A Rainy Day with the Fillmore Billiard Parlor in the background in 1926.
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World Series Score Card at the Pool Hall in 1944.
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Centro de Salud circa 1983 in the former Pool Hall Building.
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Chili Franklins Pool Hall circa 1910.
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Earliest photo of a pool hall in Fillmore. One of the three one story buildings in the center.
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Jims Pool Hall circa 1940.
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Centro De Salud after the 1994 Earthquake.
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Courtesy Fillmore History Museum

Many years ago, long before equal rights for women, there was definite discrimination nationwide over “Pool Halls”. I don’t think that the girls or women really cared then that they were not allowed to spend their 5 cents for a coke in the Pool Hall. After all there were plenty of other places where cokes, candy and ice cream sodas were available.

Fillmore had four documented Pool Halls over the years.(We should first acknowledge that what we all called Pool Halls were at the timeand, in Fillmore, forever, consistently named Billiard Parlors and later Amusement Parlors. If you are familiar with the musical “The Music Man” you will recall that the major issue in the plot was the arrival of a pool table at the local Billiard Parlor.) In Fillmore, the first Pool Hall was built in the late 1880s or early 1890s. It was one of three buildings built shortly after the arrival of the railroad and the location where a broken oil lamp combined with an east wind burned most of the businesses on Main St. in the 1903 fire. Another Pool Hall was also a Public Bath house and was located on Santa Clara St. between Central Ave. and Palm St. One of the best documented Pool Halls was owned by Charles Cleveland “Chili” Franklin in 1910 and located at 340 Central just north of the theater. The sign above the entry said “Oasis, Sodas, Lunches”. Upstairs was the Odd Fellows Hall. In the 1920s a roller rink was installed upstairs where the Odd Fellows Hall had been located. According to Mose Fine, the rink was a popular spot for hockey games with locals and visiting teams from Santa Paula. It was also a popular place for weekly dances, but by the 1930s it was gone. This building became Briggs Hardware. The rink and dance hall were damaged during the Sylmar Earthquake in 1971 when a 70 foot chunk of the upstairs wall fell onto the roof and into the interior of Martha’s clothing store. The second floor was totally removed and reroofed as a one story building. The wooden dance and roller rink floor still remain under the reconstructed roof giving it a double ceiling.

The 1920s saw another pool hall in operation. Jim Ipswitch purchased the business, then known as the Fillmore Billiard Parlor, in 1923.It was located on the west side of Central Ave. in a building built in 1915 and originally used as an auto electric and parts store. This was the Pool Hall referenced in the story about the Bunion Race several weeks ago. The runner, “Whitie” Fitzsimmons, who won the race, couldn’t collect first prize but Jim took up a collection among the customers in the Pool Hall and provided candy, cokes, and milk shakes for him for the next three or four months. (This story is to be found in Mose Fine’s book.)

In 1940, Jack Ipswitch with a partner a Mr. Burrell purchased the pool hall from his dad, Jim. At about this time the Billiard Parlor name was changed to Amusement Parlor but it was still a pool hall.

According to Elaine McMaster Ipswitch, “cars would line up Friday and Saturday nights, and the men would come in and pick up shakes, malts, cokes and sundaes and deliver them to the women waiting in the cars while the men played pool. During the school lunch hour, they would have 50 malt containers full of ice cream and milk, waiting to be mixed with a chosen flavor and machine stirred., The flavors were vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, cherry, pineapple.” These were the days when the high school had an open campus. English teacher, Gladys Hackbarth, once told Ron Ipswitch “that the Fillmore High School teachers approved of the “Fillmore Boys going into the Pool Hall, as no alcohol was served and Jim would kick anyone out the cussed.”

“During the World Series a plywood board was set up with painted lines indicating bases and a scoreboard with runs, hits, strikes and balls and the score, as received by the radio. There were penny boards with 25 punch outs, punched out with a match stick. Youcould buy 1 to 25 and might win a pack of cigarettes.”

“Near the front of the Pool Hall was a potbellied stove with a big brass ring around it that always glowed red during the winter. Ranchers would supply the wood. On either side of the Pool Hall were two small businesses, a Barber Shop owned by George Palmer and a Shoe Repair Shop owned by “Doc” Maxwell.”

“In 1953, Jack sold the Pool Hall to Lewis Steelsmith who also owned a Pool Hall in Santa Paula.“ Steelsmith sold eventually to Kenny Rogers. And eventually it was owned by Dan Bowlin.

While girls were never welcomed into the Pool Hall, they often went into George Palmers’ barber shop where a “Dutch” door opened into the Pool Hall. From that opening they could order cokes or sodas without setting foot in the “forbidden” zone.

In 1983 Kenny Roger sold the building to El Centro de Salud Familiar. The 1994 Northridge Earthquake brought the end to the story when the building was badly damaged and had to be demolished.

Much of our information for this story was supplied by Ron and Elaine Ipswitch. As with much of our local history we are dependent on information from present and past residents. If you have stories to tell us, give us a call or an email and let us know. We would love to hear from you. Our email is Fillmore.museum@gmail.com

Fillmore City Council Member Ari Larson.

FILLMORE, CA – It is with sorrow that the City of Fillmore announces that Council Member Ari Larson passed away suddenly on September 17th, 2021. Our entire community mourns Ari’s loss. She was a woman who loved her family and saw the Fillmore community as an extension of that family. Ari was a longtime Fillmore Resident and was very active in the community. She was committed to numerous charitable efforts.

Ari was active in many local and county-wide organizations. Her ties with the community of Fillmore and County of Ventura were like no other. Ari served on numerous boards including but not limited to: the Fillmore City Council, Soroptimist International of Fillmore, Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley, Heritage Tourism Bureau, Santa Clara Valley Hospice, Rotary Club of Fillmore, Member of Civic Pride, Girls Scouts of Heritage Valley, Relay for Life of Heritage Valley, Ventura County Garden Club, and many others.

Elected in 2020, Ari quickly became a respected voice on the City Council. She served as the City’s representative on the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging and the Citizen's Advisory Committee and the Ventura Council of Governments. She was also named Fillmore’s 2019 Citizen of the Year. Despite her short time on Council, Ari made an impact on the community. Her connections to the community, her straight-forward manner, and her thoughtful approach earned her the respect of staff, elected officials, and the public. “We are devasted and in shock. Today we lost a great soul. Ari was loved by the entire community of Fillmore. She impacted many citizens lives and will be greatly missed,” said Mayor Mark Austin.

City Manager, David W. Rowlands expressed “our entire community mourns Ari’s loss. She was a wonderful person and an exemplary citizen; she will be greatly missed by everyone who admired her honesty and integrity.”

On behalf of Fillmore’s City Council and staff, our thoughts and prayers are with Ari’s family and many friends. Our deepest sympathies go out to them.

No information is yet available about a memorial service.

Ventura County Department of Public Health

Ventura County Public Health has extended the indoor mask order, requiring all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face coverings when indoors in public settings, with limited exceptions. The order will continue to be in effect until October 19, 2021 or until it is extended, rescinded, superseded, or amended by the Health Officer. “Our current case rate of 19.3 is still considered widespread community transmission by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health,” said Public Health Officer Doctor Robert Levin. “We need to see a continued decrease in the case rate and hospitalizations before safely lifting indoor masking requirements to help prevent future surges.”

The order directs that face coverings must be worn over the mouth and nose – regardless of vaccination status – in all indoor public settings, venues, gatherings, and workplaces, including but not limited to offices, retail stores, restaurants and bars, theaters, family entertainment centers, conference and event centers, and government offices serving the public.

Individuals, businesses, venue operators, hosts, and others responsible for the operation of indoor public settings must:
• Require all patrons to wear face coverings for all indoor settings, regardless of their vaccination status; and
• Post clearly visible and easy-to-read signage at all entry points for indoor settings to communicate the masking requirements to all patrons. Signage is provided by Ventura County Public Health at www.vcrecovers.org.

This health order aims to reduce community transmission of COVID-19. Health officials are concerned by the substantial levels of increased community transmission, especially among unvaccinated people. In part, this is due to the widespread COVID-19 Delta variant, which is substantially more transmissible than previous forms of the virus. Recent information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also indicates that even fully vaccinated individuals can in some cases spread the Delta variant to others, and so indoor use of face coverings provides an important added layer of protection.

More information about COVID-19 available at: www.venturacountyrecovers.org

Fillmore High School graduates Randal Kamradt, Andrew Reilley, and Nicholas Medina are set to premiere their exciting new film The Monsters Without this October at the prestigious Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. An action-packed adventure through the Philippines featuring terrifying and amazing creatures from Filipino Mythology, The Monsters Without is the latest film from writer/director Kamradt (Faraway). The film features an international cast led by Jake Macapagal (Metro Manila, Watch List) including Reilley in a supporting role as Richard, an inventor, and Medina as voice of the monstrous villain Nameless.

The story is about a scrappy international team of scientists and mercenaries called P.H.A.S.E. who resolve to keep man and monster-kind safe.

Kamradt and Reilley traveled with a small team to the Philippines in 2017 and shot the film on location for 28 days. The complex shoot included filming in the beautiful Hindang Caves, working with dozens of extras, and extensive monster make-up. Reilley played multiple roles, not only appearing as Richard but also undergoing a complete make-up transformation to appear as The Kafir, a legendary creature. Once filming was completed, Medina contributed his vocal performance as the main villain.

A lengthy post-production process followed, as Kamradt created over 100 visual effects shots for the film. This included adding new computer-generated creatures and augmenting many of the real locations with otherworldly additions. During post-production, Kamradt also became Fillmore High School and Middle School's Video Production teacher, hoping to share his expertise with students and contribute to the town that raised him.

The Monsters Without is a thrilling love letter to genre cinema and the beautiful Philippines islands. The film will premiere on October 1st, 2021 at the Regal LA Live theater as part of the 37th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. For more information visit http://www.themonsterswithout.com

Frank Erskine circa 1906. Frank came to Fillmore from Vermont in 1913 and later formed the Fillmore Citrus Protective District. Photos Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum. Frank Erskine c 1965 Caricature of Fillmore Herald editor Hamilton Riggs at the Artists' Barn Above is a newspaper article regarding Fillmore Citrus Association Mexican Band was set to perform on December 11th, 1931 via radio performance. This band was formed back in 1925 along with the Fillmore American Band which both had 20 musicians. Photo Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum More photos online at www.fillmoregazette.com Tray made by Frank Erskine in the Museum Collections
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Newspaper article about Fillmore Citrus Association Mexican Band set to perform on December 11th, 1931 via radio performance. This band was formed in 1925 along with the Fillmore American Band which both had 20 musicians.
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Tray made by Frank Erskine in the Museum Collections.
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Frank Erskine circa 1965.
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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

You don’t have to serve as mayor or be elected to the city council to have an impact on your community. That’s true today and was true one hundred years ago. In 1913 a young man from Vermont came to Fillmore and was a force for good in the town. His name was Frank Erskine.

Frank was born in Williamstown, Vermont in 1879. His parents were farmers, though as Frank would later say, “Farms in Vermont are mostly rocks.” He had five siblings, four of whom died before Frank was 16 years old. His father, Henry Erskine, died when Frank was twenty. His mother, Jane, sold the farm and with his portion of the proceeds, Frank entered collage attending Albany Business College where he eventually taught. He developed one of the first high school business courses that was taught in New York state.

While in Albany, he married Miss Susan Benedict from his hometown. It was her brother-in-law, OrlowGriffen, who suggested Frank come to California to take a position with a fruit growers’ association in Whittier. He and his wife, Susan, made the move to California. In 1913, Frank was told about a struggling fruit growers’ association in a place called Fillmore and decided to make the move to Ventura County.

Erskine was to say that for the first years he battled competition and bugs with red and purple scale threatening the local citrus crops. He and David Felsenthal were instrumental in forming the Fillmore Citrus Protective District and eventually the Fillmore Insectary which focused on biological control of pests.

He left the Citrus Association in 1929 at age 50. Not able to sit idle, he was one of the founding directors of Ramona Savings and Loan and remained a director for 38 years, and vice-president for thirty-six. The purpose of Ramona was to help local families buy homes – even during the Great Depression. One advertisement Frank wrote read, “We will pay withdrawals on demand. We could use additional funds to lend.” The ad was effective because within seven days business transactions doubled.Frank retired from Ramona Savings and Loan in 1966.

Frank had played the cornet in Vermont at churches and other venues. A story has been told that when Frank Erskine first got off the train in Fillmore, he was carrying a cornet case. The first person to see him was C. A. Harmonson (the initials stood for Columbus Arizona) who quickly recruited him to play with the band his family participated in (The Harmonson Rood Orchestra).

One of the things Frank Erskine is most remembered for is his association with local bands. One band he was in would play concerts on Saturday nights on the site of the Masonic Building under the pepper tree. Others in the group included Al Haase, Ken Howard, Lawrence and Sidney Peyton, Clarence Arrasmith, Frank Middlesworth and Bobby Stiles.

His motto, ‘money spent for music is a sound investment” was put to the test. By 1925, he had formed two bands, the Fillmore American Band and the Fillmore Citrus Association Mexican band, each of about twenty musicians.Both bands wore red bow ties with white pants and shirts with suit jackets.The Mexican band “was first laughed at and then complimented when it won top prize at the county contest called the “Esteidfod’ that we used to have in Oxnard,” he said in an interview in 1970.

An advertising card for the bands read, “Fillmore American Band and the Fillmore Citrus Association Mexican Band can provide instrumentation in any number of men from 16 to 50 for music for any occasion.” They were soon in big demand.

Erskine particularly enjoyed combining the two bands. The groups frequently performed together as was noted in a Fillmore Herald article in a June 9, 1927,talking about a series of concerts the combined band would be giving in “front of the old High School.” The Mexican band, led by Manuel Lucero, performed a two-hour broadcast on Radio KMPC in 1931. Lucero also composed a piece called “The Erskine March.”Unfortunately, only the 1st Cornet part has survived but it is both challenging and tuneful. The members of the band also combined their efforts to purchase a cornet for Mr. Erskine – it is on display in the Museum.

He was very active in the Rotary serving as president for the 1937-1938 term.Besides being a musician, he was also an artist, with his caricatures rivaling those of Lawrence Hinckley’s. For the March, 1937 Rotary Ladies’ Night he did an entire pamphlet of “Candid Camera Counterfeits of Prominent Phillmore Personages.” Each Rotary member was lampooned with his own special illustration.

In retirement he took up marquetry, carefully creating designs on trays and other items from small pieces of wood. We have several examples of his detailed work in the Museum collection.

Perhaps one of the least known of his activities was being Santa Claus to Fillmore’s children. Widowed three times, he had no children of his own. For twenty years (probably with the collusion of fellow Rotarian and Postmaster J K L Schwartz) he answered the children’s letters to Santa Claus. He was a friendly, but practical Santa. When a chimney-less child expressed concern that Santa would not visit him, Santa replied, “I dislike chimneys – all that soot in a place too narrow for me. I come in the front door like any other welcome guest.” To a child with an extensive wish list, “If I brought you all that stuff this year, you’d have nothing for next year. You divide that list up and expect to find maybe one-fourth of it, after I call on you this year.”

Frank Erskine died in 1978 having just turned 99 years old. He was the last of his family and left no survivors, but did leave a large legacy to the community.