The Evening Ravens

The Evening Ravens brings you snippets of history that focuses on the people, places and events that helped foster modern times in Columbus, Ohio. The name is derived from the mythological figures of Huginn and Muninn, the two ravens who toured the world to bring news to Odin each day.

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The Restoration of Westgate Park's Alphabet Playground

The Restoration of Westgate Park’s Alphabet Playground

Children growing up in West Columbus have always climbed the concrete alphabet letters once found at Westland Mall, and later at Westgate Park. However, for more than two decades, kids were deprived of enjoying the letter ‘B,” after it was destroyed by a runaway car in the 1980s.

Members of the West High School’s yearbook staff pose with the concrete ‘B’ outside Westland Mall in 1977. 

When the…

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What Happened to the Western Pancake House Cowboys?

What Happened to the Western Pancake House Cowboys?

One of the biggest curiosities for me as a child was a number of cowboy statues randomly found around West Columbus and surrounding communities. The fiberglass cowboys were nearly identical, except for varying colors in their western wear and bandannas.

These iconic statues were actually part of the branding for Western Pancake House, a chain of restaurants founded by Joe and Lena Skaggs in the…

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The 1929 Tornado that Destroyed Columbus Police Headquarters

The 1929 Tornado that Destroyed Columbus Police Headquarters

While the flooding that plagued West Columbus for the better half of a century has remained on the collective memory of the community, many folks have forgotten about another natural disaster – a tornado that tore through the Sullivant Avenue workhouse, killing two prisoners and injuring eight others.

The disaster was dubbed the 1929 Rye Cove, Virginia tornado outbreak. On a national level, it…

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The Infamous Columbus Police Shootout of 1938

The Infamous Columbus Police Shootout of 1938

Detective Robert Cline had just completed his 11th year on the Columbus police force, when he was shot in the abdomen and killed while pursuing four bank robbers on Feb. 5, 1938.

One day prior, the suspects held up the Hilltop branch of the Ohio National Bank for the alleged amount of $3,500. The four men were found hiding-out in a boarding house on Guilford Avenue, when Detective Robert Cooke…

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The Many "Holmes" of the Hilltop Library Branch

The Many “Holmes” of the Hilltop Library Branch

The long history of the Hilltop library began in 1911, when the Sunset Literary Club held a book drive for West Broad Elementary School. The group was successful in collecting around 300 books that were kept inside the school for a decade.

When a local man, Lawrence Holmes, died in 1921 he left his private book collection to the school,…

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Take a look at Westgate Park during winter 73 years ago. Read more of the park’s history at https://svlehosit.wordpress.com/2015/10/31/westgate-park-in-winter-time-72-years-ago/

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During the American Civil War, the Old Four Mile Inn & Tavern served as the social hub in Columbus, Ohio for Union officers at Camp Chase and travelers along the National Road. Read more at: https://svlehosit.wordpress.com/2015/10/27/old-four-mile-inn-tavern-the-social-hub-to-union-officers-and-weary-travelers-at-camp-chase/

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Mayor Jack Sensenbrenner brought prosperity to Columbus with a heavy approach to annexation and a focus on development. His accomplishments as the second longest-serving mayor has him still remembe...