Kelleys Island 1877-1884

The Fire, the Great Grooves & a Mysterious Disappearance

• Author(s): Leslie Korenko,
• Publisher: Wine Press
• Pages: 412
• ISBN_10: 098196124X
  ISBN_13: 9780981961248
  
• Language: en
• Categories: History / United States / State & Local / Midwest (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI) ,

Description:... This is book 5 in the series. The golden age is interrupted as unforeseen events affect the Island economy. The Island House Hotel, a 102 room hotel built just years earlier, caught fire and burned to the ground. Jacob Rush was able to save some of the furniture, but this left him deeply in debt and the Island crippled by lack of hotel rooms. This gives birth to the small hotel and cottage business. The first of the Great Grooves are uncovered. Unfortunately, they are quarried out a short time later, but not before photographers capture their magnificence. Elizabeth Selfe disappeared one night, leaving her children and the entire Island consumed with fears that she was abducted and murdered. The community dragged Lake Erie waters and demanded an investigation by county authorities. In financial news, Charles Farciot, who had been the superintendent of the Kelley's Island Wine Co. for many years, left the island to partner with Andrew Wherle Jr. in a new enterprise. Unfortunately, Farciot then absconded with over $40,000 of the firm's money. Financial problems force the Kelley's Island Lime Co., the owner of the island's first and largest store, and several landowners into bankruptcy. There were some lighthearted moments too, such as a treasure hunt for gold from the War of 1812, a puzzle that confounds many, and the Island's first telephone appears at the store. Glass ball shooting competitions capture the attention of Island men and a woman sues her father-in-law for alienation of the affections of her husband after her husband sues for divorce.