This was the scene on a peaceful Monday evening as a crew worked on a new roof at 139 Harding Way West in Uptowne Galion.
Located at the entrance to the area as one travels eastward on Galion’s main street, the property has an interesting history. Originally the site of a frame building, it was later replaced by the current brick structure, built by John Jacob Kleinhaus between 1874 and 1876 as a storeroom and residence. The building originally housed an undertaking and furniture store.
It became the home of the Logan Natural Gas Company, whose first manager was Frank Fralick.
Fralick had a remarkable family connection to American history. His father, E.H. Fralick, was a personal friend and neighbor of President Abraham Lincoln. He was also the railroad engineer at the controls when Lincoln’s train departed Springfield, Illinois, for Washington, D.C., ahead of his first inauguration in 1861. Frank Fralick himself was born in Springfield. The Fralicks, including E.H., are buried in Fairview Cemetery.
