The N. Side Quarry Crusher Building

WHAT IS THAT BIG BUILDING AT THE STATE PARK? By Leslie Korenko This is one of the TOP 10 questions that we get asked at the history museum and on Facebook. That was the North Side quarry crusher. Late in 2018, the State Park cleared the trees and brush from around this structure, revealing it for the first time in many years. As a result, people are asking “What is that big cement thing at the State Park?” While there are several great pictures in the quarry section of the museum that tell a more detailed story about this structure and the various quarry operations on the Island, here is a little history about this particular building. The right side of the building was the steam plant that powered the entire operation. The left side was the crusher building and stone storage bins. Railroad cars would back up through a hole in the upper part of the building and tip stone down into the crusher, which was located in the corner where the two structures meet. You can still see the concrete pads from the trestle in the grass. Conveyor belts would carry the crushed stone across the top of the concrete structure and dump it into the bins. RR cars backed up underneath (in the ‘tunnel’) where the stone would drop into the cars. The train would carry the stone cars out onto the dock and dump it into the bins on the dock. These were called pocket docks. There were chutes that would be lowered to allow the stone to tumble onto the boats. If the stone should get stuck in the chutes, they would send a quarry worker in with a sledgehammer or a small charge of black powder or dynamite to dislodge the blockage. It was very dangerous work. Chris, at the State Park, wants to do some descriptive signage for this building. The North Side crusher building back in the day. That small building on the left was the Locomotive House.

The building today.

Look closely at the small shed – it was originally located on the roof of the building behind the smoke stacks.

You can still see the concrete pads for the trestle in the grass.

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A HISTORY OF THE KELLEY'S ISLAND LIME & TRANSPORT CO.

by Leslie Korenko I recently met with Randy Edwards who is a freelance writer doing research for an article on island quarries for Twine Line (Ohio Sea Grant's print magazine). https://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/products/twineline After exchanging several emails, Randy visited Kelleys Island on December 20 to tour the museum and explore our quarry displays. He brought a long list of questions. One item that intrigued him was a nicely detailed article in our display, “The Shays of Kelleys Island” (The Kelley Island Lime & Transport Company’s Kelleys Island operations) by Lee Rainey. This article appeared in the Railroad Model Craftsman magazine, December 1986. It is a treasure trove of information about the early days of quarrying here. Because it contains so much great information about such an important part of our history and was so well researched – we scanned it and shared it with him and now with you. There are some great photos here. We particularly like the long shot ...

That statue of Mary on Titus Road

It seems like every few years, there is a flood of questions about the statue of Mary located on Titus Road. Rumors abound! One person heard it was created in honor of Island fishermen - a fisherman's shrine if you will. Another was sure it was a memorial to a young couple who died in a car accident at the spot on their wedding day. These, and the others, are all quite romantic, but unfortunately, not true. Several years ago, the best history of the statue appeared in our local newspaper, Kelleys Life (the March/April 2012) edition. So, in answer to all those questions, and thanks to Kelleys Life, here is the real story about the Statue of Virgin Mary that we all love so well. By the way, you read several years' worth of Kelleys Life on the museum website - just click on Island Newspapers. (https://www.kelleysislandhistorical.org/kelleys-life-newspaper.html)

THE OTHER INSCRIPTION ROCK ON KELLEYS ISLAND

THE OTHER INSCRIPTION ROCK ON THE NORTH SHORE By Leslie Korenko We all know that our Inscription Rock on the south shore is world famous, but it seems everyone is suddenly interested in the OTHER inscription rock, which was located in the North Bay near the State Park beach, half way between the boat launch and the swamp. The results of a monumental task, the chronicling of Indian antiquities, was published in 1853. It was an extensive discourse on Indians published by Henry P. Schoolcraft and illustrated by S. Eastman, Capt. U. S. Army. The publication was entitled Information Respecting the History Condition and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States, Collected and Prepared under the direction of the Bureau of Indian Affairs per act of Congress of March 3rd, 1847 . There were five very substantial volumes published between 1853 and 1856. Parts two and three made mention of the pictographs on Kelley’s Island and the history of the Indians in this area. Schoolcraft’s...

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