GUIDE TO THE LINWOOD PARK CENTENNIAL QUILTS

By Karen Boas
Any corrections please contact me at kboasfl@yahoo.com or 617-869-8044

(Click thumbnails to view full-size images)

In honor of Linwood Park’s Centennial Celebration in 1984, residents and friends of Linwood made our two beautiful Centennial Quilts. Each quilt is five squares across and seven squares down, making a total of 70 squares. Strips of blue material separate the squares and border each quilt. After the squares were collected and the quilts assembled under the direction of Karen Boas, Ann Peters attached the batting and back. Then a large group gathered in the Linwood Chapel for a quilting bee, where the squares were each hand tied. The Quilts are proudly hung at the front of the Tabernacle every summer.  Each square and its creator is identified below. Please feel free to print this guide for easy reference when viewing the quilts (you may need to set the Orientation to "Landscape," under File - Page Setup).

THE QUILT WITH FLYING GEESE IN TOP LEFT HAND CORNER

Top Row – left to right

WINTER SCENE – by Ruth Thompson, Linwood's bird watcher. Shows Canada geese migrating.
FIELD DAY CERTIFICATE – by Vyrl Thompson. Exact copy of certificates awarded at Field Day each summer to winners of contests such as running, swimming and sand castle building.
THE RAFT – by Phyllis Grossman. A picture of the large raft installed by the Grossman family for the enjoyment of east side swimmers from 1963 to 1982.
PEACOCK – by Maxine Kutza.  Art Eppley, park superintendent during the 1930’s, kept many animals, including a peacock which wandered freely in the park.
SPRING SCENE – by Lois Seith. Depicts a favorite Linwood tradition of park benches spread around the park, often on the bank of the lake.

Second Row – left to right

YELLOW TRUCK – by Virginia Horbaly.  Was used from 1918 to 1938 to pick up train passengers and baggage and to deliver groceries and kerosene in the park.
SAILBOATS – by Fran Dreyer. Always a familiar Linwood Scene.
TEETER TOTTER – by Dorothy Saeger.  Generations of Linwood kids have enjoyed SeeSaws.
LINWOOD TREE – by Eleanor Bickel Beck. An enormous, ancient hollow tree at the NW corner of the Hotel Linwood that bent sharply to one side. Three people could fit inside.
SAND CASTLE – by Kitty Kress. Children digging on the Linwood Beach.

Third Row – left to right

ICE CREAM TABLE – by Linda Seith Feilmeier. A memory from the turn of the 19th Century.
OLD LINWOOD GATES – by Betsy Geiger. The Linwood Gate as it appeared on photographs and postcards c.1907 and earlier is the oldest known gate and may have dated from the start of the Park.  It is one of at least seven different gates that have stood guard at Linwood.
CURRENT LINWOOD TABERNACLE – by Carolyn Blake Reed. She and her father, Ted Blake, have long been leaders in Linwood religious activities.
LINWOOD GATES – by Ruth Woods Partington.  This version of the gate, from the 1960’s and 70’s,  was later altered by the addition of a peaked roof.
SAILBOATS – by Eleanor Hamilton. Reminiscent of the colorful sails of more recent days.

Fourth Row – left to right

ICE CREAM CONE – by Julie Boas. A double dipper from the stand.
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH EMBLEM – by Betty Keidel.  The Methodists became a part of Linwood with their 1968 merger with the Evangelical United Brethren Church.
LINWOOD PARK, 1884 – 1984. Title block.
CAMP LINWOOD EMBLEM – by Ruth Hupp. Ruth and Charley Hupp managed the Methodist facilities in Linwood.
CARROUSEL – by Karen Boas. A steam operated merry-go-round was in Linwood 1886 – 1917.

Fifth Row – left to right

REFRESHMENT STAND – by Janet Balliett Waggoner. The pop stand or milk depot predated the Park in Wagner’s Woods. It lasted until 1911.
LINWOOD PARK, NOT A PLACE, A WAY OF LIFE – by Jane Woods Hetche. A favorite saying of Franklin Seith.
CHAPEL – by J. Oster. The west end may have predated the Park, while the east end was added in 1905.
TILL WE MEET AGAIN – by Anne Turner. This hymn is sung at the closing circle of the Pioneer Sunday Service (evening before Labor Day) every year, marking the end of the season.
FOSTER’S FERRY – by Virginia Puggsley. People walked through the west side gate (now a phone booth) and down a path/catwalk to get the Ferry into Vermilion. Fosters predated, and was considerably nicer than, the two renowned Cloudy’s Ferries.

Sixth Row – left to right

WEST SIDE SCENE – by The Linwood Club, design by Busanus, stitching by Deppert and plans by Kenat. Familiar sidewalk to the steps going down to the beach.
INNER TUBES – by Miriam Hanke. On beach with colorful blanket. Originally from skinny Model T tires, later fat ones from newer cars. Now a fading tradition with tubeless tires.
BATHING BEAUTIES – by Virginia Geiger and Linda Geiger Tallitsch. Swimmers at the turn of the 20th Century could rent wool suits from the Bathhouse for 5 cents.
PARK BENCH – by Jane Lewis. Especially popular at sunset.
THE CURRENT STAND – by Adaline Chisler. Built in 1931. Her husband, Claude Chisler, worked here when he was young, dispensing ice cream, penny candy, pop and mail.

Seventh Row – left to right

AUTUMN SCENE – by Alice Herrold. Shows an owl, one of Alice’s favorite creatures.
BALLS – (Can anyone tell me who made this square?) Shows all the types of balls used at Linwood: beach, basketball, volleyball, tennis ball, baseball.
SCHWENSEN’S BAKERY – by Arlys Schwensen, owner. Built in 1893 by Cornelius Schwensen, buying Sauer Cream Kuchen there was a Saturday morning tradition in Vermilion. (Sadly Schwensen’s has since closed.)
SOUVENIR STAND – Sold souvenirs and candy from 1886 to 1931.
SUMMER SCENE – by Shirley Malloy. Most people see Linwood with a beautiful, bright sun.

LINWOOD QUILT WITH GROCERY STORE AT TOP LEFT CORNER

Top Row – left to right

OLD LINWOOD GROCERY STORE – by Alice Geyer.  Sold groceries through the 1950’s. Used as a museum/store during the Centennial Celebration in 1984. A natural choice for Alice whose family owns a chain of grocery stores, including one right across the road from Linwood (now an Ace Hardware store).
OHIO MAP – by Carol Prochaska. Shows all the favorite places in Ohio, including Linwood.
COTTAGE – by Dorothy Gates. A typical Linwood cottage.
PORT & STARBOARD – by Naomi Harding and Barbara Scott. Representative of the nautical motif used in many Linwood cottages.
BAT – by Sara Cheheyl. Bats flying under the street lights were a common sight in early 1900’s.

Second Row – left to right

EAGLE – by Janet Kessinger. An eagles’ nest was found in Vermilion years ago and eagles were eagerly sighted.
SAILBOATS – by Alice Kreps.  A row of colorful boats before a snow white cloud.
DOLLY – by Ann and Betsy Geiger. One of several beloved horses of the same name who pulled the wagon around the Park. Stabled up by the gate, she enjoyed apples from children.
BELL TOWER – The enormous bell was given to the Park in 1884 and has been calling people to church ever since.
BATH HOUSE – by Roberta Berns. Bathing suits and boats were rented here from 1886 – 1922.

Third Row – left to right

WASH STAND – by Carolyn Seith. Bedrooms in the Park usually had a wash stand like this, complete with pitcher and bowl for bathing purposes. People throwing the dirty water out of  second floor windows was a problem in the hotel.
CAMPGROUND – by the Hauser’s. Early visitors to the camp meetings often stayed in tents, either family of communal men’s or women’s tents.
ORIGINAL GERMAN TABERNACLE – by Kathie Hackett. The original German speaking tabernacle, built in 1884,  had straw floors and drop-down canvas walls for bad weather. This was after the roof was raised. It was later floored and enclosed.
CHAPEL – by Adaline Chisler. Used for Sunday school, meetings and off-season services.
SUNSET &  FISH – by Gary Boas. Both are popular activities at Linwood.

Fourth Row – left to right

OLD BATHING SUIT – by Margaret Magee. Even the head and legs were covered with a bathing hat and stockings.
EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION/CHURCH – The founding German-American religious organization of Linwood from 1800 until 1946 when it combined with the United Brethren.
LINWOOD PARK 1884 – 1984 – Title Square
E.U.B. SYMBOL – (Who made?) The Evangelical United Brethren Church, Linwood’s sponsoring church from 1948 to 1968?
TELEPHONE BOOTH – (Who made?) Our east and west end phone booths were originally gates on either side of the Park.

Fifth Row – left to right

DINING HALL – The dance hall from Wagner’s Woods was converted into a dining hall when the church bought the property.
OLD COTTAGE – by Adaline Chisler.  A typical Victorian cottage with wraparound front porch.
ENGLISH TABERNACLE – by Adaline Chisler.  A second tabernacle for the English speaking conference of the church was on Linden St. on the East side. It came down c.1910.
TYPICAL LINWOOD COTTAGE -  by Ann Woods Peters. Victorian Era cottage with gingerbread trim under the eaves.
FOOTPRINTS IN SAND – by Lael Kessinger. Always a sign of one who has gone before, perhaps walking to the pier.

Sixth Row – left to right

STARBURST – by Jane Steigerwald. A clever representation of all the quilts that were hand made and often still to be found in Linwood.
CONTOURS – by Jane Cominsky. The flowing lines of trees, sand and water.
LINWOOD MAP – by Jean Lee. A precise copy of the LPCOA map of Linwood.
AUTUMN LEAVES – by Lois Moelter. The beauty of Linwood in October.
LIGHTHOUSE – by Florence Groth Blake. Original, cast iron lighthouse which was at the end of west pier from 1879 - 1929. A reproduction was built at the Great Lakes Historical Society.

Seventh Row – left to right

TENNIS PLAYER – by Clarisse Fehrman.  The long tennis dress was proper c.1900.
LINWOOD WILDLIFE – by the Magnotto Family. We feed the squirrels, watch the rabbits and try to keep the raccoons from nesting in the attic.
CRYSTAL BEACH PARK – by Eleanor Ryan and Tara Feldkamp,  whose parents owned the Ballroom, featuring the big bands, and the wooden roller coaster which terrified thousands.
SAILING – by Jean Prothero, Kathy Bittner, Lynn Prothero. The Sunfish and Hobie Cat are popular sailboats at the Linwood beach.
COUNTRY STORE – by Sharon Seith Revennaugh – Post Office is reminiscent of our old mailboxes which are still in use.