The Twin Homes of the Kuebeler Brothers

The homes of August and Jacob Kuebeler were pictured in the 1894 publication, Art Work of Huron and Erie Counties. Built in 1885, the residence of August Kuebeler was at 1319 Tiffin Avenue, and is still standing. Jacob Kuebeler had an almost identical home built across the street at 1318 Tiffin Avenue. It no longer stands. Dick’s Carry Out is now at this location.

You can see the location of the Kuebeler brothers’ homes in an early 20th century Sanborn Insurance Map:

The Kuebeler homes are in pink, roughly facing each other

Before 1915, the addresses were 909 and 910 Tiffin Avenue. The former Kuebeler homes were built in the Eastlake architectural style. Each home was three stories high, constructed from brick, with decorative trim around the windows.

The brothers were prominent in the brewing industry in Sandusky, Ohio. The Kuebeler brewery was established in 1867.

The Kuebeler brewing plant was on Tiffin Avenue near Broadway on Sandusky’s west side. (You can see the proximity of the plant to the men's homes in the map above.) It was built in 1893 after the previous plant had been destroyed by fire. In 1896 the Kuebeler and Stang breweries merged. Two years later the Kuebeler-Stang brewery became part of the Cleveland Sandusky Brewing Company. Most of the Sandusky breweries closed during Prohibition, but one of the former Kuebeler-Stang plants manufactured soft drinks into the mid 1930s.

For several years the former home of August Kuebeler housed the Erie County Detention facility. Longtime city commissioner George Mylander was a direct descendant of Jacob Kuebeler.

Seele’s Restaurant, Later Hanson's Restaurant

In 1892, Charles J. Seele opened a restaurant at 724 Water Street between Columbus Avenue and Jackson Street, not far from the West House hotel in downtown Sandusky. In 1907 Seele’s sold fresh bulk oysters for thirty-five cents a quart (about $10.40 today). An advertisement from the December 17, 1909 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that Seele’s Restaurant sold pork sausage, buckwheat cakes, homemade mince and pumpkin pies, along with oysters and fish. Another listing from the June 4, 1919 Register offered a 21 meal ticket for $3.50 (about $55 today). The advertisement below appeared in the August 16, 1910 issue of the Sandusky Register:

In 1917, Adolph Stamm, who formerly worked for Mr. Seele, took over management of Seele’s restaurant. 

In the 1920s, Mr. Seele ran a grocery store on Hancock Street. In 1925, he moved to Florida, where he died in 1927. His obituary was in the Sandusky Register of September 2, 1927.

By 1927, Hanson’s Restaurant was in business at the site of the former Seele’s restaurant, at what became 140 West Water Street after 1915. Hanson's was in business at that location for about 30 years. A parking lot is now located where Seele’s and Hanson’s restaurants were in business long ago.

Advertisements from the W.O. Stubig Shoe Store

William O. Stubig began working in his father’s shoe store on Water Street in the 1890s. Christian Stubig, a German immigrant and Civil War veteran, founded the shoe store in 1866. After the elder Mr. Stubig’s death in 1904, William took over the shoe store. Frequently identified as W.O. Stubig, he believed in the power of advertising, often running ads in the Sandusky Register and the Sandusky Star Journal. In this ad from the October 5, 1906 issue of the Register, W.O. Stubig let customers know that he carried several popular brands of shoe wear, including the B. & P. “Korrect Shape” shoe.

The Star Journal of December 30, 1911, carried an ad which implied that shoes were an important feature of a woman wanting to appear attractive. Stubig was adept at fitting shoes for Sandusky ladies (and men.)

A "price wrecking" sale, with “the most stupendous shoe sacrifice ever known” began on December 9, 1919 at Stubig’s shoe store.

In a clever advertisement in the January 20, 1909 issue of the Sandusky Register, W.O. Stubig stated he would give a free pair of shoes to the first person to solve this rebus:

The lucky winner of the contest was Fred L. Werner. The solution to the puzzle is in the article below, from the Sandusky Register of January 24, 1909.

The W.O. Stubig shoe store closed shortly after the death of Mr. Stubig in 1956. 

Here is a picture of the Stubig shoe store while still under the management of the founder, Christian Stubig:

Prior to 1915, the store was at 754 Water Street. After street numbers changed in 1915, that address became 228 West Water Street. The building which once housed the well known shoe store was razed in 1965. A parking lot is now located at the spot where Stubig’s store once stood, near the southeast corner of Jackson and Water Streets.

Treasure Chest Campaign for War-Torn Countries in 1945

Sandusky Library staff members Esther Moreland and Harry Meisler are seated beside one of the treasure chests of books collected in 1945, to be sent off to Europe. Miss Yvonne Fievet, then Children’s Librarian, directed the project. Miss Fievet is pictured at the far right in the picture of 1940s library staff below.

Local school children all over Sandusky collected books, and decorated the boxes that held them. The campaign to donate books from the United States to countries in Europe was a national project of the Book Committee of the Women’s Council for Postwar Europe. The purpose was to provide underprivileged children with books and pictures of the American way of life, in order to promote a better understanding of life in the U.S. Included in the boxes were blank paper, crayons, and an empty scrapbook, so that children in other countries could tell Americans about life in their nation. Books collected from Junior High students were sent to China; Madison School’s treasure chest was sent to the Philippines; and books from Madison School were sent to Holland. Items collected by students at Barker, Osborne, Saint Mary’s, Saints Peter and Paul, and Holy Angels Schools were sent to Austria. 

Before being sent to Europe, the treasure chests were on display for a week at: the Ohio Public Service Company, Chamber of Commerce, Spector’s, and the adult section of the Sandusky Library.

Visiting Cemeteries

When you visit a cemetery, you can learn a lot about your family history. You may find tombstones of infants that you never knew existed, until you found their grave marker. By looking around a family lot, you may find the surnames of married females in a family. If you take along younger relatives, a visit to the cemetery can be a springboard for you to tell them stories about their grandparents and great grandparents.

These are the grandchildren of General John Beatty at his grave in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

The great grandfather of these youngsters, also named John Beatty (an ardent abolitionist), was once the Mayor of Sandusky!

If you do want to learn more about the people whose final resting place is in Erie County, Ohio, visit the Sandusky Library where you will find dozens of resources, both in print and online, which can provide more details about your ancestors. Several times a year, the library offers walking tours of the city and cemeteries in Sandusky. On Wednesday, October 12 at 6pm There will a tour of Sand Hill Cemetery on Mason Road.

Remember that every tombstone has a story! Visiting a cemetery can be a terrific learning adventure.

B.P. Sexton Company

Idlewood Rye was just one of the products that was carried by the B.P. Sexton Company in Sandusky, Ohio. The company was incorporated in November of 1898, and was dissolved in 1920. Signers of the Articles of Incorporation were: J.C. Scheufler, C.L. Wagner, C.C. Bittner, Fred Beier, and George W. Zimmerman. The purpose of the company was buying, selling, and dealing in foreign and domestic beers, wines and liquors…and all other kinds of delicacies. The business was at 530 Market Street, near Wayne Street.

The namesake of the company, Burton P. Sexton was born in Catawba Island, Ottawa County, Ohio in 1866, to Mr. and Mrs. Philander Sexton. He married Viola Wolfe in 1890, and they had a son and three daughters. He was a superintendent at the American Crayon Company when his company was founded.

 Another brand the company distributed was Atmore Rye.

An advertisement in the April 10, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal said about Atmore Rye whiskey, “It is just like anything else – if you use it to excess, it’s harmful – used properly it’s beneficial.” A pint of Atmore Rye whiskey sold for 25 cents at local taverns (equivalent to about $6.37 today).

A third brand from Sexton was Cream of Kentucky whiskey. The slogan was “Next time you take a trip, put a bottle in your grip.”

In February of 1919, President Wilson passed a revenue bill which greatly increased taxes on liquor. At that time, the B.P. Sexton Company decided to halt liquor sales. By January of 1920, Prohibition was enacted in the United States with the passage of the Volstead Act. In 1921, Burton P. Sexton moved his family to England. He passed away in Bedforshire, England on February 15, 1931. His obituary appeared in the Sandusky Star Journal of February 19, 1931.

New Athletic Field for Sandusky High School Dedicated in 1922

 

Though Sandusky High School was located on Adams Street at Washington Park in 1922, the School Board purchased property for a new athletic field on the south side of town, between Hayes Avenue and Camp Street, south of the railroad tracks. The 1915 map of Sandusky, pictured below, indicates the approximate location of the new athletic field.

 

The new field had a football field, track and grandstands. Strobel Field, now Strobel Field at Cedar Point Stadium. was dedicated in 1936. Dr. C.L. Knoble said, about Sandusky’s new field, “The local field will compare favorably with any in this part of the state and is the equal to those of many colleges.”

Coach Gosnell Layman stated in the September 10, 1922 issue of the Sandusky Register that the new field was ready. The yard lines were marked off, and the grass was in perfect condition.

The first game of the high school football season was played on September 23, when Sandusky faced Lincoln High from Cleveland, Ohio; 1100 people attended the game which ended in a tie. The new athletic field was officially dedicated on October 15, 1922, before the Fremont-Sandusky game.

The Fremont High School band opened the dedication ceremony. Sandusky High School officials and members of both football teams assembled on the new athletic field. The Star Spangled Banner was sung, followed by Sandusky High’s Victory song. Sandusky beat Fremont 32 to 0. The Sandusky Register reported, “Sandusky completely outclassed the visitors in every way.” Team captain Carl Borders scored the first touchdown of the game, after Walton threw a perfect forward pass.

A lineup and summary of the game appeared in the Sandusky Register.

If you would like to read more about the history of the Sandusky Blue Streaks football teams, visit the Sandusky Library where several titles are available for loan.

Circa 1940