Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
June 28
1885: A violent riot by parishioners over the suspension of a priest occurs at St. Hedwig’s Catholic Church on Lagrange Street. Hundreds of local residents take to the neighborhood streets in violent clashes as at least two people are shot and killed and over 20 are arrested.
1906: A Toledo probation officer, “Dilgart,” says he will end the practice of parents sending their children to corner saloons to pick up a supply of beer. Officer Dilgart says young children and toddlers are being sent into “dives of iniquity” to get beer for a besotted father.
1924: A swarm of tornadoes hit Sandusky and Lorain. In Sandusky, eight people are killed, while as many as 88 others across northern Ohio are killed along with 200 homes being leveled. It was the state’s deadliest day for tornadoes.
1956: An 11-day Shakespeare Festival opens at the Toledo Zoo Amphitheater, drawing 2,000 audience members for its debut performance of “Much Ado About Nothing.”
1983: Point Place residents experience flooding as northeast winds push water onto land from the lake.
1985: Eight men, including several horse trainers, are indicted for “fixing” harness races at Toledo’s Raceway Park.
1988: The baseball stadium at Lucas County Rec Center is renamed Ned Skeldon Stadium.
June 29
1905: Toledo airship pilot Roy Knabenshue thrills thousands of onlookers as he guides his giant floating aircraft to a successful landing on top of the Spitzer building in downtown Toledo.
1909: The Toledo News Bee runs an article about the rumored canals on planet Mars. The News Bee mistakenly claims new telescopes can “plainly” see a snow-capped mountain on Mars.
1921: Registration is advertised for the University of Toledo’s summer session. Fees are $2 for residents and $6 for non-residents.
1925: Nearly 100 undernourished Toledo kids are taken to the health department’s children’s camp at Presque Isle for six weeks.
1944: The new 120-mm anti-aircraft gun is shown to the press at Erie Proving Grounds at Port Clinton.
1979: Toledo Owens-Illinois executive William Niehous escapes his captors in the jungles of Venezuela after being held for more than three years. He makes it to safety and is flown back home to Toledo.
June 30
1918: More than 35,000 people assemble in Ottawa Park for a community wide religious service to pray for an “honorable” peace in World War I.
1922: Jimmy Petros says his Petros Restaurant at Adams and Huron Streets will soon have high-powered radio music so people can have music with their meals. It will feature concerts from large cities and will be the first restaurant to offer music from the radio.
1929: The gang wars over booze continue to breed violence in Toledo as notorious Toledo gambler and bootlegger Albert Parlow is killed and others are wounded in a gun battle at the Riverview Inn in Point Place.
1931: The “Cinderella Girl” Peaches Browning is a hit at Forest Park Amusements on Woodville Road near Genoa. She is performing for four nights after having just completed performances in Atlantic City.
1948: The once busy and popular Cherry Street electric trolley ceases operations. The 12 street cars become salvaged and are replaced by 16 diesel-fueled buses. The Cherry Street trolleys had been in operation since 1892.
1977: A tornado sweeps across Fremont and Sandusky counties, injuring 18 people.
July 1
1909: Toledo Mayor Brand Whitlock warns young lovers that it’s okay to spoon in city parks, but Toledo police officers will be watching for any signs that the “affections” shown are improper.
1914: The state teachers’ convention is held at Cedar Point, where the state school superintendent reveals to the crowd that most teachers can’t attend because they are too poor.
1931: Toledo police detective Frank Delora is suspended after he started a shooting rampage inside Greenie Taxi's office on Jackson Street. No one was hit, but bullets were flying. The police surgeon says Delora is emotionally affected by hot weather.
1967: The University of Toledo is given the status of a state-funded university by the Ohio General Assembly.
1977: The last Ford Tri-Motor Aircraft, also known as the “Tin Goose,” crashes at South Bass Island. It was during take-off on a regularly scheduled flight for Erie Islands Airlines. Only the pilot suffered minor injuries, but the crash essentially ended the services of the historic Ford Tri-Motor on the island.
1979: More than 3,000 Toledo city workers go on strike after failed negotiations for a new contract. All unions, including police and fire, hit the bricks, shutting down the city and creating chaos. Anarchy ruled the streets, and a TARTA bus driver was murdered, halting all bus service. Residents were forced to use their own garden hoses to douse fires. The strike would eventually end several days later with a new labor agreement.
2000: The Lonz Winery terrace collapses on Middle Bass Island during weekend festivities. Eighty people are injured, and one person is killed.
July 2
1884: A massive fire destroys most of Pemberville’s business district.
1909: The last baseball game is played at Armory Park on Spielbusch Avenue in downtown Toledo.
1911: Toledo organ grinder John Liberatore and his monkey "Jimmy" are arrested after the monkey bit a little boy on Elm Street. The monkey will have to be quarantined for a rabies check at the zoo.
1921: Lots are being sold on the proposed "Wild Cherry Beach" on the Ottawa River at Edgewater Drive. Seventy-four lots are for sale, and it promises a beautiful bathing beach and pier, with easy access to the street cars.
1926: Toledoans hold a fundraiser to help Sadie Modisher, a mother of seven on Paxton Street who was widowed when her husband was struck by lightning. The News Bee reports that they collected $72.01.
1931: The U.S. Open golf tournament begins at Inverness in Toledo. Bill Burke wins the championship.
July 3
1817: A sea serpent is reported by early settlers and explorers near Middle Bass Island.
1909: Swayne Field ballpark opens in West Toledo as a record 18 innings are played between Columbus and Toledo.
1911: A Toledo judge agrees with a defendant charged with throwing a can of pickles through a trolley car window because the car wouldn’t stop for him. The man is released after the judge says he too would be angry with the motorman.
1945: The much talked about “Toledo Tomorrow” exhibit at Toledo Zoo opens. It was a very large display model sponsored by the Toledo Blade publisher Paul Block, depicting a vision of Toledo by the turn of the 21st century. The model was designed by famed architect Norman Bel Geddes of Adrian, Mich. and was featured in many national publications, drawing interest worldwide.
1948: Toledo police officer Harold Stevens dies when his patrol car collides with an ambulance at Monroe and 17th Streets.
July 4
1865: The Fremont Journal reports that three women were killed on the Fourth of July while on a small excursion boat on the Portage River. One of the women got her dress caught up in the crank shaft of the motor. She grabbed another woman, who also grabbed another woman, and all of them were drawn into the gears and crushed.
1865: In Elmore, it’s reported that a German man from that town was found dead on the railroad tracks having been run over by a train, although it’s believed he had been robbed of $50, shot and then his body was left on the tracks.
1887: Much of Bowling Green’s business district is lost to flames with two acres of buildings destroyed.
1907: Streetcar service opens to the Toledo Beach amusement park. Some 14,000 people take the scenic ride to the beach chutes.
1919: The single greatest sports event is held in Toledo as the heavyweight championship boxing title was decided in a contest between Jack Dempsey and Jess Willard. The fight was held at a newly built wooden arena at Bay View Park, drawing thousands of fans who paid between $10-60 a ticket to witness the spectacle. Dempsey, the challenger, won the crown.
