Paulding County Newspaper Reminiscences II

Really Worth Reading: Since I Came to Paulding

An ad from a Paulding County newspaper, date unknown:

I have lived in Paulding for quite a long time. I came here, as a boy, from Allen County. And believe me things have changed some since I arrived. I’d like to tell you some of those changes. Most of the business rooms in Paulding have been built since I came here. The old rooms were destroyed by fire. The Court House, High School, West Side School, Grand Opera House, Barnes Hotel, Town Hall, Armory, Library, Sugar Factory, Christian, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Catholic and Methodist churches have all been erected since my arrival in Paulding. Every pike in Paulding County has been built in my time. The County Jail was put up before I came. There were woods everywhere and there was not one automobile.

“Mont” DeWitt bought the first automobile ever owned in Paulding. It was a little one-seated “Olds” and it attracted more attention than a flying machine does today. When I came here, as a boy, this town had no telephones or electric lights and, of course radios and aeroplanes were unknown.

When I was married I couldn’t hide behind my wife’s skirts.

I remember when a man could get a hair cut and shave for a quarter. Eggs were ten cents a dozen, butter ten cents a pound and milk five cents a quart. Sid Barnes gave away liver and treated the kids to all the bologna they could eat. The hired girl received ten bucks a month and did all the washing. Women did not paint and powder, smoke, vote, play poker and rum, and they did not shimmie or roll their sox. Men wore whiskers and boots, chewed tobacco, spit on the sidewalk and cussed. Waiters never got tips and hat-check boys were not known. Kerosene lamps and lantern slides in the parlors were the class. No one was ever operated on for appendicitis, bought monkey glands, or had a two-fifty blood pressure. Everyone lived to a good old age and walked many miles to swap lies with friends.

Today everybody rides in a automobile or flies. Everybody plays golf, poker or bridge, shoots crap, plays the piano with his feet, tunes in P.D.Q. on the radio, smokes Turkish cigarettes and imported cigars, eats grape-fruit, drinks gasoline and prune juice, blames the high cost of living on the politicians, never goes to bed the same day he gets up, and things he is having a wonderful time.

I too, think this is a wonderful age. I like it. And if you think life is worth living and want to get full value out of it, come to the CRAIN HARDWARE AND IMPLEMENT STORE, and meet our gang.

— JOHN P. CRAIN, Hardware-:-Implements

Norm’s News — Remember When

From the Progress of June 10, 1998. By Norm Rulman.

Can you remember when groceries were delivered to your home and milk was delivered daily? … When you hardly ever locked your doors unless you were going out of town for a few weeks? Back then you told your good neighbor where you put the key in case of an emergency, or you notified your marshal or policeman.

And those were the days that everybody called you by your name at the gas station or any of the other stores. You would also be able to tell the clerk to put your purchases on your tab.

When you needed the doctor, he would call at your home. House calls today? … Guess not! When buying a car or spending money on something, you shook hands on the deal.

When you could go to the butcher shop they would cut your meat for you, and you would get a few bones for your dog. In those days, we had several grocery stores. We also had bakeries with an aroma of fresh-baked bread, which made your mouth water.

Back in 1938, the old hospital was built near the Paulding County Home on old Ohio 111. The middle school was also built that year.

Remember when — the Paulding stores stayed open Friday and Saturday nights. … Saturday nights, the courthouse square was filled with farmers and townspeople. … every Thursday evening during the summer months, there would be band concerts on the southwest corner of the courthouse lawn.

… everyone had one phone — the one at the candy store or corner drug store. … cigarettes were sold loosely, for a penny a piece. … If your salary was 25 cents per hour, you were doing good.

… you could buy a new car for under $500.

… there were only one or two cars parked in an entire block.

… Harmon Field was our playground, with tennis courts, ball park, and a wading pool. There were also swings and a sandbox for the young ones.

… we had a fire bell on top of the old fire station, and it used to call the firemen to the fire. They would rush to the station and use the phone on the inner wall to get the message from the telephone operators for the fire location.

… you could buy a post card for one cent and send a letter for two cents.

… there were small towns where you greeted the mayor in the restaurant with “Hi, Doc!” So here we are, going down memory lane. …