Erie County Engineer’s Staff Circa 1939

This picture is a copy of a photograph that was taken by Sandusky photographer Ernst Niebergall around 1939. Closer views of the photo can be seen below.

You can see some of the department's road equipment behind the group.

Though the names of many of the individuals in the picture are unknown, this document, on file with the original item, lists the names of many of the men in the picture.

In 1939, Clair Jenkins, the first man standing on the left of the first image, was the general superintendent of all county wide W.P.A. projects for Erie County. (Originally called the Works Progress Administration, the federal agency was renamed the Work Projects Administration in 1939.) He worked closely with men who were connected with the W.P.A. as well as with the staff of the Erie County Engineer’s office. Two former Erie County Engineers can be seen in this picture, in the row of seated men. Harold F. Gerold was the Erie County Engineer 1928 to 1940, and Mike Bechberger served as the Erie County Engineer from 1940 to 1968. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center if you would like to take a look at this picture.