Frank Beard was many things. A guest speaker at Otterbein’s College Chapel on a cold day just before Christmas, 1880, he was a Union veteran of the Civil War, a prominent artist, illustrator, and speaker on the Chautauqua circuit. He was a Prohibitionist and a popular entertainer, well paid for his services.[i]
He was also deaf.
[i] Columbus Dispatch, December 18, 1880
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If you want to see an Ice Age relic you need look no further than 452 East Park Street and the Boyer Nature Preserve. There, in the heart of uptown Westerville, is a glacial ‘kettle’ surrounded by modern birds and flowers. Westerville’s tangential, but actual, connection to the Ice Age may be prehistoric, but how it got preserved is definitely historic.
Read MoreThe earliest photograph of a Halloween party at Otterbein, in 1913
Read MoreWesterville went from a dingy, muddy village of simple one and two-story frame buildings in the mid 1800’s to the thriving, 21st century community of today. The beautiful Uptown streets lined with substantial Italianate brick buildings, home to restaurants and shops, reflect the success of Westerville. The can-do spirit of Westerville residents brought about all the successes of our Uptown with its lovely buildings and its standing as the heart of our town.
Read MoreWorld War One ended much sooner and much faster than anyone could have predicted. Unfortunately, wars do not stop on a dime and send everyone home the next day. Nearly six million men were mobilized, and when the war ended, getting them home was almost as vast an undertaking as getting them to the scene of the action. The short duration of the war devastated many a soldier’s plans for life. Not surprisingly, there was a clamor from the soldiers to get home and back to “normalcy,”
Read MoreA bundle of Toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. [Clement Clarke Moore (attributed), “A Visit from St. Nicholas,”1823]
Read MoreThe Haymans – John and Mary Ellen – were faithful Westerville Historical Society members. Their son Terry carried on his family’s love of Westerville and Westerville history with a bequest through the Columbus Foundation that is funding important projects related to history in our community. This article was written to share the history of this family.
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