How our county has shown servicemen our support through the years

It is so important to show veterans that we care about them and appreciate their service, no matter where or how they served. One of the ways we at the Jefferson Historical Society show we care is by presenting Veteran Exhibits each year the week of Veterans Day.
This will be our 18th year of covering a different war or topic with pictures, artifacts, uniforms, maps and, of course, telling their stories. It is highly rewarding!
This year the topic is “Local Heroes of all Wars.” As I studied the materials at the society building, I was impressed by what our county has done over the years throughout all the wars to show we cared and supported our servicemen and women. In 1942, a local newspapers shared what the community efforts.
Do you remember the old cannon that once sat on the courthouse lawn? Very few would remember it because it was removed during World War II and turned into scrap metal which would then be turned into whatever was needed for the war effort.
The German cannon was made at the famous Krupp Works in Essen, Germany, and taken by the Allies in World War I. The 5,000-pound cannon was loaded on a truck and hauled away by the county highway department. The commissioners at the time decided it was needed more for its scrap than its historical content, according to the news article accompanying the picture included with this column.
During World War II, air raid wardens canvassed every home to inform everyone that trucks would be coming to collect scrap metal. Folks were asked to check their yards, basements and garages and stack it at the curb for pickup.
The Boy Scouts assisted the truck drivers on county, state and township trucks to help pick up the metal. Contests were held as to which area would gather the most metal. Folks were happy to donate as they wanted to do their part in supporting our boys.
In 1942, Mayor C.D. Utterback had divided Jefferson into Air Raid Warden zones and appointed wardens over each one and chosen by the Civilian Defense Committee. Chief Warden was Jerry Benson. Fire Watchers were tasked to watch for incendiary fires, fire bombs, and extinguish them if possible or call the fire department. These cautions were in case we were attacked by the enemy.
Ration books were essential for those at home, so our men overseas would have provisions. Sugar rations books for our county totaled 76,000. When you went to the store, they punched your ration card and when it was all punched you could not get any more sugar until the next books came out.
Gas and tire rationing limited where you went and how you got there. Our war effort needed to send gas and tires to our men and women overseas. A Christmas 1942 Star-Beacon article mentioned the first of “Christmas Opportunity families.” The welfare office was so affected by the gas and tire rationing they were not going to be able to make as many deliveries as they normally did. They were asking folks to help by taking on a family during war time and providing a Christmas for them.
The silk hosiery salvage drive set up collection boxes for silk, rayon, nylon and or combinations of it from men and women’s hosiery to be reprocessed by the armed services. Collection points were at Cauffield’s Grocery, Olson’s Bakery and Elwood’s Gas Station.
Folks were asked to save their waste fat from their kitchens and take it to a meat market or donate to the Hi-Y boys.
Because of the demand created by the needs of the armed forces, an acute shortage of electric motors caused it to be exceedingly difficult for farmers to obtain them except as part of a complete new farm machine purchased under a ration permit.
Even newspaper delivery boys got in on helping on the home front. They were sanctioned by the government to sell U.S. Defense stamps. Money from the stamps would go directly to the war effort. The stamp book had space for 187 ten-cent stamps. When the book was filled, the customer could take the book, add five cents, then purchase a $25 defense bond which matured in 10 years. The first Star-Beacon carrier to sell stamps was James Doolan, Lake Avenue, who sold stamps to one of his customers, Mr. Lueke. The carriers took their role seriously and passed their goal of $100,000. I wonder how many were inspired to join the service as a result of this project.
Dairy men in our county who sold their milk in Cleveland through the Milk Producers’ Federation got a boost when the price went up 20 cents per hundred pound if they sold it as Class Two milk during December of 1942 bringing the total to $2.40 per hundredweight.
One of the hardest things to give up may have been coffee. I don’t know about you, but a day without coffee is not a good day! Housewives and consumers were told that they would not be able to purchase coffee for the last week in November of 1942 during Thanksgiving time.
Restaurants, hotels and hospitals could purchase the treat. After that date, you could purchase one pound from Nov. 29-Jan. 3, 1943. That pound of coffee would have to last that long! Each grocer received only 65 percent of what he sold in 1941. It was a serious infraction if you disobeyed this mandate. A maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment or $10,000 fine was imposed!
Our congresswoman at the time, Frances P. Bolton, gave inspiration to the scrap metal drive by donating all the beautiful ornamental iron fence surrounding the Payne, Perry and Bingham estates along Euclid Avenue between East 21st and East 30th Streets. The total came to ten tons of iron.
Congresswoman Bolton stated that the sale of the fences for scrap iron would quickly find its way into munitions of war as it was turned over to the Army and Navy Relief Society. Scrap metal dealers offered their services free to tear down and remove the fencing and deliver it to the steel mills. The gift started the ball rolling as more of Euclid Avenue famous old iron fences were donated for war purposes.
Here in Ashtabula County, our farmers salvaged more than 1,500 tons of old iron and steel according to then chairman of the USDA War Board, Lloyd C. Henderson. He stated that the scrap would be used in the form of tanks, planes, ships and other vital implements of war. Most of the metal was taken from barns and fields.
Passenger car owners and motorcyclists lined up according to their last name to get gas rations cards. Even the schools had to get in line.
Folks were encouraged to gather in churches regularly to pray. Letter writing and sending packages were highly encouraged. Making sacrifices so that our men and women would be helped made folks acutely aware that a war was being fought and they were a part of it.
Times and needs have changed. Today we offer services to veterans such as health and mental care, insurance, dinners, raffles, medals recognition, campaigns and exhibits such as the one we are having this week at the Jefferson Historical Society, Wednesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. It is free and covers some of the stories of our men and women in all wars.