DANBURY SCHOOL’S NEWEST BUILDING HAS OLDEST HISTORY - Lorrie Halblaub
Part 1
On Thursday Oct. 10, 2024, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the Norton Center, a new fieldhouse built on Danbury School property, that will serve many purposes. The facility has space for two gymnasiums, bleacher seating, a state-of-the-art weight room, a concession stand, four locker rooms, two walking lap tracks, changing rooms for officials, and four restrooms. Outside there is a landing pad where fans can watch the nearby baseball or softball games in the spring. Besides sports, the space can be used by teachers for group projects. A few months ago, a new elementary gymnasium was added to the north end of the school so now, with the gymnasium that was built in 1994, there is enough space for all physical education classes and sports teams from elementary to high school to hold classes, practices, and games.
The historical part of this story starts before one even walks in the door of the Norton Center. Outside the facility on its east side is a huge anchor, the symbol of the Laker teams. It has been painted so finely that it almost looks like a sculpture but the anchor was once a working anchor and has quite a history.
A plaque at the bottom explains: “The lake freighter Richard J Reiss was a regular visitor to the Marblehead quarry dock beginning in the 1960’s. Former local resident Arn Kristensen (father to Danbury alumni David and Sonja Kristensen) was a Captain on this ship for many years. The anchor from the Richard J Reiss lake freighter is a wonderful tribute to the long and rich history of maritime transport in this region. Shipping has been an integral part of Danbury, Lakeside and Marblehead histories, dating back to the earliest quarrying operations which drew so many people here to live, work and raise their families.”
The Richard J Reiss was built by Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, MI and was commissioned on May 25, 1943. Her length was 620’ and breadth was 60’. She was originally constructed as a bulk carrier to haul ore, coal, stone, and grain. Her capacity was 16,300 tons. For many years, the ship proudly served under several owners until she was scrapped in 2023.
Obtaining the ship’s anchor literally took a village. Lakeside historian Dave Glick knew where the anchor was being salvaged in Canada. Marblehead Mayor John Starcher brought the concept of displaying the anchor to the school district. Biro Manufacturing was responsible for bringing it to the peninsula from Canada. Jake Dunfee of Shrock’s Marina coordinated the storage, fabrication, sand-blasting, and painting. The 8-ton anchor’s base was made possible by contributions from graduation classes and the school district.
It is the perfect symbol for the Lakers because any student athlete can earn the Steve Adams Iron Anchor Award by participating and competing in three or more Ohio High School Athletic Association sanctioned sports during one school year, fall, winter and spring. The Iron Anchor Award was named for a former Laker Athlete, Steve Adams (1964-2021), who won four Ohio awards in Football and was the State Champion in the high jump in track.
The Norton Center is also named for another former athlete, Fred Norton. More about him, in next month’s article.
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