The Buckeye and the Odd Fellows Hall
Frequently referred to as "The Buckeye Diner," a truck stop once stood in the center of Hebron where the current village "green space" houses a pergola and some picnic tables. The Buckeye Center sported showers, tire repair, scales, and much more. It was frequented by locals for the great food and staff. Given its proximity to a state trooper outpost and the soon-to-be interstate, The Center was easy to get to and the hub of the town. Semi-trucks were able to park where B&B Sales and Ruthie’s Resale currently reside (previously the site of Lawsons convenience store).Another important site once stood here on the "green space:" The first meeting at this location of the Williams Lodge 363, Independent Order of Odd Fellows Hall, was held on December 14, 1899. It was 70 feet long and 39 feet wide. The building had many lives after the lodge was disbanded including hosting basketball games, silent movies, plays, dances, graduation, and various community functions. Before its demolition in 1987, the Lodge building also served as an auctions hall later followed by auctions and a flea market.In 1851, inventors developed the electric rail engine that could travel as fast as 19 miles an hour. In the late 1880s, the electric rail came to Licking County with the first car running from Newark to Granville in 1890. The Columbus, Newark and Zanesville Interurban railway came to Hebron in 1902 and most likely took business away from the steam passenger rail. The Interurban would run a two-mile local loop through Hebron to Buckeye Lake with the main line turning north to Newark. The Ohio Electric Power House supplied power for the Interurban rail and was located on the southside of Hebron. By the 1920s, the use of the interurban lines started to decline and in 1960 only a few cities continued the lines.Image 1: This close-up photo of one of Hebron's many parades shows the "Diner" sign peeking out from behind a phone pole. Note the period "Coke" and "Pure" signs on the building.Image 2: This photo shows the intersection of the National Road and the former route for OH-79. The single-story building in the center of the photo is the Old Buckeye.Image 3: Can you spot the Buckeye Center on the left? Image 4: The Buckeye Center celebrated the 125th anniversary of Hebron with this advertisement. Image 5: This photo from the early 1970s shows the building, no longer standing. A green space featuring a pergola and picnic tables for residents to enjoy now stand on the site. Image 6: The original building serving as the Williams Lodge.Image 7: In this image, the Odd Fellows Hall is situated to the right of the Interurban Depot in the heart of the Village of Hebron. Just beyond, the Myers Hotel tempted travelers to stop at the restaurant. Image 8: The Odd Fellows Hall served many purposes over the years. The windows facing Main Street made it an ideal retail location. In this early 1960s photo of a Hebron parade, the hall was home to a furniture retailer. Image 9: The Odd Fellows Hall fell into disrepair over the years. In this image, the building is nearing the end of its life. Park National Bank, Dawson's, and the Mill feature prominently in the photo as well.Image 10: With the water tower watching, the Odd Fellows Hall was demolished in August 1987.Image 11: Interurban car shown on the east side of the depot.Image 12: The Interurban depot is located on the left with the tracks heading to Buckeye Lake and the tracks to the right headed towards Newark.Image 13: A view of the tracks from the west side of Hebron on the National Road looking east.
Masonic Lodge
The building at 116 North High Street has had two main functions since its construction in 1877—as a school house and a Masonic Lodge. Originally, the building had been erected in 1877-as a school for Hebron children. At the time there had been two other small schools, both wooden structures, before this school was built on North High Street. The lot was purchased on August 18, 1876, for $300 by the Trustees of Union School District. Its sturdy foundation and 8-inch thick walls still stand as perfect today as the day it was built. The village was just seventeen years old when Hebron's Masonic Temple Lodge was chartered. Hebron Lodge was organized on May 28, 1844, and a charter was granted on October 25, 1844. The first Lodge meetings were members' home until they purchased a two-story building on 101 West Main Street in 1870. This was Hebron's Masonic Temple until the year 1915 when the Lodge purchased the former school house at 116 North Street.Image 1: School house with children. Former students later recalled the old pot-bellied stove, and taking turns to go with the water bucket to the well and trips to the outhouse.Image 2: The school was built in 1877 by a Zanesville contractor, V. E. Kinser. Local brick layer, Abram Swartz, laid the bricks.Image 3: The building that was the school in Hebron around the turn of the century is now the home of the Masonic Lodge 116.
Dawson's 5 and 10
Where could you pick up all your school supplies, a snack from the candy case, and a new set of school clothes all in one stop? Dawson's 5 & 10, of course! Richard and Martha Dawson opened Dawson’s 5 & 10 (pronounced “five and dime”) on April 25, 1949. The store was a popular destination for school supplies including pre-assembled packages for parents to pick up based on a student's year in school. But most remember the antique candy case that delighted children young and old with treats for forty years, sold piece by piece. Dawson’s 5 & 10 employed 50 young people over the years, most of which were school age young ladies. The couple operated the 5 & 10 until 1989. The location is now a residence.Image 1: Dawson's 5 & 10 opened in 1947. This photo features the owners, Richard and Dorothy Dawson.Image 2: Mr. Dawson standing in front of the now-closed store.Image 3: Mrs. Dawson stands on the front steps of the 5 and 10. The photo features a glimpse of the colorful wares carried in their shop. From this angle, there are currently trees obstructing the view but, in this 1980s photo, one can see all the way to the old Mill (open garage door in background). Image 4: This image is of the silver and red foil 25-year service award marked with the name of the store and labeled with "Hebron, Ohio." Image 5: This photograph of Mrs. Martha Dawson was featured in an article written by Marilyn Thorbahn, "Fond Memories: Dawson's closing after 40 years," published in The Advocate on July 19, 1989.
Hebron Canal Basin
Ground breaking ceremonies for construction of the Ohio-Erie Canal started July 4, 1825, just four miles north of Hebron. The first section ran south through the village of Hebron to the Licking Summit Reservoir, now Buckeye Lake. The Canal was completed through Hebron in 1828. Inside the village, north of Main Street and Route 40, was a large canal basin where the present fire department now sits. This wide section made it possible to turn a canal boat around and also provided a storage area for boats in the winter when the water was frozen. On the banks of this area, a number of businesses sprang up including two, five-story warehouses. There were beautiful stone walls which dammed up the canal on the South side of the National Road (Route 40). The water flowed in a northerly direction to this wall then dropped into a four foot square wooden trough and flowed under Route 40 through a cement culvert. It supplied all of the water for the Hebron Power House.Image 1: Taken in 1902 from the Power House ramp, the National Road and Canal crossed close to the center of Hebron, giving it the nickname "Crossroads of Ohio.”Image 2: Picture of canal and buildings. In 1828, the canal path was cut through Hebron. The Toledo & Ohio railroad came to Hebron in the late nineteenth century and the canal, no longer needed, closed in 1913.Image 3: The center of the interurban railroad bridge was mounted on heavy gears. To permit a canal boat to pass, the bridge was rotated parallel with the canal which gave enough room for the canal boat to pass through.
Hebron Mill
The Hebron Mill located at 149 East Main Street, Hebron, Ohio was the longest running business in the village until its closure in the 1990s. The mill, operating as a flour and lumber mill, began in the early 1880s. It was a welcome addition to Hebron after the village's previous mill burned to the ground in 1881. It was a familiar sight to Hebronites since its construction at the crossroads of the Ohio-Erie Canal and the National Road. The mill relied upon these crossroads to transport both its raw materials and finished products. The mill was well equipped with modern tools and machines for milling and had a complete roller process which was operated by an 35 horse-power engine. General custom work was done for toll or cash, and flour and feed were exchanged for grain. There was also a sawmill which prepared lumber of all kinds and dimensions. In 1999 the building was purchased and renovated.Image 1: The Hebron Mill was one of two large warehouses to be located on the canal basin. The office was heated by a coal stove and had no plumbing.Image 2: In 1891, Mr. Dave Geiger became sole owner of the Hebron Mill. Here he is shown with his dog "Mickey" inside the mill.Image 3: For the convenience of their customers, the Hebron Mill installed a new dump and hoist truck for unloading grain.Image 4: The Hebron Mill building today, still at 149 East Main Street, serves as business offices.
Hebron Historical Society
The Red Star Garage was built in 1920 by Ed and Art Gochenbach and sold during the depression to Paul Geiger and Ernie Crist. The business name came from their servicing the buses on the "Red Star Line. " Art Gochenbach built the very first tow truck in the Hebron area in this building. Hebron native Homer "Rocky" Gieger operated a Shell gas station at this location for 25 years. On the other side of the station, Bennie House had a garage and sold batteries for many years. The building now plays host to the Union Township street maintenance department as well as the Hebron Historical Society's "Hebron Area Museum."
Hebron Methodist Episcopal Church
In 1840, the Hebron Methodist Episcopal Church secured a deed for the current location at 502 East Main Street in hopes of moving from their location across from the Hebron Mill. The first church building, built in the 1840s, served the community for approximately six decades. In 1903, the church board hired a company to build a new church on the same lot and with great speed. In fact, the current building was erected in 42 days with church board minutes noting only minor corrections in some of the plaster. The structure relies on hand-hewn timbers. In 1913, an addition was attached to house Sunday School classrooms, bathrooms, and additional meeting spaces. In the late 1960s, the amphitheater-style seating facing east was leveled and the pulpit was moved to the south side of the sanctuary. The building was sold in 2015 and converted to a home.Image 1: The original church erected at 502 East Main in the 1840s.Image 2: The new church erected in 42 days in 1903. Notice the missing items from the current building like the back section, front porch, and side entry to the basement.Image 3: This is an interior photo of the church between 1913 (after the addition was installed) and the late 1960s when the rounded pews and amphitheater sloped floors were removed.Image 4: This is a current photo of the building with an updated sign to reflect the private residence.Image 5: This is an interior photo taken from the back addition facing towards the sanctuary.
Old Post Office
The first post office was established as "Licking Summit" in 1825. In 1826, James Freeman became the first postmaster and changed the name to "Hebron Post Office." The H. D. Burch General Store served as the first location for the post office in a portion of the space which was originally located at 118 East Main Street. In 1957, the post office moved a few blocks east to 140 East Main Street. The current post office at 146 North High Street was built and dedicated to the community in 1996.Image 1: Mr. Townsend Millhouse pictured in the late 1800s delivering mail.Image 2: The first post office location was inside the H. D. Burch General Store, which often served as a socializing spot for the community.Image 3: Post office location from 1957-1996.Image 4: Current post office for Hebron from 1996 to the present.
Hebron Bank
When the Hebron Bank Company opened in 1903, it had $30,000 in capital. The bank closed in 1929 due to the financial crises that would lead to the Great Depression. It remained closed for many years until Park National Bank gave it a new life in 1952. When, in 1963, Park National Bank opened a new facility across the street in the old Myers Hotel location, the bank donated the building to be used as the Hebron Public Library. In the early 2000s, Pal Printing opened and has been serving Hebron since while keeping the building in its original, beautiful splendor.Image 1: This image offers a close up of The Hebron Bank Company. Image 2: The bank building is featured to the right of The Cash Store. A detailed examination of the image reveals the Post Office was also in The Cash Store building.Image 3: The building served as home to other organizations over the years including the Hebron Public Library and, currently, PAL Printing.
Pence Garage
In 1912, Mr. C.A. Pence built a garage on the Southeast corner of Route 79 and Route 40 ( present day Duke Station). Mr. Pence had chosen an excellent corner, the business thrived, service was good and his mechanic was known to do a fine job. C.A. operated the business until 1930 when the Ford Automobile Company acquired the Pence garage as a new agency. It was the only Ford agency on the National Road between Columbus and Zanesville. Later, there were several owners, including the Ours family, whose son Bill operated a garage in the back of what was the original building. In 2019 the remaining original building was torn down to expand the current Duke Station.Image 1: The Pence auto repair garage located at the corner of Route 79 and the National Road.Image 2: The current Duke station occupies the corner of the former Pence auto garage in Hebron.
Porter's Barber Shop
In the 1910s, this structure housed Morrison's Confectionary and the bus stop for the Greyhound Bus Line. In 1926, Dale Porter came to the area to open a barbershop near Buckeye Lake's Amusement Park. The barber shop stood out with it's red, white and blue barber pole hanging at the door. The "look" of the barber pole came from the day when barbers also performed "procedures" while customers reclined in the chair. A barber could cut hair, give a shave, or pull a tooth or two if needed. Barbers would hang towels and rags to dry in the wind. Barbers no longer perform "procedures" in the chair which ceased by the 20th century. Dale Porter worked in the barber shop until his retirement at age 71. Porter's Barber Shop remains owned by the Porter family and continues its tonsorial traditions today.Image 1: Present-day photograph of the building.
The Hebron Armory and Hebron Power Plant
The 17th National Guard Armory was built through the efforts of Colonel H.D. Burch who served in the Civil War. Burch's experience in the military is credited as the reason the Armory was built in Hebron in the late 1800s. The building was three stories high and located near the junction of the National Road and Route 79. The local guard units met and stored their armaments on the second floor. There was a "shot tower" at its pinnacle, surrounded on all four sides by a walkway. The building was used for a variety of functions, including, weddings, town meetings, reunions, class plays, and other school functions. It also served as a meeting place for those in nearby communities. One could often see the grounds crowded with wagons, horses, and buggies. The Armory burned in 1901 and the Hebron Power Plant was built on the site in1902. The plant was built for the purpose of providing electric power for the Interurban Transportation System which ran from Columbus to Hebron, Buckeye Lake, Newark, and Zanesville. Drawing from the Canal, it used a great volume of water for cooling their steam boilers and condensers. The plant was originally fired by gas from the company's own gas field. When the gas wells quit producing, the plant was converted to coal burning units which were hand fired. When the interurban line went out of business in 1929, it cut back on the local electricity demands. The plant still provided power to part of Hebron but not enough to survive. The Ohio Power Company bought the power rights giving Hebron enough money to build the municipal building on 116 Main Street. In the late 1940s in a large canvas tent, Mr. Frank Glassman of Bexley opened a surplus store on the site. A few years after it opened, a tin roof was placed over the tent and wooden walls were erected. A floor was never installed and customers walked on dirt covered by sections of cardboard and wood. Large flat tables containing stacks of clothing and whatever Frank would purchase for resale; camo clothing, shoes, sneakers, boots, paint, tarps, hunting and fishing equipment, and much more. The store was dismantled in 1994.Image 1: The Armory in the late nineteenth century.Image 2: A crowd gathered outside the Armory building.Images 3, 4, and 5: Photographs of the Power Plant Building.
Madden House
This house originally stood in downtown Hebron just west of Porter's Barber Shop. Thomas and Lena Madden bought the house in 1880 for $25 from the Lyons Family. Thomas used his horses, a rope winch, and paid $40 to move the house to the current location on South 7th Street. The house was scheduled to be torn down to make way for the National Guard Armory (later replaced by the Interurban Power Plant). The original purpose of the structure is not known, but by the 1850s it was a dance hall and then a residence before the Maddens purchased it. Thomas Madden settled in Hebron after fighting in the Civil War as a sergeant. Thomas went on to help organize the Hebron Christian Church and later the Central Christian Church in Newark. It is said that Deacon Street in Hebron was named after Deacon Madden as he became the first full time pastor. The Maddens had thirteen children and frequently boarded teachers that worked nearby at the Hebron School. Many of the Madden children pursued either education or the ministry in adulthood.Image 1: Photograph of the Madden House.Image 2: It is claimed that Clara Madden climbed the nearby smoke stack with her brother Arthur. The smoke stack was approximately 150 feet high and belonged to the Armory/Power Plant just west of Route 79 on the south side of the National Road.
Thomas Cully House
This “Dutch Colonial” house at 705 Deacon Street was built in the 1820s on a estate called “Cedar Hill.” The outside walls are a foot thick and were made of bricks drawn from claypits just south of the house’s location. The resulting “clay hole” played host to local children for ice skating and hockey games. Mr. Cully was an excellent businessman who owned a warehouse, slaughter house, tannery and a clay tile mill. Before the Civil War, the Cully's home served as a stop on the "Underground Railroad," where those fleeing slavery in the South could hide in the basement on their path north to Canada. In 1850, Mr. Cully, while on a business trip to New York, purchased a piano for his daughter. Its journey to Hebron is indicative of the role that transportation played in the history of village and the country—the piano went by boat on the Hudson River to Albany, N.Y where it was off loaded to a canal boat on the Erie. Arriving at Lake Erie, a sailing vessel took it to Cleveland, where it was once again transferred to a second canal boat, this time on the “Erie & Ohio Canal” and arrived safely in Hebron. The house is currently owned by Karen Bailey.
Hebron School
On land purchased in 1913 for $3,000, construction of the Hebron School commenced in 1914. Classes started in the second week of January, 1915 as the building was completed and the school functions relocated from the old site at 116 North High Street. The school initially served all primary and secondary grades. In 1947, a new addition including the gymnasium and auditorium was erected. After purchasing an additional acre in 1951 for $485, another addition was built and the lavatories were updated. In 1959, high school students were moved to the new Lakewood High School on Route 40 and the school bell was moved eventually from Hebron School to the Lakewood Football Field.Image 1: This photo from the late 1910s features the school before any additions were built and is featured in many of the senior class pictures. This photo was taken from the Northwest corner of the building.Image 2: Added in the late 1930s, Hebron expanded the campus to offer a gymnasium and auditorium.Image 3: This conceptual image shows the plans for yet another addition in the early 1950s. The document denotes the purpose of the levy, the expected impact on local taxes, and where to vote.Image 4: This pamphlet cover is from the dedication ceremony when the new addition was celebrated in the community.Image 5:This image of a school bus that operated in the 1920s. It was featured in The Advocate in the frequent feature called "Scenes from Yesteryear." The photo was supplied by Mrs. Melvin Pillow, the granddaughter of Harry Griffith, the driver.
Cummins Ice Cream
Cummins Ice Cream began operations in 1934 when Earl Cummins and Guy Kirk sold their home made ice cream on West Main Street. They moved across the street to the location that is now the current site of Clay's Café. They stored their delicious concoctions in 5-gallon cans at the Hebron Ice House. Kirk left the business in 1935 and it became a family-run operation between and Earl and Dorothy Cummins. The Cummins’ built a house and a cement-block building at the rear with a freezing room in the back. In 1966, a major appliance showroom was added. Cummins became a very popular spot in town. In 1977, the Cummins retired and eventually sold the property to the Clay family, who owned it until 2021. County Fair Foods was opened in 1979, eventually renamed to Clay’s Café which is still in operation. The location remains a popular spot today.Image 1: This photo is of the Clay's Cafe before recent upgrades to road signage and interior updates.Image 2: This flavor board was created for Cummins by a Hebron contractor, Jesse Ours, using only hand tools.
Hebron Christian Church
The Christian Church was officially organized by the Reverend Timothy Newcomb in 1868. The church building at 610 West Main Street was erected in 1878. Customarily, men sat on the left side and women sat on the right. The church was heated using two coal stoves in the center with long stove pipes and light was provided by kerosene lamp. The congregation remodeled the church in 1915 at a cost of approximately $7,400. Nearly 60 men invested over 2,500 hours to complete construction. The remodel was completed in less than one year. In 1929, renovations added restrooms with flush toilets. The church bell was cast by the Buckeye Bell Foundry in Cincinnati which cost $148 plus shipping. The bell was shipped up the river from Cincinnati and then by the Ohio and Erie Canal to Hebron. The final leg of the journey over land was just a few hundred yards from the Hebron Basin to the church which drew many spectators. The 400-pound bell was lifted 25 feet to the tower. Thirty-five years later in 1940, during another remodel, it was noted that there was severe swaying of the bell tower during ringing and high winds. The bell was then lowered over seven feet to it's current location. Many original furnishings from the 1878 church are still located within the church walls: communion table, regulator clock, settee, pew, church bell, rocking chair, Sunday school desk. The church enjoys a generational congregation with many families still attending the church of their ancestors.Image 1: The original church building approximately 1910.Image 2: A contemporary photograph of the church.
Millhouse Home
This house, built in the late 1800s for the Millhouse family (Thomas, Isadore, and their daughter, Helen), is believed to be the third oldest standing residence in Hebron. Mr. Millhouse was the first rural mail carrier (1900) delivering the mail by horse and buggy. The family also owned a dry goods store in Hebron, selling boots, shoes, and groceries. The quaint gingerbread trim still remains on the house today.Image 1: Thomas Millhouse standing in front of this house in 1900.Image 2: Contemporary photograph of the house.
Old Village Hall
The municipal building was constructed in 1930s. This brick structure housed the village hall and village offices. Also located within the building was the town jail, fire equipment, emergency siren, and the library. As the village grew, a new Municipal Complex was needed. The original building was not handicap accessible, and the village outgrew the space. The Americans with Disabilities Act was approved by Congress in 1990, which guaranteed equal access to all government buildings for all citizens. The village needed a new space. This building was sold around the year 2000, after Hebron built a new municipal complex at 934 West Main Street.Image 1: Hebron Municipal Building during the flood of 1913. Flood waters reached halfway up the brick building.Image 2: Photograph of the municipal building.Image 3: Around 2005, the building housed a coffee shop and three offices after it ceased to be owned by the village.Image 4: The current Municipal Complex at 934 West Main Street which houses Hebron Police Department, Hebron Offices/Administration, and Licking County Library.
Toledo and Ohio Central Railway Company Hebron Depot
The railway system was established in the late 1880s with the Ohio and Toledo Rail Depot located north of National Road and west of the rail lines. The building was a long structure familiar to so many towns across the country. It had a waiting room with benches and an office where teletype messages were sent and received. The Depot boasted an indoor bathroom and large storage space for items awaiting shipment to and from Hebron via train. In 1910, Mr. Arthur Adair became the first station agent and he had the job for many years. Mr. Adair would often pass packages to slow-rolling trains that were not making a stop in Hebron. The depot was torn down in the late 1960s.Image 1: View of the depot.Image 2: Photograph of the depot with rail ticket agent.Image 3: Stock certificate of the rail company.
