Note – This news story is a free sample from past newspaper editions. Like what you are reading and want news in a timely manner? Please support our family owned, locally operated newspaper by (subscribing today)
By: Rebecca Miller
Over the years, local historical attraction Sauder Farm and Craft Village has drawn thousands of visitors from all over the U.S. and the World to enjoy some time seeing the history of The Great Black Swamp.
Sauder Village, located right here in Fulton County, on St. Rt. 2 just north of Archbold, Ohio, is known around Ohio as one of the best Historical Attractions in the state, with great reviews online and in travel magazines.
Their latest addition to the village, 1920’s Main Street, is on the east edge of the campus, visible to St. Rt. 2 travelers. Erie Sauder, who lived in Stryker and had the dream for Sauder Village, was a Fulton and Williams county benefactor. His grand-daughter Debbie David is the president/CEO of Sauder Village now and his daughter-in-law Carolyn is still on the Board of Directors.
Visitors who have gone to the village for years, will not only enjoy getting to see this new portion but will also find that due to this addition, there have been some major changes elsewhere, especially on the Circle around the Green.
The small Ice Cream Parlor is gone from the second circle, and guests can enjoy their cold treats at the Soda Fountain in the Drug Store on Main Street, now. Candies specific to the time period are available in the Confectioners Shop, as well as Fudge, which used to be off in another corner of the village.
As part of the Walk Through Time at Sauder Village, this newest addition helps tell the story of what it was like 100 years ago in the United States. Many small towns held what is now housed in this experience. Much of the town is replicated, but many parts are actual pieces of history from around Ohio that have been brought together to form this taste of the era in America that transitioned the country from the past to what we now know. Ground breaking for this great addition took place in 2017 and the staff is so excited to be opening up the Roaring 20’s in 2020!
Twenty one different businesses are represented, with guests having the opportunity to go inside and hear period dressed guides share information about that time period. The West Side of Main Street includes a Livery where folks can watch a horse getting shoed. Also on that side are Fire Station #1, Wiederkehr Clothing, Hub Grocery Store, Theatre, The Broken Barrel Speakeasy, Main Street Confections, and a Soda Fountain at the Pharmacy.
The East Side of Main Street holds Dr. McGuffin’s Office, Rich Auto Dealership and Gas Station, Ohio Farm Bureau Office, Farmers and Merchants State Bank, Schuck Jewelry Store, Stotzer Hardware Store, Okuley Barbershop, Elmira Train Depot and Caboose, as well as the Community Plaza and Bandstand.
Other businesses also located on Main Street are Andres and Central Insurance Agencies, Rupp’s Furniture and Undertaking, Ohio Gas, Kolb, and The Ohio Art Company. Many of these businesses got their names and sometimes actual parts of them, located right here in Williams or Fulton County in Northwest Ohio.
Families who live in the area can see things that maybe they saw when they were children or places where their parents and grandparents shopped. Wiederkehr Clothing and Dry Goods Store is named after a specific clothing store, owned and run by the late Martha Wiederkehr, which was located in Stryker, Ohio.
This store’s fixtures mostly come from the original Wiederkehr Clothing, as does its cash register. The metal racks came from Lauber Clothing in Archbold. The pattern cabinet was built on site.
Farmers and Merchants State Bank which has grown to include 31 branches (the newest of these opening this fall in Ft. Wayne), located in Northwest Ohio, and North Eastern Indiana, began right here in Archbold in 1897.
In 1907, they built a new building on the corner of Depot and North Defiance Streets. From F&M’s written history, “The bank was heralded as one of the most unusual and attractive banks in the area, featuring marble interior, brass trimmed teller cages, tile floor, leaded windows and high vaulted ceilings.” The Main Street F&M is based on the original building and has original interior photographs.
Schuck’s Jewelry, founded in 1916 by George and Katherine Schuck, was located in Bryan, Ohio and the layout of the replica in Sauder Village is based on a 1925 photograph provided by Skip and Bruce Bechtol. Almost all of the fixtures at this store on Main Street are originals from the store in Bryan. Schucks in Bryan celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2016 before closing operation.
Stotzer Hardware was located in Archbold, where in 2020 there is a Mexican restaurant.
The name has been given to the Hardware store on Main Street, which has all three of it’s original countertops. The replica store carries just about everything just like it would have in the 1920’s, with different styles of washing machines, every tool you can imagine as well as glassware and other household needs.
The Elmira Depot was originally moved to the village in the 1970’s and has housed the ticket office for guests to ride the different trains they have had over the years. It has now been moved to the north east corner of Main Street and guests walk through the Community Plaza to enter the depot. The train leaves from behind the station and travels around the outer edge of the village to another depot and back.
Delicious milk shakes, ice cream, ice cream sodas or an old time Phosphate (homemade soda) can be purchased and savored at the Pharmacy/Soda Fountain which has many of the pictures from Kolb and Sons in Wauseon. The booths, two pharmacy cabinets, the soda fountain surround and the back bar all came from Kolbs. It looks like something straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
The windows of Rupp Furniture and Undertaking are the originals from the store in Archbold and the store front looks similar to their 1920’s storefront. Archbold’s Hub Grocery Store was used as the basis for the store on Main Street because it tied it to this area.
The master plan was for Sauder Village to be set up in chronological order and they are in the process of doing that now. As you take the winding trails starting at Natives and Newcomers, you will see as it explains on their website, “more than forty historic homes and shops, visit with costumed guides and working craftsmen…and so much more.”
There are parts and pieces of buildings and businesses from all over Northwest Ohio to be viewed and touched as guests step back in time on the 1920’s Main Street. Sauder Village is proud to add on this portion of American/Black Swamp history.
For those who live in Northwest Ohio, Media Relations Manager Kim Krieger says, “This is OUR story! Come see how our pioneer ancestors lived from when they first arrived all the way through the 1920’s. If you came a long time ago on a school bus, it is time to come back. You haven’t experienced the Native and Newcomers site which is the first part now in the Walk through Time. Come and see us. Tell us where you live and how long it has been since you came. We look forward to seeing you!”
Closing Day is at the end of October so you aren’t too late to fit in a delightful day alone or with family or friends at Sauder Village! More information can be found online from admission to times and special events. What are you waiting for? Start planning now and don’t forget to take your free train ride.
Rebecca can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com
