Decatur Street in 1929

Looking north from Madison Street

In 1929, an unidentified photographer took pictures of Decatur Street, between Madison and Jefferson Streets. The purpose for taking these photos was to gather evidence for a long-forgotten court case (Ritzenthaler v. Singular), but now they help to document the evolution of a neighborhood.

 A small store selling snacks and cigarettes can be seen on the left side of the photo. By looking in the city directory for 1927-28, we can make an educated guess that the store was the Albert E. Moos grocery, at 533 Decatur. (There were at least 94 groceries in Sandusky at this time.) If you look closely near the first automobile parked along the right side of Decatur Street, you might notice what looks to be a pile of stones or bricks.

We have another photograph in this set that shows this more clearly:

 A note on the original photo describes this as 522 Decatur Street. Today, the even-numbered side of the 500 block of Decatur Street is occupied by Sandusky Central Catholic School properties.

Marked “Looking south on Decatur Street” is another picture taken at the same time.

Again, we can see the pile of stones in front of the house, which gives us some perspective. Now the odd-numbered houses (on the west side of the street) are on the right of the photo. Here is how that block looked about 40 years later:

Today, you can use Google Maps to further view the evolution of this block. 

The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center holds a significant collection of historical photos from Sandusky and Erie County. To view these images, see the Past Perfect Local History Archives online.

Merlin Wolcott, Library Director in Several Ohio Libraries

Merlin Wolcott in the 1950 BGSU Key

Merlin Wolcott was a son of Melvin and Adelia Wolcott. He and his twin sister Merriam Wolcott Washburn were born in 1920; they grew up on Shelby Street in Sandusky. As a youngster, Merlin was a frequent patron of the Sandusky Library, and worked one summer at the library during his college years. 

After earning a library degree at Kent State University, Mr. Wolcott went on to become the director of several Ohio libraries including Elyria, Avon Lake, and Canton. As part of his requirements for the degree of Master of Arts from Kent State University, he wrote a thesis titled The History and Development of the Sandusky Library Association, Sandusky, Ohio in 1953. A bound copy is on file at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

The thesis covered the history, growth and development of the Sandusky Library from its earliest years to the early 1950s. In the publication, he pointed out that the Sandusky Library, which opened on July 3, 1901, looked similar to a medieval castle. He stated that the library represented the ultimate ideal of the “university of the common man.”  Mr. Wolcott also discusses the earliest libraries in Sandusky, including the Portland Library Association and the Lyceum from the 1820s, and the Philomathesian Society that grew out of the Young Men’s Debating Association in 1840. He went on to cover the Ladies Library Association that met in 1870 for the purpose of forming a library association, and the Library Association of Sandusky which was incorporated in 1895.  In 1896 the Ladies Building Fund Association was organized, and two years later the Association purchased property at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Adams Street. The philanthropist Andrew Carnegie gave $50,000 for the library building and equipment, with the stipulation that no part was to be used for maintenance.  The original building was constructed with blue limestone from the Wagner Quarries, caps and sills in Berea sandstone, and the base in Columbus limestone.

Mr. Wolcott provided statistics about the Sandusky Library between 1921 and 1951. Today the Sandusky Library owns over 200,000 items, which include books, periodicals, DVDs, compact discs, books on tape, and e-books.  A host of online research databases provide instant access to information to library patrons twenty four hours a day.

Merlin Wolcott died in 1993 at the age of 73. He was a World War II Army Veteran, a member of Grace Episcopal Church, the Mayflower Society, the Descendants of Henry Wolcott, Masonic Lodge, the American Library Association and the Ohio Library Association. Mr. Wolcott had a deep interest in family and local history. He was a direct descendant of Benajah Wolcott, the first keeper of the Marblehead Lighthouse.

Artist John Opie's Painting of a Lyman Boat

 

In the historical collections of the Sandusky Library and the Follett House Museum is a painting of a Lyman boat, titled Lyman Islander, by artist John Opie. Mr. Opie is a native of Sandusky, graduating from Sandusky High School in 1954. He earned Bachelors of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees from Kent State University; after several years of teaching in art schools and universities, he became a full time artist, now living in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. John Opie’s family was associated with the O.P. Craft Company in Sandusky for many years. (His father was treasurer and general manager of the business.)

The Lyman Boat Company was founded in Cleveland in 1875 and moved to Sandusky in November 1928. They made wooden boats in Sandusky until 1973; these boats are still beloved by many Great Lakes boaters.

To read more about the Lyman Boat Works, read the book Lyman Boats: Legend of the Lakes, by Tom Koroknay (T, Koroknay, 2004), available for loan through the Clevnet system.   You can see a Lyman boat on exhibit at the Maritime Museum of Sandusky.         

Gilbert Harris, Dry Goods Merchant

Gilbert E. Harris was born in Sandusky in 1848, to Gilbert Harris, and his wife, the former Almira Belknap. The elder Mr. Harris died in 1849, leaving his widow to raise two small children on her own. The younger Gilbert Harris started out his long career as a clerk for the dry goods store of Charles and George Cooke. Later Mr. Harris went into a partnership with Henry Schumacher and John Bredbeck. In his final years in business, the dry goods store would become simply Harris and Schumacher. In 1900, this store was at 131 Columbus Avenue, just down the street from the West House.

This advertisement appeared in the Sandusky Register of March 13, 1900:

Mr. Harris and Mr. Schumacher were so enthusiastic about the closet sets they carried at their store that they took out an advertisement, along with many others, in volume 28 of Scribner’s Magazine in 1900.

The hangers provided in the Goodform Closet Set were supposed to keep garments in good condition, while also providing more space in one’s closet.

Mr. Gilbert E. Harris died from a bout with pneumonia on April 15, 1905. His obituary, in the April 16, 1905 issue of the Sandusky Register, stated that he was one of Sandusky’s “prominent, popular and progressive citizens.” He had been a deacon and trustee of the Congregational Church.  Mr. Harris was survived by his wife and two daughters. His obituary reported that his many friends were filled with sorrow. Mr. Harris was buried in Block 59 of Oakland Cemetery. Henry Schumacher carried on the dry goods business as sole proprietor.

The Rittman Family of Put-in-Bay and Sandusky

This picture of Lucy, George and Mamie Rittman was taken at the Pascoe studio in Sandusky, Ohio in the late 1880s. The parents of these children were Frank Rittman, Jr. and his wife, the former Fannie Parker. The Rittman family resided in Put-in-Bay, but often visited Sandusky to see relatives, including their grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Rittman, Sr. 

Memorial card for Grandfather Frank Rittman, Sr.

The Put-in-Bay column in the Sandusky Register often reported on the social activities of the Rittman family. In this brief posting, Lucy and Mamie had gone to Cleveland to visit their brother George and his wife.

George F. Rittman carried on the family butcher business at Put in Bay. He spent his final years on the mainland in Sandusky. In the early 1900s, Mary Rittman was a teacher in the public schools. In 1916 she married Captain Ezra Bickford, a veteran lakesman who was the first captain of the ferry the Erie Isle. Lucy became the wife of Granville Heuchele, who was associated with the U.S. Fish Hatchery. After Lucy’s death in 1933, Granville remarried.

The graves of George, Mary, and Lucy are all on South Bass Island. George Rittman (1877-1959) and Lucy Heuchele (1879-1933) were buried at the Maple Leaf Cemetery, and Mary “Mamie” Bickford (1882-1944) was buried at the Crown Hill Cemetery.

If you have ancestors from Sandusky or the Lake Erie Islands area, you can search for articles about them in local newspapers through Newspaper Archive, a Clevnet database. (To access, log in with your Sandusky Library card.)

Postcards from Lakeside

In the Neighboring Communities collection at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center are several postcards that feature Lakeside, Ohio. Lakeside is a Chautauqua community which had its origins as a camp meeting site for people of the Methodist faith. 

Here is a group departing from a steamer to visit Lakeside in 1905:

A path at Lakeside, once known as “Flirtation Walk”:

The Lakeside Auditorium is now known as Hoover Auditorium. Speakers and musicians have visited Hoover Auditorium for over 90 years.

Lake Erie provides opportunity for visitors to enjoy a swim at Lakeside.

Visit Sandusky Library to learn more about Lakeside. Several titles are available for loan through the Clevnet system.