Historical Ada

Seven generations of Shanks in rural Ada

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By Leland Crouse
[email protected]
Borrowed from Small Town Sampler
Betty Miller, August 30, 1989
Thomas Shanks
In 157 years most of the early farms in Liberty Township have changed owners. A few, however, have been passed down through the generations, and descendants of some of the early settlers still grow crops on the land their ancestors cleared. One of these farms is owned by Bob and Anna Mary Shanks on County Road 65. At some time in their lives, seven generations of the Shanks family have called this home.

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Meet the 1987-88 Ada High School choir officers. From left: S. Bhattacharya, D. West, L. Compton, T. Robinson, H. Fries, K. Moser and K. Rex. Absent is S. Fisher.

Remembering Ada silent movies

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By Leland Crouse
[email protected]
Art and Alice Cotner, St. Rt. 309, Ada, have vivid memories of the Odeon Theatre on Ada’s North Main Street. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cotner worked at the Odeon in the mid-1920’s. Art was hired by theatre owner Ralph Rhoades to operate the projection room when he was a sophomore in high school. Cotner continued working at the theatre, after it was sold to Carl Moore, until his graduation from college in 1929.

Here’s the account of the storm that prevailed all day long

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By Leland Crouse
[email protected]
March 25, 1913 was the worst flooding ever at Ada.

Wind and flood mark the advent of Spring and make Easter a day of gloom. Last Friday was Good Friday in the religious calendar, marking the day of the crucifixion of Christ. On that day of this calendar year there swept up from the southwest a terrific wind that prevailed all day, varying from a gale to a hurricane; its common gait was about 60 miles an hour but in some parts of the state it speeded up to 85 miles.

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Members of the Ada Student Council (7th grade through 12th grade) in the 1987-88 school year.

Front from left: G. Podijil, J. Fox, B. Clum.

Second row: H. Strayer, A. Reese, B. Young.

Third row: Mr. Lusk, B. Madison, T. Hazelton, C. Dearth.

Fourth row: L. Brown, K. Faulkneer, C. Griffin, K. Moser.

Top row: P. Gordon, J. Campoli, S. Fisher, B. Rasmey and S. Bhattacharya.

This combination city hall and theater stood on East Buckeye Avenue, the site of the current municipal building, between 1881 and 1930s

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This article is the first of several pieces on the village’s history and written by members of The Ada Historical Society.

Sousa Comes to Ada - October 24, 1892

By Paul Logsdon, retired Ohio Northern University Librarian and Archivist
In Fall of 1892, a happy set of events brought John Philip Sousa and his Great Marine Corps. Band to Ada.

The first of these was the completion of the Ada Opera House 11 years earlier. This combination city hall and theater stood on East Buckeye Avenue, the site of the current municipal building, between 1881 and  1930s.

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