VILLAGES OF BLOOM TOWNSHIP: There are four incorporated villages in Bloom Township: Bloomdale, Bairdstown, Cygnet, and Jerry City. Today, I will start with Bloomdale. The petition for the incorporation of Bloomdale was presented to the Wood County Commissioners July 30, 1887, and it had been signed by fifty-eight inhabitants. After much discussion, both pro and con, on December 7, 1887, the petition was granted. The Bloomdale Post Office had previously been established September 31, 1877, after beingmoved from Eagleville, and R.A. Emmerson was the Post Master. The Exchange Bank was established in July, 1891, and in 1893 the present Exchange Block Building was built. The Merchants Protective Association was organized in May, 1895. The early industries in Bloomdale were the steam operated flouring mills and the lumber mills. The very first flour mill in Bloomdale was the Gas Center Mills, which was located on the lot that would later contain the home of Henry Kepp. The very first school in Southeast Bloom Township was the Log Cabin School, between the Rosendale and Bloomdale Roads, just Northwest of the village. It was used until 1855 when the Hopewell School was built on Levi Simons land just off North Main Street. In 1879, it was abandoned when a two story brick building was built at the Southwest corner of Maple and Vine Streets. In 1894 a newer building with a bell tower was erected at the Norheast corner of Maple and Vine Streets. This new building became inadequate and overcrowded when a centralized school district was established in 1922, and portable buildings were added in front of the school for grades one to four. In order to help ease the overcrowding, some classes were even held at the old Armory in Bloomdale. In 1927, the old brick building was remodeled, the bell tower was removed and a large addition with a gymnasium was added. Later on, the building with the Vo-Ag, Industrial Arts, and bus garage sections was added. The Bloomdale School continued to be used for over 75 more years, until the new Elmwood High School was built, then it main school building was demolished, and the grounds sold to the village of Bloomdale. At one time, there were four churches in the village of Bloomdale. The Grace Lutheran Church being the first, was located at the Northwest corner of Maple and Mulberry Streets. The Trinity Methodist Church is at the Southeast corner of North Garfield and Mulberry Streets, the Evangelical United Brethren Church was on North Main Street, and the South United Brethren was on South Garfield Street. The Armory in Bloomdale was built in 1887-88, but several years later was lost in a fire. At one time, Bloomdale was a very bust little townbut as with all other small towns, businesses have gone out of existance and industries have chosen to locate near major highways and rail hubs. There is no school in Bloomdale today, and only one of the four churches remains. There is a small plastics plant on the grounds of the old Quaker Maid factory, and there is the Post Office and a tavern on Main Street. Bloomdale is now considered a bedroom community.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 09:52:09 +0000
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