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Latonia

The old Mill at Milldale

The earlier name for Latonia was Milldale. Did the name originate from an old Mill, as the item above from the January 16, 1923 Kentucky Post asserts? Or maybe from the Latonia Distillery (below), earlier the Milldale Distillery, which was named after an owner named Mills?

We can tell you this about the naming of the town.

Latonia

Latonia Distillery
You're looking southwest

 

Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business Bird Building
Latonia Deposit Bank Latonia Deposit Bank,
a.k.a., the Bird Building
The Bird Building, 1910

 

Latonia Bakery

Find an older citizen of Northern Kentucky and ask them if they ever ate a donut out of the back door of Latonia Bakery (but only if you've got a few minutes). After the bakery closed for the day, and the baking started for the next day, you could go to the back door to buy tomorrow's donuts the night before. Warm. There was usually a line.

 

Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business
Boeckley's Latonia Pharmacy
DeCoursey and Winston,
before 1936
Oscar Boeckley's Drug Store
3702 DeCoursey, Latonia
Boeckley's was founded in 1917 at the location on the left, above.  Sometime in the early 1930's he moved across the street to the corner of DeCoursey and Southern, on the right, above. 

 

Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business
Ritte's Corner First National Bank

Henry Ritte's obituary ran in the Cincinnati and Kentucky Enquirers.

 

  FNB Latonia

Printing money...
Why is the bank's name printed on the bill? Wikipedia knows.

 

Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business
50th Anniversary Picture
of FNB Officials
Employees at Latonia's
First National Bank
First National Bank of Latonia Holds Opening House, July 26, 1958, to celebrate their remodeling.  Names of people in image on the right are here.
FNB Latonia was established on March 27, 1902, and was acquired by Covington's First National Bank on August 28, 1961.

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Anti-German

Nosy citizens trying to look into Shoborg's shop.

Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business
J. H. Kruse Charles B. Schoborg Henry Feldman

These three men, and several others, were the victims of one of the ugliest episodes in Northern Kentucky History.  Usually referred to collectively as the Schoborg trials, this German Shoemaker and other prominent citizens of Latonia were tried and convicted for utterances it was claimed they made.  It was 1917;  fear, paranoia, and hatred for German citizens was rampant. Men with multiple sons at the front were being accused of being un-American. Shoborg was a shoe repairman, who had a little office in the First National Bank Building, above.  The crazies put a “dictograph” in his shop - in essence, they bugged his store, but could only listen; the machine didn't record. We urge you to read Lisa Gilliam's great piece from the Kentucky Heritage Magazine, which will give you all the ugly details.  It's a big pdf, but, again, we urge you to read it.  You can find it here. Thanks to Lisa Gilham and the Kentucky Heritage magazine for permission to post it!

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Kentucky theater Ohio River, Covngton Latonia
The Kentucky Theater, 1939, 15 West Southern Avenue

 

Latonia,Kentucky Business Romanowitz' Grocery
The Delbee, 4003 deCoursey. The business was owned by A. J. Delinger and Harry Beerman. hence the name. Romanowitz's Grocery
from a Facebook post by Charles Geise

 

Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business
Seifert's Bakery Seifert's Bakery
This 36th & Decoursey bakery indoor photo
shows Frederick Joseph Seifert, baker and his
sister Clara Frances Seifert, clerk. Both resided
at the family home, 508 E. 16th St., Covington.
He rented a section of the building 1929 thru
c. 1935 from owner/landlord Mrs M. Carroll.
1935 - 1939
3737 DeCoursey
photos courtesy Frederick
and Catherine Seifert

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Liberty Cherry  Liberty Cherry

 

 

Latonia,Kentucky Business

 
Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business
Liberty Fruit Company, Latonia, “a sanitary daylight one story building finished in 1941” 
227 W. Southern Avenue
 Maraschino Cherry's and Glace Fruit
Founded here by the Bettman family in 1914, moved to this  location in 1937.  Bought by Pillsbury in 1991, sold to Senaca Foods in 1997, who closed the doors in June of 2000.   At one time, over 300 people were employed here.  R.I.P.

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Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business
The T. W. Spinks Brick Plant, Latonia

Spinks was just north of what today is Summit Drive.
This map is a very tiny portion of a very large set of maps published by the Sanborn Fire Map Co
in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  You can see every last one. Learn how here. 

 

Latonia,Kentucky Business Albers Murchison's Murchison's
Bob's Variety Store, proprietor
Bob Evans, 40th and Decoursey,
opened in 1947,
a.k.a Bob's Five and Ten
Albers Grocery,
3630 Decoursey
From a Facebook post by Robert Ballard
Murchison's Appliances, 38th & Winston

Dusings

Simpson R. Thames, running Buck's Gulf Service at 3219 Decoursey, 1953
From a Facebook post by Ray Hadorn

 

Marshall's

Once Marshall's Cafe; once Darpel's Saloon
45th and Huntington
From a Facebook post by Chris Brooks

 

Jim Browne

Jim Browne and his 1930 Model AA Truck, from which he sold paper goods,
at home, at 3324 Mable.
From a Facebook post by Lynda Meyer


Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business Ryan Brothers

Reams Radio Shop
 103 E. 30th Street 
 Latonia, Ky, 1947

 

Doc's Pure Oil
34th & DeCoursey
You may also know it as
Mac's, or, S & W Auto.
Thanks to Gary Michael David who posted
 this pic of his Dad's place on Facebook

Crescent Ice Cream,
14 W. Southern Avenue

 

Ryan Brothers Campus Cafe

 

 

 

Latonia,Kentucky Business

Marion F. Stout Co, 1923
Manufacturers of Concrete Tile and Block
34th & Decoursey

 

Latonia

Klingenberg's
From a Facebook post by Donald Henderson

 

Huff Huff
J. W. Huff, Undertaker and Livery Stable

 

Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business Latonia,Kentucky Business

Henry Heile & Son, 1901
Grain Elevator at Southern and 20th

J. H. Hermesch & Co
Latonia (Milldale) and Erlanger

J. Weller's Milldale Factory

 

 

Latonia,Kentucky Business

This is a Hortonspheroid.  It held 15,000 42 gallon bbls. of butane.  1941

 

Latonia,Kentucky Business

The plant shown here was in Minneapolis, but we posted
it for the picture of the Nichols Brothers, whose grocery was at the northwest
corner of Huntington and Taylor (now 40th) in 1910

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Corneau

"In Latonia, Kentucky, Cornucopia Vineyard, the firm of Messrs. Corneau and Son, associated with [Cincinnati's] Longworth's Wine House, produced 245,000 bottles of sparkling wine in 1853." Andrea Dee, writing in Northern Kentucky Heritage, Spring-Summer 2012.

"One plan, supposed to be a great improvement, is that of separating the stems from the grapes before they are placed upon the press, as they are supposed to give an austere and bitter taste to the wine, and prevent the severe pressing of the cheese.  This process has been previously used by Mr. Conneau at his excellent establishment on Bank Lick, near Latonia Springs; a locality which appears admirably adapted to the culture of the grape, as has been already approved to some extent by numerous thriving vineyards - among which are those of Messrs. Jones, Mosher, Park, Conneau, etc.  The last named gentleman, whose father is an old vigneron from France, where he was familiar with the business from childhood, has introduced an apparatus for separating the stems and crushing the grapes;  it is exceedingly simple, and appears to succeed very well."

Read all about Corneau's apparatus here (pdf)

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Latonia,Kentucky Business

Latonia,Kentucky Business

Charles Mills, Proprietor of the
New Castle, Milldale, & Short
Horn Distilleries, 1889

Map of the Distillery,
under new owners, 1910
Details about the distillery at this site.

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Latonia bank fails.

"Mr. D. Beets of Latonia, Ky., is here this week looking after his lumber interest.  He is one of the largest manufacture and dealers in the country, having many plants scattered from Prentiss, Miss., to Latonia, Ky."
 from the Mountain Advocate, Barbourville, KY  August 10, 1917

  There's a site that's put Johnny's 1977 toy catalog online.  See it here.

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