Restaurant Owner
Here is a bit of history about the woman, Mrs. Shupp, who owned the restaurant pictured in the frame hanging in the office lobby.
This is a humorous but true account of how this, the 8th woman, came to live in Lake Odessa and become a part of its history.
This story concerns Ada Hansbarger Shupp who opened the Shupp restaurant here in Lake Odessa in 1926. Ada had come to Lake Odessa many years earlier as the new bride of Jeremiah Hansbarger. Mr. Hansbarger had been president of the Village of Lake Odessa and instrumental in the early days of this town.
The following is an account from a news clipping taken from the Daily New Record of Harrisonburg, Virginia.
After an acquaintance of ten days, at the end of the fourth of which they became engaged, Mr. Jeremiah Hansbarger, of Lake Odessa, Michigan, and Miss Ada R. Moomaw of Orkney Springs, Shenandoah County, were married yesterday afternoon. Mr. Hansbarger who is in his 60’s and the bride elect, who is just 22, came to Harrisonburg yesterday morning on the southern accommodation looking for a minister. Mr. Brown who operated a boarding house on North Main accidentally met them on the street and learning the purpose of their visit to Harrisonburg he proved a friend in need. Mr. Brown tells the story of the culmination of the rather romantic courtship. “Well, I was goin’ down town to drum up business a little, as all good proprietors should, I seen two folks, a man and a lady wandering along, lookin’ sort of disconsolate like, I noticed they looked well dressed and prosperous, especially the lady. I went up to ‘em and asked ‘em if they wanted dinner. Sure, the man answered. But I got a partner here, pointing to the lady, and I’ll have to take her along. So much better, says I, and we all turned and went to my house. As we went along, the lady nudged the man and says to him easy like, ‘Ask him’ the man turned to me and said, ‘Is there a Baptist preacher in town?’ Sure, I told him, but what do you want of a preacher? The lady blushed but the man replied, we want to get married as soon as possible. Then he told me his story. How he was a widower in Michigan, with all his children gone from home, and how lonesome he got, so he thought he’d come to Virginia and all like that. He said that he’s only wanted to get him a wife. How he’s always heard tell that the prettiest girls was in Virginia. He said that he’s only met his bride to be ten days ago in Broadway. It was a case of love at first sight and the two were engaged on the fourth day after their meeting. The man is sixty but he don’t look it and I’ll tell you the bride is 22 and I may die if I ever see a prettier or better mannered young lady.”
At two o’clock Rev. George F. Cook, Pastor, married the couple in the parlors of Mr. Brown’s boarding house with him and his wife as witnesses. They went to Orkney Springs on the afternoon train for a ten-day’s visit and then they’ll leave for Michigan to make their home.
And so Ada came to Michigan raised a family and operated her restaurant thus making her contribution in the history of Lake Odessa.
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