(Paul Logsdon, longtime director of Heterick Memorial Library, will provide the Ada Icon with historical information and photos about Ada/ONU. After retiring as library director, he became University Arcihvist. Paul has gained a wealth of knowledge about the village and university over the years and willingly has shared his expertise whenever the town or gown published anniversary booklets.)
Ada was home to more than one school of learning in the early 1900s. Paul Logsdon, ONU archivist and local historian, dug up some information and a photo of the Northwestern Ohio School of Piano Tuning.
The school, founded by Daniel Oliver Betz, was first located in a house Betz purchased in 1906 which is located at 402 S. Johnson St. The large two-story, gray house still stands and has been divided into rental units.
About five years later, Betz opened his piano tuning school at 226-228 N Main St. where Exclusive Hair Design now serves customers. He continued to do business there until he moved to Crestline in the early 1920s. This store closed about 1925.
The undated photo below shows many pianos, and some sheet music, for sale in his school/store. Nowadays, with keyboards and other computer-generated piano and organ type music, one is hard pressed to find a buyer for an unwanted piano, no matter the price.
