Today, Hanford Village no longer has a police department, fire station or post office.
At one time, Ms. Shirley had several generations of her family in the community.
AARP:What was Hanford Village like before the highway?
It states, in part:“Although the highway divides us, our memories are never lost.
“Four years later, Hanford Village was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.
Before the highway, this community felt like a family.
Every family knew one another.
Families would visit one another on front porches or by speaking across the fence.
We took care of each other.
Some of the best memories I have are of Hanford Village Park.
Mr. Herb Holliman would coach baseball and coach us kids for competition against other recreation centers.
I loved when the community held dances and parties for the kids at the VFW.
The VFW building was in the park as well.
Wed have dance contests, holiday parties, Easter egg hunts and so many other gatherings.
A special memory I have is about school being out for the summer.
One of the church mothers would head outside and stand at the top of the block by the church.
I can even remember the fire department riding through the neighborhood at Christmastime.
They would give each child an apple, an orange and a huge candy cane.
This was such a caring, connected community.
AARP:In the late ’60s, the decision was made to build a major east-west highway.
The new freeway was diverted around Bexley, a predominantly white community,and went straight through Hanford Village.
What was the personal, family impact of the highway cutting through your neighborhood?
Mixon:That was in about 1966 or 67, and I was about 18.
The neighborhood felt like we were cut off from one another.
We lost a lot of homes, so family friends moved away.
It felt like the community was ripped apart.
Over time, the neighborhood store closed.
The Village police department and fire station closed.
AARP:What was life in Hanford Village like after the highway was completed?
Mixon:Even though Hanford Village was still here, it didnt feel the same.
They tried to take our sense of community and it almost worked.
But we were strong, and we continued to hold onto what community we had.
From the communitys perspective, did any positives come from having the highway?
Many of the families in the ‘old’ village had moved there in the early 1920s.
You had multi-generational families living in separate households on the same street.
Lifetime friends were moving to various parts of Columbus.
Mixon:If there were, I cant think of any.
I certainly dont remember any.
It may have been faster to have the highway for travel.
But that did not have any positive impact on our community.
Even with all that had gone on, my family chose to stay.
There were about four households of my family in the neighborhood.
So, in 1976, I bought a house.
A few are still here.
One recent bright spot is from the last few years because the park was redone.
The VFW was torn down.
But there is a new park.
Mixon:Part of that has happened.
We are a historic community.
We need to continue to empower ourselves to uphold the history of our community.
We need to continue to rebuild homes that have fallen into disrepair.
We continued to maintain a family community over the decades through children and grandchildren.
We are still here.
We are still a family.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Reina Simsis the associate state director of education and outreach for AARP Ohio.
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Page published February 1, 2023
