The Morgantowner: Crawford County, Ohio

The county seat and largest place in Crawford County is Bucyrus. Never heard of Bucyrus or Crawford County? They are west of Mansfield. Still confused? It's 47 miles south of Lake Erie at Sandusky, and 63 miles north of Columbus, on U.S. 30, 89 miles west of Canton.

U.S. 250 runs from Virginia Beach to Sandusky, and, at least on the map, looks like the fastest way to get to U.S. 30. On June 24, I drove south on I-79 to Fairmont, where it crosses U.S. 250, and headed northwest. It's a pretty drive on a two-lane road, but once you get into West Virginia's northern panhandle, it's winding and slow and not well-maintained. After crossing the Ohio River from Wheeling to... Ohio, it eventually straightens out. It took about 7 hours, with a stop for lunch, to go from our county courthouse to theirs, at 260 miles. I came back a shorter and faster way on June 26.

The 2018 census estimate is 41,550 people in the county, down from 50,364 in 1970. Bucyrus doesn't look poor and unprosperous. Picture my favorite movie, "Pleasantville," about a town in a television show in the 1950s, where everyone is good-looking and white, and have no idea what is outside their town, or what sex is. Picture that sixty years later, still all-white (I didn't even see a Chinese restaurant) but people are tattooed, they all seem to smoke, and many are grossly overweight. No one was unpleasant to me. Maybe they looked at me with a bit of suspicion. I'm dark (in June) for a white guy and as the weather was warm, I got flushed and sunburned. And, no one there knows me. I arrived June 24, looked around the pretty downtown, which boasts a fantastic trompe l'oeil mural, napped at the motel (Usual Chain), ate salty food at that Ohio-based farmer's chain, and prepared for Tuesday.

I found fifteen of the twenty-five places on the National Register, a park, and a branch college. There probably was never a Jewish presence in town, and no mall, only a small shopping center at the east end of town, and, of course, a Wal-Mart. Tuesday morning started out in the 60s, and I walked around much of central Bucyrus, snapping pics with my phone/camera. I drove back to the motel, not far, to cool down before lunch, which I ate downtown at a dive-looking Greek place, Little Athens, very good and cheap. In the afternoon, I discovered Galion and Crestline, the next two biggest towns in the county. The coolest thing in Galion is a streamline moderne movie theater, now used by a community theater group. I wish we could do that with the Warner in Morgantown. I came back to the motel about 5, crashed for a real nap, then ate a pizza and salad at Baker's Pizza Sports Shack, a block down from Little Athens, and the only place where I saw a crowd of people. Food there was good, too.

Sunset was after nine P.M. as Bucyrus should technically be on Central Time, but is on Eastern. I visited Aumiller Park, at the west end of town. There was a carillon chiming every fifteen minutes, covered picnic areas unused on a warm pretty June evening, a baseball diamond, likewise unused, a pool, empty, and a kids' playground with a few children and parents. I followed a wooded trail to a pedestrian and bike bridge over the Sandusky River, narrow at this point, early in its flow to Lake Erie.

It was still light, so I thought I would walk a few blocks downtown. There I found Mark's Homemade Ice Cream Truck in front of the video store (video store? yes!). I went for a scoop of maple walnut ice cream. A good end to my day in Crawford County!

I was reading today (July 10) online about Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, and what a jerk he is. He was snickering when women spoke of being sexually harassed, and was walking around joking with other Republicans when people were talking about losing healthcare if the ACA is repealed. He is the Representative for Crawford County, which gave the current President 70.4% of its vote in 2016.

Crawford County Courthouse

Trompe L'Oeil mural on a blank wall, Bucyrus

Victorian House, Bucyrus

Blair House, Bucyrus

Bucyrus Post Office

Harris House, Bucyrus

Toledo and Ohio Railroad Station, restored, used for special events
I met the woman who was the head of the restoration committee; she was planning an event, but said it is underutilized.

Original library building, downtown Bucyrus. Most of the library is in a new addition

Chesney House, Bucyrus

Historical Society Building, Bucyrus

Downtown Bucyrus Historic District on N.Sandusky Avenue

Former Picking & Company Store

McGraw House, Bucyrus

Judge Beer House, Bucyrus

North Central Ohio Technical College, Bucyrus Branch

Mausoleum, 1915, Bucyrus

Howard House, Galion

Brownella Cottage, Galion

Big Four Depot, Galion. People both here and in Bucyrus said that
Presidents used to do "whistle stop " tours in these towns, and people sent off and
welcomed back troops during World War II. The trains no longer stop in this county.