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feb_28__1980.html
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February 28, 1980
PIX #2 - Photo No. 2 PIX #3 - Photo No. 3 PIX #4 - Photo No. 4 (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is another article in the series about East Tiffin Street, which begain last week, and will continue until both sides of the street have been presented.) We left off last week with the two large frame houses on the south side, just east of what one time the Duffey Garage, shown in Photo No. 3 on extreme left. Next to the two houses, which were shown in Photo No. 4 last week there were two other frame houses, each 2-story, but not as large as those to the west. I have been unable to find photos of them. Both were either demolished or removed and the sites are part of the Ohio Bell Telephone property today. Photo No. 1 is an interesting one of an old property which was demolished many years ago...now part of the site of Ohio Bell. It was the residence of Franklin Pierce Lindsey, Fostoria's leading builder and contractor before and after the turn of the century, according to his obituary in The Review Times when he died. He purchased and remodeled the house in about 1880. LINDSEY WAS BUILDER-CONTRACTOR Lindsey built many of the schools, churches and The Harter Mill, predecessor to The Mennel Mill. He was also owner of the Lindsey Cement Block and Roof- ing Company on East Tiffin near the railroad. He was a charter member of the local Brick Layer's Union. Lindsey died in 1941. I am indebted to Frances (Billyard) Shaffer for the photo of the Lindsey house. She is a granddaughter of Lindsey, her mother Mrs. Tute Billyard and Mrs. Harry Keltner, both being daughters of Lindsey. Mrs. Lindsey was a daughter of the elder Dr. Hale who practiced 100 years ago. His son, Robert continued to practice and was our family doctor. He brought me through sev- eral health crises when I was a young lad. The two juveniles in the photo are Frances Billyard and neighbor Franklin Fruth, brother of Robert. In the upper right portion of the photo can be seen the trolly wire for the TF & 9E interurban. Photo No. 2, on the right, shows the offices for Ohio Bell Telephone in Fos- toria. Prior to their purchasing the site and constructing the new building, Dwight Hazeltine considered construction of a new building for his Buckeye Auto Parts, which at that time was on the north side of east Tiffin. FRUTH HOME SITE NOW GAS STATION Photo No. 3 shows the L. G. Fruth residence, which was next to the Lindsey property, on the corner where the Union 76 station is now, shown in Photo No. 2. Mr. Fruth was originally a farm boy, and according to his son Robert, the only living member of the family, who resided on Jones Street, He was in some way related to the other Fruths in this area. His first job in town was at the Earl House Hotel on East Tiffin. The Earl House, according to Robert Fruth, was part of a chain of hotels, and his father eventually travelled to the various hotels in the chain in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, and elsewhere to offer advice and supervision. It was one of the hotels in Bellevue that he met the girl who became his wife, and they settled inFostoria to raise their family of three boys, Arthur, Franklin and Robert. After marriage, Mr. Fruth left the hotel business, and became a glassworker in Florida. Later, Jude Forrest got him a job with General Electric in Cleveland. It was there that he suffered a heart attach and died. The Fruth property was eventually sold and the house was moved and still stands on North Countyline Street, two houses north of the Eagles Club. Photo No. 4 shows a sidewalk repair job progressing, either in front of the Fruth or Lindsey property. Robert Fruth remembers the job and the two people in the foreground. They are John Peter, in the black derby, grandfather of Carl Peter Jr., and Mr. Lindsey, mentioned above. I am indebted to Robert Fruth for Photos No. 3 and 4. John Peter was the senior member of Peter Clothing Co. The four corners at Tiffin and Poplar became the locations of four gasoline stations, and that area could have well been referred to as "Gasoline Alley." DAIRY SITE WAS PETER HOME Moving eastward, where The Sterling Dairy Store is now, ther was a filling station earlier. Paul Ward purchased the site and building approximately 20 years ago for the Sterling operation. Still earlier, that corner was the residence of John Peter and family, con- sisting of wife and children, Carl, Abe and Emma, who became Mrs. Knestrick, whose husband operated a clothing and shoe store in Tiffin. The John Peter residence is another story in itself. The old house still exists in Fostoria, having been moved to another location in 1937. I'll tell you about it another time. Directly behind the John Peter residence was a frame house, still standing, which was the residence of Carl Peter and his wife and two sons, Richard (deceased) and Carl Jr., who has been executive manager of The Fostoria Chamber of Commerce since closing The Peter Clothing store. ROSTER--SOUTH SIDE EAST TIFFIN ST. The following is the lot numbers and names of business places or residents for various years as explained in today's story. YEAR 1915 145--Alice Good (resident) 151--no listing 153--R.E. Johnson (resident) 155--no listing 157--F. P. Lindsey (resident) 165--L. G. Fruth (resident) 203--John A. Peter (resident) YEAR 1930 145--Estell Johnson (resident) 151--Viola Flack (resident) 153--Howard Cory (resident) 155--Harry Keltner (resident) 157--F. P. Lindsey (resident) 165--Emma Deuble (resident) 167--National Refining 203--Mrs. Lucy Peter YEAR 1950 145--Olin F. Peeler 151--John E. Chochie 153--Earl Wolfelt 155--Mrs. Harry Keltner 157--Eugene R. Yoder 165--Freeman's Hi-Speed Service 203--Morrison Service Station 209--Anna Yoder (Above listings taken from Fostoria City Directories. (Continued next week.).
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