Bouncing Owl Club on a Boat in the Bay

Several men and women were on a small boat near Meigs Street in Sandusky on September 20, 1908. The picture was entitled “Bouncing Owl Club.” What this club was and who its members were is unknown. In the background, the city water works plant is visible. (It appears that the water works plant was having some work done to the roof.) At this time, Theodore Roosevelt was nearing the end of his term as President of the United States. Sandusky had almost 20,000 residents, while Perkins was home to about 3500 people. Looking at the microfilmed copy of the Sandusky Register for September 20, 1908, the weather was fair on this date. The new Herb and Myers store announced its grand opening, and both Jessie Meenan and Carrie Freyensee advertised that their stores had recently received shipments of their new fall hats. Baseball games were being played at League Park, and members of the Shamrocks Baseball Club were going on an excursion to Leamington, Canada.

But we don't know anything about the Bouncing Owl Club. Do you?

Tuesday Afternoon Club

Before radio and television, locally produced musical entertainment was a popular diversion for thousands of Americans. In Sandusky, Ohio a group of people formed a club known as the “Tuesday Afternoon Club.” Their first meeting was held on April 7, 1891. The purpose of the club was “the promotion of an interest in music, and to afford musical improvement and enjoyment to its members.” Initially the club members met in private homes, but later they gathered at various meeting rooms in Sandusky. On February 15, 1900, the Tuesday Afternoon Club met at Lea’s Hall on Market Street.

The Club performed a cantata by A. Goring Thomas, entitled The Swan and the Skylark on April 23, 1902, at Carnegie Hall of the Sandusky Library. Mr. George F. Anderson directed the production.

  

The names of the performers appear on the back of the program, listed by voice types.

Several programs from the Tuesday Afternoon Club are found in the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. They take us back to a simpler time, when people often relied on local talent for entertainment.

Good Samaritan Aid Society of Ebenezer Baptist Church

This picture of the Good Samaritan Aid Society, Number 117625, of the Ebenezer Baptist Church likely was taken in the 1930s or 1940s. The organization was made up of both men and women, all who worked together to aid those in need within the congregation and community. The group was organized in the 1920s. In the close up view below, you can see the banner for the organization.

In 1934, the people of Ebenezer Baptist organized another service club, known as the Busy Bee Missionary Circle. This group, made up mostly of senior women, worked to raise money for college scholarships and church repairs, and had prayer services for the sick. 

An article in the Sandusky Register of February 15, 1998, reported that Ebenezer Baptist Church was the third African-American church in Sandusky. The Second Baptist Church had been founded in 1849, and the St. Stephen A.M.E. Church was started in 1856. In the article, Rev. Rufus G.W. Sanders stated that “Churches are the center of the black community and black culture. It’s been the bridge between the Afro-American culture and the American culture.”  

Ebenezer Baptist Church celebrated its 90^th anniversary with a banquet at the Crystal Room in July of 2010. The church originally was on South Depot Street, but moved to 1215 Pierce Street in the 1970s. The Erie-Huron County C.A.C. and HeadStart Preschool is now located at the site of the former Ebenezer Baptist Church. 

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn more about the churches of Sandusky and Erie County, Ohio in the Church Collections. 

The League of American Wheelmen in Sandusky

From July 3 to July 5, 1893, the 13th Annual Meeting of the Ohio Division of the League of American Wheelmen was held in Sandusky, Ohio. During Sandusky’s Fourth of July Parade, several members took part in the procession. An article in the July 5, 1893 issue of the Sandusky Register stated, “The wheelmen congregated in knots around their machines, and many of them being dressed in smart uniforms and decorated with silken badges presented a very attractive appearance, while the plated spokes of the wheels glistened in the sunlight and gave additional brilliance to the scene.” 

The group picture was taken on the north side of the old Sandusky High School (later Adams Junior High) on July 4, 1893. Wilbert Schwer donated this photograph to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

Annual Session of United Commercial Travelers, Grand Council of Ohio in 1906

The seventeenth annual session of the Grand Council of Ohio, United Commercial Travelers, was held in Sandusky, Ohio from June 7 to June 9, 1906. The United Commercial Travelers was organized in Columbus, Ohio in 1888 by a small group of traveling salesmen. The purpose of the group was to provide insurance and other benefits for its members. The Sandusky Council, No. 278 of the United Commercial Travelers was active for many years.  An article in the June 8, 1906 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that three thousand traveling men arrived in Sandusky and took the city “by storm.  Big bands accompanied the visitors, most of whom arrived by train. Many of the commercial travelers stayed at the Hotel Breakers at Cedar Point.

          

On June 7, a band contest was held at Cedar Point, followed by a boat ride on a steamer. The Cedar Point Band gave a concert for the commercial travelers in the evening. On June 8, the day opened with an invocation by Rev. A.P. Higley, welcome address by Sandusky Mayor John J. Molter, and an address by William Homer Reinhart, who was the chairman of the general executive committee of the Sandusky Council of the U.C.T.

Several more sessions of the United Commercial Travelers were held during the annual meeting. On Friday evening, June 8, a dance and a progressive dinner were held at the Coliseum at Cedar Point. On Saturday, Van Doren’s Band from Toledo gave a concert in Washington Park. A huge parade commenced at 1 p.m. in downtown Sandusky. At 3:30 p.m., the Columbus and Akron United Commercial Travelers played a baseball game, with $25 awarded to the winning team. 

The annual session of the United Commercial Travelers, Grand Council of Ohio concluded with a grand concert at Cedar Point.  The Sandusky Register of June 9, 1906 stated that the U.C.T. convention in Sandusky was “without doubt the largest in point of attendance and best in every way in history of organization.” Inside the back cover of the souvenir program from the U.C.T. convention is a list of the members of the Sandusky Council, No. 278 of the U.C.T.

Early Days of the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky

Pictured above are the members of the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky in 1936. At that time, Elliott Bender was the president of the organization. In 1936 the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky took part in Sandusky’s Safe Motor Vehicle Campaign, in conjunction with the Sandusky Register and the Star Journal. Sandusky residents were asked to sign this pledge:

Once the pledge card was filled out, automobile drivers could stop at one of several Sandusky businesses to pick up a sticker for their car that read:

REGISTER

STAR-JOURNAL

PLEDGED

SAFE

DRIVER

SANDUSKY

KIWANIS

CLUB

After the March 17, 1936 meeting, members of the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky went to the William Mound studio to get a group photograph taken. By 1951, the membership of the club had increased.

There were 65 members of the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky in October, 1951. Roger Doerzbach was president at that time. In 1951, the club sponsored a film series put out by the National Audubon Society, and hosted a Christmas dinner for the Erie County Children’s Home. When the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky met with the Lorain Kiwanis Club in October, 1951, there was 100% attendance at that meeting. 

The Kiwanis Club of Sandusky, Ohio is a service club that was chartered on November 8, 1919. The group donated a collection of historic items to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center which includes photographs, minutes, monthly reports, and membership rosters. Visit the Archives Research Center to view the archives of the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky.

Happy Halloween!

Here is a group photo of the Business Women's Club Halloween Party at Reinke's Boat House on Meigs Street. The exact date is unknown, but it was probably around 1920-1925.

Many of the young women are identified. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn their identities.

Odd Fellows’ Festival in 1856

On March 25, 1856 the Odd Fellows’ Festival was held at West’s Hall in the West House in downtown Sandusky. The floor managers were John Youngs, Warren Smith, and Jerome Monroe. Twelve Sandusky men served on the Committee of Arrangements, including John W. Holland, a well-known local sign painter and businessman.

Clock’s Band provided music for the evening’s entertainment. Rev. Samuel Marks addressed the Daughters of Rebekah, the women lodge members, who attended the festival in full regalia. An article in the March 26, 1856 issue of the Sandusky Daily Commercial Register reported that the Odd Fellows’ Festival was “one of the most brilliant and admirably conducted entertainments ever given in Sandusky.” After Rev. Marks’ address, the crowd enjoyed a dance and music. Several amateurs sang throughout the evening. Dinner was served at eleven o’clock p.m. One hundred seventy people attended the banquet, which featured three tables “loaded down with all the luxuries and substantials the most craving appetite could demand.” The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a fraternal organization. The I.O.O.F. symbol features a three link chain, which represents Friendship, Love and Truth. The I.O.O.F. building in Sandusky was dedicated on March 18, 1890. Several attorneys and businesses are now located in the I.O.O. F. building on Washington Row in downtown Sandusky.

The Knights of the Maccabees

Mrs. Paul Bogert donated this picture, taken by W.A. Bishop, of a local chapter of the Knights of the Maccabees, taken around the turn of the twentieth century. Though we do not know exactly who each individual is in this picture, the first five individuals in the back row (from left to right) are: John Schoepfle, Frank Close, Jacob Hoffman, Alex Saxer, and Adam Smith. In the very front row are: Conrad Rhonehouse, Mosey Hohl, Bert Wiegel, Henry Bromm, and Dan Arndt (or Arend.) Other men in the group photo are: Gus Koegle, Caleb Till, Fred Hinkey, Robert Fox, George Braley, George Maley, Joe Andres, Lewis Biehl, E. Stevens, Dr. H.A. Chandler, John Kohler, and Al Ernst. 

Though the Knights of the Maccabees ceased to be a fraternal organization in 1962, in the late 1800s and the early 1900s the organization was active in Sandusky. In the 1916 Sandusky City Directory, there were four “tents” of the Knights of the Maccabees and two “hives” of the Ladies of Maccabees. One of the main benefits of joining the Knights of the Maccabees was the opportunity for members to obtain life insurance at a reasonable rate. 

An article in the July 16, 1900 issue of the Sandusky Star reported on a trip that the Maccabees took to Columbus. The Chandler Division of the uniformed rank, Knights of the Maccabees, marched from their hall on Market Street to the train station. As they marched, the members of the Maccabees wore wigs and played kazoos. While in Columbus, they had an encampment with several of divisions of the Maccabees. A special side show exhibit was held at the Maccabees encampment, in which Jacob Hoffman portrayed one of Custer’s scouts and Dr. Chandler served as a “crack-a-jack” story teller. 

If you have ancestors from Sandusky or Erie County, visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. In our Clubs and Organizations collection, are many photographs, historical articles, and primary sources about many of this area’s former residents.

Steamer Frank E. Kirby

Sandusky photographer Ernst Niebergall took this picture of the steamer Frank E. Kirby in the first quarter of the twentieth century.   The Frank E. Kirby was built in Wyandotte, Michigan by the Detroit Dry Dock Company in 1890. Notes in our historical files indicate that the Frank E. Kirby travelled between Detroit and Sandusky, with stops at Kelleys Island, Put-in-Bay, and Middle Bass Island, until the end of 1919. Pictured below are members of the Silver Bell Benefit Club aboard the Frank E. Kirby. On Sunday, June 14, 1908, the members of the club traveled on the Frank E. Kirby to Detroit, to see the baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Athletics.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to see hundreds of vintage photographs from Sandusky and Erie County.

Martha Pitkin and the Sandusky Chapter, D.A.R.

Mrs. E. Lea Marsh, nee Elizabeth Diodate Griswold Marsh, is pictured below. She is one of the many descendants of Martha Pitkin, whose name is associated with the Sandusky chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The founder, organizer, and first regent of the Martha Pitkin Chapter of the D.A.R. was Mrs. Jay Osborne Moss, who was born Frances Griswold Boalt. The local chapter was organized on April 27, 1897, with fourteen charter members. Mrs. Moss was a direct descendant of Martha Pitkin. Judges Ebenezer Lane and William G. Lane were also directly descended from Martha Pitkin and her husband Simon Wolcott.

A history of the Martha Pitkin chapter of the D.A.R. was reported in the May 1, 1927 Sandusky Register, on the thirtieth anniversary of the organization’s founding. Mrs. Curtis Schaufelberger, historian, wrote about Martha Pitkin: “Martha, a young woman of religious character, was possessed of a natural brilliancy of intellect, which was later on developed by an education in London. In addition to these attributes she was endowed with great beauty.” Charles Knowles Bolton wrote a “versified narrative” which describes the courtship of Martha Pitkin and Simon Wolcott. The title is On the Wooing of Martha Pitkin. Martha Pitkin was born in England. She came to the United States in 1661. Her first husband was Simon Wolcott. Among their descendants were five Connecticut governors. Martha’s grandson Governor Oliver Wolcott was a member of the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. After the death of Simon Wolcott, Martha married Daniel Clark. Martha Pitkin Wolcott Clark died in 1719, and is buried in East Windsor, Connecticut.

The records of the Martha Pitkin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution are located in the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library. Included in the collection are financial records, historian’s records, and several scrapbooks.

Reminder: Those interested in learning more about genealogy and the D.A.R. are invited to the Genealogy workshop sponsored by the Martha Pitkin Chapter, at the Sandusky Library, beginning at 10:30AM Saturday, March 2.

Dedication of the Progressive Masonic Temple

On July 15, 1945 the Progressive Masonic Temple, home of Progress Lodge No. 85 F. and A.M., was dedicated. The building, located at 2012 Columbus Avenue, was purchased on May 29, 1944, and was remodeled and redecorated for lodge purposes.

The Progress Lodge No. 85 F. and A.M. began in the 1920s in Sandusky, and was said to be Sandusky’s oldest African American fraternal organization at the time of the dedication of the lodge building. The group met in 1945 on the first and third Monday of the month. In April of 1969, Charles Alexander and Clarence A. Carman were honored with a testimonial banquet; they were the only living charter members of the Progress Lodge 85 F. and A.M. in the spring of 1969. The building located at 2012 Columbus Avenue is now home to the New St. John Masonic Lodge, No. 192.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to read about the formation of the first African American Lodge in Sandusky in the November 20, 1921 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal, available on microfilm.

Sandusky Ad Club Banquet, 1915

On July 15, 1915, members of the Sandusky Ad Club held their annual banquet at Cedar Point. Special guests were former Sandusky residents who were in town for the community’s homecoming festivities. An article in the Sandusky Star Journal reported that the banquet was “splendid.” Toastmaster for the evening was C.B. Dewitt, the son-in-law of General Henry Axline. Mr. DeWitt, a veteran of the Spanish American War, also went on to serve in World War One.

The main speaker for the banquet was Grove Patterson, the acting managing editor of the Toledo Blade. Mr. Patterson stressed the “ability to translate inspirations into action” in his speech which was entitled “The Get-Together Spirit.”

The Sandusky Ad Club was formed in 1913 to promote business in Sandusky, and to further improvements in the community. Eventually the Ad Club merged with the local Chamber of Commerce.

Mandolin Clubs in Sandusky

An article in the December 2, 1920 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that Mr. H.L. McCullough, a math instructor at Sandusky High School, had recently established two Mandolin Clubs. Club members varied through the years, and included both adults and high school aged students. Pictured in the musical group above are: Carroll Post, mandolin; Verna Murphy, mandolin; Ella Aust, mandolin; Edwin Aust, guitar; and Mr. H.L. McCullough, guitar. In the early 1920s, members of the Mandolin Clubs provided musical entertainment for school events, church services, and for meetings of several area civic organizations. On February of 1921 a quartet from the Mandolin Club performed at a W.C.T.U. meeting in honor of the memory of Francis Willard, a well known temperance leader who had died on February 17, 1898. Live musical entertainment was an important part of the social life of Americans in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century.

Second Annual Christmas Tree Party and Dance by the Sandusky Sangerbund

On Christmas evening in 1916, the Sandusky Sangerbund (sometimes spelled Saenger Bund) held their second annual Christmas Tree Party and Dance at Lea’s Hall at 172 East Market Street in Sandusky. In 1916, the group met on Sunday evenings at the northwest corner of Water and Columbus Avenue in Sandusky. Saenger Bunds were associations of singers, often comprised of individuals of German descent. The groups sang for dances, holiday events, and participated in competitions. On occasion the Sandusky Saenger Bund sang at funerals.

You can read more about the social life of German American residents of Sandusky in chapter five of Sandusky Then and Now, available at the Sandusky Library.

Plattdeutsche Verein in Sandusky

Pictured above is a ribbon from the Plattdeutsche Verein of Sandusky (spellings of this organization vary widely.) This organization was a society made up primarily of German born individuals who wanted to preserve the language and culture of the Germans who formerly resided in the low lands of Northern Germany. An article in the August 18, 1890 issue of the New York Times reported that “Jungens Holt Fast” was the slogan of the Plattdeutsche Verein. Translated into English “Jungens Holt Fast” means “Youth Hold Fast.”

On New Year’s Eve in 1921, the Plattdeutsche Verein held a dancing party at Yontz’s Hall (in the Cable Block, on Market and Jackson Streets), which featured the Schoder Trio.

The 1925-1926 Sandusky City Directory has a listing for the Plattdeutscher Unterstetzungs Verein (Low German Mutual Aid Society) which met in Sandusky on the first Monday of each month at Fuchs Hall, located at 702 W. Monroe Street.

Dr. Ernst Von Schulenberg wrote extensively about the lives of Sandusky’s early German residents in his book, Sandusky Einst und Jetzt, which was later translated into English by Dr. Norbert A. and Marion Cleaveland Lange as Sandusky Then and Now. Visit the Sandusky Library to read Sandusky Then and Now, or you can view the original book Sandusky Einst und Jetzt online at Google Books.

An Old Time Party

On February 2, 1910 the Garfield Company No. 13 of the Knights of Pythias Lodge had an “old time party” in Sandusky. In 1910 there were three Knights of Pythias Lodges which met in Sandusky. The Western Reserve Lodge No. 128 met on Thursday evenings. The Courtesy Lodge No. 252 met on Monday evenings, and the Garfield Co. No. 13 met on the first Wednesday of each month.

A history of the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal order that began in 1864, is found at the website of The Order of the Knights of Pythias.

A Recent Addition to the Library's Collections: Records of the Art Study Club

The Art Study Club has operated in Sandusky for over one hundred years, serving as a source for women to share their interest and knowledge of art with other members, and with the community at large. It was founded in 1901 by ten women who wanted an organization that supported “the study and discussion of art and the promotion of good fellowship among its members.” In the past century, members have shared their love of art through lectures, group discussions, tours, and public exhibitions in various community locations, including the Masonic Temple and the Follett House. The club is still active today.

Recently, the Art Study Club donated its historical records to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, where they are available for public research. Included in these records are meeting minutes, club yearbooks, photographs, and ephemera describing events of the club. These records provide a view of social activities of women in Sandusky, and offer us a glimpse of the evolution of American culture in the twentieth century. We are grateful to the Art Study Club and its president Rhonda Watt for their generous contribution to the archives of our community.

If your community organization has historical materials to be preserved, please consider the Sandusky Library.

Sunyendeand Club

During March 1890, a group of Sandusky men met to discuss establishing a club “of social character for gentlemen.” The second meeting was held March 29, 1890, and the club was officially formed. The club’s objective was to “promote social intercourse among its members, and to provide them with the convenience of a Club House.” Thomas M. Sloane was elected chairman. The men leased club rooms in the Masonic Temple, on Wayne Street at the corner of East Washington Street.

The club’s name was chosen based on accounts that Sunyendeand was the name given to the first settlement on the site of present-day Sandusky. According to Colonel James Smith’s description of his captivity by Native Americans, he visited a Wyandot village and French trading post between 1756 and 1758. Smith indicated this area was referred to as Sunyendeand. The men’s club wished to carry on the historical name.

Membership was limited to males, 21 years of age or older, residing in Sandusky or within two miles of the city. Perspective members were elected by club members and owned one share of stock (no member owned more than one share). Non-residents of Sandusky could become members but could not be stockholders or voting members of the club. Some well-known club members included G. A. Boeckling, W. A. Bishop, T. Pitt Cooke, and members of the Sloane family.

In 1910, the club needed a larger club house, so property on the corner of Wayne and Jefferson streets was purchased, remodeled, and furnished. The new house provided dining rooms, bedrooms, writing rooms, a billiard room, and meeting areas. It was designed to meet the needs of business men. The club house was open daily from 7 a.m. to midnight and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. Visitors could be invited into the club house, but residents of Sandusky who were not members of the club were not permitted to use the club rooms. Because it was a social club, an Entertainment Committee was responsible for various activities including lectures, music, and family events. “Smokers” were also a part of the club’s activities and involved speakers.

Although it is not clear exactly when the club disbanded, it was probably around 1930, as the last Sunyendeand document in the library's collection is dated from that time. The club had voted to dissolve in 1924, but this vote was rescinded after a group of members voted to purchase the club property and continue operation.

“Bells of Victory” Temperance Songs

The Good Templars had a lodge in Bloomingville, Ohio in the late 1800’s. The International Organisation of Good Templars was founded in the nineteenth century as a fraternal organization which promoted temperance. The Bloomingville Lodge was Number 156.

The Sandusky Register reported on December 11, 1894 that the Good Templars of Bloomingville were to hold a “Conundrum Supper” on December 13. A prize was to be awarded to the person who gave the correct answers to three conundrums.

“Bells of Victory” was a songbook written by J. H. Tenney and E. A. Hoffman. Here is a song from the “Bells of Victory” songbook: