Sprau Burial Vault Company

In the fall of 1935, the Sprau Burial Vault Company was founded in Sandusky, at the corner of Camp and West Monroe Streets. Sprau burial vaults were made of reinforced cement, which rested upon a base. When the vault and casket were lowered into the ground, an airtight seal prevented water and dampness from damaging the casket. The Mound Studio took this photograph of a Sprau Burial Vault.

Albert C. Sprau operated the Sprau Burial Vault Company from the fall of 1935 until the Spring of 1937 when his brother Ben Sprau took over the business. After Ben Sprau took over the company, the vaults were handled by area funeral homes instead of being sold directly to the customer. Ben Sprau and several of his employees are pictured below.

By 1939, there was no listing for the company in the Sandusky City Directory. Albert C. Sprau went on to work for the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads; in the early 1950s, was the bridge tender for the old Bay Bridge. He died on April 11, 1954. Ben Sprau passed away in March of 1962, after having been a marine engineer for over 25 years. Ben Sprau also had worked as an engineer for the City of Sandusky and the Plum Brook Ordnance Works.