A Scene on Decatur Street in 1899

The photograph above, taken about 1899, is from the Business Collection of the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library. Notes on the back of the original photo indicate that the stone building on the right was built in 1844 for a hotel. It was later called the North American House. In 1870 Adam Oehm, bought the building for a feed store. Helen Hansen, author of At Home in Early Sandusky, said that she was born (in 1902) in the stone building in the apartments above Mr. Oehm’s store and residence. By 1926 this building was razed and the Hinde and Dauch Co. built their office at this location. Presently the Board of Education of the Sandusky City Schools is located at the southwest corner of Decatur and Adams Streets.

To the south of the stone building, at 407 Decatur Street, was Hodgins & Large Horseshoeing. The 1900 City Directory lists William Hodgins and Charles Large as the proprietors of this business.

At 411 Decatur Street, just south of Hodgins & Large’s horseshoeing shop was a saloon owned by August Hummel. August Hummel was a German immigrant, as were Adam Oehm and William Hodgins. At the time of August Hummel’s death in July of 1915, he still had a brother and sister residing in Wuerttemberg, Germany.

The construction workers pictured in the forefront of the photograph are working on a road or curb project for the city.