Stryker Area Heritage Council

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Stryker Area Heritage Council

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06/10/2023

Today in Williams County history (June 10, 1766, 257 years ago): Edward Tiffin, Ohio’s first governor, was born. Tiffin was born in Carlisle, England, on June 10, 1766. He learned the medical profession as a physician’s apprentice in Great Britain. In 1783, Tiffin and his parents moved to America. In 1798, Mr. Tiffin and his brother-in-law, Thomas Worthington, moved to Chillicothe, Ohio, quickly becoming involved in Northwest Territory politics. In 1799, Tiffin served in the Northwest Territory legislature and was selected Speaker of the House. Three years later, he served as president of the Ohio Constitutional Convention. This body drafted the constitution that in 1803 allowed Ohio to become the 17th state. In March 1803, Edward Tiffin became Ohio’s first governor, and was reelected in 1805. In 1807, Tiffin replaced Thomas Worthington in the U.S. Senate. He resigned in 1809 and was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. In 1814, Tiffin became Surveyor General of the Northwest, serving in this capacity until his death on August 9, 1829. In northwest Ohio, the Tiffin River, Defiance County’s Tiffin Township and the City of Tiffin commemorate Edward Tiffin’s extensive public service career on behalf of the Buckeye State.

04/23/2023

Today in Stryker area history (April 23, 2006, 17 years ago): The former Hub Market/Heartland Foods grocery store building on the east side of Defiance Street south of the railroad in Stryker was razed by owners Kirk and Lou Anne Eicher due to its deteriorating condition. The building was brought down in a controlled burn by the Stryker Fire Department. The Stryker Wash ‘N Suds Car Wash opened on the site in November 2009. This May 2003 photograph of the former Heartland Foods building is from the Kevin Maynard collection.

04/14/2023

St. Jacob’s Reformed Church was organized in Springfield Township in 1867. The congregation worshiped in a one-room schoolhouse three miles northeast of Evansport until 1877 when this wooden frame church was erected on the west side of County Road 24, midway between today’s Ohio Route 34 and U.S. Route 6. On January 2, 1878, the congregation adopted the official name “German Reformed Zion Church of the German Reformed Synod of the North West of the United States of America,” but it was commonly known as the Zion Reformed Church. The reason behind the name change is unknown. Because many in the congregation were Swiss immigrants or the children of Swiss immigrants, services were conducted in Swiss German until 1901, when English language services were introduced. In 1898, a steeple was added to the building, and Zion's Frauenverein (Ladies Aid) furnished a bell to ring in services. In 1927—Zion’s 60th anniversary—membership stood at 112; however, like many 20th century rural churches, Zion’s congregation withered away over the next two decades. In January 1948 the remaining members elected to disband, and 26 transferred to St. John’s Evangelical and Reformed Church in Archbold. The steeple was removed and Zion church was converted into a residence that still occupies the site. This 1913 photograph of Zion Reformed Church was copied from an original owned by the late Eldred Buehrer of rural Stryker. This 2009 photograph of the former Zion Reformed Church after it was converted into a residence is from the Kevin Maynard collection.

04/07/2023

Today in Stryker area history (April 7, 2005, 18 years ago): The former Aldo Soil Service/Stryker Ag Center fertilizer storage, blending and distribution facility on the east side of Horton Street, between Curtis Street and the railroad in Stryker, was demolished. Although a number of local residents recalled the large wooden frame building being erected in the 1950s, Aldo Soil Service owner Alva J. “Curly” Schlabach said planning and construction began in 1960, and the facility was completed in the spring of 1961. Bulk fertilizer arrived via a railroad spur and was transported from rail cars by an auger under the track into the upright elevator in the center of the building. Blending equipment located in the building’s peak custom-mixed the fertilizer, which then flowed by gravity to trucks below for distribution. The facility passed through several owners before closing permanently in 1998. This circa 1990s photograph of the Stryker Ag Center is from the Kevin Maynard collection. This April 7, 2005 photograph of the demolition of the former Aldo Soil Service/Stryker Ag Center facility is from the Village Reporter newspaper.

04/03/2023

Today in Stryker area history (April 3, 1899, 124 years ago): Epaphras L. Barber, one of the founders of Stryker, died. Epaphras Lord Barber was born at Cleveland on December 16, 1830, to Epaphras L. and Jerusha T. (Sargent) Barber. Epaphras spent his youth on the family farm. When he was 18, Barber joined an engineering group and worked on the survey of the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad. In 1853 Mr. Barber moved to Delta, where he was employed by the Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana (now known as Norfolk Southern) Railroad being built through Fulton and Williams counties. On September 19, 1853, Barber, John H. Sargent and Jesse McArt founded Stryker beside the proposed M.S. & N.I. Railroad. Epaphras worked for the M.S. & N.I. until 1856 when he quit to devote time to selling real estate in the towns he helped found. During the Civil War, he volunteered for service and attained the rank of colonel. After the war he concentrated on business and banking and died at Wauseon on April 3, 1899. This portrait of Epaphras L. Barber is from the 1898 publication Men of Northwestern Ohio.

03/12/2023

Today in Stryker area history (March 12, 1973, 50 years ago): Fire destroyed Paul’s Harness Shop on North Defiance Street in Stryker. In the mid-1950s, Paul Nafziger began repairing and making harness as a teen on his parents’ rural Stryker farm. In 1958, he moved his business to the east side of Stryker’s North Defiance Street. Over time, Nafziger added riding accessories, leather goods, and Western and jockey apparel to his merchandise. In 1966, Paul’s Harness Shop relocated across the street to 105-107 North Defiance Street. The business and building were destroyed by fire on March 12, 1973. Following the destructive fire, Paul’s Harness Shop relocated to Archbold. This vintage image of Paul Nafziger in his Stryker harness shop is from the Rosella Buehrer collection.

03/05/2023

Today in Williams County history (March 4, 1845, 178 years ago): Defiance County was created by the Ohio Legislature. Defiance County was formed by taking the eight southernmost townships of Williams County and parts of Henry and Paulding counties. The new county seat was permanently established at Defiance. The act further provided that the territory taken from Williams County, “shall not be liable for the payment of any portion of said debt of Williams County that has been contracted, or incurred, by the removal, location, or establishment of the seat of justice of said Williams county at Bryan, or by the er****on or preparation to erect public buildings at Bryan.” This vintage map is from the 1876 Defiance County Atlas. Happy 178th birthday to Defiance County!

02/26/2023

Today in Lockport area history (February 26, 1836, 187 years ago): The village of Lockport was surveyed. On February 26, 1836, Dr. John Evans of Defiance had Lockport—consisting of 110 lots—surveyed next to the Tiffin River in Section 22 of Brady Township. Lots, streets and alleys were laid out on each side of Mill Street (County Road 21/N), between County Roads I.50 and J. In 1864 Lockport contained a post office, sawmill, gristmill, cooper shop, ashery, school, cemetery, general store and a number of residences. The Lockport Cemetery, Hull house, Mennonite church, covered bridge and scattered residences mark the location of this once thriving rural economic center. Although many of Lockport’s lots were vacated in 1910, much of the town plat still exists. This vintage lithograph of Lockport and map of the Lockport area are from the 1874 Illustrated Historical Atlas of Williams County. The railroad shown approximately one-half mile north of Lockport was the proposed Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad. West Unity, Kunkle and Pioneer were on the route of this proposed rail line, which was never completed. Happy 187th birthday to the village of Lockport!

02/25/2023

Today in Williams County history (February 25, 1996, 27 years ago): Groundbreaking ceremonies were held for new Stryker branch library building at the northwest corner of Defiance and Short streets. On October 3, 1996, the new library facility and meeting rooms opened to the public. A formal dedication ceremony and open house were held on December 8, 1996. The $250,000, 3,600-square-foot facility was triple the size of the library’s former location in the north portion of the Stryker Municipal Building. The new library included a meeting room, library room, children’s room and computer room. This July 30, 2017 photograph of the Williams County Public Library's Stryker branch is from the Kevin Maynard collection.

02/25/2023

Today in Stryker area history (February 25, 1923, 100 years ago): The tile factory owned by John D. Rumsey and Harry F. Kelm in Stryker was destroyed by fire, resulting in a loss estimated at $20,000. The Rumsey & Kelm tile mill was located on the west side of Horton Street, north of the railroad. The cause of the fire was undetermined, but arson was suspected. The main building of the plant was a mass of flames a few minutes after the fire was discovered at 7:40 p.m. The Stryker Fire Department battled the blaze but was able to save only one small building at the site. The tile mill was rebuilt and continued operating into the 1960s under various owners. This circa 1902 image of the Stryker tile mill is from the David Ruffer collection. This vintage Stryker Drain Tile Company advertisement is from the Kevin Maynard collection.

02/21/2023

Today in Stryker area history (February 21, 1965, 58 years ago): First Lutheran Church of Stryker at 611 South Defiance Street was dedicated. First Lutheran traces its origin to a French Lutheran congregation said to have worshiped in the 1880s in the old United Brethren church on East Curtis Street. This congregation reportedly dissolved around 1890. In 1911 Rev. Alvin E. Bell, pastor of First Lutheran Church of Bryan, organized a new Lutheran congregation in Stryker. The First Lutheran congregation met in the Universalist church at the southeast corner of Defiance and Curtis streets until this building was declared unsafe for use. By December 1920, Lutheran services were held on Sunday afternoons in the United Brethren church on East Short Street. In 1922, the First Lutheran congregation purchased the former Universalist church for $2,000 and spent several thousand dollars renovating and repairing the brick structure to make it suitable for use. The renovated structure was formally dedicated on September 3, 1922. This building served the First Lutheran congregation for more than 40 years. At the 50th annual congregational meeting held January 14, 1962, church members unanimously approved a building program. Ground was broken for the existing First Lutheran church building on March 15, 1964, and the structure was dedicated February 21, 1965. This May 2003 photograph of First Lutheran Church is from the Kevin Maynard collection.

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P. O. Box 180
Stryker, OH
43557

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http://www.strykerahc.org/

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06/10/2023

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