A Snapshot of East Market Street from 1955

Helen Hansen, former curator of the Follett House Museum, took this picture of a portion of the Cooke Block and the north side of East Market Street on September 3, 1955. At this time Donald Smith ran the Smith Drug Store, where Holzaepfel’s would later operate a sporting goods store. When you take a closer look, you can see a sign in the shape of an LP record over the door of Meggitt’s Music Shop.

Other stores familiar to the “Baby Boom” generation of local residents include Jean Frocks, the Neisner Five and Dime, and the Sears store, where Santa would visit with youngsters each holiday season. Joseph’s Department store was to the east of the large Sears store. In the next block of East Market, was the former Whitehouse restaurant, later Markley’s, and Gossoff’s Carpet and Linoleum store.

Check out the library's online Archives to view more historical images from Sandusky and Erie County.