(rshsdepot) Ada, OH

[Jim Dent <jdent1_@_optonline.net>]

From the Ada Herald...

Ada CIC in need of funds to complete restorations
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December 11, 2002 - In order to help the village fulfill its part of the
Ohio Department of Transportation Grant of $59,000, the Ada Community
Improvement Corporation is raising funds to meet Ada's share of the Ohio
Grant for the completion of the interior restoration of the historic 1887
Pennsylvania depot in Railroad Park.

Ohio Northern students have helped with this major project by repainting
some of depot interior.

More funds are needed to replace or restore doors and fixtures, repair and
refinish the original floor, rewire the building, protect the windows,
restore the fireplaces, and replace lighting fixtures to resemble the
originals. The plans include restoring the old water fountain and putting it
back where it once stood.

The Ada Railroad Club has kept the original Ada signs, the 1903 railroad map
and the schedule board, and donors have given other railroad memorabilia
that will be placed in the old station master's section of the depot as a
record of Ada railroad history.

Ada has one of the few Pennsylvania stations left in Ohio and is recognized
as a fine example of stick-style architecture. When the outside restoration
was completed with community donations, it was placed on the National
Register of Historic Places in 1998. It has been used since then by the
community for weddings, receptions, meetings, reunions and public meetings.

The village is directing placement of new wiring in the park for Christmas
decorations and Railroad Park lighting so that all lighting will be
controlled from inside the depot.

The village is also installing an irrigation system for the grass and
Friendship Garden. It has removed a diseased tree and will provide new and
wider sidewalks. Valerie Rex Hall has drawn a landscaping plan for Railroad
Park with advice from dedicated volunteers who plant and maintain the
flowers and shrubs.

More funds are needed so Ada can receive the Ohio grant money to complete
the interior restoration of the depot by mailing a contribution marked
"Depot Restoration" to Village of Ada Water of Ice, Water Dept, 115 W.
Buckeye, PO Box 292, Ada OH 45810. Bryan Marshall serves as treasurer of
CIC.

Many donors, supporters and volunteer workers have made the Ada Railroad
Park with its Friendship Garden, Pennsylvania caboose, Civil War cannon, and
the 1887 Pennsylvania depot a beautiful and historic spot in Ada. Railroad
Park and the depot were placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1998.

Work is now centered on this historic spot and everyone who lives in Ada or
has ever lived in this community is asked for help to complete the projects
in time for the Sesquicentennial events planned for 2003 in Ada.

To commemorate the Sesquicentennial, a street clock purchased with donor
funds will stand at the edge of the park on Main Street. Funds are still
needed for the clock.

The Civil War cannon base was purchased by Ada citizens 100 years ago and
dedicated on Memorial Day, 1903, in a public ceremony. The American Legion
has given some restoration funds to repaint the cannon and remove the rust
from the base.

One Ada Community Improvement Corp. project is directing the sale of
memorial bricks to be placed at the base of the cannon.

The bricks can be engraved to honor a veteran of any war, a pioneer, a
business, an organization, or a family. CIC is also selling an original
brick left over when the depot station platform was relaid. It has an
etching of the depot with "Ada" engraved on it. All of this money will go
toward the depot interior restoration.

A donation to the "Clock Fund," the "Cannon Brick Fund" or "The Depot
Restoration Fund" will become a permanent part of Ada's 150-year history.
All donations should be mailed or brought to the Village of Ada Water
Office, Water Dept., 115 W. Buckeye, P.O. Box 292, Ada, OH 45810, indicating
which fund or funds you are donating to. For further information, please
call 419-634-6501.

If you are ordering a "Cannon Brick," please fill in a form with the name or
names to be honored. Norm Rex serves as treasurer of the Sesquicentennial
Funds and Bryan Marshall serves as treasurer of CIC.



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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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