by Local History Librarian David
Bexley Day, which falls on August 10, 2022, marks the 114th anniversary of the first council meeting of the Village of Bexley. This year Bexley Public Library, in partnership with the Bexley Historical Society, is celebrating Bexley Day with the program, Mapping Bexley From Wilderness to Village.
by Local History Librarian David
Bexley’s “Uncle Sam,” Charles Carl “C. C.” Crabbe (1878-1969) held the first of his annual Flag Day Celebrations, “by accident.” It was Flag Day, June 14, 1953, when Crabbe, chatting with six neighborhood kids, realized they were unaware of the holiday. He gave each a miniature American Flag and taught them about Flag Day, established by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, to celebrate the birthday of the American Flag.
by Local History Librarian David
During Bexley Public Library’s March program, “Stories of African Americans in 19th Century Bexley,” I learned how different records identify African Americans. Then, while digging deeper into the life of Thomas Payton, discovered some of those records.
by Local History Librarian David
Thousands lined the streets of Bexley for a 68-unit parade of marching bands, floats, bagpipes, and drill teams, reminiscent of the city’s annual Independence Day celebration. However, on this day, in mid October, royalty was celebrated. On the last float, cradling a bouquet of red roses in one arm and waving to the crowd with the other, sat Laurel “Laurie” Lea Schaefer, Bexley’s own Miss America 1972.
by Local History Librarian David
For over a century downtown Columbus was home to numerous clothing retail stores with a common story, they were founded by Jewish immigrants escaping the anti-Semitism of Europe. Simon Lazarus established the Lazarus Department Store in 1851, The Union was opened in 1891 by S. M. Levy, and The Fashion in 1924 by Allen Gundersheimer Sr. Then in 1930 Louis Madison, born in Russia in 1893 and immigrating to Albany, New York in 1903, opened Madison’s.
by Local History Librarian David
For much of the twentieth century, an updated Abstract of Title was required when transferring real estate. Such a document was a compilation of all the transactions made for a specific piece of real estate, thus tracing the owners back to the early 1800s. The purpose was to ensure against any encumbrances on the property, guaranteeing a clean title.
By the mid 1970s, Abstracts of Titles were becoming less common. Replaced by title insurance, many lenders dropped them as a requirement. Homeowners no longer had to update the abstract when selling their property, and many were discarded. Those that survive are valuable documents providing a glimpse into the past.
by Local History Librarian David
War time rationing of the food supply combined with shortages in production found many front yards across Bexley converted into vegetable gardens. These Victory Gardens that first appeared during World War I were encouraged during World War II by the Bexley Garden Club.
by Local History Librarian David
One of Bexley’s oldest businesses, Rubino’s, was established in 1954 by Ruben Cohen, who adapted his Jewish name to sound more Italian as the name of his pizzeria and spaghetti restaurant. There were only ten places in Columbus for pizza at the time, and Cohen made Rubino’s special for its thin crispy crust and “fairly secret” sauce recipe.
by Local History Librarian David
Research for this article contributed by Scott King-Owen, Ph.D, Teacher, Bexley City Schools.
One month before the First World War ended a second wave of the deadly Spanish Influenza pandemic, initially spread in military encampments by troop movement, found its way into the civilian population of central Ohio. Like Covid-19, a century later, the absence of medicine for treatment or a vaccine for prevention necessitated avoiding crowds, through isolation or quarantine, to control spread of the respiratory virus.
by Adult Services Library Associate Nichole
As 2020 comes to a close, I asked staff to reflect on their favorites books, movies, and albums from this year. Some staff found it easy to narrow it down, while others couldn’t choose just one! Here are the BPL staff favorite books of 2020:
Our favorite films from 2020 include:
And finally, our BPL staff favorite albums from 2020 include:
