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Middle Point Interurban Station
Middle Point Interurban Station
VanDel Drag Races
VanDel Drag Races
VanDel Drive in Theater
VanDel Drive in Theater
Middle Point, Ohio, began as a small village with a big heart, growing from farmland into a lively community. It was first called Sykestown, named after the Sykes family who owned the land, and officially laid out in 1852. The name “Middle Point” came from a train conductor who said the village was about halfway between Van Wert and Delphos—a name that stuck! In the early days, Middle Point was a busy stop for trains and farmers. People shipped grain and other goods from here, and the village became known for its strong farming community. The first homes were built by L.B. and H.J. Sykes and John A. Estill, who was also the town’s first doctor. By 1880, the population had grown to 442, and the village had several doctors, stores, and even a post office that opened in 1854. Over time, new neighborhoods like the West Addition and Tompkins Addition brought more families to town. Middle Point also had a nearby town called Straughn, which was never officially incorporated but had 26 lots planned along the railroad.
Middle Point Coloring Pages
The France Company-The France Stone Quarry in Middle Point, Ohio was a bustling business in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This was the Golden Age of Railroads; when the railway industry was at it's peak. The concrete foundation of this massive stone mill can still be seen today... but the quarry has since filled up with natural water springs that were opened up while mining the deep walls.
H Myers Control Tower- Have you ever operated an electric race car track? That is how the loading cars were moved in the 1930s! In this photo you see Harold Myers manning the loaded cars from the control tower. Each car had it's own lever to move forward and back, on a moveable track.
Steam Shovel 3- Yes, a moveable track! The track for the loading cars could be picked up and moved to a different blast site down in the deep hole. After the steep walls of the quarry were drilled and loaded with dynamite by hand, a scheduled blast would send new rock tumbling into the bottom. The Steam Shovel would pick up the big boulders and load the cars, then Harold operated the cars up to the crusher. He watched the entire process from the control tower at the top of the quarry in front of the mill. Fund Fact....there was a rumor that this steam shovel was used in the creation of the Panama Canal before coming to Middle Point! What do you think?
The crusher was HUGE!! It rocked back and forth and all around to break the big boulders into smaller useable pieces. At this time, most of the stone was used to build and repair railroads.
into the crusher- Harold moved the stone cars with his electric controls up to the crusher, where they opened up from the side and dumped the big rocks over the "gum drop" of the crusher... then it would wobble the larger pieces down into small pieces that fell down, down, down almost 30 feet to a conveyor belt that carried the stone....
mill- ...back up,up,up to the top of the mill, where the stone was screened by size and sorted into giant bins. This is where the stone would be loaded into the train cars and be carried to their destination by train. The quarry loaded around 80 train cars each day.
These three spots are popular gathering places in the small Ohio town of Middle Point. The Huggy Bear Camp Ground is a large, busy campground that began in 1997 and has grown a lot since then, adding many campsites and even a second swimming pool. It's a place where families can spend their summers enjoying the outdoors. For a classic evening out, the Van Del Drive Inn movie theater is a seasonal favorite, having first opened way back in 1949. It lets people watch two movies, called a "double feature," from the comfort of their own cars. Finally, the Middle Point ball park is a key spot for local athletes and families, offering baseball, basketball, and volleyball courts, giving everyone in the community a great place to get outside and play sports.
Huggy Bear Campground
Van Del Drive In
Middle Point Ball Park
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