“A Woman’s Club”

A poem titled “A Woman’s Club” appeared in the Sandusky Register on August 13, 1899. Written by Sarah Palmer, and originally appearing in the periodical Club Woman, the poem was said then to have been the best club poem ever written. The first twelve lines are:

What is a woman’s club? A meeting ground
For those of purpose great and broad and strong.
Whose aim is toward the stars: who ever long
To make the patient, listening world resound
With sweeter music, purer, nobler tones.
A place where kindly, helpful words are said
And kindlier deeds are done; where hearts are fed:
Where wealth of brain and poverty atones
And hand grasps hand, and souls find touch with soul.
Where victors in the race for fame power
Look backward even in their triumph hour,
To beckon others toward the shining goal.

Women in Sandusky and Erie County have met together informally as well as in clubs and organizations for many years. Hewson Peeke wrote about local women’s clubs in Chapter 23 of his book, A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio. During the Civil War, the Ladies Aid Society of Grace Church sent food to soldiers in need. The Ladies’ Library Association of Sandusky worked diligently to raise funds for the building of a public library in Sandusky.

Members of the Benevolent Society of the First Congregational Church of Sandusky are participating in a quilting bee in the late nineteenth century in the image below.

Here is a photograph of Mrs. Charles Emrich’s Reading Club:

The Pythian Sisters decorated a car with a patriotic theme in an unidentified parade:

Five Red Cross volunteers are pictured at the corner of Wayne and Jefferson Streets during World War One.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to view historic photographs and documents relating to women’s organizations in Sandusky and Erie County. Included in the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center are records from the Erie County Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Martha Pitkin Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, Art Study Club, the Nineteenth Century Club, Business Women’s Club, United Ladies Sewing Circle, College Women’s Club, and the Catholic Women’s Study Club, and others.

Sandusky Chapter of the American Red Cross was very Active during the Great War

Prior to the entry of the United States into World War I, and throughout the war years, hundreds of volunteers in Sandusky and Erie County worked tirelessly for the local chapters of the American Red Cross. Here are some of the volunteers of the Sandusky Chapter:

In 1916 a sewing room on the third floor of the Parish House of Grace Episcopal Church was used by local volunteers to sew night shirts for the office of the American Fund for French Wounded. Later work done at this location was for the American Red Cross. During World War I, the Sandusky Chapter of the American Red Cross made 59,043 surgical dressings; 13,775 knitted articles; and over 20,000 other articles. The members participated in five parades and raised money for Red Cross Nurses. Red Cross members participated in collecting items for the Tin and Lead Foil Drive and provided financial support to the emergency hospital for victims of influenza in Erie County. Mrs. Elizabeth D.G. Moss Marsh served as chairman of the surgical dressing committee of the Red Cross during the Great War years.

This 1917 American Red Cross display helped to promote the services of the local chapters of the American Red Cross during the War. It depicts a Red Cross nurse giving medical aid to a wounded soldier.

The participation of members of Sandusky and other Erie County chapters of the American Red Cross have been chronicled in detail in the Honor Roll, Erie County Edition, from pages 179 to 213. Many pictures are included on these pages, as well as the names of key individuals and their length of service with the Red Cross. Inquire at the Reference Services Desk to view this valuable local history resource. Military records of servicemen, including family details and brief service records are provided for hundreds of local men who served their country during World War I. Also included are details about the hundreds of local residents who lent aid to the war effort on the home front.

Charitable Organizations in Sandusky

In the yellow pages of the current Greater Sandusky telephone book are listings for dozens of local Social Service agencies that help people who have a variety of needs. Some groups provide emergency food or shelter, others offer assistance to senior citizens, and some local organizations assist those with specific medical needs. Charitable organizations have been in operation in the Erie County area for many decades. During the Civil War, the Ladies’ Soldiers’ Aid Society of Grace Church sent food and supplies to soldiers, which were greatly appreciated. Prior to the Civil War, fugitives on the Underground Railroad often found food and shelter from hospitable individuals in Erie and Huron Counties. Pictured below are women in the surgical dressing class taught by the American Red Cross during World War I.

In the 1920s, the Salvation Army sponsored shoe drives for needy individuals in the area.

The group below was photographed in Sandusky’s American Red Cross headquarters in the 1930s or 1940s.

During World War II, local residents conducted scrap drives and planted victory gardens in support of the war effort.  Throughout history, members of area churches, clubs, and businesses have all joined together to help others in times of need. See the website of the United Way to see historical information about the many members of their organization, which started in 1923 as the Sandusky Community Fund.

Justina Winkler, World War I Nurse

Miss Justina M. Winkler was born in Sandusky on March 4, 1872 to Leonard and Theresa Winkler. She earned her diploma as a graduate nurse from St. Vincent’s Hospital in Toledo in 1908. During World War I, Justina worked as a nurse at the hospital located on base at Fort Riley, Kansas.

After the war, Justina worked as a nurse at Providence Hospital and for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. She was a member of the Commodore Denig Post of the American Legion, the Erie County Chapter of the American Red Cross, and she was a charter member and past president of the Santa Clara Auxiliary, United States Spanish War Veterans. Miss Winkler also served as secretary of the Erie County Soldiers’ Relief Commission. On August 24, 1939, Justina Winkler passed away after a lengthy illness. She was buried at Oakland Cemetery with a full military service. Funeral services were held at the home of her sister, Mrs. Norman Jesson, as well as at St. Mary’s Church. The 1939 Obituary Notebook at the Sandusky Library features several obituaries for Justina Winkler. One read, in part:  “Miss Winkler was known for her faithful and energetic work as officer and member of several patriotic, church and civic organizations. Nearly every patriotic holiday in the last twenty hears found Miss Winkler aiding in some capacity in the observance.”

Below is a certificate issued to Justina Winkler in recognition of her service to the American Red Cross.