By 1812Blockhouse
In the 1980s, the name of David L. Cockley and tales of his heroism on the battlefield of the American Civil War, were largely forgotten. Efforts to organize records and sprucing up of Shelby’s Oakwood Cemetery in that period resulted in the recognition of just who he was.
Cockley was born in 1843 and entered the Union Army on October 20, 1862 as a private, quickly advancing to the rank of Full Lieutenant.
It was at the Battle of Waynesboro on December 4, 1864 that Lieutenant Cockley did something truly admirable and for which he was later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
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By 1812Blockhouse
‘Tis the season for winter fun at Ohio’s premier ski resort, located right here in Richland County.
This weekend, there’s even more time to enjoy it.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday brings with it extended hours at Snow Trails. The Slopes and Tubing Park will offer extended hours beginning at 9AM Friday through Monday for Peak Days on the Slopes and in Vertical Descent.
Click here for slopes hours and rates, and here for tubing hours and rates.
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By 1812Blockhouse
In our Richland Roots series, we briefly present the lives of men and women from Richland County — either by birth, or residence — that have made important contributions to American history but who may not be household names.
Other posts in our series can be viewed and read here.
Today’s subject may be one of the the wealthiest people that Richland County has ever produced. While that is a difficult concept to measure, in terms of accmuluated wealth for the time in which he or she lived, it would be difficult to beat the financial success of Verner Zevola Reed. More…
By 1812Blockhouse
Today and tomorrow we’re featuring a marriage of sorts between a unique and historic building and an exciting and vibrant new tenant to call it home.
We start today by reposting a Landmarks of Mansfield post we made three years ago about efforts to bring a downtown building back to life. Tomorrow we’ll be looking at a business which is relocating into that very space.
First posted in August 2017
The three story brick building currently being renovated in downtown Mansfield bears the name of its original owner and builder.
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By 1812Blockhouse
Snow Trails is making the most of a winter which, to date, has been a couple of degrees warmer than the 2020-2021 edition.
According to the Snow Report on Sunday morning, Ohio’s premier ski resort has largely machine made, groomed snow. The crew was working hard that day and so some trails, lifts, and special features were offline for short periods of time. Terrain Park Features are set up in the Alpine Park.
Not all special features are online at present; on Sunday, only the Rustler and The Chute runs were closed.
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By: 1812Blockhouse
1812Blockhouse shares posts in our “Richland Roots” series to reveal stories of the less-commonly known people born here, or who lived here, and then went on to make significant contributions to state, regional, or national history. Other posts in the series are available here.
There are recognized experts in many artistic endeavors that have produced one significant, known work, be it a piece of music or work of art.
Such is the case with a Mansfield man who was an obviously talented architect of granite monuments, but who has only one major commission known to have been built. That particular work, the Steuben County Veterans Monument in Angola, Indiana (pictured above), is a towering column that recently saw a major restoration effort take place. More…
History & Tourism, Holidays, Literary Mansfield
NOTE: First published during our first Christmas in 2016, this look at Louis Bromfield and Christmas has become an annual tradition. We’ll be running this story through Christmas Day. A very Merry Christmas to you from 1812Blockhouse!
There is no question that Pulitzer Prize-winner and Mansfielder Louis Bromfield was a fan of the holidays.
During the period of time that Bromfield lived there, Malabar Farm was an active place during the Christmas season. More…
Authors and Poets, Featured, Literary Mansfield, Mansfield History
By 1812Blockhouse
If you grew up in this area, you may remember Christmastime at Lazarus Department Store. Although the store, located at the Richland Mall, has long ago closed and was actually re-opened as the Avita Health System’s Ontario Hospital in 2017, memories of Christmases past at Lazarus remain.
A remembrance of Christmas and a local department store typically means thoughts of visiting Santa. In the case of Lazarus, though, this is also means spending some time with a talking tree. Mr. Tree, as he was generally referred to, may have frightened you as a child or fascinated you. More…
By 1812Blockhouse
The office of Ohio. Find It Here, the state’s tourism effort headquartered in Columbus, is celebrating the holidays by bringing local Buckeye attractions inside, as it were.
The office’s large Christmas tree is bedecked with ornaments featuring a variety of attractions/tourism partners across Ohio, including from Richland County. Over the days leading up to Christmas, it will be showcasing several of those interesting additions to their tree on their Twitter page.
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By 1812Blockhouse
Richland Countians love their cars.
The role of the automobile in daily life was a relatively new one, however, on February 24, 1917, the day that Mansfield’s very first automobile show opened its doors.
Just nine years after the Ford Motor Company launched its signature Model T, and just four years after the company’s integrated moving assembly line revolutionized manufacturing, the car owners in north central Ohio decided to hold a show at the brand-new building of the Cotter Transfer & Storage – then, as it still is 100 years later, at 40 West Third Street. More…
History & Tourism, Landmarks of Richland
By 1812Blockhouse
The Colonial has graced the southeast corner of Park Avenue West and Benton Street since 1905 with its imposing three story front portico.
The building was erected by local businessman Edward William Dann. Dann, who lived from 1869 to 1950, was initially engaged in the fruit business, and moved to Mansfield from Columbus in the latter years of the nineteenth century. He would eventually become a board member and then president of the Richland Mutual Insurance Company. More…
By 1812Blockhouse
As our readers know, from time to time we travel across the pond to visit Mansfield’s sister city of Mansfield, England.
One of the many things in common between the two communities is the celebration of the holidays, which includes the installation of lights in trees and on buildings to evoke the spirit of the season.
A couple of weeks ago, Mansfield had its first snow of the season. An intrepid vlogger took the opportunity to take camera in hand and head out to the central city area.
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By 1812Blockhouse
The most recent snow report from Ohio’s premier skiing venue, Snow Trails, might well generate a small cheer from local and Ohio skiers.
The report, posted on Wednesday, shares:
“The Snowmaking System has been running since early Monday evening! Our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Shift Crews have been at this Snowmaking Campaign for 44 hours straight, and are still going!
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By 1812Blockhouse
John Philip Sousa was a musician whose reputation remains strong almost a century after his death.
The scene must have been extraordinary that late October evening in 1892, over 125 years ago, when Sousa came to town. The venue was the brand-new Memorial Opera House, a 565 seat auditorium situated in what was later the site of the Madison Theatre, and is now the parking lot of the Solders and Sailors Memorial Building on Park Avenue West. An October 1892 edition of the Mansfield Daily Shield provided this set up for the concert during the week prior to the event:
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