Tag Archives: Troy Ohio

The Lickity Splitter

Posted on by
Reply

It’s called the Lickity Splitter.

I found it in, of all places, the WACO Air Museum and Aviation Learning Center in Troy, Ohio. While that museum is dedicated mostly to the WACO airplanes made in town a century ago, they also have a few pieces related to general local history.

Note: I dug a little deeper after I wrote that line and the internet tells me the man who patented the design was a fella named Clayton Brukner who was once the head of the WACO Air Company. This rings a bell for me – I think I read it on a museum sign and then promptly forgot.

Anyway….

This is a log splitter that was produced by the Piqua Engineering Company. The sign says they started making these things in 1958 and it was basically the Cadillac of log splitters back in the day.

The Piqua Engineering Company opened in 1942 as a manufacturer of airplanes and producer of parts for the US government during the war. Postwar years led them in different directions to make neon signs, dumbwaiters, paper bailers and log splitters, among other things.

Oddly enough, there’s one for sale in an online auction. Click here if you wish to place your bid but do it soon as the auction ends on March 22, 2023. It’s in Brooklyn, Mississippi. I found one that sold a while back for $1,100.

By the way, I never thought that I would be writing about a log splitter but I found the picture from my day at the WACO museum and couldn’t resist asking the question that so often travels through my mind. What the heck is that?

Happiness Is…..

Posted on by
Reply

Happiness is finding just the right angle. These two aircraft and the American flag line up as well as I could ask in this picture from the WACO Air Museum.

The small wooden plane held aloft is a reproduction of the 1919 WACO Cootie, a high wing parasol type aircraft. With its short wings and two cylinder engine, it barely flew but is an important piece of WACO history. Just two of these planes were ever manufactured and the plans have been lost to time so the man who built it did so based off of pictures.

The stunning red and white airplane in the foreground is the 1929 Goodrich Taperwing, a modern beauty and literal showpiece for this museum. It is gorgeous and it looks like it could do anything a good pilot asks it to do.

Lt. Joe Mackey and the US Army Air Corps flew this plane in the 1936 International Aerobatic Competition in Paris. It won, securing the WACO name in the world of higher performance aircraft.

Airplanes aren’t meant to be photographed in museums with their harsh light and other planes jockeying for attention in the background. They’re meant to be captured soaring high above, stretching their wings and inspiring those bound to earth to reach toward the heavens.

Yet, I was pleased with this photo and the way the Cootie perhaps smiles down on its descendants. The taperwing wouldn’t have been possible if not for the early designs of planes like the Cootie.

And, of course, modern aircraft wouldn’t be what it is today without companies like WACO. I’m grateful for the museum and for this image to help preserve memories of the day.

WACO Air Museum

Posted on by
2

Amazing things can happen when a community unites behind a cause. The power of this sort of commitment can be seen at the WACO Air Museum in Troy, Ohio.

The WACO Aircraft Company was the largest manufacturer of US civil aircraft in the late twenties and early thirties. The museum talks about the planes as well as the people who made the company successful.

This is a fascinating story of American aviation history that’s well told here. It’s not a large museum but everything is high quality and an audio tour available through your smartphone tells stories that supplement the signs.

The museum exists because the community formed the WACO Historical Society in 1978 and set to work gathering stories, photos, planes and artifacts that would eventually be used in this museum.

Personally, I best enjoyed the stories of the people who worked here and seeing the planes as well. Most of the planes are located in a hangar that also has event space. It’s interesting to me the way the planes are gathered around the presentation area. I like the idea that they are active participants in whatever programming goes on here and witness to the museum’s events.

It’s also important to note that the women of this company’s past play a prominent role. From the women who worked in the factory to those who flew the planes, you will notice that they didn’t shy away from giving credit where credit is due.

Want to visit the WACO museum? You should! Click here for hours and admission.

While you’re in the area, be sure to grab something tasty at K’s Hamburger Shop and go for a hike at Aullwood Arboretum.

K’s Hamburger Shop

Posted on by
8

If you want to make a friend, walk into a local diner and sit down at the counter. If you don’t wanna make a friend, better not sit at the counter.

On Saturday, I found myself in need of a quick lunch and in the neighborhood of K’s Hamburger Shop in Troy, Ohio. They’ve been in business since 1935 and they clearly know their way around food and hospitality. How do I know? Because in a town with plenty of food options, the place was packed at 2:45 on a Saturday afternoon.

Families packed into booths and a couple across the counter from me were clearly lost to the world as they chatted and sampled food from each others plates. Small kids ran to the counter with cash in hand and ice cream on the mind while the place buzzed with conversation and laughter.

It was chaotic and not one person behind that busy counter noticed that I was standing there looking lost.

A booth of locals took pity on me as I stood at the front door trying to figure out what the heck was going on. One gentleman waved me over and told me to order at the cash register and find a seat.

Turns out the only seat to be had was at the U-shaped counter. If you sit at the counter, you order from your seat. If you sit in a booth, you order and then go sit and wait for them to call your name.

So I grabbed a stool at the counter where I had a front row seat to the friendly banter among staff and customers. The daughter of the original owners was scurrying about alongside a white uniformed fry cook, waitress and waiters. There were four or five of them headed every which way.

Regulars popped in for white sacks of burgers and it sounded like the people at a booth down the way were solving all the world’s problems over plates of breakfast. Like any good diner, they serve breakfast all day.

I made friends with the couple next to me. She is a substitute teacher at the high school and their son works at K’s so they were particularly helpful in interpreting the protocol of this place. Among other things, I learned that the person who takes your order makes your food. That’s why there’s no dinging bell or cries of “order up.”

That conversation actually began with my favorite small town phrase – “you’re not from around here.”

It’s rarely posed as a question and is mostly stated with confidence. The woman said that anyone local would know how to order there because everyone goes to K’s.

Point noted.

I was seated right in front of the guy frying the burgers – not the best place for a vegetarian but I was so fascinated by the process so it worked out ok. They said he cooks their burgers in water, dropping them in as balls before flattening them with a metal spatula and giving them a blanket of cheese. They look greasy but they seem to be the most popular item on the menu.

A woman working at the WACO Air Museum down the road recommended the chocolate malt so I got a malt with my egg salad on white bread. It was a delicious lunch. They bring the malt out in the stainless steel mixer cup which makes it feel like an even greater treat.

The folks next to me recommended stopping by sometime on a weekday when it’s less busy. Evidently Saturdays are always like this. Truth is, I really didn’t mind how busy it was. It felt like a quintessential American experience.

Maybe it’s because I was starving, maybe it’s because the food really is good but I think there’s some magic to eating at a place like this. There’s something special about a meal enjoyed at an 87 year old diner.

If you’re ever in Troy, Ohio, stop by K’s at 117 East Main Street and be sure to try the chocolate malt.

First 2023 Adventure Day

Posted on by
2

Yesterday brought a break in the No Spend Challenge for a little Adventure Day. I intended to stay home and use the time to do a couple of projects, get some rest and read. But the forecast for sunshine and 41 degrees was simply too tempting to ignore.

Instead, I set off early and headed to Dayton to hike at Aullwood Audubon where I visited the trolls or the forest giants, depending on what you call them. It was 21 degrees and the weather app said it felt like fifteen but I was so happy to be in nature I did not care.

Then I hit up the Waco Air Museum in Troy.

And, I needed lunch so I found a fantastic little diner nearby. It was cramped and busy so my pictures are all awful but the food was delish and I really liked it there. I will tell you all about it soon.

And I mostly window shopped at Antiques Village but did score a couple of good deals. This is one of my favorite antique malls so I couldn’t leave town without a stroll through.

It’s funny because I was so happy at home and focusing on my January No Spend Challenge that I never felt deprived. However, this day that was heavy on experiences and light on spending was just what I needed. I felt more like myself than I have in a long time.

It was a long day but I would have stayed out longer. We are probably lucky that I didn’t continue West when I found myself on the National Road. Don’t think I didn’t contemplate running away from home to the great state of Indiana!

Along the way, I chatted with people, looked at some interesting things and even saw a mink in the wild. So check back to hear more and to see more pictures!

Eldean Covered Bridge

Posted on by
2

Last summer I took my parents on a road trip to Piqua, Ohio. We were headed down a state route when everyone simultaneously exclaimed “covered bridge!”

I made a quick left turn and we took a closer look at the 1860 covered bridge.

At 224 feet long, it’s the longest surviving long truss bridge in the country and it spans the Great Miami River. Today the bridge is a National Historic Landmark that is open to pedestrians and cars.

There’s a small park adjacent to the bridge.

When you drive through a covered bridge, be sure to roll down the windows and turn down the music so you can hear your modern wheels bump over the wood floor.

Tale a deep breath and absorb the smell of history. It’s a rare treat for many so don’t take it for granted.