https://www.facebook.com/133824773157177/

Historic Urbana, Urbana, OH (2026)

04/04/2026

I launched a new page this week for the historic St. Paul neighborhood in Urbana. A place near and dear to me I have been studying for 35 years. Here is one of the first official posts. Enjoy and follow along if you would like.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17Ke348LnT/

03/15/2026

Climb Aboard for Our Annual
Vintage Train Trip
Sunday, May 3, 2026
Climb aboard the train and step back in time to when railroads were the champions of travel. This year’s train trip starts from Urbana. The train leaves from Elm Street, goes to Maitland on the northwest side of Springfield, then returns to Urbana.

This is a great opportunity to take the family, grandchildren, and friends and ride the rails! We have had a sold-out event for years, so, make your plans and get your tickets early!

Ticket Sales Information:

Online: (General Seating and Deluxe Table Class Tickets)
ohiorailexperience.com/urbana-train-rides

Local Ticket Sales: General Seating Tickets Only
Peoples Savings Bank (10 Monument Square and 618 Scioto Urbana)

General Seating - $22
General Seating - Children under 2 years old (sitting on lap) NO CHARGE.
Water and snacks available for purchase – CASH Only

Deluxe Table Class – 2 Person Table $100
Deluxe Table Class – 4 Person Table $200
21 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER ONLY
Deluxe Table Class will feature:
- 2 complimentary alcoholic beverages (additional drinks available for purchase)
-soft drinks
- snacks served by our staff.

Times of the trip departures are 10:00 am, 12:30 pm, and 3:00 pm.

Ride is approximately 75-80 minutes.

The train is NOT handicapped accessible.

No Reserved Seating and No Pets Allowed.

Arrive 1 hour prior to your departure time. Board train at 200 Elm Street across from the Depot Coffee House (644 Miami St.) on the west side of Urbana.

Free parking on site -- follow the parking signs.

Monies made from this event will go towards CCPA Façade Grant program and renovation projects at the 1858 Meeting House! Thank you for your support!

ENJOY THE RIDE!

01/14/2026

Scores of historic buildings have been moved in Urbana over time. It was not uncommon for homes and commercial buildings to be recycled and relocated to new locations throughout the city. Several firms in Champaign County touted their house moving services in the past.

Two examples of homes that may seem a bit out of place in the city today can be found in the 300 block of Miami Street. At one time a trio of handsome Italianate style homes stood in a row facing the street at this location. Each dwelling with elaborate, wooden, turned architectural details was no coincidence. That's because all three homes were the residences of a group of Urbana lumbermen who owned and operated the firm of Stayman, Colwell and O'Neal near the corners of West Court and Russell Streets starting in 1854.

The history of the three houses can get a bit complicated with shifting house numbers and duplicate owners of neighboring properties. Today, only two homes remain standing of the "Lumber Baron Homes": The Stayman and Colwell homes.

Built in 1871, the Stayman home now faces Russell Street but was originally located in the middle of the block at 314 Miami Street. The Colwell house constructed around 1869 was originally situated at 304 Miami Street, near High Street, but would become 314 Miami Street following its relocation. Confusing, right? The O'Neal home remained at it original site at 326 Miami Street but was demolished several years ago. The O'Neals would also acquire the Stayman home for a time when it was in its original location on Miami Street.

Aside from their successful lumber interests, the Colwells and the Stayman families were also involved in local real estate and banking with Calvin Fletcher Colwell being the President of the former Citizens National Bank. The lumber legacy would return to the Colwell house when the home was acquired and occupied by A.C. Miller who at one time owned the Maple Lumber Company in Urbana. That business was known for its production of baseball bats, hammer handles, golf clubs, and mini golf sets starting around 1923.

It would be Alexander C. Miller who acquired the Stayman and Colwell homes in 1949 and had them moved to their present locations. Moving the Colwell home straight back and to the west, and the Stayman home around the corner to Russell Street without its front porch in order to fit at its new location. The move of the homes was necessitated by the construction of the new Kroger grocery store at the site that opened in 1950 on Miami Street. Today, the Kroger building is the Champaign County Sheriff's Offices and Caring Kitchen emergency shelter. Karen Devin

01/12/2026

The date is set. It's been four years since the previous historic Oak Dale Cemetery tour. We're dusting off this Urbana tradition with 2026 marking the 170th anniversary since the grounds of the cemetery were dedicated. Mark your calendars for October 23rd and 24th. Proceeds to benefit the Champaign County Preservation Alliance. More details as the date nears. In the meantime, we're giving thought of the theme for this year's tour highlighting the community's rich and diverse history.

10/19/2025

Happy Sunday everyone! Here's a story we hinted about several months ago about a monument proposed for Historic Urbana that was a real "wash out". Unlike the refined works of statuary in the city such as the "Man on the Monument" (aka "Meditation") on the Square, or the "Indian Hunter" and the "Frontiersman" at Oak Dale Cemetery, our historic city was briefly the home of another intended monument that did not make a splash with the local population. - the rusted bathtub of the captain (Charles Sigsbee) of the ill-fated battleship U.S.S. Maine.

If you recall your American History, you know the war ship exploded while in Havana Harbor in Cuba in early 1898. Tensions were running high between Spain and the United States at the time. Many believed a Spanish mine destroyed the ship killing over 260 sailors as a result. However, the sinking of the Maine is believed to have been caused by an internal explosion in the coal bunkers on board. Nevertheless, the destruction of the Maine was the act that ultimately led to the Spanish American War and the famous cry, "Remember the Maine and to Hell with Spain". The brief conflict with Spain resulted in several of its territories being ceded to the U.S. including Puerto Rico that remains a U.S. territory today, and Cuba and the Philippines gaining their independence.

Around 1911, the U.S. Government undertook efforts to raise and commence a recovery and salvage operation of the Maine. At the time, U.S. Representative Frank Willis (and future Ohio Governor) who represented Urbana in Congress, made arrangements to have Captain Sigsbee's bathtub salvaged from the ship sent to Urbana as a relic to be permanently displayed in the city by 1913.

Needless to say, Urbanans were not terribly impressed with the token tub, and it stayed crated and hidden in a local poultry barn on the city's west side for months. News of the beleaguered bathing vessel made national news with the city of Findlay willing to take the plunge with the tub and desired to take the artifact off Urbana's hands. The Department of the Navy instructed for the city fathers to send the bathtub to our neighbors to the north. However, there was a matter of $4.65 for shipping costs Urbana leaders demanded of Findlay before pulling the plug on the whole ordeal. Urbana never got the money, but before the tub flowed out of town, it was photographed and displayed on Monument Square where one onlooker thinking it was a tub that floated from the wreck of the Titanic.

After the tub arrived in Findlay it was displayed on the steps of the Hancock County Courthouse for all to see. The initial thought was to have the tub placed on a permanent pedestal in that city, but those plans went down the drain when local fundraising fell flat. In the decades that followed the tub was stashed away in the basement of the Hancock County Courthouse until it found a permanent home in the Hancock County Historical Museum where it is proudly on display today.

As for Urbana's consolation memento, it was sent a 10 inch ammunition shell from the Maine that was placed on display in the corridor of the former Urbana City Hall and was still there in 1922. Plans were underway by the following year to dedicate a new memorial on the lawn of the Champaign County Courthouse dedicated to World War I and Spanish American War veterans. Efforts to include the shell in that monument were discussed but did not materialize as there was no mention of the shell as part of the memorial's dedication in 1925.

We're still on the search of what became of the artifact from the Maine. Perhaps someone out there knows, but we will keep digging and let you know if we find the answer to that question from Historic Urbana's past.

09/28/2025

Good morning, everyone,

It's been 3 years since I have given a historic cemetery tour locally. However, I was asked about a year ago if I would volunteer to create a walk for the Johnston Cemetery in Piqua. Of course I said, "yes". Also known as the Swift Run Cemetery, this burial ground dates back to 1812 and has some fascinating stories.

The cemetery is part of the state historic site known as Johnston Farm and Indian Agency that features the farmstead of Colonel John Johnston who was also the Indian Agent, a restored section of the Miami and Erie Canal, Native American museum, and a ceremonial Adena Mound. The property has a personal connection as I worked at the site two summers fresh out of high school and my freshmen year in college.

The tours will take place on October 17th and 18th at 5 PM and 7 PM each day. Tickets are $10 and groups are limited to 40 per each tour time. The folks in Piqua have reported the tours are getting full. If you'd like to join me for a walk through Johnston Cemetery in Piqua, contact the site at 937-773-2522 or email [email protected] to RSVP.

09/07/2025

Hello everyone. We're back after a 5-month hiatus.

We noticed, September 1st marked the 40th anniversary of ocean explorer and scientist Dr. Robert Ballard's discovery of the wreck of the famed ocean liner: R.M.S. Titanic.

Resting over 2 miles below the North Atlantic's surface today, the ship struck an iceberg during the late evening of April 14,1912 and sank during the early morning hours of April 15th during its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. The disaster claimed over 1,500 lives and continues to capture the imagination in books, film, and headlines over a century later.

The tragic story of the Titanic has a connection to Historic Urbana that started with, "So long Frankie, I will see you later". Those were the final words spoken between Frank Goldsmith Sr. and his 9-year-old son, Frank Goldsmith Jr. as the boy and Frank Sr's wife, Emily, were lowered into the last lifeboat to escape the fast-sinking ship. Frank Jr's son, James Goldsmith, would become a long-time resident of Urbana.

The Goldsmith family’s story links one of the most haunting nights in modern history to our city. Frank Goldsmith Sr. would not be reunited with his wife and child after that faithful night, and his body was never recovered. Frank Jr. and his mother would be among the few hundred survivors from the Titanic.

In his memoir Echoes in the Night, Frank Jr. recalled the experience in vivid fragments. He remembered the “muffled roar” as the ship broke apart, the cries of hundreds adrift in the freezing water, and the way those voices blended into a single terrible chorus. Years later, he confessed he could never attend a baseball game because the roar of the crowd sounded too much like those cries. Even the sight of lifeboats along a shoreline could unnerve him, returning him instantly to that night in the North Atlantic.

Despite the weight of those memories, Frank Jr. built a life in Detroit, Michigan, and later, Mansfield, Ohio. He became one of the founding members of the Titanic Historical Society, dedicated to preserving the stories of survivors before they faded with time. When Frank Jr died in 1982, his family honored his last wish. His ashes were scattered at sea 70 years to the day of the disaster, over the place where the Titanic had gone down, symbolically reuniting him with the father he lost.

Frank Jr's son, James R. “Jim” Goldsmith Sr., would come to Urbana in 1968 and reside here until his death in 2009. James Goldsmith would become the Manager of Gaslight Auto Parts on the south side of town. He often shared his father’s story with schools and civic groups. His wife, Mary Laurene (Wingfield) Goldsmith, served as Executive Director of the Champaign County Red Cross for 26 years, while also pursuing her lifelong love of music and co-founded the local singing group known as the "Sweet Adelines"

You can hear Frank Goldsmith Jr. in his own voice and words share his memories of the Titanic in two audio clips here including his remarks to the Mansfield Rotary Club in 1977. (second link) https://www.youtube.com/shorts/--d_OHreuWo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPyb7Hv71RU

04/14/2025

Ok, so this one is personal and for all the family history buffs out there. I get to travel to some cool places with my work in Economic Development. Last week I was in Monterrey, Mexico and Philadelphia. I've been to the City of Brotherly Love many times and first worked in the community 20 years ago. However, this visit to Philly took on extra special meaning.

For years, I knew my maternal great grandfather's middle name was "Longshore". Back in the day, I asked my grandfather and his sisters why their father's middle name was "Longshore". They did not know. In my native Indiana, my mom's family is well documented in county history. A 1917, publication mentions my great, great grandmother's family came to America with William Penn, but no other details. It wasn't long ago I discovered my great, great, great grandfather's middle name was also "Longshore" and that he was born and raised in Pennsylvania. Hmm. There is definitely a pattern going on here.

Robert Longshore was the Deputy Surveyor to William Penn and played a pivotal role in laying out the city of Philadelphia. Robert Longshore is also my 9th great grandfather. Mystery solved, but there's more. Before William Penn, before the British, before Philadelphia, before Pennsylvania, and before the U.S. existed, the greater Philly and Delaware areas were settled by the Swedish who established the New Sweden Colony on Lenape Tribal lands. Robert Longshore married the daughter of Pieter Larrson K**k who was one of the leaders of New Sweden. Pieter and his wife arrived in what would eventually become Pennsylvania and Philadelphia in 1641. Pieter also spoke Lanape and traded with the native people. The K**ks are my 10th great grandparents.

Before traveling to Philly last week, I discovered the Longshores and K**ks are interred in a burial vault under Old Swedes Church which is the oldest church in the nation's sixth largest city. The volunteers of Old Swedes Church were good enough to open the historic church to me for a personal tour. They even handed me the 18th century key to the building to re-lock the door. It was a moment I shall never forget. I encourage everyone to explore your roots. Be curious and ask questions of your loved ones while you can. You never know when you may be handed the key (literally) to your family story.

In a few days, it will be time to head back to Urbana for a visit during the upcoming holiday. In the meantime, I am taking a poll as to which story for Historic Urbana you would like for me to share in the next post. A.) A famous bathtub. B.) A house that moved to find a home. C.) A photographer who was the forerunner to the Paparazzi. D.) A famous quilting circle.

Have a great week. The photos. (Old Swedes Church in historic Philadelphia. The oldest church in the city.)

03/30/2025

Happy Sunday. It's been a quiet day cataloging the 220+ historic postcards of Historic Urbana in our personal collection, and researching, writing and piecing together stories for future topics for here on the page. One of the postcards in our stash got us thinking about technology in Urbana, and that led down a rabbit hole of looking into some fascinating history of firsts in the county and city.

Before the days of Spotify, satellite radio, podcasts, and FM dials…a group of curious minds in Urbana gathered at the high school in April of 1920 to tune in for a first in communication history. "The castle on the hill", would become the site of the first radio signal ever heard in the city—a concert transmitted by wireless telephonic (radio) from Dayton's McCook Field.

A phonograph recording of the song, "Keep the Home Fires Burning" would become the first song broadcast by radio in Urbana and, " I will now give our very latest record", were the first words spoken and received by broadcast in the city. A device known as a second wave regeneration set was used at the school to receive the transmission from Dayton. McCook Field was a pioneering aviation experimentation and airfield that operated in Dayton from 1917-1927. Urbana found itself at the forefront of the introduction of the era of commercial radio. The first commercial station would be launched in Pittsburgh in the months following the broadcast between Dayton and Urbana in 1920.

Locally, Edgar Boyd who was a member of one of Urbana's oldest African American families, became known for his extensive knowledge of radio technology and was a popular dealer and builder of radio sets as early as 1924. Our neighbors to the east, Mechanicsburg, would establish what is thought to be the first fraternal organization dedicated to radio enthusiasts known as the "Knights of the Radio Bug". Mechanicsburg native Edward Locke was its leader. Locke also established the first transmitting station in the county above the Rexall Drug Store in the village in 1924. He would become a widely known expert on the subject of radio with his signals and broadcasts reaching around the globe through his amateur radio station.

For now, it's time for us to sign off with this Historic Urbana (and Mechanicsburg) bit of broadcast local history. Stay tuned for more stories coming your way in a couple weeks.

The photos: Urbana High School. The location of the first received radio broadcast in Urbana. 1925 advertisement for local radio expert, Edgar Boyd, and a link below to a historic recording of the song, "Keep the Home Fires Burning". This is a period rendition of the music transmitted between Urbana and Dayton in 1920. You will get an idea of what Urbana residents heard over 100 years ago.

https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?nq=1&query_type=call_number&query=cylinder8093

Champaign Aviation Museum

03/09/2025

Meet Margaret. Margaret Greenleaf (Dawes) Eliot to be exact.

Margaret was born in 1789 in Boston and died in that city in 1875 but was buried in Philadelphia. The painting of her seen here was completed in 1844 by artist John Cranch who was a prominent resident of Urbana for over a decade and died here in 1891. He is buried in Oak Dale Cemetery.

John Cranch was a noted portrait artist in the 19th century having studied in Europe, with studios in New York City and on Pennsylvania Avenue near the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C. over the years. John Cranch was also the great nephew to President, John Adams. and cousin to another U.S. President, John Quincy Adams.

The painting of Margaret Eliot has been languishing for several years in a crowded antique store in Vermont with her identity unknown and mis-identified, but we knew who she was and her connection to Urbana. The painting of Margaret left Boston sometime in the 19th century only to land over the fireplace mantel in the study of her son's home in St. Louis, Missouri. Margaret's son was the Rev. William Eliot Jr. who was a graduate of Harvard University, pioneer in the Unitarian Church, major abolitionist, a key figure in Missouri politics leading up to the American Civil War, and the Founder of the prestigious Washington University in St. Louis. Rev. Eliot's wife, Abigail Adams (Cranch) Eliot, happened to be the sister of Margaret's portrait creator, John Cranch.

Margaret would remain in the Eliot home in St. Louis for many years, but sometime in the 20th century made her way back East through descendants of the Eliot Family. The Eliots of St. Louis maintained a summer home on the coast of Massachusetts where Margaret's great grandson enjoyed spending time in his youth. Perhaps you have heard of him? His name was T.S. Eliot. There is no doubt the future literary superstar gazed upon this painting in his grandparent's home in St. Louis as a child.

T.S. Eliot remains an iconic author and literary figure today. Eliot's poetry collection entitled, "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" would be the inspiration for the acclaimed musical, "Cats". To connect the genealogical dots a bit more, artist John Cranch, would be T.S. Eliot's great uncle.

As for Margaret, she is no longer hanging as an unknown figure in a Vermont antique shop. She is now in closer proximity to Historic Urbana, and that of her portrait creator. She is again admired with her story and connection to local and American History understood and appreciated.

Welcome back from the lost and found bin of History, Margaret. T.S. ELIOT Washington University in St. Louis

02/26/2025

(We're dusting off a story we researched and compiled a couple of years ago. Rock on Historic Urbana!)

There are scores of unmarked graves of African Americans citizens in historic Oak Dale Cemetery in Urbana. They were relegated to the far southeastern portion of the older section of the grounds that were segregated and bordered by “potter’s field”. Those interred here often lack a stone of any kind. Their existence marked only by clues left behind in historical records, or memories passed down among friends and families. Among the remains buried in this void of land are Thomas Jefferson “Jeff” and Fannie Hendricks (Hendrix). Married in 1864, Jeff and Fannie were in Urbana by 1870 along with their son Bertran Philander “Ross”. Hendrix. The spelling of the family name fluctuates between “Hendricks” and “Hendrix”, but the latter spelling was the one used most locally.

The Hendrix family were well respected and known in the Urbana community. “Jeff” Hendrix had a variety of occupations including a contract with the city for $60.00 a month as a lamp lighter in the 1870s. Jefferson Hendrix was also known as a house painter with Ross Hendrix apprenticing with his father by 1880. By 1884, Jeff Hendrix started to run a series of ads seeking work as a nurse. A couple of years later, he was looking for employment that “was not too heavy” due to his advanced age. Jeff Hendrix also opened his own retail operation with a secondhand clothing store starting in 1888 located on Court Street in downtown. The Hendrix family were also supporters and leaders of St. Paul A.M.E. Church on East Market Street. Jeff was elected to its board of trustees by the late 1880s, and Ross served as secretary for the Sunday School. The family were also among the top contributors to the church’s redecoration efforts during that time.

As Ross Hendrix grew older, he took on different jobs throughout the community including working as a delivery boy and at a local barber shop. He started to dabble in the arts and was cast in a local May Day celebration play in 1886 that would serve as a small hint of things to come with the family’s fame. By 1893, Jefferson Hendrick had suffered a “hard fall” related to a job. His injuries were cited as a contributing factor to his death in 1894 at the age of 81 at the family’s home on East Water Street. In 1893, Ross Hendrix was living in Chicago and on his second marriage. He was working as a postal clerk by 1900 but eventually hit the road with an all-black cast of a musical group called the Nashville Students.

Ross’s mother, Fannie Hendrix, would die at the Champaign County Infirmary in 1905 at the age of 82. All indications are Ross Hendrix did not return to Urbana for his mother’s funeral but was shaking hands and visiting with friends in town a year later when his troupe performed in the city. It was noted it was the first time Ross had been back in Urbana for “several years”. Ross would eventually find his way to Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. He would marry for a third time and become involved in show business with a traveling group alongside his future wife, Zenora “Nora” Moore. Ross Hendrix was working as a stagehand for Nora’s Vaudeville style performers, but in 1912, the show ended. Ross and Nora married at that time and decided to remain in the area.

Ross and Nora moved to Canada for better job opportunities where they would become Canadian Citizens in 1922. Ross was very popular in Vancouver and worked in occupations that had him in the public eye until he passed away in 1934. Ross and Nora would go on to have five children including their youngest, James Allen “Al” Ross Hendrix. “Al” Hendrix had his eyes set on becoming a professional boxer or dancer. However, the Great Depression altered those ambitions. “Al” and his wife Lucille would settle in Seattle by 1940 where they would have a son named James “Jimi” Marshall Hendrix.

It would be “Jimi’s” father, “Al” who would give his famous guitarist son his first ukulele and encouraged him to be bold and original in his music. The rest is music history. Jimi Hendrix’s music and memory continues to inspire millions around the world, and a family story that stretches back to Historic Urbana with the legendary musician’s grandfather and great grandparents.

(It should be noted the Hendrix Family of today is aware of their connection to Urbana. They suggest another figure from Urbana's past as Ross Hendrix's father. Ross was Jimi's grandfather. We have reached out to the Hendrix Family to confirm their source but have received no reply. Until we can confirm otherwise, we went with available primary resources indicating "Jeff" Hendrix as Ross Hendrix's biological father and as the man who definitely raised him. Regardless, Jimi Hendrix great grandparents and grandfather were indeed residents of our Historic Urbana.)

Historic Urbana

04/04/2026

03/15/2026

01/14/2026

01/12/2026

10/19/2025

09/28/2025

09/07/2025

04/14/2025

03/30/2025

03/09/2025

02/26/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category