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Seneca County Historical Society

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10/23/2026

Then and Now – Today, we’re comparing views looking north across the Sandusky River towards where Miami Street meets Frost Parkway taken from the Perry Street Bridge in Tiffin, Ohio. The top vintage photo came from a glass plate negative and it was taken before the 1913 flood. We can see that there are buildings and homes with their backs to the river along Water Street (now Frost Parkway) and there’s even what appears to be an oil derrick. During the late 1800’s, there were several attempts to drill for oil along Frost Parkway, but the residents there strongly objected to it. The house visible in the very middle of the photo beyond the oil derrick sat on the corner of Miami St. and Frost Parkway but was demolished years ago. The two houses on the far right were washed away in the 1913 flood and of those two houses, the one closest to us was the Axline home. It was the Axline’s who both drowned when this home floated down river and crashed into the railroad bridge.

The bottom photo is how this view looks today. There aren’t any buildings along the river anymore and a new river wall was constructed when the river was widened after the flood.

10/22/2026

Then and Now - Jeffrey Jewelers is currently celebrating their 80th year of being in business, so we thought we’d feature a photo of their store from the 1950’s. Today’s vintage photo on the left shows their store at 80 S. Washington St. in Tiffin, Ohio. The store to the right of them was once the Sears store until they moved to Westgate in 1962. The photo on the right is how this view looks today and this is now the location of City Parking Lot #7.

10/21/2026

Then and Now – Today, we’re comparing views of storefronts in the Laird Arcade that face S. Washington St. in Tiffin, Ohio. The top photo was taken in the early 1980’s and back then there was “The Mini Shop” and the “Pants Pocket” stores. The bottom photo is how this view looks today and now this is the “Fro Zone” and "Line Drive Sport Cards" in these locations.

10/20/2026

Then and Now – In a city where it seems like we’re constantly showing photos of parking lots where beautiful buildings once stood, we’re happy to acknowledge a real success story. Today, we’re looking at the home at 14 Madison Street in Tiffin, Ohio. This was the home of Spiva Manley, a free black man who arrived in Tiffin in the early 1840's. In 1854, Manley purchased this property on the corner of Madison St. and Front St. for $600 and began construction on his home. The Federal style brick home was built onto an existing small white frame building already on the property. He lived here for almost 85 years and died in this home on August 30, 1906.

The top photo was taken in 2009 when this home was on the verge of being demolished and was condemned. Fortunately, this was avoided and was recently purchased by owners who have gone to great lengths to restore the home. The bottom photo is how it looks today, and it offers proof that almost every building can be saved and get a new life, if only there’s someone out there who cares.

10/19/2026

Then and Now – Today, we’re comparing views of the NW corner of W. Market and Jackson Streets in Tiffin, Ohio. The top photo is from 1968 and we’re seeing the Sohio station at 240 W. Market St. Behind it at 11 Jackson St. was the San-Mar Pharmacy. There have been many changes to the businesses at this location and today this is where Domino’s Pizza is located.

10/18/2026

Then and Now - The top vintage photo is from the early 1980’s and we’re seeing the Seneca Communications building on the left and the Tru-Value Hardware Store on the right. The Seneca Communications building at 103 N. Washington St. in Tiffin, Ohio sat in the middle of the parking lot and was originally built to be the RoBo Car Wash. The RoBo Car Wash advertised that it’s the “most exciting car wash in town – it’s automatic – it takes only two minutes”, and all of this for only two quarters! The Robo Wash opened in April 1966, but the building at 103 N. Washington Street was later listed as vacant by 1974. The bottom photo is a current view of this location and the old RoBo wash building was demolished years ago.

10/17/2026

Then and Now – Today, we’re comparing views at the location of 103 N. Washington Street in Tiffin, Ohio. The top photo appeared in the January 8, 1966 Advertiser Tribune and it stated that this home was going to be demolished to make room for a car wash. The story mentioned that this was the former home of Mrs. Margaret Schrote and that the home was more than 100 years old at the time. The bottom photo is how this view looks today and this is now the parking lot for Fort Ball Pizza.

10/16/2026

Then and Now – Today, we’re comparing views looking south on S. Washington St. in Tiffin, Ohio. The top photo was taken of a parade in 1943 and we’re seeing Tiffin’s 1942 Chevrolet Auxiliary Pumper. This truck was acquired as a part of the efforts to protect the “home front” during World War II and the funds came from the government as a part of the Civil Defense. The firemen and Civil Defense Corps secured this 1942 truck and retrofitted it with a 500 GPM pump mounted to the front. Extra hoses, tools and ladders were added to the back. This truck saw service during the war but was transferred to the maintenance department after that. We can see the “Shumway Flowers” store on the left and it looks like the car parked out front was in a fender bender. The bottom photo is how this view looks today.

10/15/2026

Then and Now - Today, we’re comparing views looking on the west side of S. Washington St. in Tiffin, Ohio. The top photo was taken in the 1930’s and we’re seeing several buildings that were there back then. The building on the left was at 202 S. Washington St. and the building in the middle (that was further back off the street) was 198 S. Washington St. and both of these buildings were residences. The building on the right was the Northern Ohio Maytag Co. and they sold washing machines in the 1930’s. These buildings were eventually demolished and this was where “Mike and Chuck’s Sohio Servicecenter” was located at 200 S. Washington St. The bottom photo is how this view looks today and now this is a city parking lot.

10/14/2026

Then and Now – Today, we’re comparing views looking north along Riverside Drive in Tiffin, Ohio. We’re not sure when this photo was taken but it was before 1913 because the flood pretty much cleared away all of the vegetation from around this building. We also don’t know who these two men are, but the building behind them was the bottling department for the Tiffin Brewing Co. at 131 Riverside Drive. The Tiffin Brewing Co. was across the street and Ohio Law required that the b**r couldn’t be bottled in the same building that it’s brewed at. So, there was once a tunnel that went under the road and connected into this building. The bottom photo is how the view looks now. The old bottling department building was demolished long ago and today, the tall Tiffin Brewing Co. building is still there today and used by Scenic Studios.

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