April 21, 1983
Picture #1 – Ira Cadwallader’s First Addition to Fostoria
Picture #2 – Remember the Hubach Ice Cream Delivery Truck?
Picture #3 – H. I. Riley
The Crocker street paragraphs published a few weeks ago were popular with readers. A visit with two, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Riley, 255 E. Crocker St., turned up some interesting information, including an old abstract of that area which included the property where they have lived since 1929.
Few readers know about the old abstract, with the first entry dated Nov. 1, 18l31, in the name of Samuel Cadwallader.
Riley also told about how his connection with Hubach’s brought the distributorship of their complete line of ice cream to Fostoria.
Some readers will still recall the Hubach truck delivering frozen goodies to their favorite grocery, restaurant, soda fountain…even the place where they worked in Fostoria.
COPY OF DEED
“To all whom these presents shall come, greeting, know ye, that in consideration of the sum of $200 paid by Samuel Cadwallader of Ohio to Horton Howard, Receiver of Public Moneys at Tiffin for the purchase of the tract of land herein described, lying and being in the county of Seneca and granted by an act of Congress entitled an act to aid the State of Ohio in extending the Miami Canal from Dayton to Lake Erie and to grant a quantity of land to said state to aid in the construction of the canals authorized by law, and to make donations to certain persons in Arkansas territory.
“Therefore in pursuance of an act to provide for the sale of certain lands granted by Congress to the state of Ohio, there is granted by the State of Ohio unto the said Samuel Cadwallader and to his heirs and assigns forever the south east quarter (1/4) of section No. six (6) in Township two (2) north of range number thirteen (13) containing one hundred and sixty (160) acres of land more or less, to have and to hold the said one hundred and sixty (160) acres of land with the appurtenances thereof unto the said Samuel Cadwallader and to his heirs and assigns forever.”
The deed carried the names of Duncan McArthus, governor of Ohio, and M.H. Kirby, secretary of state.
The next entry in the abstract shows sale of a portion of land by Samuel Cadwallader to Ira Cadwallader in 1883 for $50,000.
Ira Cadwallader’s First Addition to Fostoria became a reality Feb. 28l, 1888. It was the northwest part of the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter (1/4) section six (6) Twp. 2 N.R. 13 East Seneca County Ohio, bounded on the north by the south line of Crocker street, on the west by the centerline of Poplar street, and on the south and east by the right of way of the N.Y.C. & St. L. Railway, and contains about 6 1/2 acres of land.
The accompanying map shows the original drawing of the addition and was certified as correct by G. D. Hersey, surveyor.
Lot No. 2872 (shaded in drawing) is the same location where the house was later built in which Mr. and Mrs. Harold Riley live today. The house was probably built in about 1899 by Maggie McAnany and husband Patrick, the ab- stract indicates.
Others to own the house were: Julia Fry, Nancy Rumple, Jennie Barkley, Doris Masamer, Sam Wilcox, and finally Robert L. Doke, who sold to the Rileys in 1956.
That’s the story in part of how the Cadwallader family got started in the business world in the early days of Fostoria, and at the same time contributed to the town’s growth.
HUBACH’S ICE CREAM BUSINESS
In 1939, Harold Riley was looking for a job. A friend suggested that he see Mr. Hubach in Tiffin, who was looking for someone to serve as the Fostoria distributor for their variety of ice cream products. Riley says he still recalls going to Tiffin for the interview. Hubach was sitting in an office puffing on a big cigar, in the brewery which the family had operated for many years until Prohibition had taken them out of that and put them in the ice cream business.
After they talked Hubach said, “I believe you can handle the job..you can have it.” Evidently Hubach knew how to pick people for jobs, because it wasn’t long until Riley had established 31 accounts in Fostoria and Arcadia.
When I asked Riley to enumerate his accounts he found time had erased some, but those he remembered readily were: Hall’s Grocery, Reidlings (later to become Pelton’s), Union Carbide, Shorty Fontaine, Fostoria Foundry, Bert’s Restaurant, Harry Bloom’s Lunch, Eaton’s Drug Store, Orwig’s Drug Store, Corl’s Golden Pheasant, N.E. George, Schultz Grocery, Pullums Grocery, Karcher Grocery, truck stop at U.S. 23 and U.S. 224, the school, grocery and a restaurant in Risingsun. In Arcadia there was Switzer’s Grocery.
Riley said the distributorship grew, and the setup substations in Findlay and Fremont.
The headquarters for Hubach’s business in Fostoria was a revamped garage in the rear of 255 E. Crocker St. All the ice cream products were manufactured in Tiffin, but kept frozen and stocked on East Crocker.
The one photo with today’s article shows a Hubach delivery truck. Riley says he put 198,000 miles on the one he used for the business.
Older readers may recall the fire that destroyed the old Hubach Brewery. It was located on the eastern bank of the Sandusky River in downtown Tiffin. The original structure was built in 1865, with additions made in 1893 and 1908. Henry Hubach, a brewer and native of Bavaria, came to Tiffin and purchased it in 1877.
The Hubach business was later bought out by Beatrice Foods.