Birmingham Days:  Life and Times of Toledo's Hungarian Neighborhood  (Locate on Google Map)

by John F. Ahern, Thomas E. Barden, and Andrew Ludanyi   From the beginning, Birmingham's strategic location near the mouth of the Maumee River was attractive to settlers in northwest Ohio.  The locale's easy access to Lake Erie, its abundant fresh fish, and its situation under a major migratory bird route made it appealing to Native American tribal groups even before the first Europeans arrived.  What was to become the Birmingham neighborhood was inhabited early on by French, German, and Irish farmers who were impressed with the setting's rich, loamy soil.  Streets and park names such as Collins, Valentine, and Paine commemorate these early farming settlers.  The shift from agriculture to industry as the primary activity in Birmingham can be attributed specifically to the establishment of a foundry by the National Malleable Castings Company, which transferred a number of Hungarian workers from its home plant in Cleveland to its new East Toledo site on Front Street in 1892. This was the origin of the neighborhood as it is presently known.  With approximately two hundred workers moving in, Birmingham quickly became a working-class Hungarian enclave.  Their arrival is documented in the registers kept at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where many of the first Hungarian settlers recorded their baptisms, marriages, and deaths before St. Stephen's Church was built in 1899.  Moreover, this dating of the origin of Birmingham is confirmed in a profile of Hungarian-American communities that was published at the turn of the century by the Cleveland Hungarian daily newspaper Szabadság (Freedom).  Local records show that most of the populace had emigrated from the so-called Palóc counties of North-Central Hungary:  Heves, Abauj, and Gömör (now in Slovakia).  Most, though far from all, were Roman Catholic.  Although assigned to Sacred Heart, a nearby Toledo parish, the newly arrived Cleveland Hungarians were visited regularly by a Hungarian priest from Cleveland, and in 1898 their own parish was established, the Church of St. Stephen King of Hungary.  Its registry showed about one hundred families in 1899.  Birmingham's name, like that of the "Irontown" neighborhood just to its north, was meant to invoke a thriving iron and steel manufacturing center, and by the time of the First World War, it did resemble its English namesake, with National Malleable having been joined by United States Malleable; Maumee Malleable Castings; two coal yards; a cement-block manufactory; and the Rail Light Company (later Toledo Edison).  Birmingham got its own neighborhood school early in its history.  The first mention of it in the public record comes in 1894 in the annual report of the Toledo Public Schools. The report had this to say:  "Near the Craig Shipyard on the east side of the river in a settlement known as Birmingham, a four-room brick building was erected which is now wholly occupied, furnishing ample school facilities for the people of this neighborhood."  Early records list Miss Lillian Patterson as the school's principal in 1899 at a salary of $750 a year.  The Birmingham School saw numerous additions and by 1916 it was sixteen rooms in size.  A gymnasium was added in 1926, which completed the school as it stood until 1962 when it was torn down and replaced by the current structure on Paine Street.  Throughout this period of Birmingham's history, the school was a social as well as an educational center, since it was used for public gatherings and adult night classes in reading and writing.  The pre-WWI era also saw the heyday of Birmingham's military marching bands, the first of which was assembled in 1903.  John Lengyel and later Julius Bertok were the organizers of these musical ensembles, which served social and ethnic purposes as well as patriotic and musical ones.  The most impressive was the Rákóczy Band, named after Prince Francis Rákóczy II, who led the anti-Habsburg rebellion of 1703-1712.  The band, which dressed in genuine Hungarian military uniforms, performed in Courthouse Park in Toledo and in Cleveland as part of the dedication of the Louis Kossuth Monument.  Read much more at https://toledosattic.org/essays/92-essays/culthistory/130-birminghamdays?showall=1



"Hungarian heritage.  Youth gathering spot.  Neighborhood place to be.  Walk into the Birmingham Branch Library and take a step back in time.  This beautiful branch has a traditional library feel as well as beautiful Hungarian artwork.  Although we are the smallest branch in the system, Birmingham has a large presence in our community.  Weekly programs are offered for children and teens in areas such as STEM, karaoke, gaming, crafts, life skills and dance.  We have two community meeting rooms, with GED classes available Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.  We also partner with the Hungarian Club of Toledo to offer ethnic cooking classes and host a monthly book discussion for adults."  Julie McCann, branch manager, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library  http://www.toledolibrary.org/locations/birmingham



Black Pepper Bacon Pineapple Fried Rice from Wok On  by Ching-He Huang   Be generous with black pepper here and please used freshly cracked, it makes all the difference.  serves 2,  20 min. prep, 5 minutes cooking  Find recipe and picture at https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/black-pepper-bacon-pineapple-fried-rice



In her relentless quest to solve mysteries, Nancy Drew has been locked in a tower, knocked unconscious, and nearly boiled alive.  But far from a damsel in distress, the fictional detective bravely has overcome every obstacle to stand as one of the most enduring and accessible female role models in children's literature.  To date, more than 200 million books starring the spunky heroine have been sold and translated into 45 languages—with new mysteries released every year.  "Nancy Drews were no ordinary children's books," UI journalism professor emerita Carolyn Stewart Dyer writes in Rediscovering Nancy Drew, a series of essays she compiled with Nancy Tillman Romalov (84MA, 94PhD) shortly after organizing the world's first Nancy Drew conference at the University of Iowa in 1993.  "Reading Nancy Drew was a pivotal childhood experience for millions of girls."  Yet the chief Nancy Drew mystery for many fans involved the identity of the original author, who wrote 23 of the first 30 novels under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene.  For decades, she remained shrouded in secrecy until the UI finally cracked the case wide open for the world to see.  Ninety years since Iowa journalism grad Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson (25BA, 27MA) unleashed a cultural phenomenon with The Secret of the Old Clock, the demand for new Nancy Drew adventures remains as strong as ever. In fall 2019, another UI alumna—Hollywood screenwriter Stephanie Savage (93MA)—will introduce the gutsy gumshoe to the next generation of fans with a TV series on the CW network.  Shelbi Thomas  Read extensive story and link to the trailer for CW's Nancy Drew TV series at https://magazine.foriowa.org/story.php?ed=true&storyid=1883



He's written or co-authored some 147 books aimed at humans great and small; he's won a slew of mainstream literary awards, and he's donated millions to scholarship and school libraries and school programs designed to foster the next generation of readers.  His subjects range from mystery and romance to true crime, and in recent years, he's sold more books that Stephen King, John Grisham, and Dan Brown combined.  "The library is the free store." -  James Patterson   Patterson's first book was rejected by 31 publishers.  Patterson will be in Toledo October 19 from 6-9:30 p.m. at the main branch of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library 325 Michigan Street.  Cost:  $400-$2,500  Information:  419-259-5196 or http://events.toledolibrary.org/event/3269506  Mike Pearson  https://www.toledoblade.com/a-e/culture/2019/10/12/author-james-patterson-toledo-event-information/stories/20191013017



FOOD WITH PIZAZZ  Eat plenty of protein (chicken, turkey, lean beef, eggs, nut butters, seeds or beans).  *  Fiber (whole grains, fruits, vegetables) keeps us full.  *  Make sure you've got some version of the rainbow most days.  Laurie Pressel  The Buzz Book, a guide to the very best in Northwest Ohio  Autumn 2019  See also http://www.eatingwell.com/gallery/13088/high-fiber-high-protein-lunch-ideas-for-work/



Breaking the Booker Prize rules, the judges named both Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo winners of the 2019 Booker Prize on October 14, 2019  in London.  Atwood won for “The Testaments,” her long-awaited sequel to “The Handmaid's Tale.”  Evaristo won for “Girl, Woman, Other.”  Washington Post  October 14, 2019 



WORD OF THE DAY  chicory  noun  (countable and uncountable, plural chicories)  (countable, botany)  Either of two plants of the Asteraceae family. quotations ▼ (chiefly Britain)  The common chicory (Cichorium intybus), the source of Belgian endive, radicchio, and sugarloaf. quotations ▼ Synonyms: blue daisy, blue dandelion, blue sailor, blue weed, chicory button, coffeeweed, cornflower, hendibeh, horseweed, ragged sailor, succory, wild bachelor's button, wild endive (chiefly Canada, US)  The endive (Cichorium endivia), the source of escarole and frisée. quotations ▼ (uncountable, cooking)  A coffee substitute made from the roasted roots of the common chicory, sometimes used as a cheap adulterant in real coffee. quotations ▼ https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chicory#English  October 16 is recognized by the United Nations as World Food Day to highlight the importance of food security and good nutrition, and the need for action against hunger.



http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2169  October 16, 2019