8th congressional district

Covered Bridges Showcase Heritage In Ohio’s 8th District

Posted on July 30, 2014 by CharlieClaywell

Brubaker Bridge, located just outside of Gratis, Ohio in Preble County.

Some say the Brubaker Bridge, located just outside of Gratis, Ohio is haunted.

The first time I rode across a covered bridge in Preble County as a kid, I was mesmerized by the idea. Of course, little did I realize then just what a trademark they were for the county.

Warnke Bridge, Lewisburg, Ohio.

Six of the county’s eight covered bridges still in existence were built by E.S. Sherman in the late 1800s — who used the somewhat antiquated Childs truss patent for the structures. In fact, only one bridge was ever built out of Preble County with a Childs truss — and that one was also built by E.S. Sherman. Of these Sherman-built bridges five are still in operation. The sixth one has been restored and placed inside the community park in Lewisburg.

Roberts Bridge, Eaton, Ohio.

Roberts Bridge was restored after vandals set it on fire in the late 1980s/early 1990s. The incident led to the restoration of all the county’s covered the bridges with efforts to make them flame resistant.

Built in 1829, Roberts Bridge is Ohio’s oldest covered bridge — and the second oldest double-barrel (two lane) covered bridge in the United States. The bridge is no longer in use and spans Seven Mile Creek in Eaton, just a few blocks off of U.S. 127 on the south end of town.

One of the bridges, the Brubaker Bridge, lands on various haunted lists. The claim is a group of teens in the 1930s crash their vehicle through the side of the bridge (it is built on a curve) and their bodies were not discovered for several days. Now they haunt the structure.

Several events are held throughout the year to celebrate the county’s unique heritage. One of the most popular events is the Bridges, Bikes and Blues event hosted by the Preble County Historical Society. The all-day event attracts bikers from throughout the Tri-State area. The PCHS also published a map brochure of all the county’s bridges which individuals can use for self tours.

In 2012, the county unveiled its eighth covered bridge. The Burr Arch design bridge — a truss style patented in 1804 — is located at Hueston Woods state park. It is the first covered bridge to be built in the county for more than 100 years and is designed with walkways so pedestrians can also enjoy the view.

Restored covered bridge located in Lewisburg’s community park.

Categories: 8th congressional district, American History, Mystery, Ohio Events | Tags: ohio covered bridges

Amphicars Make A Splash At Annual Ohio Show

Posted on July 27, 2014 by CharlieClaywell

An Amphicar cruises in St. Mary’s Lake during the 2014 Lake Festival in Celina, Ohio.

Lake Festival in Celina, Ohio is a free event that has a fair-like quality to it — with plenty of deep-fried food — and is held on the banks of St. Mary’s Lake each year in July. This year’s event was held July 25-27, and included the Friday evening ‘Splash Inn’ where Amphicars from California, Michigan to Ohio drove down a wooden dock, splashing into boat mode before navigating through an tunnel and out onto St. Mary’s Lake. | View Photos

Since relatively few cars made it into the U.S. only a handful of the cars are at the event (maybe 15) which is why the event is extra special because it is one of the few times you will see an Amphicar — especially one operating in boat mode.

Between 1961 and 1967 slightly more than 3,000 of the vehicles were imported into the United States. The vehicle’s model number 770 comes from the fact that the car can do 7 knots on water and 70 mph on land. This was accomplished with a 43-hp Triumph engine.

Amphicars hold the distinction of being the only civilian amphibious passenger automobile ever to be mass produced.

Presidential Favorite

President Lyndon B. Johnson owned a Lagoon Blue version and used the vehicle to prank an unsuspecting passenger by telling the passenger that the brakes weren’t working as he ‘crashed’ the car into a lake.

To learn more about the Amphicar visit:

Amphicars: This is an enthusiast site and offers recent news, history of the vehicle, links to vehicles for sale and upcoming events associated with the Amphicar.

The International Amphicar Owners Club: Click on this link to find upcoming ‘swim-ins’ across the United States.

eBay: Occassionally a few will be listed for sale on the eBay Motors website.

Categories: 8th congressional district, American History, Ohio Events

Life in Ohio’s 8th: National Discount Stores Becoming The Norm

Posted on June 19, 2014 by CharlieClaywell

The county of 42,000 is home to at least six Dollar General stores.

Although, dollar stores are starting to feel the pressures of overgrowth and an improving economy — in places like Preble County where the average wage is less than $40,000 a year — there is still a need for discount stores.

In fact, according to Huffington Post, they are serving the secondary need of creating jobs.

“Retail salesperson” has become the most common occupation in America, with 4.3 million people working the country’s sales floors and registers. In down-and-out areas, particularly where manufacturing or energy jobs have vanished, dollar stores now hold some of the only work that’s available.

In Preble County, the discount stores are particularly interesting due to the ‘mom and pop’ stores replaced when national chains moved in.

In the county seat of Eaton, there are two Dollar General stores, a Family Dollar, a Wal-Mart and a Kmart in addition to CVS and Walgreens. When Wal-Mart came to Eaton some on city counsel opposed the store due to the existence of Kmart and a dying downtown area, but Wal-Mart in typical fashion showed up with attorneys and demands — and built on the north end of town.

Walgreens was built on the location of a family restaurant owned and CVS displaced an old tractor implement store. The family-owned Gary’s Pharmacy in Eaton ceased business once the national drug chains opened as did Landis Pharmacy in West Alexandria.

Dollar General tried its hand at a north location near Wal-Mart, but now that storefront inside the strip mall stands empty — adding to the inventory of empty buildings in the city — while a new Dollar General opened on the south end of town and another one opened near the center of town. Family Dollar is located in the former family-owned Miller’s grocery store and Lewisburg’s Dollar General is located in the former family-owned Brennan’s grocery store.

Families in Preble County, like many of the counties in Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, earn significantly less than the national average weekly wage. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Preble County has an average wage of $650-$749 — more than $200 below the national average.

For comparison, our representative Speaker of the House John Boehner receives a weekly base salary of $4,288 while our State Senators, Sherrod Brown and Robert Portman, receive a weekly base salary of $3,346.

A Few of The Discount Stores in 8th Congressional District

Darke County (use zip code 45331): Dollar General, 3; Family Dollar, 2;
Miami County (use zip code 45373): Dollar General, 10; Family Dollar, 3;
Butler County (use zip code 45018): Dollar General, 15; Family Dollar, 7;
Clark County (use zip code 45501): Dollar General, 12; Family Dollar, 8.

Source — Store Locators: Dollar General and Family Dollar.

Growing up in Preble County

I don’t want to give the impression that discount stores are new to the county, but national chains are. In my youth, Eaton had a family-owned five and dime store while West Alexandria and Lewisburg had family-owned variety stores, just to name a few.

Categories: 8th congressional district, American Workplace