Histories and Mysteries

The Campus Center dining hall at Otterbein University overlooks a large grassy mall on its northern side. Ever since my freshman year there, I’ve gazed out at that area and wondered why it was sunken. It held standing water after a rainstorm although the lay of that piece of land has had an adjustment inContinue reading “Otterbein University’s “graceful green hollow” a source of sorrow in 1919.”

This blog showcases the known designs of Columbus architects Joseph Warren Yost & Frank Lucius Packard in the region of Champaign, Clark, Logan, and Union Counties of Ohio. These two architects were in partnership during the years 1892-1899; each practiced separately before and after this period of time. The history of these structures has notContinue reading “Architects Joseph Yost and Frank Packard in Ohio: Champaign, Clark, Logan, and Union Counties”

This blog covers the circa 1880’s-1907 Westerville design work of prominent Columbus architects Joseph Warren Yost and Frank Lucius Packard. The firm known as Yost & Packard was formed in 1892 and ended its run in 1899 when Yost moved to New York City. Each had his own firm before and after their partnership. DescribedContinue reading “Architects Joseph Yost and Frank Packard in Ohio: Westerville Legacy”

This blog is intended to accompany Otterbein’s former Carnegie Library being listed February 5, 2021, on the National Register of Historic Places. Due to that, due to my interest in its architect, and due to one discovery leading to another…this thing got out of hand. So my apologies for long windedness. Press on to theContinue reading ““Iron Master Makes Gift”: Carnegie Library at Otterbein University (a Frank Packard design)”

If you have read my other blog entitled “Iron Master Makes Gift”: Carnegie Library at Otterbein University, then skip the narrative below (as it is a repeat) and scroll to the pictures. About Carnegie Free Public Libraries Andrew Carnegie once said “the man who dies rich, dies disgraced.” And thus, the self-made Scottish immigrant whoContinue reading “The Ohio Carnegie Libraries of Architect Frank Packard”

The bookstore at Otterbein University wasn’t always as convenient as being located a floor below the dining hall on campus. And neither the bookstore nor any food service was originally a University enterprise. Students made the trek via the notoriously muddy unpaved streets to the Uptown State Street commercial district for meals and whatever mightContinue reading “Separated since birth, Otterbein bookstore joins the family (a history that starts in Uptown Westerville circa 1870).”

What’s with this young fellow pictured below sporting a mail bag?? In 2019, a scrapbook dated 1916 was donated to the Otterbein University archives. In it was a photo of “Gilbert E. Mills Postman” standing at the northeast corner of West College Avenue and South Grove Street in Westerville. No explanation was provided. While scanningContinue reading “Otterbein student achieves highest score and becomes Westerville’s first mail carrier in 1912.”

Back in the days when I was working for a living, a co-worker of mine suggested I head to the Amish and Mennonite nurseries of northern Richland County to get my annual supply of annuals…plus stop along the way for breakfast at the only business still operating in Shiloh, the Shiloh Diner. She knows IContinue reading “Annual Trek for Annuals Yields Frank Packard Pink Sandstone Churches”

This was my first attempt (2020) at writing and publishing blogs on the architecture of Joseph Warren Yost and Frank Lucius Packard. I chose Delaware since Packard was a Delaware native. The blog narrative was a copy and paste of an article I wrote for the Delaware County Historical Society’s newsletter. The buildings pictured inContinue reading “Frank Packard’s Architecture Left Mark on Delaware (as published in the Fall 2019 issue of the Delaware County Historian)”

NOTE: This blog contains quite a few pictures so give it several minutes to download. The pictures download haphazardly. For the first couple months of 2019, I spent afternoons at the microfilm reader at Otterbein University’s library perusing old editions of the Westerville’s newspaper, the Public Opinion. My goal was to discover other Westerville structures,Continue reading “Henry J. Karg: A Prolific Builder Who Called Westerville Home (his career in words and pictures)”