One hundred and three years ago this week, the Administration Building at Ohio Northern University burned. In the early morning of Tuesday, November 6, 1913, the campus landmark caught fire and just a shell remained a few hours later.
Despite the efforts of students and faculty to rescue documents, records and military trophies, the vast majority was lost.
The building was rebuilt the same year and renamed Hill Memorial. It remains a familiar Ada edifice along Main Street.
This week, 101 years ago, was Ohio Northern University’s Homecoming Week. The University had many fun events planned for the occasion such as a parade, football game and alumni visitors.
Pictured above are the original gates to the athletic field, located where Heterick Memorial Library stands today.
Also pictured is the 1925 Ohio Northern Football team that played the Ohio Bobcats during homecoming week and came away with a 6-0 victory.
On Oct. 22, 2005, Ohio Northern football made history with a 21-14 upset of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. The Polar Bears snapped the Purple Raiders’ 110-game regular-season winning streak and 99-game Ohio Athletic Conference winning streak.
In 1934, onion workers in Hardin County organized to protest low wages and labor exploitation.
In August, as McGuffey Mayor Ott and his wife slept, a bomb destroyed several windows and a wall of the house. No one was injured, but Union President Okey Odell was arrested for allegedly planning the attack, though he denied involvement. He was later dragged out of the jail by an anti-union mob who proceeded to beat him and threaten his life if the protests continued.
Ada's Woodlawn Cemetery once included a mausoleum with 240 compartments. Built in 1908, the mausoleum received remains until 1964 but was never filled. Adequate funds were not available to maintain the facility, leading to its deterioration. Eventually, all remains were removed and buried nearby.
For a time, the building was used for storage. It was demolished in 1984, according to an article in The Times Cover.
