Walter Poenish (second from the left), Fidel Castro (third from the left) and other men involved in Poenish’s swimming journey.
You never know what treasures you’ll unearth at the Grove City Welcome Center and Museum. It’s not just your grandparents’ old yearbook photos, that’s for sure.
One of the most celebrated treasures in the museum is a file kept safe in the museum office. The file contains the story of the late Walter Poenisch, a local man who started his competitive long-distance and endurance swimming career at age 50.
On July 13, 1978, at 65 years old, Poenisch became the first person ever to swim from Havana, Cuba, to the Florida Keys. He swam the entire 128.8 miles in a cage to prevent shark attacks. The journey took him just over 34 hours, a truly incredible feat.
Poenisch passed away in 2000, but Don Ivers from the Grove City Welcome Center and Museum made sure to keep his amazing achievements well-documented.
“He was like Aquaman or something,” Ivers says. “Walter was awarded, in ’69, the title of world's strongest endurance swimmer. He pulled a 28-ton, 47-foot yacht for about 20 feet against the current and the wind.”
In August 1963, before his long-distance swimming accomplishment, Poenisch began writing letters to Fidel Castro and the American government about his dream to swim from Havana to Florida.
“The United States and Cuba’s relations were not very good at this time. People politically here in the U.S. didn't really like the fact that Walter was doing this,” Ivers says.
After his swimming journey was complete, it was controversial. Many media outlets and U.S. citizens even chose not to recognize the swim.
“Walter was just sort of a lightning rod kind of a guy,” Ivers says. “I think a lot of people, especially American citizens, would have probably bowed to the pressure that he got from politicians saying don't do it, but he did it.”
Many of the archived items were given to the museum thanks to Faye Poenisch, Walter’s widow. A letter by Faye is included in the files and reads: “Through all facets of his life, he faced everything head-on with a positive mental attitude, perseverance, intestinal fortitude or, as he would say, ‘just plain old guts.’”
John Hines, former director of Grove City Lumberyard, knew Poenisch not only as a professional swimmer but also as a friend.
“Saturday mornings, when business was a little slower, we would have all of our contractors and friends come in and have a coffee with us,” Hines says. “Everybody sat in the back talking to each other, drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. Walter would come too; he would always come up Saturday morning.”
Regardless of how people personally responded to his achievements, Poenisch won countless awards, was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records and even received national recognition, but always stayed humble.
“It was neat to just listen to him talking,” Hines says. “He wasn't cocky at all or anything like that. Walter was quite a guy.”
This incredible story is just one of the thousands of items in Grove City’s Welcome Center and Museum collection. Artifacts are on display in a rotational schedule to keep the exhibits fresh for visitors. The museum also maintains a file of family names, and local visitors are encouraged to include and share their family history so that future generations can search for stories. The museum is free and open Monday through Friday with varying hours. For more information, visit www.grovecityohhistory.org.
Gillian Janicki is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
