The following has been submitted by the Logan County History Center:
By: Mary E. Mortimer
From the 1890s through the 1950s, Bellefontaine was a thriving railroad town. It was home to one of the largest roundhouses and repair centers on the Big Four (New York Central) lines, where trains stopped to service steam engines and change crews. For a time, locomotives were built in Bellefontaine. At its peak, as many as ninety freight trains and more than forty passenger trains passed through Bellefontaine each day. The railroad was a major employer in Logan County, with more than two hundred people working in the roundhouse and shops at any given time, in addition to train crews.
The first Railway YMCA “resting house” opened on January 10, 1901. Located on two small lots southwest of the roundhouse near Lawrence Street, it became the operating headquarters. The YMCA offered lodging and meals for railroad workers who did not live in the area while they waited for their next shifts. By 1913, the YMCA could not house everyone who needed lodging. After renting several residences, it leased the Hotel Bellefontaine on West Columbus Avenue, adding about one hundred rooms. Demand still exceeded capacity, so the Big Four provided a train of sleeping cars for the men.
Construction began on a new YMCA building at the corner of West Columbus Avenue and Elm Street in 1922. At the dedication in October 1923, all forty-nine bedrooms were occupied, and a long waiting list formed for the 12-hour period each person was permitted to remain in a room. Nearly 8,000 workers used the Railroad YMCA each year, and for many, it became a “home away from home”. In 1963, a 34-by-62-foot locker and shower room addition was built on the Elm Street side of the building. The Crew Dispatcher’s Office occupied a small corner of the first floor. It also served as the place where furloughed railroad employees signed up for unemployment benefits. Simon “Si” Herring was a dispatcher for many years and a well-known railroad historian.
In 1966, Wynona “Winnie” Reames was hired as Secretary to the Director. She was promoted to Executive Director in September 1969. With her promotion, she became the first woman director of the Bellefontaine association and the second woman YMCA Director in the country. Mrs. Reames was so dedicated to being the Director that she worked almost every day of the week, including Sundays. The YMCA was open 24 hours, seven days a week, and she typically worked a 16-hour day. Mrs. Reames recalled, “The guests resented her at first because they thought a woman couldn’t handle the job.” But, she said, “I haven’t had anything I couldn’t handle.” As Director, she had a secretary and a staff of twenty-five employees. Once a month, she met with the Board of Trustees, which was comprised of seven railroad employees and seven local businessmen. In June 1979, after 13 years of employment with the Railroad YMCA, Mrs. Reames retired.
Bellefontaine’s importance as a railroad center waned in the 1960’s. The increased use of diesel engines and newer technology decreased the importance of the roundhouse. The emergence of newer means of personal travel and semi-truck freight transport greatly decreased railroad traffic through Bellefontaine. The roundhouse closed its doors in 1980, and in May 1983, Conrail moved its terminal from Bellefontaine to Crestview, Ohio. This ended crew changes in Bellefontaine and its importance as a railroad town. Bulletin-board attendant Bill Henry, a railroad employee for thirty-nine½ years, was the last person to manage the office before it closed. The next month, it was announced that the YMCA would close after the building failed a fire-safety inspection. Even at the time of closing, the restaurant continued to draw steady daily business and was known for “good home cooking and generous servings.” The YMCA had also become a popular gathering place for late-night crowds after nearby taverns closed.
In September 1983, the City of Bellefontaine received a $350,000 Community Development Block Grant to renovate the YMCA building, and LPZ Construction was hired as the general contractor. While the funding enabled partial restoration of the first floor, it was insufficient to address the building’s extensive repair needs. Despite these limitations, the YMCA celebrated a grand reopening on May 18, 1986. More than one hundred guests toured the remodeled activities room, banquet room, kitchen, parlor, and dining room.
The optimism surrounding the reopening was short-lived, however. State-mandated requirements, including the installation of an elevator, enclosed stairwells, ramps, additional fire exits, a widened front entrance, and a sprinkler system, nearly doubled the project’s total cost. As a result, further remodeling was suspended while additional funding was sought.
In December 1987, the YMCA board of directors sold the building to Columbus businessmen Joseph Recchie and D. Joe Martin, who planned to convert it into apartments. Those plans were never realized. The property later entered receivership and was purchased in 1993 by attorneys Levi Lile and DeWayne Smith. Although restoration efforts were again considered, escalating construction costs and stringent state regulations rendered full rehabilitation impractical. Remodeling was postponed once more, and the building continued to deteriorate. The City of Bellefontaine ultimately condemned the structure, and it was demolished in 2009.
In November 2010, the Logan County Historical Society, along with former building owners Levi W. and Nancy Nicholl Lile, dedicated a historical marker commemorating the former Railroad YMCA and the vital role of the railroad in Logan County’s history.
Visit the Logan County History Center to learn more interesting aspects of Logan County History. The History Center is open for tours Wednesday – Sunday from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Admission is free.
