A Historical ProspectiveAll In The Name Of Progress

ABSTRACT.

This is a historical perspective of three different time periods in the city of Bellevue, Ohio. It will show the recorded changes with regard to things that were important to Bellevue’s families in early years and how things have changed today. Most especially the story of the Harkness Memorial and how it came to be.

Beth SchorenUrban Studies 200

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UST 200 | Assignment One | Beth Schoren

Three Historical Time Periods of a CityReflecting on the 1800’s

Having lived in the historic town of Bellevue, Ohio from 1992

until 2004 because of acquiring a historic church building

gives me a great understanding of changes that happen over

time in a community. The building had been started in 1887

with the name on one cornerstone of Harkness Memorial the

other was First Congregational Church and was dedicated in

October the following year. This enchanting name started a

rather detailed search for me into the history of that time in Bellevue which will then be use for

the most part of this paper.

It starts back in the beginning just after Ohio was admitted into the Union, when Johnny

Appleseed was sowing apple seeds on patches of land in Huron County, when Moravian,

Seneca and Wyandot Indians were still

roaming the lands (Wright, 1972, pp. 2-4).

This was the time just past the American

Revolution when those who suffered under

the British fires in Connecticut were offered

lands in Ohio’s area awarded under the

Connecticut Western Reserve. This borders the central city of what is now Bellevue which is in

the four counties of Erie, Huron, Sandusky and Seneca. The Erie Huron portion is now referred

to as the “Firelands”. The first settlers were from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York

(Wright, 1972, pp. 6-7) and later immigrants directly from England. One of the first settlers was

Major Joseph Strong who brought more settlers including his brother Captain Zadoc Strong who

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eventually sold property to the Chapman’s (Wright, 1972, p. 13) which is the family whom the

Harkness family go into business and eventually part of the reason for monies to build the

edifice of such grand proportions in Bellevue.

The Harkness family were of Scottish origin having come to the country in 1710 landing in

Massachusetts thereby settling in Pelham. Two of their descendants being great grandson’s

became doctors and moved westward ultimately landing in Bellevue, Ohio (Stillman, 1949). The

first to arrive was Dr. David Harkness whom his son Stephen Vanderberg [V.] Harkness came at

a later point but not before the birth of Daniel Morrison [D.M.] Harkness from David’s second

wife, having been widowed (Goulder, 1973). D.M. Harkness was born in

the area in 1822 but lost his father 3 years later so when his mother

remarried the Rev. Isaac Flagler they moved to New York where he

eventually became half-brother to Henry Flagler of Standard Oil fame.

They both came to Bellevue because of family and Dr. Lamon G. [L.G.]

Harkness who came into town in 1823 from Salem, New York (Camp, 1873) put Dan to work

when he was the age of 15 (Baker, 1836-1961).

It wasn’t long for Dan to make his own way working in the

families “network of country stores” that enticed Henry to want

to come out to the Western Reserve. So Henry Morrison

Flagler at the age of 14 obtained work on the Erie Canal as “an

extra crew member” to make his way because of Dan’s

influence and thus arrived with “a French coin, a nickel, and

four pennies in his pocket” (Martin, 1998, pp. 13-14). Dan had

previously contacted his older half-brother Stephen V.

Harkness to come be a part of harness making. By the time

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both Henry and Stephen V. came to the Bellevue area of the Western Reserve one of the

remaining Harkness brothers who were doctors had already become successful in mercantile

stores, had purchased a large land tract and became Bellevue’s most prominent in real estate

and successfully helped in promoting the chartering of the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad. Not

only that but they had an informal banking institution (Goulder, 1973, pp. 2-5). The family

eventually got involved in grain trade which made Stephen V. very wealthy and was how Henry

came to meet John D. Rockefeller because he was the broker

for the Harkness’s trades in Cleveland. By the time Dan was

thirty he was able to buy all the mercantile stores and distillery

which he formed a partnership with Henry until which time

Henry felt pressure to withdraw because of his father’s

ministerial association against whiskey making. Which is how

Henry made his first big break and then invested in salt mines

in Michigan. Stephen V. made his earliest largest sums of

money when he caught wind of a pending tax on whiskey sales and bought up as much as he

could but also had his own banking institution as well by that time in the neighboring town

(Goulder, 1973, pp. 8-10).

Even though Flagler didn’t make out so well in the salt industry because they could not produce

fast enough he still had a home in Bellevue to come back to and he became the Superintendent

of Bellevue’s Congregational Sabbath School which is recorded in the Bellevue Congregational

Church 1862-63 Sunday School minutes (Goulder, 1973, p. 241) aka later the Harkness

Memorial. Even though he came back to Bellevue $50,000 in debt he wanted to make his

fortune and took his family to Cleveland after being offered Rockefeller’s old grain commission

position (Martin, 1998, p. 29). Later Henry would see Rockefeller and he proposed that Henry

get out of commission industry and join him in oil production to which he agreed. This was a

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very important turn of events because without Flagler’s wealthy Harkness family “treasury” he

more than likely would not have been partners. It was Stephen V. that put up $100,000 funds to

prevent Rockefeller’s refinery from having to merge but only did so after it was agreed that

Henry would have control over his funds. Thus in 1861 Flagler became partner with Rockefeller

and Andrews with Stephen V. as a silent partner (Martin, 1998, p. 41). Much later on D.M. and

L.G. Harkness invested.

Even though Stephen V. and Henry were now away from Bellevue it was still home to L.G. and

D.M. Harkness’s which they in turn help to spread the wealth and become a philanthropic

example to the others that left the community. For instance, the Harkness Memorial was built in

dedication to D.M. Harkness’s wife Isabella that was a prayerful Christian whom he had been

separated from by her early passing 25 years prior when she was only 34 years aged and yet

the memorial was

not to cover a grave

but as a testimony

to life everlasting a

“Gate of Heaven”

from which eternal

life will be given to

men (Harkness

Memorial, 1888).

The dedication was

for the church and

the community but

also to praise the man who paid to have it built at the mere cost of $25,000 (The Corner Stone,

1887) one other resource states $40,000.

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The edifice was the third of Congregational Church locations, the first having only been covered

with clapboards measuring 25’x30’ in 1836 at a cost of $300, the second was only 20’ larger at

the cost of $2,000 where pews were deeded to owners through a sale but the last sermon was

held on July 8, 1887. The new church would offer a 45’x65’ gathering place with a rear elevated

floor, curved seating toward the pulpit made of heavily ornate oak, oiled cherry ceiling with

exterior dimensions of 90’x41’x100’x90’

(Harkness Memorial, 1888). However no bell was

placed in the tower as one condition for the funds

because D.M. Harkness lived next door in the

house built by Henry Flagler which was named

the Gingerbread House (Mittower, 1972). Yellow

arrow on previous page shows the location of the

house next to the church.

These things shows how in the 1800’s family was pretty important in developing community

gestures of goodwill which the other Harkness’s namely Stephen V. and Henry did exemplary

work in the area of giving after leaving the area. A small effort of D.M. Harkness resulted in the

library association having money to purchase books and the Nickel Plate Railroad then backed

this up with a small monthly contribution (Baker, 1836-1961). Captain Zadoc Strong donated

lands for both a school house and a cemetery. The school was a log house where children sat

on split log benches (Wright, 1972, p. 15). Others brought in churches after Major Strong’s wife

died and there was no one to officiate a prayerful goodbye (Wright, 1972, p. 16).

Also this community was developed by educated members of other societies having come from

the Atlantic coast 13 Colony’s after being given opportunity to move west and even though they

were in the wilderness and many could not survive they proceeded to stay (Wright, 1972, p. 6).

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In doing so four men made the decisions to purchase and lay out a large plat with lots which

included L.G. Harkness, Chapman, Amsden, and Williams who then named it after the engineer

Mr. Bell (Camp, 1873). Another significant building

which was placed on the four county corner is the

Tremont House that was built in 1846. Of course

there was a

hospital but none

having been

recorded until the

late 1800’s where Dr. Orwig established a “Sanitarium” for

“scientific treatment” of those suffering (Oddo, 1986, p. 100).

Bellevue through the 1900’s

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After such a successful beginning to the development of Bellevue what

could the community do next? Well for starters at the turn

of the century they built a new Central High School [Jr.

High] since education was important to them. In 1902

Andrew J. Carnegie donated $10,000 to build a public

library with stipulations that citizens support it. In

1904 they formed a Young Men’s Christian

Association [YMCA] in what was formerly the

Gingerbread house of Flagler and then the

Harkness’s (Upton, 1910). This came about

because when D.M. Harkness passed in 1896 having never remarried with only one child

remaining of 5 that he and his wife Isabella had. That child was William Lamon [L.] Harkness

born August 8, 1858, having left Bellevue shortly after his father’s passing when he sold the

property not knowing what it eventually would become and once he learned of it he returned half

the proceeds to the YMCA (Oddo, 1986, p. 136). Then in 1906 after a fire nearly destroyed the

towns’ hospital (Oddo, 1986) they were in search of funds to erect a new modern hospital when

a year later a letter comes from William L. Harkness with a check for $23,500 making it possible

(Baker, 1836-1961). To which the community dedicated a bronze tablet honoring his generosity.

Time and time again you see how the D.M. Harkness family has contributed to the needs of the

community including Williams L. Harkness’s wife Edith Hale Harkness whom never lived in

Bellevue still helped the community with a check for modern equipment for the hospital (Baker,

1836-1961).

A very touching reflection of the 100th year celebration of the Congregational Church came from

a member who was with it from the various stages of walking, riding a bicycle, using a horse and

buggy to finally a car as means of getting to church. He states one poignant matter and that is:

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“I believe it can be said of the Congregational Church, that its’ members have always taken a deep interest in the civic affairs of the town – the organization of the YMCA, the public library and the hospital – which by no means church movements but were actively and in a special way promoted by men of our church” (Member, 1936).

This statement has been reflected in many other materials that have been collected by myself

but this statement puts it best. Because men and gracious women who have means showed

“Goodwill” to the community even when no longer a part of it is an act of kindness and

generosity that is of true Lady’s and Gentlemen with good moral upbringing in which many

cities are founded and maintained.

Unfortunately that same church underwent some radical decision making in 1973 which was

discussed under committee by where they had to decide to cease operations, merge or status

que to which they chose a merger (Langwell, 1973). On February 17, 1974 the merged became

effective and thus named St. Paul’s United Church of Christ. Nearly a year later on January 29 th,

1975 it was sold and became a medical record keeping facility and many of the stained glass

windows were removed by the owner. Then in 1983 a minister of several different named

nondenominational churches over the years decided he wanted a part of the building to bring

back “some of its former glory”. He left in 1987

when another church took it over only to then

take it back in 1989 (Frohman, 1983) until 1992

where I and my future husband had stumbled

upon it while looking for property on Main St. to live and work from.

Other buildings that underwent changes in the 1900’s was the library where it took on an entirely

different look. This photo is from the side, having had two additions by 1990’s. Then the library

proceeded to purchase two buildings on Main St for $223,000 [2002] and a storage warehouse

on the corner street for $55,000 [2001] had them demolished with parking lot expansion and

beautification at the cost of $155,700 [2003] with an additional $26,000 fee all by unanimous

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decision (Trustees, 7-11-2001 to 5-21-2003). They were making 28 additional parking spots for

a grand total of $459,700 or $16,418 per spot! I was way too late on the scene to be of any help

as I had only gathered the following items and contacted the following programs to try to

intervene to try to save the Main Street Historic appearance in June 2003:

Downtown Bellevue Architectural Design Standards codes [Chapter 1331],

Community Reinvestment code [Chapter 161],

Unsafe Buildings code [ 1325] and

Demolition code [ Chapter 1327]

Heritage Ohio & Downtown Ohio, Inc. - Ohio Main Street Program

Downtown Assessment Resource Team Visit

Main Street National Trust for Historic Preservation – Kennedy Lawson Smith, Director

Director of Downtown Revitalization – Pauline D. Eaton, CMSM

Ohio Historic Society – Franco Ruffini – could only get involved if it was Federal money

Historic Preservation Ordinance – Glen Harper sent me copies of the ordinances

Downtown Ohio Inc. workshop locations – Kevin Kuchenbecker, Executive Director

Bellevue Law Director – David Wallingford – didn’t know of ordinances to assist

Well you can’t say I didn’t try to save the Main Street historical appearance and prompt the city

into joining the Ohio Main Street Program. Also the original hospital that William L. Harkness

had funded had undergone several additions and enhancements from its first appearance

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[image located on page 7] of which I went to one of the grand openings of a new maternity unit.

An earlier building that changed greatly was the Central High School compared to the very small

image on page 6 [right hand side of page] and this one is from 1927 on but

the school website doesn’t give a very good history of events. As for the

property I acquired in 1992 on a lease to purchase before my marriage to

which I stayed the night of my wedding only to wake to a flood in my

basement because water was coming in the basement windows. Thus

finding out the hard way just how much work I was going to have to put into the building to

restore it. Even though I had a lease and could

have walked away there was something that

kept me going. It took a while to figure

out which parts of the building needed repaired first since I did not

have deep pockets, not in the least. My father flew in from Maine and

my younger brother came down from Michigan to help with some heavy

repairs that needed done on the tower to secure its flat roof and drain

and the floor joists. Many days I spent in a 40’ boom truck that I rented

from an electrical contractor I had do regular work for me. Here are a

few photos to show why I wanted to keep this beautiful edifice but

also some of the few pictures I could find of my working on it.

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These 4 windows used to catch the evening sun and just gleam with all the rich color. When I

tried to get replacement parts for them I was told that it could not be done as the U.S. does not

use the same materials as was used in them. The geodesic carpeting in the balcony area was

my favorite and the two single stained glass windows were in that same room.

As for some of the repair work I was captured doing is only a miniscule amount of what I really

put in this but a sampling is a good start. This was a duty I was happy to work on as it brought

me great joy to

be a part of

such love and

devotion from a

man to his wife

and for a

woman to her

God. It was easy to think of such devotions with every

attempt I made to repair her wounds of which the round

windows I was working on leaked dreadfully one day when

I had a meeting at my home and the rain just poured in.

So I invested in some Plexiglas and rods and tried to

protect them from further weathering without drilling into

the sandstone by using colored cement and caulking to

hold them in place.

Yes that was me in the bucket

tuck-pointing! That is what I did

around two-thirds of the

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building after having been given instructions from the U.S. Department of the Interior National

Park Services Cultural Resources – Heritage Preservation Services – with Preservation Briefs in

a packet from Thomas A. Vitanza, AIA Senior Historical Architect which included 15 items of

interest to my building such as cleaning of masonry buildings and mortar joints and slate roofs to

name a few.

Some people think you can just move into a place and it will take care of your needs and will

maintain itself. That is the furthest from the truth than anything could ever be. A building is not

just an inanimate object just because it can’t walk like we humans do. A building that sits empty

decays faster if there is no one in it to see the

problems just like the two days I spoke of water from

rain coming inside the house. These problems would

have never been found if I had not been in it at the

time it occurred. So empty historic buildings are not a

good idea anywhere.

Needless to say, I could tell that no expenses were spared on the Harkness Memorial when

they put in a chandelier lighting that could be cranked from the attic on a large wire, and a tower

that stands 85’ into the heavens and 81 stained glass windows in all with German glass many of

which were taken by one of the previous owners and many have fallen out from aging and high

westerly winds. On to the new millennia.

Bellevue into the new Millennium

Having failed miserably at marriage for a second time, I

tucked my tail between my legs and headed back to my

former home in Sandusky that I also maintained the whole

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time I lived in Bellevue. So let me share the few very important things that have happened since

I left the town in 2004 which by then I now had 4 children, one from my former marriage. The

most upsetting to me to say the least was another

building being razed but this was one of the

Harkness buildings. For two years I used to drive my

children back and forth from Sandusky to Bellevue to

keep them in the same school system during a bitter

divorce plus I was working there as a manager of a store. So on my drives back and forth well

one day I went passed the hospital and the next day it was rubble. It didn’t matter to me what

the reason was for, it just didn’t seem right after they had done so much work to the building

recently. All they did was keep the original plaque from William L. Harkness. It hurt me because

it made me feel like that is what might happen to the Harkness Memorial since I wasn’t there to

protect it from “progress”. That is what decisions are being made in the city of Bellevue now. All

they want to do is demolish all of what made the city what it is and what it was. So this is what

they did. They built a new hospital on the outskirts of town by which you could not possibly get

to on foot. It is a sprawling place but already has a bad reputation from Sandusky nurses who

have been there as being a dirty hospital. More disappointing news comes during my trips to

see friends after I ended my job and lost my children in a custody battle so the trips became

much less frequent. For starters the schools were all demolished for a new building. The school

my children went to was completely gone from the face of the Earth never to be seen as a

reminiscent concept in anyone’s eyes “all in the name of progress”. It was as if Bellevue just

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children in a custody battle so the trips became much less frequent. For starters the schools

were all demolished for a new building. The school my children went to was completely gone

from the face of the Earth never to be seen as a reminiscent concept in anyone’s eyes “all in the

name of progress”. It was as if Bellevue just decided to start fresh with no reminders of the past,

which is also reflected in their school website and the city website in which neither had historical

records pertaining to anything of substance about its past. The big huge Central High school

building shown on page 9 is gone, completely gone! Wiped off the face of the Earth as if it never

existed! It is a parking lot for nothing, no business, no homes, just an empty lot. It’s gone! All in

the name of progress! So guess what? On a brief visit, they had changed the roadways and

directions in which you could take them. I followed the way out of town that was marked and

what did I find but more RUBBLE! Rubble, Rubble, Rubble! Everywhere! Nobody cares about

the history of this town. The library gobbled up two more buildings on the block that they had

already taken from. All for more parking spots oh and a small addition. My biggest concern

today as in yesteryears is what will happen to the beautiful edifice that needs so much repair?

Harkness Memorial

Both brick buildings shown were demolished.

Small addition in the back of the library.

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More parking! Wonder how much this cost per spot.

“All in the name of progress”

Well there is a small amount of good

news! The Tremont house [page 6] has

nearly fallen down from deterioration all on

its own which on its own is not good.

However, it has been purchased and is part of a

renovation project by the Bellevue Historic Society.

ReferencesBaker, A. L. (1836-1961). Church Directory. First Congregational Church. Bellevue, Ohio.

Camp, C. C. (1873). Bellevue's History. Retrieved from City of Bellevue, Ohio: http://www.cityofbellevue.com/history1.htm

Frohman, E. (1983, October 26). Church is a church again. Bellevue Churches. Bellevue, Ohio: Bellevue Gazette.

Goulder, G. (1973). John D. Rockerfeller The Cleveland Years.

Harkness Memorial. (1888, Oct 20). Local News Supplement . Bellevue, Ohio: The Bellevue News.

Langwell, J. (1973, July 6). Dear Church Member. Bellevue, Ohio.

Liskai, B. (2003, May 22). Planners okay several building projects. Bellevue Gazette. Bellevue, Ohio: Bellevue Gazette.

Martin, S. W. (1998). Henry Flagler Visionary of the Gilded Age. Lake Buena Vista: Tailored Tours Publications.

Member, U. (1936). 100th Anniversary Celebration. Bellevue's Congregational Church, 5.

Mittower, B. (1972). The World Grows Smaller The Second 25 years of Lyme Township and Strongs Ridge. Bellevue, Oh: Cook Printing.

Oddo, B. (1986). Stories of Old Bellevue. Bellevue: Bellevue Gazette.

Stillman, M. E. (1949). Edward Stephen Harkness 1874-1940.

The Corner Stone. (1887, September 24). Local News Supplement. Bellevue, Ohio: The Bellevue News.

Trustees, B. P. (7-11-2001 to 5-21-2003). Record of Proceedings. Bellevue: Minutes.

Upton, H. T. (1910). History of the Western Reserve. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co.

Wright, A. (1972). Pioneers' Progress The First 25 Years of Lyme Township and Strongs Ridge. Bellevue, Oh: W.J. Keiser.

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