OHIO
Clark Gable’s Birthplace is Not ‘Gone with the Wind’
By Nick Ostergard
Cadiz, Ohio, once known as “The Proudest Small Town in America,” is the birthplace of Clark Gable and the location of the Clark Gable Foundation, which commemorates Gable’s life and success in Hollywood.
The foundation was dreamed up by three men in an unofficial meeting in 1984 to discuss the economic trouble sweeping Cadiz. Cadiz relied heavily on the coal industry, but with the increasing demand for cleaner energy sources the local coal market suffered. According to the Clark Gable Foundation’s Web site, in 1985 unemployment reached a high of 25 percent. The town was broke and in need of a way to draw in tourists. A meeting and discussion of a Clark Gable Foundation ensued and a tourist attraction was founded. The reconstructed home in which Gable was born became a key tourist attraction for Cadiz in 1998.
About 1,000 tourists visit every year, said Nan Mattern of the Clark Gable Foundation. The museum is only open though from March to November.
Gable, as described on the foundation’s Web site, was a “man’s man,” who was down-to-earth and compassionate. Gable, known as “The King of Hollywood,” acted in 67 films before dying in 1960.
According to Mattern, the main attractions at the house are letters to Gable from past presidents, a childhood sled owned by the actor, a mug which Gable used daily, and a display dedicated to his third wife, Carole Lombard.
For more information on the Clark Gable Foundation and the museum visit www.clarkgablefoundation.com.
Nick Ostergard is a senior at Franklin College.