Newspaper clipping:West Salem's Oldest Building is Razed to Provide a Gas Station January 4 1927
- Newspaper title
- The Daily Record
- Date of publication
- 1927/01/04
- Section
- West Salem
- Page number
- 10
- Organization
- Industry
- Accommodation and Food Services > Accommodation
- Subject tags
- Commercial House, West Salem, Strock Filling Station, Jack Herd, John G. Ford, Oberlin College
"West Salem's Oldest Building is Razed to Provide a Gas Station: West Salem's oldest building, The Commercial House, erected by John Ford, a cousin of the automobile king, is being torn down by Jack Herd, West Salem contractor. A Strock filling station is to be built on the site of the famous building. John Ford built the Commercial House in 1837, according to his daughter, Mrs. Electa Wills, who, at the age of 87, still lives in West Salem. She was born in the hotel July 27, 1840. Her Granfather Case was probably the first white man in that section of Wayne County. Mrs. Wills is the oldest person living in West Salem who was born there. Her grandfather Case was one of the founders of Oberlin College, where his children were educated. The razing of the old building marks the passing of a landmark which has stood for almost a century. The timber used to build the hotel was hewn from trees cut down in the West Salem public square."