Karen’s Chatt – Karen’s Chatt

Oct 31

Happy Halloween!

By Karen in Halloween, Mercer County Ohio

All Hallows’ Eve. Monster Night. Fright Night. Witching Hour. All Saints Eve. Trick or Treat Night. Ghost Night. Just a few other names for today, Halloween.

To commemorate Halloween this year, I am re-posting a blog post from several years ago, Haunted Mercer County. It was a fun, unscientific research project performed by Joe and me right here in Mercer County, to prove or disprove some local urban legends.

When you think of haunted places in Ohio, northern Mercer County is probably not the first place that comes to mind. But this area seems to be a hotbed of paranormal activity according to the Internet and some other sources. They identify several haunted places very near here. Legendary places where people claim they have witnessed supernatural activity. And for some unknown reason the majority of these sites are in northern Mercer County, in the Mendon area.

Are these spooky tales perpetuated by teenagers or those that seek out paranormal activity? Or are these places truly haunted?

It was two weeks before Halloween, on a night with a full moon, that Joe and I decided to do a little ghost hunting ourselves. Try our hand at being Ghost Busters. We visited some of the rumored haunts during the day and others under the light of the full moon. Did we see or hear any paranormal activity? Read on.

Palmer Cemetery:

Palmer Cemetery, Palmer Road, Mendon, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

This is a small family cemetery on Palmer Road, west of Mendon. The cemetery is in the middle of a field, about 200 yards from the road. A stately old cement arch by the road marks the location of a grassy lane that leads to the burying ground. Two cement lions with green glass eyes once flanked the arch. It is said that the green eyes glowed in the dark and spooked passing horses. I recently learned that the glowing eyes may have been a result of luminous paint. A broken portion of a lion’s claw is all that remains of those statues at this location.

Palmer Cemetery. (2013 photo by Karen)

A stone wall surrounds the family plot back in the field. During the day the area is quiet and peaceful. Nothing out of the ordinary appeared. In fact, I think the Palmer family would be interesting to research.

Palmer Cemetery

One of the tombstones supposedly glows in the dark and is visible from the road. We drove by slowly in the light of the full moon, looking for a glowing tombstone. One stone did appear to have a pale green aura, but Joe pointed out that the aura was from a distant farm night light, its light seeming to glow around the stone.

Palmer Cry-Baby Bridge:

Cry-Baby Bridge, Palmer Road, Mendon, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

Palmer Cry-Baby Bridge is about half a mile down the road from Palmer Cemetery and spans the St. Marys River. There are a several variations of this bridge’s legend: 1) A father threw his baby over the bridge and killed his wife. 2) A man killed his wife and baby and then hanged himself from a tree at the bottom of the bridge. 3) The devil killed a family under the bridge.

It is said that if you park on the bridge at night, turn off your car engine and lights and roll down the windows, you will hear a baby cry. Then a ghost will appear, enter your car engine and disable it. You will have to push your car off the bridge before it will start again. Yes, that sounds very plausible.

Cry-Baby Bridge. (2013 photo by Karen)

We followed all those instructions under the full moon. Twice. Our car started just fine both times. No ghost. No baby’s cries. I thought I heard a howl once, but Joe said it was just the wind blowing through the trees.

As we sat there in silence I wondered if we would be able to push our car off the bridge if it would not start. What would we do if we could not get our car started? Joe said that he could steer our car if I would push it.

Tomlinson Cemetery:

Tomlinson Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

This cemetery is on Tomlinson Road, at the Mercer-Van Wert County line. The remains of Tomlinson Church are across the road. It is said that if someone stands in the middle of the cemetery and another person walks backward around the cemetery, the person standing in the center of the cemetery will disappear.

This is a rather large cemetery, and I decided not to walk backward around it. Too dangerous. Besides, Joe said he did not want to disappear. And to be honest, I did not want him to disappear either. After all, the legend never explained where the person disappeared to or gave instructions on how to get them back. Way too risky.

Tomlinson Cemetery

Bloody Bridge:

Bloody Bridge, Auglaize County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

Bloody Bridge is in Auglaize County and crosses the Miami-Erie Canal south of Spencerville. Bloody Bridge looks a lot like Cry-Baby Bridge, probably because both were recently rebuilt. The Auglaize County Historical Society erected a sign near Bloody Bridge in 1979 that tells its spooky tale:

BLOODY BRIDGE
During the canal years of the 1850’s a rivalry grew between Bill Jones and Jack Billings for the love of Minnie Warren. This became hatred by Bill because Minnie chose Jack. On a fall night in 1854, returning from a party, Minnie and Jack were surprised on the bridge by Bill. Armed with an ax, with one swing, Bill severed Jack’s head. Seeing this, Minnie screamed and fell from the bridge into a watery grave. Bill disappeared, and when a skeleton was found years later in a nearby well, people asked was it suicide or justice.

It is said you can see a woman’s face in the waters of the canal when standing on the bridge. The only thing we saw in the water was an old tire.

They Curse of Saint Michael, Catholic Cemetery, St. Marys:

Mooney memorial, Gethsamane Catholic Cemetery, St. Marys, Ohio. (2021 photo by Karen)

A spooky urban legend is connected with Gethsemane Cemetery in St. Marys, Auglaize County. Haunted Ohio IV, a book in the series by Chris Woodyard, tells of the Curse of Saint Michael, a curse connected to a white marble statue of the Archangel Michael, located in the Catholic cemetery in St. Marys.

The Curse of Saint Michael will kill those who look into his eyes. A girl was reportedly paralyzed by just gazing into its eyes.

We visited Gethsemane Catholic Cemetery to take a look and found a life-sized statue of an angel near the west entrance, the Mooney family plot. Although weathered and gray, it looks as though the angel was once a white statue.

The Archangel Michael is a defender in battle and usually holds a sword. This statue may have held a sword in its right hand at one time, but unfortunately, his right hand is missing.

I stared into the face of the statue through my camera lens and walked away unscathed.

Mooney monument, Gethsemane Catholic Cemetery, St. Marys, Ohio. (2021 photo by Karen)

Evans City Cemetery, Pennsylvania:

Evans City Cemetery.

In 2019 we visited Evans City Cemetery in western Pennsylvania, a cemetery that has become somewhat of a cult cemetery. The opening scenes of the 1968 zombie horror movie Night of the Living Dead were filmed in Evans City Cemetery.

The cemetery is located in a rural, hilly area, situated on the top of a hill. A long winding drive leads up to the cemetery.

The opening scenes of the movie show Johnny and Barbara driving up the narrow drive to the cemetery. They place a wreath on a tombstone and then a zombie appears and attacks Johnny. Barbara runs away in fear and clings to the now famous Nicholas Kramer tombstone, the large white tombstone in the center of the photo below.

Kramer monument, Evans City Cemetery.

Barbara eventually runs out of the cemetery, to the countryside below, and the gruesome movie continues on.

We visited the peaceful Evens City Cemetery on a bright crisp morning and fortunately we did not see any zombies. We did not see anyone there that morning, although, when I looked at my photos later, there was someone standing by that tall monument…

Person standing by tall monument?? Evans City Cemetery, PA.

I was never much of a zombie fan, but I do watch the series The Walking Dead and its spin-off shows, and I find The Walking Dead less disturbing than the original Night of the Living Dead.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween, everyone!

Oct 28

Tombstone Tuesday-Philip W. & Caroline (Koch) Kable

By Karen in Kable, Koch, Tombstone

Philip Kable, St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, Liberty Twp, Mercer Co, Ohio (2023 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Philip W. and Caroline (Koch) Kable, located in row 2 of St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Philip W.
1850-1915
Caroline
1849-1923
KABLE
Christ Is Our Hope

Philip William Kable was born in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, 9 February 1850, the son of Christian (1814-1885) and Dorothea (Maurer) (1815-1904) Kable. Philip’s parents were both born in Germany, married in Germany, and immigrated to America with their four children in 1846. They settled in Liberty Township, Mercer County, and attended church at St. Paul Lutheran, Liberty Township. [1]

The Christian Kable family in the 1850 census: Christian Kable, 38; “Theresia,” 63 [sic]; Jacob, 10; Christian, 8; Louisa, 8; John, 7; Philip, 7 months. [2] By 1860 the family had another daughter, Katharine, born about 1855. [3]

Philip Kable, age 20, resided with his parents in 1870 [4] and 2 years later, on 15 February 1872, he married Caroline Koch in Mercer County. [5]

Caroline Koch was born in Butler County, Ohio, on 10 September 1849, the daughter of William (1817-1886) and Katharine Elizabeth (Liebrich) (1829-1910) Koch. Her parents were both born in Germany and married in Butler County, Ohio, on 4 January 1849. [6]

In 1850 the William Koch family lived in Milford, Butler County, Ohio: William, 30; Catharine, 20; and Caroline, 8 months. William was a farmer. [7]

By 1860 the William Koch family had moved north to Liberty Township, Mercer County and had a Skeels Crossroad Post Office address. Their family had grown to include 5 children, Caroline, 10; Lydia, John, William, and David. The father William was a farmer. [8]

The William Koch family in 1870: William, 53; Catharine, 42; Caroline, 20; Lydia, 18; John A, 16; David, 10; William, 8; Theodore, 5; Charles, 4; and Philip, 1. [9]

Philip Kable and Caroline Koch married in 1872 and by 1880 they had four children and lived next door to Philip’s parents. The Philip Kable family in 1880: Philip, 30; Caroline, 30; Catherine, 6; Philip [Jr], 5; William, 3; and Louisa, 1. Philip Kable Sr. was a farmer. [10]

Philip Sr’s father Christian Kable died in 1885 and in 1900 Philip’s widowed mother Dorothea Kable, 85, lived with her son Philip [Sr] and his family in Liberty Township. Also in the household were two of Philip Sr. and Caroline’s children, Peter, 18, and Anna, 11. This enumeration indicates that Caroline Kable had given birth to six children, all of them living. [11]

Philip Sr’s mother Dorothea Kable died 23 December 1904 and Philip, Caroline, and their daughter Anna moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, about 1906.

In 1910 Philip Sr. and Caroline Kable lived at 1312 Packard Avenue [sic?] in Fort Wayne. Philip Sr. worked as a laborer in the Private Families industry. Their daughter Annie, 21, single, also lived with them and worked as a dipper in a candy factory. [12]

In 1913 Philip Sr. and wife Caroline lived at 1312 Park Avenue, and Philip worked as a clerk at GS Clapesattle. [13]

Philip W & Caroline (Koch) Kable, St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, Liberty Twp, Mercer Co, OH (2023 photo by Karen)

Philip W. Kable Sr. died at his home in Fort Wayne on 6 March 1915, at the age of 65, from chronic laryngeal and pulmonary tuberculosis. Philip’s occupation was a clerk in a drug store. [14]

Philip Kable Sr. obituaries:
Kable-Philip Kable, aged sixty-five years and for the past nine years a resident of this city, died late Saturday night at his home 1325 [sic ?] Park Avenue, flowing a six weeks’ illness. He was employed at the Clapesattle drug store on South Broadway. The widow and the following children survive: Mrs. J. Weinman, Philip, William and Peter Kable, Mrs. William Hunsicker [sic] and Mrs. Gimke [sic]. The funeral will be held Monday afternoon at the residence and Tuesday the body will be shipped to the former home of the deceased in Mercer County, Ohio. [15]

Philip Kable, a well-known former resident of Liberty township, died at his home in Ft. Wayne last Saturday night, the 6^th, at the age of 65 years. He was born in Liberty township and was taken there for burial, where services were held at the St. Paul’s Evangelical church on the 9^th. He was married to Caroline Koch, who with three sons and three daughters survive him. [16]

I am not sure exactly where the Kable family lived in Fort Wayne. Three sources give three different addresses.

After Philip Sr’s death, widow Caroline Kable moved back to Liberty Township, Mercer County, and lived with her widowed daughter Louisa Hunziker and her two children. [17]

Caroline (Koch) Kable died in Van Wert on 1 June 1923. [18]

Philip W. Sr. and Caroline (Koch) Kable had the following children:
Catherine Kable (1873-1957), married Jacob Weinmann
Philip W. Kable Jr. (1874-1947), married Louisa Alt; married Gertrude Maurer
William Kable (1876-1963), married Elizabeth K. Anselman; married Anna Marie (Steinhardt) Burmeister
Louise Kable (1878-1977), married William Christian Hunziker
Peter Kable (1881-1968), married Augusta Wilhelmina Steffen
Anna W. Kable (1888-1972), married Victor H. Dimke

[1] Familienbuch, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, Christian Kable family, p. 24.

[2] 1850 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, p.287A, dwelling 19, family 20, Christian Kablea [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[3] 1860 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, p.356, dwelling 971, family 976, Christ Kable; Ancestry.com.

[4] 1870 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, p.146A, dwelling 62 family 57, Christine [sic] Kable; Ancestry.com.

[5] Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993, Mercer County, 1861-1887, p.303, Philip Kable & Caroline Cook [sic], 15 Feb 1872; Ancestry.com.

[6] Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993, Butler County Marriages 1803-1879, p.56, William Koch & Catharine Librick [sic], 4 Jan 1849; Ancestry.com.

[7] 1850 U.S. Census, Ohio, Butler, Milford, p.190A, dwelling 1037, family 1048, Wm Cook [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[8] 1860 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, p.358, dwelling 992, family 997, William Cook [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[9] 1870 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, p. 145B, dwelling 58, family 52, William Cork [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[10] 1880 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 188, p.16 [penned], dwelling 135, family 142, Phillip Kable; Ancestry.com.

[11] 1900 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 85, p.12, dwelling 230, family 236, Philip Kable; Ancestry.com.

[12] 1910 U.S. Census, Indiana, Allen, Fort Wayne Ward 6, ED 48, p.11B, dwelling 252, family 259, Philip Kable; Ancestry.com.

[13] U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Fort Wayne, Indiana, City Directory, 1913, Philip Kable; Ancestry.com.

[14] Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011, Philip Kable, 6 Mar 1915; Ancestry.com.

[15] Fort Wayne Daily News, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 8 Mar 1915, Philip Kable obituary; Newspapers.com.

[16] The Celina Democrat, Celina, Ohio, 12 Mar 1915, Philip Kable obituary; Newspapers.com.

[17] 1920 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 140, p. 15B, dwelling 316, family 337, Louisa Hunziker; Ancestry.com.

[18] Ohio Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, 1958-2007, Caroline Kable, 1 Jun 1923; Ancestry.com.

Kable, Koch, Tombstone
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Oct 24

Rev. Schmitt Becomes Rev. Smith

By Karen in Rev. RV Schmitt, Zion Lutheran Chattanooga

I have written about Rev. Reuben Valentine Smith before. Rev. RV Smith was the pastor at Zion Lutheran, Chatt, from 1899-1905, his first pastorate after graduating from the ELT Seminary in Columbus in 1899.

Rev. Reuben Valentine Schmitt

In 1955, just before he died, Rev. Smith wrote a narrative about his personal experiences as Zion Chatt’s pastor. In 1955, when he wrote his recollections of the Chatt area, he was Rev. Smith, but when he was the pastor at Zion Chatt, his name was actually Rev. Schmitt. He signed his name as Rev. RV Schmitt on documents he left behind.

Thanks to a reader who sent me information that Rev. Schmitt legally changed his name from Schmitt to Smith in 1918 and why he did that.

WANTS TO CHANGE NAME
Rev. R.V. Schmitt Says Anything That Hints of German Taint Must Be Done Away with.
Seeking to anglicize his name, the Rev. R.V. Schmitt, 409 Parkview Avenue, Bexley, filed a proceeding in the probate court Wednesday afternoon. He asks that his name be changed to Smith, and his wife, Nora E. Schmitt, makes the same application. “Anything that hints of German strain or taint must be done away with,” said Schmitt, who is an instructor at Capital university. [Columbus Evening Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio, 27 Jun 1918]

Rev. Schmitt name change, Columbus Evening Dispatch, 27 Jun 1918.

During that time, because of WWI, the country was filled with anti-German sentiment, and some people changed the spelling of their German surname to a more American-sounding name. Schmitt actually gave this as his reason for changing the spelling of his name.

Rev. Schmitt served at Zion, Chattanooga, from 1899-1905 and at Marion, Indiana, 1905-1906. After that, from 1906-1955, he was a college professor and Dean of Classic Language at Capital University. He had fifty years of uninterrupted teaching, missing only two days of classes during those years.

Rev. Schmitt returned to Zion Chatt in 1916 for the dedication of the new church’s cornerstone.

Cornerstone dedication, 1916. Rev. R.V. Schmitt, Rev. W.H.F. Heuer, Rev. B.F. Brandt.

Rev. RV Smith’s obituary:

Rev. RV Smith obituary, Columbus Evening Dispatch, 18 Nov 1955

Death Takes R.V. Smith, Capital Dean
Reuben V. Smith, 78, dean emeritus of the College of Arts and Sciences at Capital University and in his 50^th year of teaching on the university staff, died Friday morning at his home, 409 S. Parkview Avenue.

Prof. Smith, who joined the faculty at Capital in 1906, served as dean from 1923 until 1947 and was continuing to teach classical languages there.

A native of Columbus, he had attended the old Central High School here and was a graduate of the Capital University Seminary and the University of Michigan graduate school.

He had served in various Ohio ministries before joining the Capital staff.

Considered a guiding spirit in associations of classical languages in this area, he had been active in the American Philological Association, the Ohio Classical conference and was a past president of the Columbus Latin Club. He was a member of Grace Lutheran Church.

He was a faculty representative in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

Surviving Prof. Smith are his wife, Nora Mangold Smith; a sister, Mrs. Charles Bash, Columbus; and a nephew.

Service will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Christ Lutheran Church with burial in Green Lawn Cemetery by Schoedinger funeral home, 229 E. State St. [Columbus Evening Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio, 18 Nov 1955]

Rev. Schmitt was also the teacher for Zion Chatt’s Christian Summer School during his time at Chatt.

Zion Lutheran School, Chattanooga, Ohio (c1904)

The narrative he wrote in 1955 is a very interesting first-hand account of what life was like in this area around the turn of the century. He mentioned the muddy roads several times.

His recollections are worth reading and can be found in two blog posts: Recollections of Chattanooga, Ohio and Recollections of Chattanooga, Ohio, Part 2.

Oct 17

Paulding, Ohio, Murals

By Karen in Mural, Paulding

Recently we drove to Paulding, Ohio, to take a photo of their post office mural. Their post office is located at 121 West Jackson Street.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Paulding’s mural is quite different from the ones I photographed at Coldwater and Wapakoneta. Paulding’s mural is carved wood relief, carved by Charles Umlauf in 1940.

Paulding, Ohio, post office mural. (2025 photo by Karen)

The title of the mural is Industry and depicts men sawing down trees, likely in the Great Black Swamp.

Paulding, Ohio, post office mural. (2025 photo by Karen)

Paulding, Ohio, post office mural. (2025 photo by Karen)

The mural is located in the post office lobby, on the wall above the postmaster’s door, the same as the other two post office murals I have viewed.

During the 1930s-40s, to make artwork accessible to all people, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Section of Painting and Sculpture allocated monies for art and sculptures in post offices constructed between 1934 and 1943.

The artist/carver’s signature:

Paulding, Ohio, post office mural. (2025 photo by Karen)

While driving through Paulding, we noticed that there is a painted mural on the side of one of their downtown buildings. It is quite nice with a lot of little details.

Paulding, Ohio, mural. (2025 photo by Karen)

The mural contains four scenes of Paulding’s history, separated by trees. The sections, from right to left: Fort Brown and Native American Indians in a canoe; harness racers before the grandstand at the Paulding County Fairgrounds; a farmer on a tractor with the sun rising and their historic round barn in the background; and a canal boat on one of the two canals that run through the county, either the Wabash-Erie Canal or the Miami-Erie Canal, with a farm in the background.

Paulding, Ohio, mural. (2025 photo by Karen)