Reminisce

Lima woman achieves fame on stage

Adrienne McGee

LIMA — Once Norah Lamison left Lima, she saw the world as an actress — but she never forgot where she came from. Lamison was born June 30, 1873, in Allen County to Charles N. and Elizabeth G. Meyer Lamison. She was the youngest of eight... Full story

Lima's front-row seat: Our part in blues, jazz, rock 'n' roll

Adrienne McGee

LIMA — There was the Big Band era, and then there was rock ‘n’ roll. The musical journey between those two is a fascinating one, and Lima saw it firsthand. At the intersection of state Routes 115 and 65 lies a hall now called... Full story

Oliver’s Nite Club

Laurie Omness

LIMA — The sign on the building in the 100 block of South Central Avenue in Lima has said “Club Utopia” for the past 30 years. But music and entertainment in the same spot date back another 30 years, and the two-story structure can... Full story

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center Park

Adrienne McGee

LIMA — It began with great intentions. The greenspace now known as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center Park on Lima’s south side has a history that goes back to the 1960s. In April 1963, the papers reported the Ohio Steel Foundry offered... Full story

A man of distinction

Laurie Omness

LIMA — When Lima’s St. Paul African Methodist Episcopalian Church celebrated its 150th anniversary, a commemorative program handed out to church members displayed a full-page picture of a man who was never a pastor of the Lima church.... Full story

Speakeasies, gangsters and violence, final part

Adrienne McGee

LIMA — Homestead operator Arthur Miller couldn’t seem to keep his nose clean — feuding with other illegal alcohol and slot machine runners — and the law caught up with him in 1933. He was found guilty of killing Roy E. Boggs,... Full story

Speakeasies, gangsters and violence, part 2

Adrienne McGee

LIMA — The smoke cleared, albeit slowly, from that “fusilade of shots” at the Homestead in 1932. The roadhouse, residence and filling station complex at Kibby Street and Bellefontaine Road was the scene of a shoot-up that left Joe... Full story

Speakeasies, gangsters and violence, part 1

Adrienne McGee

LIMA — In the 1920s and ‘30s, an unassuming roadhouse on the east edge of Lima had more than its share of the action.  The Parks family farmed on the south side of Kibby Street at Bellefontaine Road, as it was then called. The... Full story

Restaurants felled by fire

Adrienne McGee

LIMA — Main Street Bistro’s destruction by fire Tuesday was only the latest in a long string of business ruined by fire in Lima. A look back at some of the bigger events: Old Barn Out Back In the 1970s, the Brothers Four Country Store... Full story

A stroll back to 1934

Adrienne McGee

LIMA — Everything about it is different. The newspaper is huge. The print is tiny. The photos are black and white. There are an astonishing 14 stories on the cover alone. Welcome to 1934. This Lima Sunday News, the Oct. 7, 1934, edition,... Full story

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