School Children 100+ Years Ago

 

Pictured above is a group of children from classes 3-A and 4-B at Sycamore School in 1919. Most of the young people look very serious. While the students have not been identified, we know that Polly Smith is among the children in the picture. Sycamore School was built in 1876, and hosted students for more than 100 years, until the building was repurposed into apartments in 1984.

The four young men above were on the second team of the Eagles basketball team in 1920. (We don't have information about the team, but it may have been in a recreational/intramural league.) The surnames of the boys were listed on the back of the original picture. From left to right are: Meinzer, Schemenaur, Stephens, and Pusateri.

The students above were in class 3-B from Campbell School in 1919. There are 45 children in the group, but only one person has been identified. Thomas Rotsinger, the donor of the photograph, is the fourth person from the left, second row from bottom.

The Eighth Ward School, later known as Campbell School, was built in 1885 by Adam Feick and brothers and designed by J.C. Johnson. The building is now home to Nehemiah Partners of Sandusky, a nonprofit group that serves area youth.

The students above were in the first grade class at Monroe School (Ninth Ward) in 1911. The Monroe School was built in 1894 to serve the students of what was then the Ninth Ward of Sandusky.

Sandusky School Children in 1919-1920

Pictured below is a group of children from classes 3-A and 4-B at Sycamore School in 1919. While the students have not been identified, we know that Polly Smith is among the children in the picture. Sycamore School was built in 1876; by 1984, the school was closed and the new owner re-purposed it as an apartment building.

The four young men below were on the second team of the Eagles basketball team in 1920. The surnames of the boys were listed on the back of the original picture. From left to right are: Meinzer, Schemenaur, Stephens, and Pusateri.

The next picture shows class 3-B from Campbell School in 1919. There are 45 children in the group, but only one person has been identified. Thomas Rotsinger, the donor of the photograph, is the fourth person from the left, second row from bottom.

Campbell School, designed by J.C. Johnson, was built in 1885 by Adam Feick and brothers. The former Campbell School is now home to Nehemiah Partners of Sandusky, a nonprofit group that benefits area youth.

Women's History Month: Miss Emeline Baumeister, Educator and Author

Emeline Baumeister was the youngest child of Frank and Katherine Baumeister, born in Erie County, Ohio in 1895. She graduated from Sandusky High School and attended Kent State University, earning a lifetime teaching certificate. By 1919, Emeline and her sister Edna were both teachers at Campbell School, also known as the 8th Ward School. By 1927, she was the Principal of the school.

Between 1924 and 1936, Emeline Baumeister, along with school superintendent Frank J. Prout, and Nellie Mischler authored several reading textbooks that were published by the University Publishing Company. Several of the books authored by Dr. Prout, Emeline Baumeister and Nellie Mischler are still found in university libraries throughout the United States today.

An article in the March 14, 1936 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that Miss Baumeister had special lessons with a youngster who had moved to Sandusky from Italy, and who did not speak English. Two-thirds of the way through the school year, young Mariana Cinquanta was speaking and reading English very well, with a slight Italian accent, after special attention from Miss Baumeister.

At the end of the school year in 1946, Miss Baumeister was promoted from Principal of Campbell School to the position of Elementary Supervisor for the entire Sandusky City Schools district. Students and teachers paid tribute to her with gifts and a dinner party.

Miss Baumeister was a popular speaker for women’s organizations in Sandusky. In 1953 she spoke to the Mothers’ Federation along with television star Paige Palmer ("The First Lady of Fitness"), when the ladies met at Osborne School. 

Emeline Baumeister retired from her long career in 1959. She passed away on September 25, 1980. An article in the Sandusky Register of January 9, 1982 reported that she left the Sandusky City Schools over $95,000 in her will (worth about $312,000 today). Miss Baumeister cared about the children of Sandusky during her lifetime, and she made provision for Sandusky students even after her death.

Campbell School, aka the Eighth Ward School

Later known as Campbell School, the Eighth Ward School was built in 1885 to serve children from the southern portion of Sandusky. During some years of its history, this school held classes for students with special needs. Ellie Damm wrote in Treasure by the Bay that the school, which was a Victorian Gothic structure, was built by Adam Feick and Brothers. The building is located at 1215 Campbell Street in Sandusky, Ohio, and is now used by the Nehemiah Partners of Sandusky.

In the photographic collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center are several vintage group pictures of former students of the Eighth Ward School. The two photos below were taken in 1888.

The students pictured below were in Grade 3-B at Campbell School in 1919.

Columbus Day Celebrated by Sandusky Schools in 1892

On October 21, 1892, the pupils and staff of Sandusky’s schools celebrated the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. Literary and musical programs were presented at several local schools. In the afternoon a parade was held, in which students from public and parochial schools were joined by members of several Sandusky civic and military organizations.  Almost three thousand school students and their teachers took part in the event. A parade began at Sandusky High School (now Adams Junior High School) and extended to the fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth and tenth ward buildings, and returned to the high school. An American flag was raised at saluted at each building. At the eighth ward school (later known as Campbell School), students from several classes gave recitations, sang songs, and gave tributes.

Betsy Graefe and Bertha McFadden, in Class D at the eighth ward school, presented a selection entitled “The Man Who Believes that the Earth is Round.”  At Sandusky High School, Jessie Hornig gave an oration entitled “Four Centuries.” Dr. Charles Graefe, president of the Board of Education, was one of the speakers who gave an address in the day’s festivities.

To read more about the Columbus Day’s celebration in Sandusky in 1892, see pages 92 to 100 in the Annual Report of the Board of Education of the City of Sandusky, Ohio, for the School Year Ending August 31^ST, 1893, published by I.F. Mack and Brother, Printers, in Sandusky, Ohio.

Back to School -- Class Photos from Campbell School

Thousands of school students have just returned to the classroom. Here are some vintage pictures of former elementary students who attended Campbell School in Sandusky, Ohio. The picture below was taken in the fall of 1888.

Forty five students from Grade 3-B at Campbell School in 1919 are pictured below.

Enumeration of Youth of Sandusky’s 8th Ward

On May 10, 1912, Lena Smith signed an oath in which she pledged to record the enumeration of the youth in Sandusky’s Eighth Ward. The enumeration was to take place during the two weeks ending on the fourth Saturday of May. All unmarried youth between the ages of six and twenty one were to be counted, with a record of their name, sex, age and address. An accurate count of children who were physically disabled was also to be recorded. Race was not listed in this enumeration. Children who lived in the Eighth Ward attended the Eighth Ward School, later known as Campbell School.

Here is a page for the enumeration of youth whose surnames began with the letter E:

The name of the head of the household was listed first, followed by the names of the children. Birth dates were listed only for the children within in each family. The street name and house number were recorded on the right portion of the page. In May, 1912, Helen Ebert was 19 and Paul Ebert was 13, and they resided at 217 Hayes Avenue. The photograph below shows the Conrad Ebert residence on Hayes Avenue, with Paul and Helen standing near the steps, from about 1903.

While not many of the Ohio Enumeration of Youth notebooks have survived, they provide excellent genealogical information. One can get a thorough record of the young people who lived in a particular neighborhood. The actual pages of the Enumeration Notebook are similar to U.S. Census records, but they were not tallied during census years, making for a unique genealogical resource.

Solution to Mystery Photos

Here is a picture of the Campbell School as it looked around 1894:

Here is a view of the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home (now the Ohio Veterans Home) administration building, around the same time:

And here is Sandusky High School as it looked around 1894:

Which just goes to show -- don't always trust what you read in print!

P.S. -- Here is the Erie County Courthouse around 1895: