Toledo Time Travels

Toledo Time Travels is your source for the Toledo story—past, present, and future. We host engaging conversations about local history venues, long heard about but rarely seen spaces, Glass City artifacts, and historical preservation.

Philip Baker Hall is Born

1931: Philip Baker Hall, Actor (Secret Honor, Hard Eight, Magnolia) is born in Toledo. For more about Toledo's history, visit www.holytoledohistory.com.…

Milburn Wagon Works

1873: A groundbreaking ceremony occurred for the Milburn Wagon Works at Auburn and Monroe. For more about Toledo's history, visit www.holytoledohistory.com.…

Sunrise Court

1835: The first court hearing in Lucas County was held in a schoolhouse in predawn hours. The schoolhouse was only used as a courthouse for this one day so Ohio could claim territory over Michigan during the Toledo War. The secret court session was ...…

G.A.R. Encampment

1908: Toledo grabs the attention of the entire nation as the host of the official Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) 42nd Encampment, held on September 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. The Encampment included a massive parade in downtown Toledo featuring an ...…

Houdini Makes First Visit to Toledo

1873: Harry Houdini makes his maiden visit to Toledo at the age of nineteen with his brother Theo (aka “Dash") as the Houdini Brothers at the Curio Hall at the Wonderland Theatre, near Monroe and Summit Streets. For more Toledo history, ...…

Battle of Fallen Timbers

1794: In the culmination of the Northwest Indian Wars, General Anthony Wayne led American troops to a decisive victory against a confederation of Native Americans at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, just west of present-day Maumee. For more Toledo ...…

Wrong Way Corrigan visits Toledo

1938: Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan receives a rousing Northwest Ohio welcome when 10,000 people meet him at Toledo Municipal Airport (today called Toledo Executive Airport, renamed from Metcalf Field in 2010). For more Toledo history, visit ...…

Libbey Glass Employees Arrive in Toledo

1888: A special train of New England Glass Company workers and their families, together with 50 carloads of equipment, arrives in Toledo from East Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is warmly welcomed. Four years later, the company was renamed The Libbey ...…

Iggy Katona is Born

1903: The Detroit Tigers play a home game in Toledo, Yanks win 12-8. 1916: Race car driver Egnatius "Iggy" Katona is born in Toledo. Known primarily for his performance in the ARCA series in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, where he won six ...…

Suzee Pai is Born

1962: Suzee Pai, actress (Big Trouble in Little China) is born in Toledo. After appearing on Star Search in 1984, Pai began her career as a fashion model in New York City before joining the Liberty Bells cheerleading squad for the Philadelphia ...…

Otto Kruger is Born

1885: Otto Kruger, actor (Suspense radio show, host of Lux Video Theater, High Noon, and Perry Mason) is born in Toledo. Originally a Broadway matinee idol, Kruger established a niche as a charming villain in films, such as Hitchcock's Saboteur. He ...…

Owens Invents the Glass Bottle Machine

1904: Micheal Owens patents a machine that automatically manufactures glass bottles. His invention revolutionizes the glass industry and creates tremendous growth in the soft drink and beer industries, as these firms now have a less expensive way of ...…

Frederick Douglass Visits Toledo

1864: Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth speak to a packed house at College Hall on Summit Street in Toledo. For more Toledo history, visit www.holytoledohistory.com.…