Stevie Halverstadt, a member of the foundation, shared some history with Columbiana County commissioners this week, asking them to once again serve as judges of the art work.

The art show and breakfast will take place in the basement of the Lisbon First United Methodist Church at the corner of South Market and Washington streets, with the cost $10 for adults and $5 for children.

The event serves as a fundraiser for the foundation to help preserve historic Lisbon structures and also serves as a lesson in history because each year members select one or more  historic buildings for the students to feature in their artwork.

This year, she said there were three buildings chosen. First is a passageway between buildings on North Market Street on the west side just south of Lisbon Village Hall. Halverstadt explained these passageways between buildings served as a way to reach the back of a building because the buildings shared walls.

McKinley Elementary students will feature the round corner where Subway is located in downtown Lisbon in their artwork for the Lisbon Landmark Foundation’s art show/pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. Feb. 21 at the Lisbon First United Methodist Church, celebrating Lisbon’s 223rd birthday. Other areas to be featured include the passageway on North Market Street and the Lisbon Bottling Works on East Washington Street. (Photo by Mary Ann Greier) 

Known as a “close,” the passageway was used by owners to reach their vegetable gardens  or livestock in winter, giving the livestock cover in the winter and an area filled with straw.

“Lisbon originally had six of these and this is the last remaining one,” she said.

The second area to be recognized is the round corner where Subway is located on Lincoln Way. She explained that in Europe, to prevent fires from spreading, the buildings at the end of a block would be rounded, saying fire will not follow a curve.

The third structure being recognized is the Lisbon Bottling Works on East Washington Street. Halverstadt said that from 1927 to 1947, the company bottled a soda pop called Kist. When cans became more popular than bottles, the plant shut down and sold the formula to Pepsi, who called the soda pop Sunkist.

The commissioners will choose first, second and third place in each category.

Halverstadt noted that Lisbon is the second oldest town in Ohio, with the federal government recognizing the village for having more than 200 buildings designated in the historic district.

She said the proceeds from the breakfast will help the foundation with the restoration of the old Nace Pharmacy and the Chinese Laundry beside it, at 111 and 115 North Market Street. According to Halverstadt, the entire block was built between 1803, the year the village was founded, and 1810. The alley that runs behind the buildings used to serve as a source of water for those buildings before public water systems were built. The area was then covered over with dirt and became an alley.

The town’s actual birthday is Feb. 17, but will be celebrated at the breakfast on Feb. 21, which is a Saturday.

“Hope we can see you there,” she told commissioners.