Fostoria, Ohio: The Rail City That Refuses to Fold Its Hand
Video Overview & Insights
Fostoria, Ohio: The Rail City That Refuses to Fold Its Hand
Are you from Fostoria? I only ask because I’ve never heard some of those places pronounced like that. Like Mennel and Roppe. You say them differently than the locals do.
An analytical industrial and historical autopsy of Fostoria, Ohio. We examine how this northwest Ohio hub evolved from the explosive natural gas and glass boom era of the late 19th century into a resilient modern manufacturing and agricultural corridor anchored by the legendary Iron Triangle rail junction.
This independent documentary series utilizes a forensic, data-driven approach to evaluate the heartbeat, infrastructure, and socioeconomic realities of the American Rust Belt, prioritizing technical continuity and human narrative over decline-only retrospectives.
Bucyrus and Kenton would be fun to see.
Chapter Timestamps
00:00 Introduction: Fostoria's Industrial Footprint
Good stuff as always.
01:17 The Backbone of Heavy Manufacturing
02:41 ADM Grain Elevators & Energy Transfer Terminal
Great Information. Lived there 10yrs. Explains a great towns history.
04:24 Fostoria Incandescent Lamp & Press Steel History
06:14 Fostoria Machine and Tool
I wonder if roppe rubber is still there ?
07:29 Mennel Milling: The Quiet Giant
12:15 Morgan Advanced Materials
My dad worked at Atlas crankshaft in fostoria
17:53 Roppe Rubber Corporation
22:21 JF Swinhart Company
Between west milgrove and fostoria on 199
25:09 NCS Crankshaft
27:15 The Iron Triangle: Rail City Genesis
I lived on state route 199 5 miles from fostoria been there many times now I'm in Findlay
31:52 Downtown Fostoria & the Gas Boom Era
35:43 Residential Neighborhoods & Community Roots
Fostoria was booming in the 90s when I was a kid and I get called crazy when I say what I believe on why it crashed. It was booming when Jim Bailey was mayor then the years davoli took over as mayor the town just fell apart and every big industry just happened to close back to back it’s all suspicious to me. I’ll tell you why and it’s because of Findlay wants to grow and be a large city and they have the marathon oil company and many others and billions of money in that town. I really think they paid the city officials and mayor and others in charge to help ruin the town. Yea Findlay would have still grew regardless but with fostoria shutting down definitely helped and contributed. And what a coincidence no jobs in fostoria the first place we had to go for work was Findlay means we have to work there and pay taxes helping them get more money and the amount of people who left fostoria guess where they ended up moving to?? Findlay!!! And it helped there economy grow even more. Like I said Findlay didn’t need fostoria to make it grow but it sure did help. And also guess where mayor John devoli ended up moving to?? He moved from fostoria that he used to say he was so proud of and he now lives in Findlay Ohio. My town was bought out and left for dead and has to be ones of the biggest town crashes in history. Even in sports used to play in div 2 and now are playing teams like van buren because the population has shrunk so much. Makes no sense all these trains and different train companies all riding thru would think there would be hundreds of factories in fostoria near the tracks for transport but nope they just drive on thru. Only place they stop is the landfill and mennell it’s sad.
38:32 Quality of Life Index & Socioeconomic Evaluation
43:55 Viewer Comments & Community Ledger
Thank You. History of Industry, Agriculture, Towns, People. Interesting Content
Support & Engagement
This self-funded archival project is driven entirely by grassroots support and a commitment to preserve regional industrial history before it disappears.
Worked inside the Iron Triangle Survey for Emergency Bridge over Train Tracks. Drank Beer with the local Workers in the Old Bars and Taverns. Kind people though economic situation was down in 2006
Comment: Leave your local corrections, memories, or suggestions for the next town to put under the glass.
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Very well done video. To most people, Fostoria is a train town. But you show all the diversity it has. If it's in decline, it doesn't show very much. Maybe I should move there.
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Findlay, Ohio
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Should consider the small village of Forest Ohio, what used to be a “Gormely park gathering place ” now a struggling geriatric community!!! Currently has Tree town festival going on this weekend.
More User Perspectives
You did an awesome job. I have a story for you. My Grandpa, Harold Pelton started his own car lot in 1950 right here. In fosteria then I think 1952, he had Pelton supermarket pelton's trailer park, he owned a lot of stuff in fosteria
@fostoriaOhiomodelrailroadclubI was fortunate to be active (still am actually) when most of the facilities you mention were active in their original state Like UNION Carbide, Fostoria Foundry (Chrysler), Atlas Crankshaft, Roppe Rubber, all active clients of mine as well as most of the industrial base of OHIO. That opportunity grew over the years to become most of the country and eventually sites around the world. I can speak to the fact that almost every mid size city in the USA was very similar in structure. Actually my first R&D project I had the opportunity to work on was with Fostoria Corp in 1972.
I lived the rust belt in my 75 years and I keep living it. to me RUST is the most beautiful color in the world. When the facilities where brand new they where rusty, iron does that. Those that did not live it just don't understand it since Media seems to consider it gone, and IPO's are hot when 100 people show up with Laptops. What they don't see is that west coast high tech company's don't change with the market they just disappear-poof.
I will avoid the rant, and I have one. But, sum it up as the missed observations of the MBA crowd after they read the 1980's book called Megratrends by John Naisbitt determining that the only future for the USA was the service industry. He never saw or understood the "Rust Belt". neither did a rather liberal singer from Philly crying about the victimization of Allen Town. I can speak to a common fact between Allen Town and Fostoria, they were both nests for new business development by folks that understand that "something needs to be stole and sold". Or in the MBA vernacular "value added".
There are countless new companies that developed in those rusted buildings over the years , Swinehart was a classic example of this from gas inferred burners to sheet metal fabrication. Some such start-ups fail some grow. most frequently they are sold to larger corporations after the technical goals were achieved. Fostoria Corporation was a product development company, as you point out, that moved from Gas burner infrared to electric glow bar heaters we all stood below in airports across the country. Give that a thought for a second, combination of an electrode, carbon, and glass (quartz) technologies.
What I fear is not the rust but, the loss of opportunities for the minds of the developer, we are starting to get back to that now. I know American industry well, Years back acquired a complete set of text books from The Intentional Correspondence Schools of Scranton Pa. (1890 - 1905), that I keep in my Library. I actually knew some engineers that took that course back in the 60's as they were aging out. As I review these books now and then I can assure you that the basics of mechanical engineering have not changed to any great extent, the opportunities to use them have.
We Must get back to that ..
I filmed Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 going through Mennel.
@Oliver-kv2mmA very good video that represents Fostoria’s history.
Only one thing that bothered me was your pronunciation of Roppe.
Row-pee is correct not Rop-pee.
I hauled wheat to Memmel in the 80's for my Grandpa.
@BRAD-bx6mmDecorative glass ? Fostoria Glass moved to West Virginia where Jackie Kennedy plugged it during her televised tour of the newly renovated White House, as a result of political payback for the critical primary victory that John won in WV. Business boomed.
@johnteets2921Love these videos.
America was once a manufacturing powerhouse.
Had I known you were here, I woulda bought you a coffee! Thanks for the entertainment.
@frostysgarage55Always Watching Thanks Honest History Is Boring Where People Have To Lie To Get Attention Not Here
@MrJonathandcrow