Local women author book to preserve Sylvania history
By Autumn Lee
Toledo Free Press Staff Writer

Toledo Free Press, 01/10/2007
 

Members of the Sylvania Area Historical Society and Sylvania residents Gaye E. Gindy and Trini L. Wenninger have authored a photographic tribute to preserve the Sylvania area's history in their book, Sylvania.

The 126-page softcover book reveals a glimpse into Sylvania's history through photographs that depict images of railroads, booming businesses, school life, sports, a look into the Underground Railroad and scenes of life from previous eras.

Gindy, who also serves as the administrative secretary to the chief of Sylvania police, said she has been a long-time Sylvania history fanatic researching the area's buildings, families and businesses for the last 30 years.

The celebration of the 1976 Bicentennial inspired her to develop an interest in Sylvania history. For years, Gindy has gathered photographs through the Sylvania Area Historical Society. She credits co-author Wenninger with organizing the photographs and research information.

Wenninger and Gindy spent a year compiling research on collected historical photographs, scanning them and writing captions that summarized their findings.

"We worked on [the book] together. We made a good team," Gindy said.

Gindy said it was difficult gathering photographs to find Sylvania veterans to represent each of the wars.

When Gindy tracked down the family of Douglas R. Corbin, who was among those remembered in a memorial garden for their military service at the Veterans Memorial Park, she learned his father, Ray, editor of the Sylvania Sentinel, wrote about his death in the newspaper.

One photo was easier to locate. On page 102, pictured is Gindy's father-in-law, Allan J. Gindy, who lived in Sylvania for 33 years and was a member of Sylvania's Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3310.

He joined the U.S. Navy and served as a helmsman aboard the USS Volans during WWII. Later, after being discharged he joined the U.S. Army in 1948 and served in the Korean War.

Gindy said she believes readers would find the chapter on the Underground Railroad to be "very interesting."

Readers can peek at a home belonging to the Dewey family, who were heavily involved in anti-slavery politics.

Gindy said she hopes that, through reading the book, readers would gain a basic knowledge of Sylvania's history and spark an interest that helps them join in the efforts to preserve the area's history.

Wenninger said she helped co-author the book to share the photographs in the Sylvania Area Historical Society archives.

?The museum is not open every day and not many people know we're there,? Wenninger said.

Gindy and Wenninger collected historical information from old deeds and newspapers, family collections of journals and letters contained in the Sylvania Historical Society archives, school board meeting minutes and census records.

Sylvania contains a very small portion of the archives' photograph collection, Wenninger said. However, they picked relevant subjects and tried to represent those as much as possible.

Wenninger said she and Gindy made a few "field trips" to compare images in the photographs with what exists in the locations now.

During her research, Wenninger said she was surprised to learn of an Indian burial ground reported to be next to the Ten Mile Creek set of railroad tracks, which is pictured on page 14 of the book.

"We have not discovered what happened to the remains," she said.

Wenninger said their research became "really personal" for them.

When reading about some of the men who served in the military, Wenninger said she and Gindy occasionally became "teary-eyed" as they thought about the families the soldiers left behind.

Wenninger echoed Gindy's hopes for the book, but added she hoped Sylvania would reach a younger generation as most members of the Sylvania Historical Society tend to be older.

Gindy and Wenninger will sign books from 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 20 at Angela's Angels and Antiques at 5774 Main St. in Sylvania.

Sylvania, listed at $19.99, is available at area bookstores, independent retailers, online bookstores or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or (888) 313-2665.

Toledo Blade, Thursday, December 14, 2006

History comes alive in book on Sylvania: Volume captures city's personality
By JANET ROMAKER
BLADE STAFF WRITER

In 1933, Maynard Giles Cosgrove, a local historian in Sylvania, put the past, present, and future in perspective.

"The town pumps, the pigs, the taverns, the mud in summer and bobsleds in winter, are all gone. It needs another hundred years to point out the things we have with us today that are important or trivial, tragic or funny. We are too close to judge."

Now, several decades later, the city's history comes to life in a just-published book, aptly titled Sylvania.
Gaye Gindy and Trini Wenninger, Sylvania residents who are authors and historians, spent months working on the book. They sifted through hundreds of photographs; they researched homes, historic places, landmarks, buildings, maps, deeds, and census records.

Although the book's photographs are in black and white, the city's personality comes through in living color.

Ms. Gindy, a native of Sylvania, and Ms. Wenninger, who has lived in the city for four years, worked independently throughout the week while they were putting the book together, and they met on the weekends to combine their efforts.

Much of their work centered around archival collections at the Sylvania Heritage Center Museum on Main Street - the museum is located right next door to the home where Ms. Gindy lived when she was growing up.
"Most of the photographs in the book came from the Sylvania Area Historical Society," said Ms. Gindy, who is the administrative secretary to the chief of police in Sylvania. She is a member of the Friends of the Lathrop House and serves on the Sylvania Historical Village Commission's board. There are so many more photographs in the historical society's collections that Ms. Gindy predicts that the authors might soon launch Sylvania, Volume II.

Ms. Gindy and Ms. Wenninger credited Polly Cooper, a volunteer at the historical society's museum, for making their jobs easier.

"She keeps the records here and knows where everything is. She was here with us every Saturday helping out," Ms. Gindy said.

The authors, who are both members of the Sylvania Area Historical Society, began working on the book about a year ago after Ms. Wenninger, who has a college degree in history, decided that she would compile a history of the city. Ms. Wenninger is a history buff, and has written historical booklets. She is a member of several Laura Ingalls Wilder memorial societies. Her booklets are available in Laura Ingalls Wilder gift shops.

"We wanted to do this because we love Sylvania history," said Ms. Wenninger.

Other than a history book from 1933, little has been written about Sylvania's history, they said.

"When Trini said that she would do the book, I said that I would help," said Ms. Gindy, who has been collecting local history information for 30 years. "My goal is to write history books about Sylvania and fill one shelf with them at the library."

Sylvania was finished in October, and in recent weeks the authors have been signing and selling the publication. Some stores in downtown Sylvania stock the books for sale to the public.

The historical society has purchased 200 of the books, proceeds from the sale of which will go toward preservation efforts, the authors said.

About 125 pages of the book are devoted to "little bits of everything. We tried to do broad strokes," said Ms. Gindy.

The city's early days, its railroads, business and industry, government and education, sports, family life, and connections to the Underground Railroad and to wars are highlighted through photographs and text.

After spending so much time researching the city, "we've become fond of many of the names mentioned throughout the book. I wish I could have met some of the people who lived here in days past," Ms. Wenninger said. "I would have enjoyed seeing A.R. Chandler's garden. I would have liked to have walked along Main Street when the blacksmith shop was there, hearing the clanging of his tools."

Sylvania is a fascinating look at a city that has been home to gypsies and farmers; merchants who sold cream separators, and a funeral home that advertised in 1959 its custom-designed ambulance with a "radio-telephone, inhalator, resuscitator and aspirator, along with a host of innovations for the comfort and security of the patients on long trips."

Check out page 56 to learn about a bank holdup by Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd or turn to page 17 to read about a 20-mile-long parade that was held in 1926 to celebrate - get this - the official opening of the newly paved Monroe Street.

"The cost of paving Monroe Street, from Central Avenue in Toledo to Main Street in Sylvania, was over $1 million and was nicknamed the 'Million Dollar Highway,'" the authors noted.