Fourth Grade Class at Monroe School in 1897

Mrs. Norman Scherer donated this classroom picture of the fourth grade class of Monroe School in 1897. Though not pictured, Miss Beilstein was the teacher for this class. Several of the students have been identified.

Originally known as the Ninth Ward School, Monroe School was built in 1894.

Fishing Outings on the Major Wilcox

The Major Wilcox was a company boat for the Booth Fisheries Company, which was in operation in Sandusky from the early 1900s through the early 1960s. In the undated picture above, the only individual who has been identified is J.J. Schrank, who was a longtime employee of Booth Fisheries. He is the fourth individual from the left, in the back row. 

In August of 1914 and 1915, Erie County officials went aboard the Major Wilcox for a fishing outing. A “Looking Backward” column of the Sandusky Register of August 11, 1935, stated that on August 11, 1915, the Erie County Courthouse appeared to be a “deserted village” because so many county officials were out of the office on the annual fishing party and outing. Below is a photograph taken by E.H. Schlessman of the Erie County Officials annual fishing outing on August 26, 1914.

The boat was the namesake of prominent Sandusky business man Clinton B. Wilcox, who also served as a Major in Company B of the 16^th Regiment, Ohio National Guard.

“Ye Oak Meadow” Farm and Gun Club

Between 1907 and 1919, Mr. and Mrs. Ira C. Krupp lived on South Hayes Avenue, on the property formerly owned by the Palmerton family. (Ira Krupp’s mother Ida Palmerton Krupp was the daughter of J. E. Palmerton.)  The Palmerton property in 1896 is pictured below:

Ira C. Krupp, son of local undertaker Charles J. Krupp, operated a dairy farm at this location in the 1910’s. 

In June of 1911 Ira Krupp was a founding member of  “Ye Oak Meadow Gun Club,” which was organized at the Sunyendeand Club. The officers were: August Kuebeler, President; Lea Marsh, Vice President; W.A. Magoon, Secretary; Dr. J. K. Douglass, Treasurer; Ira Krupp, Manager; and Dr. J. D. Parker, Captain. According to the June 6, 1911 Sandusky Register the membership was made up of the best trap shooters in Erie County. Roy Parker, also known as Leroy Parker, had the high score at the regular shoot at the Gun Club on August 26, 1911.  He was an Erie County Commissioner from 1920 through 1924. 

C. Webb Sadler was also a member of  the club.

He was the grandson of Judge E. B. Sadler, and was associated with many other area clubs, including the Blue Hole, Castalia Farms, and the Rockwell Trout Club. According to Helen Hansen’s At Home in Early Sandusky, C. Webb Sadler was the driving force behind the development of Battery Park. 

A large turkey shoot was held in November 1911. By this time the grounds included a club house and a firing range. Mrs. Ira Krupp, the former Emeline Moss, was hostess for a bridge party and luncheon in December 1911.Around 1919 news articles about Ye Oak Meadow Gun Club ceased, and in the 1920’s  Mr. and Mrs. Krupp moved to Connecticut. While they were in Erie County, however, they were very active in the social and agricultural circles of the area.

Marriage of Mr. Albert Brownworth and Miss Theresa Casper

This ornate marriage certificate was issued to Albert Brownworth and Theresa Casper on August 12, 1903. The couple was united in marriage at St. Mary’s Church in Sandusky, Ohio by the Rev. Joseph S. Widmann. Several verses of scripture are found on the certificate, and at the bottom of the certificate is a phrase often used in marriage vows, “What therefor God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.”  

An article in the August 12, 1903 issue of the Sandusky Evening Star reported that Albert Brownworth and Theresa Casper were married at 7:30 in the morning. Theresa was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Casper of 519 McDonough Street. She wore a gown of white mousseline de soie and carried a white prayer book. She was attended by Miss Louise Casper. Mr. Jacob Casper served as best man. A dinner was held in honor of the newlyweds on the evening of August 12, for relatives, close friends, and guests visiting from out of town. 

Albert Brownworth worked in the transportation industry for over fifty years. He was superintendent of equipment for the Lake Shore Electric Railway and the Lake Shore Coach Company. Mr. Brownworth died on June 8, 1962, and he was buried at Calvary Cemetery. Mrs. Theresa Brownworth passed away in October of 1967, at the age of 89. 

While we do not have a wedding picture of the happy couple, below is a picture of Albert Brownworth while he was at work. He is the man in the center of the picture.

The Smith and Schnaitter Families Had Fun Along the Shore

In a previous blog post, we learned that Freeland Smith and his wife, the former Nettie Schnaitter, lived on Perry Street in Sandusky, and that they had a large family of five children. In the picture above, taken about 1910, we see Freeland Smith at the left side of the photo. Next to him is his son James. Moving from left to right, we see Betty Smith and an unidentified woman. Seated on the sand in the middle of the picture is young Frank “Pink” Smith, his uncle Frank Schnaitter, Frank’s wife Helen Schnaitter, and his sister Gertrude Schnaitter. 

Though the children in the picture below have not been identified, it is fun to see the styles of clothing that people wore to the beach in the first half of the twentieth century.

Frank “Pink” Smith and his sister Margaret “Polly” Smith are in the water in this summertime picture.

Members of the Smith-Schnaitter families are enjoying the lovely weather in this picture as well. Most likely the three children are James, Frank “Pink” and Betty Smith, children of Freeland and Nettie Smith.

You can see the skyline of Sandusky in the distance, as a few members of the extended family fishes from the rocks along Sandusky Bay.

We can only imagine that the photographer who took this picture was hoping that the youngsters did not take a tumble into the water, as they gaze at the waves along the shoreline.

We are grateful to the descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Freeland Smith for their generous donation of Smith-Schnaitter family photographs. Because we have these items, we can have a glimpse of what summertime along the shores Lake Erie was like in the early 1900s

A Tribute to Jacob Julius Dauch

A printed tribute to Jacob Julius Dauch is in the historical files of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. J.J. Dauch’s daughter Leola had reprints of a biography of her father which had originally appeared in the National Encyclopedia of American Biography, created to give away to relatives.

The first page of the tribute discussed his parents, as well as his many business ventures, before he became involved in the very successful Hinde and Dauch Paper Company, which was formed in 1900.

Page two goes on to discuss his wife and children, as well as his untimely death on August 15, 1918,

The third page concludes with the words of a man who knew J.J. Dauch. He said of Mr. Dauch, “His strength and simplicity, his power and modesty, is unaffected integrity, stamped him as a citizen which Sandusky could ill afford to lose and one whose loss to his family and relatives is beyond worldly computation.”

Visit the Sandusky Library to learn more about J.J. Dauch and other former residents of Sandusky and Erie County.

Festival of the Flower Queen

On Tuesday evening, August 14, 1860, a performance of the Festival of the Flower Queen was held at Norman Hall, under the direction of Professor A.B. Chase of Cleveland, Ohio; he had directed productions of the same play in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1858, and in Cleveland in 1859.

The musical performance featured seventy five young ladies from the Sandusky area, all appearing in beautiful costumes which represented different flowers. Featured performers were: Josephine Chapman, Sarah Parish, Kate Burton, Sarah Monroe, Amelia Brainard, Nettie Wetherell, Alice Hard, Fanny Barney, Alice Porter, Jennie McGee, Lina Mills, Kate Monroe, and Miss Sallie Reber. The theme of the musical was that the flowers were meeting in a dell in order to choose their queen. A recluse, played by Professor Chase, was discontented with life. In song, the flowers told the recluse about love and duty, and by end of the performance he was ready to return to society among his fellow creatures.

The August 15, 1860 issue of the Sandusky Daily Commercial Register reported that the performance at Norman Hall was a “a most decided success in every way.” The article stated that the Daisy, who was played by Sallie Reber, was coaxed into an encore song; she would later go on to be a popular performer with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in New York. 

1879 Fair of the Erie County Agricultural Society

According to the Premium List for the Fair, the twenty-first annual fair of the Erie County Agricultural Society was held in Erie County at the Fairgrounds from September 23 to September 26, 1879.

Entries in the Annual Premium List provided the amount of cash awards to be given to residents of Erie, Sandusky, Ottawa and Huron Counties who competed at the Fair in a wide variety of categories, including livestock, farm implements, manufacturers’ products, fruits, vegetables, handmade clothing, quilting, embroidery, photography, and flower arranging. In the Educational Department, students and teachers were awarded diplomas for excelling in such fields as spelling, reading, attendance, and record keeping. Scattered throughout the Premium List are advertisements from local companies.

The Adams’ Buckeye Land Roller was manufactured by the Sandusky Tool Company at the time of the 1879 Fair. This particular piece of equipment was known for its durability, though simple in design.

The Sandusky Register provided excellent coverage of the activities at the Fair. A large article on page 4 of the September 26, 1879 paper reported on the events of September 25, when it was estimated that fifteen thousand people attended the Fair.

On Thursday, there were horse races held at the Fairgrounds, as well as several teams that competed in a Hook and Ladder Tournament. John Krupp, who exhibited several pieces of furniture, also had on display a burglar-proof air-tight grave vault which was designed for protection against grave robbers.

At the fair, William Dilger had a display of plants that included an orange tree, a rare philodendron and a bridal bouquet of rare beauty. Photographer A.C. Platt featured a life size crayon portrait of President Hayes and Dr. I.B. Massey in his exhibit. D.C. Richmond stated that at the 1879 fair was the largest and best display of apples he had ever seen at any fair. Henry Lange, a grape grower from Kelleys Island, showed fair visitors a five foot stem of Concord grapes which contained over sixty bunches of grapes. During the wheat binding competition, local businessman J.A. Hosmer attempted to place a live pig inside a hot air balloon. It turned out that the young pig became too restless, so it was removed from the balloon. It was decided instead to place business cards from area merchants, as well as a copy of the Sandusky Register and a publication from the Erie County Agricultural Society inside the hot air balloon. Fair crowds grew excited as the hot air balloon headed to the north, toward the Marblehead peninsula. To read much more about the exciting 1879 Fair, visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center where you will find decades of local newspapers on microfilm, dating back to 1822.

Chamber of Commerce Photos from the 1950s

In the picture above, several individuals are standing in front of an information booth, which was a service of the Sandusky Area Chamber of Commerce, now known as the Erie County Chamber of Commerce. It appears that the Cookie House, which was home to Santa when local youngsters visited him in December, served as a location for the distribution of Vacationland tourist information during the summer months of the 1950s.  

An article in the August 26, 1955 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News reported that the Sandusky Chamber of Commerce was kicking off an expansion campaign known as “Let’s Go Sandusky.”  Chamber members used a chicken to demonstrate a point during one of their meetings. You can read the entire article about this campaign in the Sandusky Register Star News, now on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

The Merchants Division of the Sandusky Chamber of Commerce sponsored this  large poster at a trade show.  It stated that Sandusky is in the heart of Ohio’s Vacationland. 

 

Listeners to WLEC Radio in the 1950s and 1960s often heard the phrase “another great day in Vacationland” when their radio dial was turned to 1450 AM.

Midsummernight Concert of the Philharmonic Orchestra Society

On Friday evening, August 5, 1892, Charles Baetz conducted the Philharmonic Orchestra Society in a concert held at Cedar Point’s Grand Pavilion. Many popular Sandusky musicians took part in the performance.

Michael A. McAdams played contra bass with the orchestra.

The Sandusky Register of August 4, 1892 reported that the Fenz Brothers, vocalists from Vienna, were to perform at the concert. 

Fare for the round trip from Sandusky to Cedar Point was twenty five cents, which included admission to the concert. The steamer R.B. Hayes ran extra trips to Cedar Point during weekday evenings in the summer of 1892, to accommodate the increase in visitors to the resort. 

An article in the August 6, 1892 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that the mid-summer concert of the Philharmonic Orchestra Society proved to be “one of the best features of the summer program at that famous resort and all our music loving people who heard it were thoroughly delighted.”