Sidney, Ohio Part I

Sidney, Ohio

Views of the 1883 Shelby County Courthouse built

in the Second French Empire Style.

This building with grounds occupies an entire square block.

Around the square are other notable old buildings.

Another view of the square around the county courthouse.

Sidney became the county seat for Shelby County way back in 1819.

The most famous place to eat in downtown Sidney, Ohio.

The Spot
The original Spot began in 1907 as a chuck wagon run by a man named Spot Miller.
George W. Bush has eaten at The Spot.

And what is the best thing on the menu?
Why that would be a gigantic tenderloin sandwich.


The People's Federal Savings and Loan Building
This beautiful bank building was designed by Louis Sullivan and built back in 1917.
It has stained glass windows and gargoyles like a medieval cathedral might have.


Here is a sideview of the Federal Savings and Loan Building.
Double click on both pics to see the detailed workmanship of this old building.



The Monumental Building is a Civil War Memorial
to all the Shelby County Union Soldiers Who Fought in the Civil War.
This building has seen many uses including being an opera house where Buffalo Bill performed.
It has recently been restored and is now a municipal court.

Here is a sideview of the Monumental Building.
This facade is entirely different.
It looks very German to me.

Notice the ornate tile roof and the figure at the top of the building.
The figure at the top stands for Sergeant Baker, a Shelby County farmer who became one of the Ohio Squirrel Shooters sent to defend Cincinnati from the advancing Southern Forces.
A Squirrel Shooter was a farmer turned Civil War soldier whose previous gun experience was "shooting squirrels but never the same squirrel twice".

Now that's a strange bit of Ohio history for you on this Monday morning.