(Photo from Marietta College Special Collections)

Sometimes history awareness happens in a chain reaction. A travel writer observed that Marietta’s charm was not from a single defining attribute, but rather many fascinating “details.” I hadn’t thought about it that way.

One such detail mentioned was faded “ghost ads” on old local buildings, advertising long past products or services. That started the chain reaction: 1. Someone had asked me about a Harmar building with “Gerke Chemical” ghost ads on it. 2. That awakened previous curiosity because I knew a Gerke family member with some connection to the building. 3. Reading about the ghost ads prompted me to learn more.

The picture shows the building at 304 Market Street when its many ads seemed more prominent than the building itself. One ad reads “Celery Mist for Headaches.”

Celery mist was a mixture of aspirin and ground celery seed to relieve headache. “Mist” was apparently a better sounding word than powder. Some details about it appeared on the Harmar Village Facebook Page.

Celery Mist powder was reportedly sold in a twisted paper wrapper and snorted for fast relief.

The mention of snorting brought out some expected Facebook responses about other substances that could be snorted for better effect.

Other ads on the side of the building: “Old Black Joe Cough Syrup, SIZZ for sour stomach and train sickness, Liver Life Tablets – they start the day with a smile.”

On the front of the building, you can see “Old Hickory Tonic.”

The building was a billboard for the company. We don’t know much about these products, though its likely some of them contained a staple of tonic-type concoctions: alcohol.

These “medicines” were sold over a century ago. It was buyer beware then. There was no Food and Drug Administration to monitor contents and no Federal Trade Commission to prevent outlandish claims.

It’s not clear if the products were made here or if Gerke Chemical Company was a wholesale distributor.

I knew Robert Gerke growing up in the 1950’s. He or a family member, maybe his father, was connected to Gerke Chemical. Too bad I didn’t ask a few more questions about it.

He was my good friend Tom Hill’s maternal grandfather. I often visited their house on Front Street. Robert was probably in his mid-70’s then.

He held court in a corner rocking chair, always with a wry smile and a story to tell. He called me “Mr. Bacher” with a gutteral German pronunciation. Grandpa Gerke smoked hand-rolled cigarettes; I had never seen that before. He had a pronounced hand tremor, yet several times a day he managed to unfurl a thin sheet of cigarette paper, pinch together some tobacco from a can in a narrow strip, place the tobacco in the partially curled paper, lick the edge of the paper, wrap it tight, and light up – all while his hand was shaking.

A video of that would be a YouTube sensation today. He often dared me to try it; I rarely came close.

Be alert for ghost ads around Marietta.

They all have a fascinating story to tell and some interesting people to go with the stories.