Story of the Mount Washington Youth Canteen 
 As a local history buff and a person who grew up in this suburban Cincinnati community, I am always intrigued when I see an interesting image or story about Mt Washington people or places. A couple of years ago I saw an old picture of a group of teenagers, gathered around a counter, enjoying soft drinks and games. The caption to the photo noted a group of teenagers from the Mount Washington Youth Canteen in 1945. Growing up in Mount Washington in the early 1950’s as a part of the Baby Boom Generation, I realized that I did not recognize this club name, nor did I know where the canteen was located. So, this image was the teaser for me to do some investigating. 


 When I looked at the photo, I saw the same expressions and excitement that every generation of teens in the twentieth century experienced. You can recall the worries, the fears, the anxiety, and stumbling ways of meeting and interacting with members of the opposite sex. I see in those faces an obvious confidence in some, and a confused excitement in others. The clothing, the hairstyles, and the games may change, but the efforts to make your way through all the confusion of the teenage years are evident in the eyes of these people. 
 The “canteen” reference intrigued me, so I popped into the dictionary. There are numerous ways to interpret this word, but the one that stood out was the definition of a recreation center and social club for teens. It seems that this is exactly what was intended for this organization.  
 The Mount Washington Youth Canteen (hereafter described as MWYC) was a result of parents, civic leaders, and teens in the community trying to provide a fun and safe environment for the teenagers of the day. It happens that this was not an entirely new idea in the mid 1940’s in many communities during the turbulent times of World War Two. There were, apparently, up to 35 youth canteens established in the Greater Cincinnati area at that time. The concept seemed to work, so an effort was begun to create a teen canteen for Mount Washington in late 1944. 
 If one stops to ponder what was happening in the mid 1940’s, not just here in Cincinnati, Ohio, but all over this country, it becomes very clear that major changes in daily life were happening. A war that had burst upon the world in 1939 had spread to the United States in December of 1941. When our country began to mobilize for war, people and places were changed in serious ways. Young men were being trained and shipped off to every corner of the globe. Every family felt the absence of a loved one who was serving in one of the military branches. Rationing and shortages became an everyday issue that affected everyone. Gasoline and tires for automobiles were very limited, so a fun hop in the family car to visit places had to be justified for its importance. Perhaps this meant that local entertainment became more important to teens than ever before. Nearby movie theaters (the Elstun Theater for example), shopping, and other local gathering spots were encouraged because that meant you could walk or take a bus instead of traveling by private car. 
 I was able to locate many records of the MWYC in the files of the Cincinnati Historical Society, including the Ohio Articles of Incorporation. However, before it reached that stage, there were many meetings to see if there was interest in creating the canteen. Surely, there were individual conversations among interested teens, their parents, and others, but it was not until September 4 th , 1944 when they agreed to meet and have the necessary discussions to get the ball rolling.  
Separate parent and teenager councils were set up. There are many adults named in the minutes of these meetings, including Michael Lacinek, Paul O’Brien, and Lawrence Kyte, all of whom were listed in the Articles of Incorporation. Other adults were present at these meetings, including Lester (“Pop”) Emrick (a beloved teacher and later principal of Mount Washington Elementary School) and Al White (the local FOP representative). Many women, including Mrs. Charles Schmidt as Parent Council Chairman, also associated themselves with this effort. 
 A property search committee was established to try to locate a building for the canteen. Several spots were examined by the committee, but the one selected as the best fit was in the building located at 2135 Beechmont Ave. This building had housed the Robert Holzhauser furniture store in 1944, and Virginia Neckel’s Interior Decorating prior to that. Technically, 2135 and 2137 were the same structure at the corner of Beechmont Avenue and Corbley Road in Mount Washington. Eagle Savings & Loan occupied the corner portion.  
As the building currently sat empty in late 1944, the owner, Mrs. Bertha Kruse, was willing to lease out the space in 2135 to the MWYC for $100.00 per month. That rent was eventually increased to $150.00, and finally 
$165.00 monthly. The Canteen was to be as self-supporting as possible through membership fees, but it was felt that an effort should be made to solicit donations from the community families and merchants to help financially support the organization.  
 The canteen was formally incorporated in the State of Ohio on October 19, 1944, and officially named as the Mount Washington Youth Canteen, Inc. The actual opening date was Friday October 20, 1944. As the canteen was operating and covered by the local press, it was often referred to by the moniker “Teen Town.” Rules were established by both the parent and teen councils for the age restrictions, along with the operating hours. They also determined that the beginning membership fees were to be 60¢ for high school grade students and 45¢ for 7 th and 8 th Grade students. That translates to $13.40 and $10.05 respectively per month in 2025 dollars. The fee was increased later to 75¢ and 60¢ to help cover operating costs. Guests of members could attend with a 15¢ fee for the day. The sale of beverages and snacks by the canteen would contribute to their resources as well. 
 The membership rules also established the ages for the Junior High students to be at least 12 years old to 14 years. This covered the 7 th and 8 th Grades. The High School level ages were 14 to 18 years, but allowed for the completion of the last year of high school.  
 Plans were made to do some minor remodeling and painting in the building. The lower level may have been set up as the dance floor. The street level was the location for serving refreshments and game playing. Card games, board games, and Bingo were popular. Prizes were often donated for winners of the games. They also purchased a juke box (Wurlitzer model 61) to play records, and kept up with soundtrack of the late 1940’s. The latest songs were enjoyed by purchasing records at the local music shops in Mount Washington.  The Wurlitzer was a beautiful glowing art deco tabletop model that played 78 rpm records. This model juke box held 12 of the records and was operated with a nickel coin. The MWYC entertainment also included a ping pong table, and eventually acquired a used pool table with a $75.00 donation funded by the Fraternal Order of Police.  
 In general, the operating days and times were as follows: 
• Friday Evenings (7pm to 12am) 
• Saturday afternoons (2pm to 5pm) 
• Saturday evenings (8pm to 12am) 
• Sunday afternoons (2pm to 5pm) 
• Sunday evenings (8pm to 12am) 
There may have been some adjustments to the closing times but this was the initial scheduling. It is apparent from reading the old news stories that the MWYC had regular meetings on Thursdays. There were also special events organized. For example, the canteen held several dances on Wednesday evenings, including a western style (square dance) which included a dance caller and several skilled individuals to demonstrate the correct moves. These were usually open to adults as well.  
 You may wonder whom the canteen invited to join. They reached out to all the local schools to generate interest in membership, including Anderson High School, Guardian Angels School, St. Joseph’s Academy (the local Catholic girl’s high school which became the coed McNicholas High School in the 1951), and of course, Mount Washington School (which included 7 th and 8 th Grades at this time). An outreach was made to St. Xavier High School, Withrow High School, Walnut Hills High School and Purcell High School to draw in students who lived in the Mount Washington and Anderson Township area, but attended a school outside of Anderson Township.  
The membership numbers varied through the years of operation (1945-48) but generally ran about 200 students, and may have been up to 300 at one time. As of the October 1944 meeting of the MWYC council, the number of registrations was confirmed at 320 (including both high school and junior high school teens).  
 The general upkeep of the location was handled by volunteers from the various school’s membership. The canteen was responsible for its utilities (gas and electric) which were paid out of the canteen’s general fund. They also arranged for Cincinnati Bell Telephone to place a coin pay phone in the building. I believe the money generated from the teen’s use of the telephone more than paid for the rental of the phone. All funds aside from cash on hand 
were deposited with the Eagle Savings & Loan in its Mount Washington location at 2137 Beechmont……right next door to the canteen.  
 In perusing the many receipts of the MWYC, it was obvious that they sold plenty of soft drinks (Coca Cola being a prime seller) and assorted candy bars that were popular in the mid 1940’s. Many of those old brands are still around today, including O’Henry Bars, Bit ‘O Honey, Mounds Bars, Pay Day, and others. Ice cream bars like Eskimo Pies, Creamcycles and Drum Sticks were a snack of choice too. The ping pong table competitions were evidently quite fierce, as replacement balls were required often. The pool table was also kept busy, as the purchases of cue tips, chalks, and repairs to the table surface reflect. 


 The weekly news coverage by the Mount Washington Press offered a glimpse into the activities of the canteen. I believe that it opened with a lot of excitement, and created a place that the local teens could call their own. Obviously, the make up of the group changed from year to year, as the teens aged out, or developed interests in other activities. In any case, the single theme that stands out is that all young generations are always looking for places to meet their pals, and to possibly meet new friends. Boys and girls in their teen years are looking to spread their wings and figure out their place in their society, and that will never really change. There are so few photos of this canteen and its members, that we can only stare into those frozen images and try to imagine the happiness, the excitement, the passionate feelings that surge in all young people. If we can see that in those photos, and remember our own experiences from the 1950’s and beyond, we might understand that we were really alike in many ways. 
 As I wrapped up my research in the canteen, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of a letdown. The Mount Washington community came together to create this for their teenaged children, and many people contributed their time freely to make it happen. The canteen operated in what, apparently, was a nearly self-sufficient way for three straight years, beginning with 1945. By the end of 1947 you can get the sense that interest had waned, and the remaining membership was struggling to keep it going. I am not sure what date the change of location occurred, but sometime either late 1947 or early 1948, the canteen moved from its location at 2135 Beechmont Ave in the heart of the business district. This may have been due to a higher lease cost, along with a reduced level of income from memberships and donations. They found a replacement meeting place by negotiating with the American Legion Post 484 on Sutton Ave, to continue with a new location at the Legion to hold activities. I think the American Legion was generous with the offer, but it came with typical restrictions to available dates and times to meet that did not conflict with regular Legion events. The usual three to four dates per week for the canteen became once a week. 
The other problem with the survival of the canteen was the dwindling interest in support from the parents and other adults of the community. The drive to ask for more participation was met with very disappointing response. By the summer of 1948 the MWYC had to make the sad decision to close and end operations. My own experience in typical community volunteer organizations has shown that it takes a strong leadership to get these things going, but that must remain for the group to succeed. When too few people are tasked with doing too much, the burnout feelings will erode the mission. In this case, that includes both the parents and the students.  
My own teen years were the usual mix of boredom and the burdens of school work, accented by the occasional excitement that happens in life. Thankfully, there were post-war replacements for the loss of the MWYC, including dances at the various schools, sports, jobs for teens, and other places to meet up. I know that many of the local churches and schools were able to meet some of that demand with dances or other social activities. 
 The Mount Washington Youth Canteen…..or Teen Town as it was also known, was a neat blip in our local history. The canteen was organized, operated, and supported by teenagers with the help of many adults. If nothing else, it proved that teens could be depended on for more than just play and snacking…..they also learned to dance, and hone their social skills…..and a help build a strong work ethic. 


 You might wonder what became of the building on Beechmont Avenue……it still exists! The 2135 address was occupied by Mount Washington Plumbing Company from 1949 through at least 1960. The Eagle Savings & Loan remained at 2137 Beechmont until they moved into their brand new building across the intersection around 1960 or 61. Various other financial institutions used 2137, including the notorious Home State Savings Bank (forced to close in 1985). The current occupant, Union Savings Bank has successfully operated here for years, and. eventually took over the entire footprint of the building. This is when the 2135 address disappeared from the front of the space. 
 It is my pleasure to give thanks for the generous time and resources given to me by the Anderson Township Historical Society, and the Cincinnati Historical Society. Because of the delicate condition of the Mount Washington Press newsprint, the process of digitizing the older editions of the Mount Washington Press has begun. Soon you will be able to read all about it by viewing the paper electronically. You can enjoy taking a few moments to step into the time machine and disappear down the rabbit hole of historical research such as this. Contact either of the two historical societies for more information on this and other local subjects. 
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