model Railroad Club moved the building to the north side of the railroad tracks (along Pennsylvania Avenue) in the 1970s. This event made quite a spectacle, since all trains were stopped in order to slowly transport the delicate frame structure across the tracks.
This photograph of Fifteenth Street looking north, toward the railroad tracks, shows the Pennsylvania Railroad station and passenger platform on the east side, and the switching tower on the west side. The Stark Electric Railroad Company tracks are barely visible through the mud. The interurban lines power plant was located on the current Lake Park Boulevard, across from the old Lake Park Chautauqua Picnic Grounds, between Alliance and Sebring. For those without automobiles, the streetcar served as inexpensive transportation to Salem, Canton, and Alliance. One could travel as far as Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Detroit on the interurban.
This building was constructed by the Stark Electric Railroad for use as a station. Through the years, other businesses shared the structure, including J.W. Hoopes Ice and Coal Company, which occupied the back portion and promoted its Champion Coal with the motto, “Costs Less Per Season.” With the demise of the streetcar in 1939, the bus became the primary form of public transportation. Many refer to it as the old bus station. Inside, the church-like pew seats were a comfort to the patient traveler. One could peruse a magazine or newspaper while enjoying candy or Noaker’s Ice Cream, which was offered for sale at the confectionery stand. In later years, the business was owned and operated by the Beadnells. The building was renovated to include a drive-thru business. The two-story brick building once housed the offices of the old Sebring Pottery Company.
Passengers board the streetcar in front of the Sebring Pottery Company in 1906. The large sign and artwork painted on the building was the most effective billboard available. The water tower for The Sebring Lumber Company can be seen in the background. This card was sold by S.E. McKee, a news dealer, who founded the newsstand business in Sebring just prior to the turn of the century. The building, which housed his business, was constructed in one day, and the carpenters who erected the building slept there that night. This is another example of how fast the growth of this little community was progressing. McKee remained in business until 1910, at which time he sold it to a Mr. Slickman.
The Biery Brothers Livery Barn was located on West Oregon Avenue between North Fifteenth and North Sixteenth Streets. Prior to the automobile the livery business thrived in Sebring and other communities. The Bierys owned one of the farms purchased by the Sebrings in 1898. Today, a descendant of the Biery family operates the Biery Cheese Company near Louisville.
Awnings emerge on this sunny afternoon in Sebring in 1905. This postcard view shows the first block on the east side of South Fifteenth Street. The large canvases obstruct many of the businesses, so a detailed view is limited. The one-story building on the far left is the Sebring Real Estate Company. This building was razed and replaced by the Midland-Buckeye Federal Savings and Loan Association brick structure. The next building housed a grocery and bakery business. Giving the appearance of two buildings, the building has been altered over the years and has been home to Islay’s, Lucy’s Eat-A-Rama, and Thelma’s Diner. The small one-story building was a tailor shop when this picture was taken. In the 1970s, Jim Taylor’s barbershop was located here; however, since the 1990s it has been occupied by Mac’s Video Store.
Several of Sebring’s most noted businesses are shown in this 1910 photograph of the Geiger Block. Owned by Max Geiger of Alliance, Ohio, it stood on the northeast corner of North Fifteenth Street and Oregon Avenue. The south portion was occupied by W.C. Shaw’s Shoes and Tailor-Made Clothing. Occupants of the north end are unknown; however, the window display shows items to be raffled off at the Oliver China Company picnic. The next set of buildings was occupied by a barbershop, John Frederick Blumenstiel’s Laundry, and William Mooseman, undertaker (Ashton’s 5 & 10 occupies this location today). John Blumenstiel and Carrie M. Weigel were the first couple to be married in Sebring, which took place on December 20, 1900. Mooseman moved to Sebring in April 1910, at which time he opened the village’s first undertaking business.
The Taft Club, supporters of William Howard Taft’s 1908 presidential campaign, march down Ohio Avenue while the members of the Sebring band perform at the North Fifteenth Street intersection. The empty lot at the far right is where the Sebrings built the community’s first financial institution, the Citizens Banking Company (now Bank One). The one-story building on the south side of Ohio Avenue was known at that time as the Stone Block.
Taken from the top of the switching station, the Taft Club and the community greet William Howard Taft at the North Fifteenth Street crossing. Taft’s train can be seen at the bottom of the picture. However, not all of the community supported the Ohio native, and on the second floor of the Katzenstein Building, a picture of Taft’s opponent, William Jennings Bryan, is proudly displayed.
Folks watch from Landora’s Restaurant door as children play catch on North Fifteenth Street during a quiet afternoon in the early 1900s. This postcard also captures a view of A.P. Mercer’s restaurant, which many would remember years later as Calderone’s Tavern. Next door, on the corner of West Oregon Avenue and North Fifteenth Street across from the Sebring Hotel, was Bert Baer’s Department Store. The Crystal Lounge occupied this spot in later years. The Landora Restaurant site became the location of Zerbe’s Napa Auto Parts Store and is now occupied by Dan’s Carpet.
This image depicts another busy day on North Fifteenth Street c. 1908. On the left, directly across the tracks, the effective use of advertising for a Salem clothing store is evident on the frame building. The number of passenger trains that passed through on a daily basis was tremendous. The next building (with the awnings), on the northeast corner of West Pennsylvania Avenue and North Fifteenth Street, is the Williams Brick Block. According to a 1901 edition of the Sebring News, L.R. Williams operated the Union Restaurant, which had accommodations for about 30 guests at full occupancy. The building still stands today; however, the front has been altered. Williams came to Sebring from Enon, Pennsylvania, in the spring of 1901.
Shown here is one of the earliest photographs of Fifteenth Street. Looking north from the railroad crossing c. 1901, the frame structure on the far right is occupied by the Charles Kindler’s City Restaurant. This building, and the lot to the south, was owned by Samuel Katzenstein of Alliance. Katzenstein purchased the first lot in Sebring and built the first house. For this, he was denounce
d by his fellow townsmen of Alliance as a dreamer. Before his house was completed, he had secured a good tenant for a term of years, which assured him an interest on his money of about 15 percent. Then, Samuel purchased more lots. In 1903, he erected a large two-story brick and stone building on the empty lot next to the City Restaurant. Another significant business is The Stackhouse Company on the east side. On October 28, 1899, John Stackhouse opened the first store in Sebring. The grocery and provisions store’s first day sales amounted to $6.70. Within a year the building was enlarged and a warehouse was added. By the end of 1901, the sales were approximately $2,000 a month.
Sebring, Ohio Page 3