Elliott Karen Jane - A taste of Ohio history: a guide to historic eateries and their recipes

A Taste of Ohio History

Also by Debbie Nunley and Karen Jane Elliott

A Taste of Pennsylvania History

A Taste of Virginia History

A Taste of Maryland History

John F. Blair, Publisher

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Published by John F. Blair, Publisher

Copyright 2007 by Debbie Nunley and Karen Jane Elliott

All rights reserved under International and Pan American Copyright Conventions

The paper in this book meets the guidelines
for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production
Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.

ON THE FRONT COVER, CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP

The Clifton Mill in Clifton, Peerless Mill Inn in Miamisburg, and The Precinct in Cincinnati

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Nunley, Debbie.

A taste of Ohio history : a guide to historic eateries and their recipes / by Debbie Nunley and Karen Jane Elliott.2nd ed.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN-13: 978-0-89587-341-5 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 0-89587-341-9

1. Cookery. 2. RestaurantsOhioGuidebooks. 3. Historic buildingsOhio. I. Elliott, Karen Jane, 1958- II. Title.

TX714.N84 2007

641.59771dc22 2007005019

Design by Angela Harwood and Debra Long Hampton

To my daughter, Dori, whose infinite support, patience,

and understanding far exceed her years

Debbie

To my parents, John and Ann Lidiard, who taught me to be a strong,

independent woman, and who have been telling me to write a book for years

Karen

Contents

Our love of historic restaurants began who knows when. From earliest childhood memories, we both recall being fascinated by them. We began sharing the experience in 1993, shortly after we both moved to the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh. Going to historic restaurants was a method of getting to know yet another new area, after a series of moves. We were active volunteers at the elementary school our children attended, and word quickly got out that we had these wonderful luncheon adventures. Soon, we had a group of ladies who shared the joy of discovering wonderful relics. Over lunch, in an atmosphere steeped in history, these women became some of our dearest friends.

The restaurants that are of the most interest to us really fit into two categories. The first are longstanding inns, taverns, and the like that have been in business in the same locale for a significant period of time. In these, we look for historical integrity inside and out. In other words, we want them to look as if George Washington, Abe Lincoln, or some other famous personage might walk in any minute. The second type includes restaurants housed in historic buildings such as schools, churches, barns, and train stations. In these locales, the portion of the building that is old or original varies, as conversions from one use to another have necessitated some changes, and modern building codes have dictated others. The exteriors have changed very little, so each is quite recognizable as what it once was. Buildings that once served as stores have probably changed the most inside, although the long, narrow rooms are unmistakable. Since stores are defined more by the wares theyve carried than their architectural features, this isnt surprising.

Our focus is on buildings that are more than one hundred years old, although on occasion we consider locations slightly younger than that if the history is of particular significance to the area. As we compile our initial list for consideration, we read absolutely everything we can. Typically, this starts with an Internet search for restaurants with their own web sites. Frequently, it also involves going through the yellow pages town by town, county by county, looking for names of restaurants that sound historic. Because we try to represent each state thoroughly, we contact convention and visitors bureaus and chambers of commerce for any literature they might have. This usually gives us additional information, as well as confirming our Internet resources. As we begin our travels, the gathering of information continues, as we pick up local fliers, seek personal recommendations, and drive the back roads in search of a find.

During the research for the first edition of this book, we compiled a list of close to five hundred Ohio restaurants, knowing from experience that some of them wouldnt have maintained their historical features. Others would want to participate but would never quite get around to it. A few would think that sending us the recipes and history just wasnt worth the effort. The very few that choose not to participate for this reason always sadden us, because invariably theyre fabulous places full of interesting facts that we wish we could share. Alas, we cant begin to cover everything there is in three hundred pages anyway!

For this second edition, we began by contacting those restaurants that wed included during our first Ohio go-round. Many were still as they had been when we did our initial research in 2000 and 2001. Thats not surprising, since our focus is in historic locales, after all. Other establishments were still in business but had changed names, owners, chefs, dcor, menus, and who knows what else. Those entries had to be updated to reflect their evolution. Unfortunately, there were restaurants that for a variety of reasons were no longer in business. So our quest began anew to replace those. First on the list were those eateries that wed identified during our first-edition research that for one reason or another never got their information to us. If we wanted them then, we wanted them again. We then broadened our search to look for things we might have missed or places that had come to be since 2001.

Our goal is to be as thorough as possible in representing cuisine, price points, types of establishments, and historical information, while comprehensively and appropriately representing the cities and counties across the state. In more ways than one, our books truly are A Taste of

Our favorite part of the research continues to be meeting and talking to the people involved with the restaurants. Their stories are intricately woven into the fascinating history of each locale. As always, there were certain aspects of local history we expected to learn, such as those involving prominent families and their lovely homes. We were thrilled to find Underground Railroad locations and to learn how significant Ohio was to the cause. Other stories took us quite by surprise, and we hope you find them equally enlightening.