You may also have noticed that the website actually went down for a short while--about a week. This is the longest it's ever been down, and it did it because of a mixup with my bank card. The bank Visa that I use for my recurring webhosting charge got cancelled for some odd reason, and while I waited for the replacement card, the non-paid site host decided to yank Forgotten Ohio down and wait until they got their money. I had to wait for quite a while to get the replacement. Anyway, I apologize for any inconvenience it might have caused, and I hasten to assure you that I can't imagine it happening again.

Here at Forgotten Ohio we (and by "we" I mean "I") generally use the winter months to revise and redesign the site, add new sections, and sometimes visit a place that is all too often obscured by vegetation to be properly photographed. It's a slow time in many ways, but because of the backlog of photos I've accumulated, you can look for a busy update season between now and the much-anticipated springtime.

After just two short months on the Name That Building board, the abandoned brick complex outside of Bellaire has been identified. The honor (and it is an honor, considering what a stumper this one turned out to be) goes to Trent Fagrell, whose keen eye and astute mind linked the ruins pictured on my webpage with this information from the Bellaire Public Library, reproduced here:

In 1876 a number of business men of Bellaire, believing that there was a demand for better illumination than that given by oil lamps, organized a company for the manufacture, distribution and sale of gas produced by the distillation of coal, which was incorporated under the name of The Bellaire Gas Light & Coke Co. A franchise was secured from the City of Bellaire and a gas works was erected, distribution mains laid and the sale of gas to the residents and merchants began the following year. The rate for gas was $2.25 per 1000 cu. ft.

Now we know that the ruined brick complex on the highway outside Bellaire is, in fact, an old coke factory which also helped provide the young city with gas light. Many thanks to the knowledgable Mr. Trent Fagrell for putting a history with the ruins and allowing me to begin giving the abandoned plant its own page on the Forgotten Ohio site.

BUILDING IDENTIFIED


Bellaire Gas Light and Coke Works
State Route 147 or 149 - Bellaire, Ohio
Thanks to everyone who voted in November. Though I try to keep the website as politically neutral as possible, I must admit to being quite euphoric at the result of the election, and happy that the win was by a wide enough margin that not even Diebold voting machines could steal it away. My favorite Congressman was promoted to the US Senate, and it seems that we might see some real change now that there's an effective opposition in Washington, DC, as well as state capitols all across the country.

Again, my apologies if this has offended anyone who otherwise enjoys the website. You certainly don't have to believe in a particular political position to enjoy exploring the dark side of Ohio history and folklore, and I enjoy hearing from and receiving tips and contributions from people of all political (and religious) stripes.

I am reading:
FICTION - Child of God, by Cormac McCarthy
Outer Dark, by Cormac McCarthy
NONFICTION - Pimp, by Iceberg Slim
Roughneck, by Jim Thompson
Growing up Poor: A Literary Anthology, edited by Robert Coles

I am listening to:
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Tender Prey

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