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    Bowling Green: A Town and Gown History
    Bowling Green: A Town and Gown History
    Bowling Green: A Town and Gown History
    Ebook169 pages34 minutes

    Bowling Green: A Town and Gown History

    By Stephen M. Charter

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    About this ebook

    The city of Bowling Green began as a small settlement on sand ridges of the Great Black Swamp. Through the efforts of determined citizens who tapped into a wealth of natural resources, it became a thriving community. Always looking for opportunities to promote their town, a group of local residents successfully campaigned to secure Bowling Green as the site of Bowling Green State Normal College. The community and college have worked together through the years to develop and strengthen a mutually beneficial relationship that continues to enrich the lives of its student population. Local businesses have provided entertainment and social venues, as well as goods and services to students, and Bowling Green State University has provided cultural and educational programs for residents. Collaborative initiatives have enabled the college and community to work together in order to improve life for the entire Bowling Green community.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateAug 3, 2015
    ISBN9781439652633
    Bowling Green: A Town and Gown History
    Author

    Stephen M. Charter

    Stephen M. Charter is the head librarian and university archivist at Bowling Green State University Center for Archival Collections. The majority of the images for Bowling Green: A Town and Gown History were gleaned from the diverse photographic collections of the Center for Archival Collections. The images serve to document the community and college, or town and gown, relationship.

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      Book preview

      Bowling Green - Stephen M. Charter

      family.

      INTRODUCTION

      Bowling Green, Ohio, began as a small settlement on the sand ridges of the Great Black Swamp of Northwest Ohio and became the county seat of Wood County at the center of a flourishing agricultural region. It developed into a prosperous boomtown following the discovery of natural gas and oil in the surrounding area, and when most of these natural resources were nearly exhausted, it was selected as the home of Bowling Green State Normal College, now Bowling Green State University.

      At the tail end of gas- and oil-boom-spurred prosperity, a group of concerned, enthusiastic Bowling Green citizens met on the evening of April 7, 1907, at the Wood County Courthouse to discuss strategies for securing their town as the site of a planned Northwest Ohio normal school. If successful in their efforts, they would insure the future growth and expansion of their town. It was thought that in addition to economic benefits, the school would bring cultural enrichment to the community. Bowling Green was centrally located and easily accessible by various modes of transportation. One of the significant initiatives of the group was the publication of an attractive souvenir booklet that highlighted the exceptional advantages of Bowling Green as a location for the school. The booklet included 28 halftone photographs of streets and public buildings taken by local photographer James A. Walker. Copies were sent to members of the state legislature and sold to the public for $1 each. The collaborative work of the local community was successful in bringing the school to Bowling Green. The foundation of a mutually beneficial town and gown relationship had been laid.

      The community continued to serve as local advocates through the years. In 1929, a Bowling Green resident, state representative Myrna Reece Hanna, cosponsored a bill to enlarge the scope of Bowling Green State Normal College. A liberal-arts program was established in addition to a college of education with four-year bachelor of science degree-granting status. In 1933, during the Great Depression, local community advocacy in the form of the Northwestern Ohio Educational Protective Association saved Bowling Green State College from closure and conversion into a state welfare institution. In 1935, a bill was passed that authorized the creation of colleges of business administration and liberal arts. Graduate instruction leading to a master of arts degree was also authorized. Bowling Green State College became Bowling Green State University at that time. During World War II, when enrollment declined, the university became the home of the V-5 and V-12 naval training programs. The university purchased a 120-acre site for the construction of an airport to meet the needs of the V-5 naval pilot training program. Local high school teachers were hired as supplemental instructors for both programs, due to a wartime shortage of faculty members.

      The influx of V-5 and V-12 cadets provided stability to the local economy. The wartime prosperity for city and university was sustained by the arrival of veterans who came to take advantage of their GI Bill educational benefits. The campus expanded to meet the needs of an expanding enrollment. Bowling Green businesses, including bars, gas stations, motels, restaurants, retail stores, and theaters have benefited significantly from the increased student population. Families and friends visiting their students, attending commencement ceremonies, or participating in athletic and cultural activities have been vital in boosting the local economy, as visitors patronize local businesses. Many local businesses have had contracts with the board of trustees to provide goods and services. Some of those included A. Froney & Company, Hankey Lumber, Home Steam Laundry, and Maas Brothers Grocery.

      Diverse university-sponsored cultural, educational, and recreational activities enrich the lives of Bowling Green residents. Cultural activities have included School

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