Glouster, Ohio

Glouster, Ohio

Postcards of Sandra Quinn and Memories of Jo Brown Parsons

Glouster in about 1915

Glouster , Ohio in the 1940’s written by Jo Brown Parsons

My Mom and I stayed in Hollister with my Grandparents Essie and Willie Humphrey when my Dad was in the service during W.W.II. I loved to stay there because I was the only grandchild at that time and, of course, I was spoiled rotten. When my Daddy return to us after the war we had our own house in Athens when he was on the State Highway Patrol. I always wanted to go to Grandpa’s house whenever I could.

The big highlight of the week was to go to Glouster on Saturday night to shop and visit. That was a big town to a precocious five year old. You can be sure Grandma had me scrubbed clean as a whistle and dressed to the nines. I remember my little patent leather shoes, lacy anklets and my purse. My dress was ironed and starched just perfectly. No self respecting five year old girl went to Glouster on Saturday night without her purse. Grandpa found a strategic parking place on the street to see and be seen. After Grandma and I went to the grocery store Grandpa wondered off the play a game of Euchre, I’ll never tell where that was. Before he left he always made sure I had a fortune of twenty-five cents in my purse. What a mother lode.

I always had a certain route to take. I went first to Drury’s Drug Store to look at the “funny books”. I think they were five cents a piece. I looked at about all of them before I would decide on the one I wanted to buy. Back down the street I’d got to the Economy Store to visit Harold and Edith Vaughn. I reserved a few cents for orange slices from their huge candy counter. It looked huge to me. I would come out of there with a huge sack of candy. Since they were friends of my Mom and Dad’s my five cents went a real long way. The last stop was Bashara’s Confectionery and a ice cream soda. That magnificent marble counter and soda fountain was something glorious to see. Mr. Bashera would help me up on the stool and make me a lemon soda. Same thing every week. Along the way along the street I’d stop and chat with various cousins, aunts and coal miners that my Grandpa had introduced me to. Back to the car to sit in the car to see and be seen. I might have a few cents left and bum more from Grandma if I NEEDED a new jump rope. Back to the dime store, yes, there was a dime store in Glouster. Glouster was a booming town at that time. There was the dress shop owned by Dwight and Alberta Hartley and one of my all time favorites was Benny Goldberg’s Department Store. My Mom bought all my dresses from Benny and he always gave me a pair of new socks with each dress. Some people were a little afraid of Benny but all I saw was this wonderful portly man who wore glasses and addressed my Mom as Missus. Oh’ Missus, he’d say, you get prettier each day of the world. That little girl is such a princess, he’d say in that slightly Yiddish accent. If Benny Goldberg didn’t have in his store you didn’t need it anyway. It might take him a little time to find it, but HE had it.

After what seemed a considerable time Grandpa came back to the car and then after some discussion went down to Gus’ for those wonderful hot-dogs smothered with onions. Home we’d go to watch wrestling from Columbus and the Midwestern Hay Ride from Cincinnati.

What a wild time was had in Glouster on Saturday night. When I go through Glouster now I can still see that magnificent place stored in my mind when I was the center of the universe and all was golden.

by: Jo Brown Parsons

Glouster Coal Mine # 70

Glouster Flood of 1907

Glouster in 1910 looking north

Postcards from collection of Sandra Mitchell Quinn

If you want to travel to Glouster you might want to try staying at the beautiful Burr Oak State Park Lake and Campground:

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/burroak.htm

http://www.burroakresort.com/default.htm

or this bed and breakfast:

http://www.rosecottageinnbandb.com/aboutus.html

HTML by Sandra Mitchell-Quinn