Dornberg House, Stories of Woodland Park
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93 Parkwood Avenue
McCalla House

Lot 37 Cornfield's Addition

Winfield S. Courtright purchased this lot for $1,600 on April 16, 1904 from Herman H. Barbour. On April 11, 1913, Mary Ella McCalla, the widow of Albert E. McCalla, Sr., purchased this property from the bankruptcy trustee of Winfield S. Courtright for $1,850. Courtright lived at 1592 East Broad Street.

This Tudor influenced house was probably built in 1913 for Mrs. McCalla. 

Albert Edwin McCalla, Sr. was born September 29, 1859 in Ohio, son of George and Eliza Thompson McCalla. He married Mary Ella Robinson in Franklin County on August 2, 1882. Mary was born in August 1864 in Ohio, daughter of James and Mary E. Robinson. They had four children, Elizabeth (June 1883), Albert Edwin, Jr. (November 1884) and Mary Ella (April 1887).

As early as 1895, the McCallas lived at 1850 East Broad Street. Albert was farmer and produce dealer. Albert died of a crushed skull suffered in a streetcar accident on December 31, 1910.

In 1911, Mary McCalla lived at 1160 East Long Street. 

Mary's daughter, Mary married Dr. Howard E. Boucher in 1913 and they lived in this house with with the senior Mary. 

Dr. Howard E. Boucher was born June 17, 1884 in Williams County, Ohio, son of Chauncey A. and Mary A. Yanbert Boucher. He married Mary E. McCalla in Columbus on September 3, 1913. Mary was born in 1886, daughter of Albert E. and Mary Ella McCalla. They had two children, Helen B. (1914 - 2002) and Howard E. Jr. (1917).

Boucher was a physician. In 1914, his office was at 862 Mt. Vernon Avenue. 

Mary McCalla and the Bouchers lived here just a few years through about 1915. By 1916 they lived at 246 North Monroe Avenue. In 1918 Mary McCalla lived 81 North 22nd Street. In 1920 the Bouchers rented 1097 Fair Avenue and Mary McCalla was living at 100 North 22nd Street. 

Mary McCalla married Myron E. Wright in Franklin County on June 28, 1922.

Mary Ella McCalla Wright died in 1925. Dr. Boucher died in 1965. Mary died in 1969. They are buried at Greenlawn Cemetery.

From 1915 to 1919, Harold W. Clapp rented the house from Mrs. McCalla. In 1913 Clapp lived at 57 Parkwood Avenue. 

Sir Harold Winthrop Clapp was born May 7, 1875 in St. Kilda, Melbourne, Australia, son of Francis Boardman Clapp. He married Vivian Noel about 1907. Vivian was born about 1886 in England. They had three children, Robert B. (1908), Vivian N. (1913), and Harold W., Jr. (1917).

Wikipedia says Clapp "was a transport administrator who over the course of thirty years had a profound effect on Australia's railway network. In two decades as its Chairman of Commissioners, he revolutionized Victorian Railways, with unprecedented attention to customer service and innovations such as more powerful locomotives, air-conditioned carriages, and faster services culminating in the introduction of the flagship Spirit of Progress express train. Seconded to the Federal Government in World War II, he played a pivotal role in the manufacture of fighter aircraft in the defense of Australia. As Director-General of Australia's Land Transport Board, he presented a report on railway gauge standardization that ultimately led to the eventual linking of all Australian mainland capital cities by a uniform rail gauge."

In 1908 Clapp moved to Columbus, Ohio and joined the Southern Pacific Railroad. About 1913 through 1920, Clapp was General Superintendent of the Columbus, Railway, Light & Power Company. In 1919, Clapp was also 2nd Vice President of The Athletic Club of Columbus. By 1920, he was a Vice President of the Southern Pacific, as well as the Columbus Railway Power and Light Co and Illinois' East St. Louis and Suburban Railway. (see biography of Clapp at the bottom right of the page)

Australian Premier Harry Lawson appointed Clapp as Chairman of the Commissioners of Victorian Railways in September 1920 on the recommendation of former Chairman Sir Thomas James Tait, who had known Clapp prior to his move to the United States. With an annual salary of £5,000, Clapp was Australia's highest-paid public servant at the time. Clapp arrived in September 1920, and began an extraordinary period of reform of Victorian Railways. During his tenure, timetables were improved, larger and more powerful locomotives were built, services were improved, and the VR expanded operations into everything from motor coach services, a ski chalet, and creches to bakeries and raisin bread marketing.

Mary McCalla sold the house to Harry J. Bradbury on April 4, 1919.

Harold "Harry" J. Bradbury was born July 24, 1878 in Hartford, Cheshire, England, son of John Harold and Annie Vikers Bradbury.He married Mabelle "Mabel" Violet Skeels in Essex, Ontario, Canada on November 23, 1902. Mabel was born July 13, 1882, daughter of Frank B. and Rosa Isabella Barber Skeels. They had two children, a son born July 24, 1903 and Hartford Johnson (July 20, 1906 - December 19, 1973)

In 1910 the Bradburys lived at 2087 East 55th Street in Cleveland. Harry was Secretary of a secret service company. Bradshaw was commissioned to fight corruption and lawlessness that arose in Newark, Ohio after it had been voted "dry," prohibiting the sale of liquor within city limits. The Cosmopolitan, Volume 49 (1910), "...Wayne B. Wheeler, an attorney and the shrewdest and ablest man in the anti-saloon ranks...struck quickly. He engaged a corps of special detectives from a Cleveland concern, and turned them over to the Newark Law and Order League. These detectives were headed by Harry J. Bradbury, a keen, courageous, and earnest young man who has specialized as a detector of municipal corruption. Bradbury wasn't afraid. He never is. Furthermore he had the advantage of not being hampered by prejudice, for he himself is not interested in the liquor fight, pro or con. His men mingled with the lawbreakers, drank with them, found them out. And what they turned up was amazing..." (more from The Cosmopolitan at the bottom of this page.)

The Bradburys moved from Cleveland to Columbus in 1912

In 1918 Bradbury was Vice President and Treasurer of the James Ohlen & Son Saw Manufacturing Company. The Bradburys lived at 2122 Summit Street.   

In 1942, Bradbury was Vice President of the Ohlen Bishop Manufacturing Company. 

The Bradburys moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the 1950s. 

Harry died March 1, 1973. Mabel died July 2, 1973. The are buried at Greenlawn Cemetery.

On October 29, 1948 the Bradburys sold the house to the Thomases.

Owen CharlesThomas was born January 16, 1903 in Washington Court House, Ohio. 
He first married Cleota Haynes in Franklin County on April 8, 1925.
 
He married Dorris Marguerite Peale between 1938 and 1941. Dorris was born January 18, 1904 in Highland, Ohio.

In 1920, Thomas worked as a porter and lived at 611 East Fulton Street. As early as 1924 he was working as a barber. From 1931 to 1935 Thomas was a barber at 247 Franklin Avenue. From 1937 to 1954 he was at 1278 Oak Street.

In 1933, Dorris lived at 1300 East Long Street. In 1936 she was working as a maid, probably on Franklin Avenue. In 1938 she was still working as a maid, and lived at 1233 East Long Street.

In the 1950s the Thomases were real estate salespeople working for the Brooks Realty Company. 

Thomas died in Licking County in August 1973. Dorris died March 14, 2003 in Coshocton, Ohio. 

On March 23, 1957 the Thomases sold the house to the Williams. 

Jafus Williams, Sr. was born December 5, 1903 in Ensley, Alabama, son of Will and Lani Rumph Williams. He married Alice Ozella McElroy about 1928. Alice was born March 7, 1908 in Raymond, Mississippi, daughter of Tom and Ida James Lynch McElroy. They had three children, Pearline (1929 - January 24, 2004), Jafus W., Jr. (October 7, 1929 - January 14, 2001), and Edward (1932). Alice had a son before their marriage, Walter Williams (1927).

The Williams moved from rural Ponsett County, Alabama to Columbus between 1935 and 1940. 

In 1940 the Williams lived at 1959 Goethe Street. Jafus was a road construction laborer. 

Jafus died August 20, 1982. Alice died May 15, 1990. 

The Williams sold the house on April 24, 1969 to Gene Fowler.

Gene Fowler was born May 7, 1911 in Georgia. He had a son, Kenneth L. (October 23, 1939 - August 18, 1963).

In 1938, Fowler lived at 923 Atcheson Street and was working as a clerk. As early as 1942, Fowler lived at 1026 Hildreth Avenue and worked as a laborer. In 1946 he was manager of Club Chesterfield. he ran a lunch counter at the American Legion. In 1948 he was the owner of J.J. Wine Grill at 998 Mt. Vernon Avenue. About 1953 to 1957 Fowler worked as a carpenter for Columbus Die & Tool & Machine Company.

Fowler died August 17, 1970. He is buried at Greenlawn Cemetery. 

On July 20, 1972, the Brooks bought the house for $13,000 from Fowler's estate.

Curtis Oscar Brooks, Sr. was born February 16, 1936 in Illinois. He married Freida M. (Cobb). Frieda was born November 6, 1941. The had a son, Curtis Oscar Brooks, Jr. (May 2, 1963)

On June 3, 1974 the Brooks sold the house to Maxwell E. Nwosu.

Nwous sold the house on September 21, 1977 to Beverly W. Patterson.

On March 3, 1980, Janet M. Pierce purchased the house. 

Pierce sold the house on August 24, 1983 to Roslyn J. Harris. 

On November 25, 1985 John J. Reagan purchased the house.

Kevin D. Williams purchased the house on April 2, 1990.
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93 Parkwood Avenue, April 2014
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The Bryan Democrat, September 12, 1913
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Sir Harold Winthrop Clapp
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Mabelle and Harry Bradbury
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Harry Bradbury
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Hartford J. Bradbury
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Gene Fowler at Club Chesterfield
The Ohio State News, June 3, 1946
(click image to enlarge)
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Mabel and Harry Bradbury at their basement bar
Harry Bradbury at his basement bar

below from The Cosmopolitan, Volume 49, 1910
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Clapp, Sir Harold Winthrop (1875–1952)
by Patsy Adam-Smith
This article was published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8, (MUP), 1981


Sir Harold Winthrop Clapp (1875-1952), railway administrator, was born on 7 May 1875 at St Kilda, Melbourne, fourth child of Francis Boardman Clapp and his wife Isabella Pinnock, née Pierce, both American-born. He was educated at Brighton Grammar and Melbourne Church of England Grammar schools, where, according to his sisters, he resisted discipline and 'escaped whenever his ingenious plotting and planning could manage it'. On leaving school he served his apprenticeship in 1893-95 at the Austral Otis Co.'s engineering works at South Melbourne. For four years he was superintendent of motive power for the Brisbane Tramway Co. Ltd of which his father was a founder and shareholder.

In 1900 Clapp went to the United States of America for experience, and spent six years with the General Electric Co., Schenectady, New York. He was then engaged by the Interborough Rapid Transit Co., and among other work was in charge of electrification of the West Jersey and Seashore division of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. On 19 September 1906 at Providence, Rhode Island, he married Gertrude Vivien, daughter of Judge Arthur Noel of Brisbane.

Clapp joined the Southern Pacific Railroad Co. in 1908 and took charge of electrification of the suburban railways of Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley, California. Then based at Columbus, Ohio, he was manager and later vice-president of the Columbus Railway Power and Light Co., and vice-president of the East St Louis and Suburban Railway Co., Illinois.

Despite a promising future in the United States, Clapp applied for and in April 1920 was appointed to the position of chairman of the Victorian Railway Commissioners, at a salary of £5000. He arrived in Melbourne on 15 September and began work two days later. Few Australian public servants have been so closely identified with their departments as Clapp; to many, he wasthe railways. On the technical side, he introduced many reforms. By mid-1922 the electrification of the suburban lines, begun ten years earlier, was complete. Clapp extended the network further, regraded and improved tracks, redesigned standard locomotives, introduced welded rails for smooth running, speeded up timetables and transformed railway storekeeping methods.

Clapp extended departmental control over a wide range of railway affairs. He gave particular attention to passenger amenities. By 1923 a model bakery provided 'wholesome goods', especially those containing dried fruit, for sale in refreshment rooms. To encourage the citrus fruit industry he opened a kiosk at Flinders Street station in 1924, set up stalls at other stations, and sold much fruit in times of glut. In November 1926 Clapp began selling pure orange and lemon juice drinks at a stall in Flinders Street station, the first, he claimed, in the Commonwealth. By then the department had its own butchery, bakery, laundry and poultry farm, and ran the book- and tobacco-stalls at city stations. He improved dining car facilities and introduced new steel buffet cars, the first being used during the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York in 1927.

Clapp's measures aimed both to promote the use of railway passenger and freight services and to help primary producers. His preoccupation with country interests led to the institution in 1922 of the Victorian National Resources Development Train, known as Reso, which took city businessmen on tours of regional centres. The Better Farming Train, completed in 1925 as a joint venture with the Department of Agriculture, was equipped to demonstrate latest techniques to farmers.

In his pursuit of business for the railways Clapp showed both flair and innovation. He made a film of the Victorian railways at work, which was shown in Australia and overseas. From 1 July 1923 he took over the whole railway advertising business, previously leased to a private company. He produced pamphlets and posters, and by 1924 had begun in earnest his famous campaign of slogans, which included such watchwords as 'Citrus fruit is nature's way To keep you fit for work and play'; 'Grow more grass—topdress your pastures'; 'Cross crossings cautiously'; 'Go up into Brightness on the Buffalo Plateau'; other posters exhorted the public to travel by train to the zoo, the Royal Show, the seaside. In 1925 Clapp introduced weekly radio talks. He also keenly promoted tourism, especially within Victoria for Victorians. In October 1924 the department took over the Mount Buffalo chalet and made it one of the best-known resorts in the State. In 1929 Clapp was first chairman of the Australian National Travel Association.

Other innovations included a children's nursery at Flinders Street, opened in 1933, and the 'Man in Grey' at Spencer Street to answer travellers' queries. Sunday excursion trains had been running for many years but in 1929-30 Clapp persuaded the government to authorize Sunday trains from Melbourne to centres such as Bendigo and Geelong, and then between country towns.

The Depression curtailed many of Clapp's schemes. The railways made a profit in 1924-25 but in the following years deficits grew, with a record loss in 1931. Some of the costs were attributed to pay increases under Arbitration awards. But to Clapp the most serious problem, with which he became increasingly obsessed, was the competition of road transport. In an attempt to undercut road freights he reduced rail rates to what has been described as 'absurd levels'.

In 1934 Clapp toured America, Britain and the Continent investigating developments overseas including the use of diesel engines. Next year he introduced air-conditioned carriages to the service. By 1937 his pet project, the 'Cor-ten' steel passenger train, was nearing completion at the Newport workshops. Clapp was reportedly involved in every detail of its construction, from automatic couplings to interior fittings. The 'Spirit of Progress', as the train was named, was placed on the Melbourne-Albury run on 23 November 1937; after this journey, Clapp trudged the length of the Albury platform to shake hands with the driver and thank him for 'a very good trip'.

In an interview on arrival in Melbourne in 1920 Clapp had announced: 'I am all for efficiency and team work and want to know my men and my men to know me'. With his grasp of detail he learnt the names and faces of thousands of railway employees. He welcomed suggestions from the staff:(Sir) Frederic Eggleston recorded that Clapp was in almost constant session with his colleagues, especially the technical officers, and that he was approachable and 'on cordial terms' with railway union officials. He took a close interest in the education of apprentices and encouraged pupil engineers and architects to complete studies at the University of Melbourne; in 1921 he introduced training classes for junior clerks and lad porters.

Clapp was sometimes lampooned for his passion for cleanliness: 'Clever Mary' was a nickname, and his penchant for running a finger along a high shelf in country stations was well known. He dressed carefully, and polished his shoes several times a day. In appearance he was 'a tall, gaunt, loose-limbed figure, with deep-set eyes and a sharp nose'; he never lost the accent and vocabulary he picked up in America. He had a sardonic turn of phrase, a brusque manner and a habit of ending an interview which was boring him with a barked 'I'm not hearing you'. He watched his diet carefully and drank sparingly. Horse-riding was a hobby, and he enjoyed football as a fervent Richmond barracker. Home life gave him pleasure: the family lived at Toorak and had a holiday house at Frankston.

On 30 June 1939 Clapp left the railways to become general manager of the Aircraft Construction Branch of the Commonwealth Department of Supply and Development, set up after the government decided to assemble Bristol Beaufort Bombers in Australia. He was made chairman of the new Aircraft Production Commission in March next year. In January 1941 he was knighted. When (Sir) Robert Menzies created the Department of Aircraft Production in June 1941 the commission continued to function but under the administration of the new department, and in January 1942 John Curtin replaced it altogether by the Aircraft Advisory Committee. Clapp was not appointed to the new body. Instead, in February he became director-general of land transport to co-ordinate Commonwealth and State road and rail transport.

In February 1944 he was asked to prepare a report on plans for the standardization of Australia's railway gauges. This was printed in March 1945 and its recommendations were accepted in principle by the Commonwealth government, but ratifying legislation by all the States was not passed. Clapp argued for the change to uniform standard gauge on grounds both of defence and national prosperity. His report was used as a basis for further recommendations in 1956, after which projects to convert major routes were launched.

In September 1951 Clapp resigned for health reasons but continued to act as a consultant to the Department of Shipping and Transport. On 21 October 1952 he died in hospital at East Melbourne, survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. He was cremated after a Methodist service conducted by Rev. (Sir) Irving Benson. A few months earlier he had ridden in the driving cabin of the Victorian Railways' first diesel-electric locomotive, named the 'Harold W. Clapp'. Many tributes were paid to him. Menzies spoke of his 'superb honesty as an adviser and administrator'; Eggleston described him as the 'ablest public servant' with whom he came in contact, with a 'genius for administration'. 'A remarkable man', summed up C. R. Bradish, 'with curiosities and vanities of personality which were probably responsible for the charge that he was wholly a “showman”. But he had sufficient power and imagination to give the Victorian Railways a reputation they had never known before'.
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