Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1917-06-14
RANDOM RECOLLECT|ONS
Continued from First Page.

Work OF Henry brush.
The large blacksmith shop was
for number Of years in charge of
James Murray, who came to the
Burg from Canada. Frank Shoup,
ST., was also in this blacksmith
shop for several years as a horse
shocr. The building occupied by
the llollenbeck wagon shop was
several years ago moved away.
Peter Cranker and Sons con
Quoted a blacksmith shop in a
brick building on Second street be-
tween Louisiana avenue and Wal
nut street, as far back as my mem
ory runs. In the late sixties they
erected a large two-story frame
building on the lot adjoining to be
used as a wagon-building and
paint shop, and for Il number of
years did good business until the
advent OF the machine-made car
rlages and wagons finally com
PEELED them to abandon the field
to their more formidable oppon-
ents. But for great many years
nearly every wagon used in this
vicinity had on it's rear axle the in
scription: ''P. Cranker & Sons.
Makers" on "W. H. Hollenbeck,
Maker, Perrysburg, Ohio
Yes, those were the good old
days, also the good wagons. John
Cranker was for a number of years
i'll charge of the wagon-building
shop Of this firm, and much of the
output was his work. For several
years there was a Mr.. Fairbanks
connected with the Cranker shop
as wagon builder. Perhaps the
one piece Of work that Mr.. Fair
banks was more proud of than any
other while he was connected with
the Cranker firm, was the platform
spring dray that he built for Jim
Webb, and passed by him to his
successor, Jim Fleming. For a
number of years previous to this
jim Webb S dray consisted of an
ordinary one-horse wagon. Then
he concluded he wanted something
nice, same as those seen sin the
city," so p. Cranker & Sons were
called on to do the furnishing, and
they in turn commissioned Mr..
Fairbanks to build the something
nice OF course, way back in the
early sixties A. l.. Fowler and
Jack Webb had real drays of the
style then generally in use-two-
wheeled affairs, with a large plat
form-like deck, which sat on the
axle on a hinge-like contrivance so
that the rear end of the platform
could be let down to the ground in
order to roll on barrels or boxes
when loading. But they were back
numbers compared to Jim Webb S
"new dray."
Peter Cranker himself had
charge of the blacksmith shop, and
with him for many years were his
sons, Wesley and Frank Cranker.
Jim Jones also was with this firm
for several years, and | had the |
pleasure of meeting him at the |
" Home Coming" of three years
ago. Frank Cranker had the hum
orous habit of placing real warm
pieces Of iron on the floor where
some of us barefoot boys could
easily step on them, then caution
us to beware of "red-hot iron. f"
Also he persisted in calling me
"blue-blooded yankee" And Just
think of it, me yankee" " with
my name.
Will II. Cranker had charge of
the paint shop for many years, and
was an expert in his line, and the
carriages and buggies built by p.
Cranker & Sons were noted for
their fine finish. Johnnie Campbell
was also connected with the paint
shop. Campbell was also somewhat :
OF a comedian, especially in black
face comedy, and was one of the l
star members of the old-time
Perrysburg Minstrel Company.
Campbell and jim Fleming put on
4 black-face skit entitled "The
Motionless Drill" at the first big .
given by Wolford Post,
j. A. R. in the Town Hall in the I
of 1880, as a burlesque ON !
he "Silent Drill" of the Toledo I
Cadets, the one-time crack mill 7
AIRY company of Toledo, who had :,
'ome up from the city and given a +
performance of their famous silent
lriIl at the compfre for the benefit q
If the Post. The "Motionless t