After having been connected with the Maibohm Motor
Company in Sandusky, Harry C. Maibohm started the Simplex Radio Company in 1924
at the corner of King and West Monroe Streets in Sandusky, Ohio. The advertisement
above appeared in a 1932 Erie County Directory. The ad featured a Model P
Simplex Radio which sold for $29.95 and a Model R Simplex Radio, which sold for
$19.95. The Model P radio brought in radio stations from far distances, but the
Model R was used primarily for local reception. In the 1930s, Simplex radios
relied on RCA vacuum tubes for operation. The radio dial was illuminated, and
interior chassis parts were rust-proofed. Most likely many Sandusky residents
listened to President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chats” from a broadcast brought into their home through a Simplex radio.
When
Jackson Junior High School opened in 1928, a Simplex system provided the
ability to broadcast a radio program or phonograph record throughout a public
address system, so that every student and teacher in the school could hear the
broadcast at the same time. An article in the February 26, 1928 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that,
“Through the imagination and foresight of F.J. Prout, superintendent of schools,
Sandusky now claims the distinction of having what is believed to be the
world’s first radio-equipped school.”
This page from a patent issued to Harry C. Maibohm in
1932 describes a combined radio receiver, phonograph and public address system.
The entire patent document is viewable through Google Patents.
As years went by, the Simplex radio became more
streamlined, as seen in this picture of a 1937 Simplex radio, now at the
Follett House Museum.
The Simplex and Philco Companies provided jobs for hundreds of local men and women. The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center is fortunate to have a series of newsletters from Simplex and Philco in its business collections. Visit the Sandusky Library to view these interesting publications, which range in date from 1948-1962
2 comments:
Harry C. Maibohm is my first cousin twice removed.
I know about his connection to Maibohm Motors and
the Simplex Radio Company in Sandusky, but I don't
know about his later life.
I would appreciate receiving any available
information about Harry, especially regarding
his later years.
Thanks,
Andrew Alexander
Did the plant ever make anything fot the army air branch?
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