Focus on Fostoria - Oct_15_95
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How did the
buildings in downtown Fostoria get their name?
From Fostoria Focus
Oct. 15, 1995
By Leonard
Skonecki
What's
in a name? If you take a look at the older buildings in downtown Fostoria,
you'll see that several have names on the front-Cadwallader, Andes, Foster,
Quinn and some others. Who were these people? And why are their
names on these buildings?
The
most recognizable name is surely the "Foster Block" building that houses
Fostoria Art & Frame, Sherwood Plastics, Burger's Shoes and Sherwin Williams
on South Main St.
The
building was built in 1882 by Charles Foster. Foster was born in 1828
moved to the village of Rome with his family in 1832. At the age of 20 he
joined his father Charles W. Foster (For whom Fostoria was named) in the family
mercantile business on the corner of Tiffin and Main Streets.
Foster
prospered and branched out into real-estate and banking. From 1870
to 1878 young Foster served as the representative from Ohio's 10th
District. He was twice elected Ohio governor and served as Treasury
Secretary under President Benjamin Harrison.
Over
one of the entrances to the Foster Block building, it reads "Charles Ash
Building;' Charles Ash was one of Fostoria's most important residents for
nearly 50 years. He was born in 1857 to a very prosperous Dutch farming
family. Ash expanded the family enterprises into profitable real estate
holdings. In 1902 he was one of the organizers of the Commercial Bank and
Savings Co. and served as the bank's president from 1903-1928
Ash was
active in local Republican politics. He was the Seneca County Treasurer
from 1902-06 and was elected to the Ohio General Assembly in 1908. In 1896
he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention and cast his ballot for
fellow Ohioan and eventual President, William McKinley.
Ash was
a member of the Fostoria Board of Education, helped found the YMCA and donated
the land on Tiffin St. where the Masonic Temple stands. When he died on June 22,
1954 at age 96, he was thought to be Fostoria's oldest citizen.
The J.
Andes Block building on North Main St. is home to WFOB Radio, Candy's Antiques
and Shumway's Florist. John Andes was born in Germany in 1836. He
immigrated to America when he was 16 lived in Tiffin where he became a
blacksmith. In 1856 he traveled to the American West and when he returned,
he settled in Fostoria.
Andes
established a carriage, buggy and spring wagon manufacturing business in
1865. the business was located at 135 W. Center St. In 1878 he build the
J. Andes Block building. The front of the building houses offices.
On the front of the building it also says, "Andres Opera Hall." the rear of the
building was home to an opera house with seating for 800 and a fully equipped 24
x 64 foot stage. It was the centerpiece of much of Fostoria's
entertainment and cultural life.
Right
next door, is the "Quinn Block" which is the location of the Smokehouse.
In 1851 Mary Quinnlan, an orphan, came to America from Ireland. She
lived in Tiffin where she married James Quinn. They moved to Fostoria an
established a successful bakery. They built the Quinn Block to house their
expanding business which eventually had an entire staff of bakers.
The
best known of the Quiinn family was John and Mary's eldest child, John who was
born in 1870. Mary Quinn was a firm believer in the value of education and
saw to it that John studied hard. It paid off because John studied
law at Georgetown and Harvard. In 1889 he was appointed secretary to
"Calico Charlie" Foster when Foster became U.S. Treasury Secretary.
When he
was age 25, John Quinn went to New York to practice law. he traveled
extensively and counted among his friends such well known literary figures as
Ezre Pound, James Joyce and Joseph Conrad.
The
building that houses the Fostoria Town Center Antique Mall on North Main bears
the name "Cadwallader" on its front. The Cadwallader name in
this area dates back to 1832 when Samuel and Mary Cadwallader. bought land in
the Poplar/McDougal St. area. Their son Ira, cleared the land and started the
Eureka Planing Mill and Lumber Co. (Later the East North Street Lumber Co.)
which made doors, sashes and blinds. Ira also started the Cadwallader
Brick Yard on Columbus Ave. Between the bricks and the lumber, Ira
Cadwallander exerted enormous influence on the growth of Fostoria around the
turn of the century.
Cadwallader was also, along with Charles Ash, instrumental in founding the
Fostoria Light Car Co. in 1915. After two reorganizations, the
company emerged in 1917 as the Seneca Motorcar Co. with Lester Cadwallader as
manager.
Seneca
produced three to five automobiles per day and 80 percent of their production
was exported to places such as, Australia, Borneo and China. Seneca
Motorcar prospered until Henry Ford developed the assembly line. Seneca
couldn't compete with mass production techniques and manufactured it's last car
in 1924.
It's
appropriate that there are two buildings on Main St. with the name "Burtscher".
One houses Reflections of You on South Main and the other is home to Special
Touch and City Loan. The Burtschers were twin brothers, Frank and
Charles, who owned a grocery at 105 S. Main St. around the turn of the
century. Carrying a wider selection than other groceries at the time,
their store may have been Fostoria's first "supermarket."
The
Ohio State Beverage store on East North St. is located in the Ghaster Block
building. Built by S.L. Ghaster in 1896, it housed the Ghaster Poster
Advertising Co. Mr. Ghaster also served Fostoria as postmaster in 1909 and
1910.
Bud's
Bakery, Commercial Press and the Senior Citizen Center are all residents of the
Williams Merganhaler building on East Tiffin St. Merganthaler, who built
the building in 1890, owned and operated the successful Fostoria Carriage Works
at 222 East Center St.
So the
names Cadwallader, Andes, Ash and the rest represent a generation that laid the
foundation of our community. They are a visible reminder of our history
and of the hard work and dedication of people long gone who strove to make
Fostoria a good place in which to work and live.
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