Lewis and Dwelle, Grocers

 

From the 1870s through the 1890s, the Lewis and Dwelle grocery store did business at the northeast corner of East Water Street and Columbus Avenue. In 1873 the address was 158 Water Street. By 1880 the street number had changed to 643 Water Street. The proprietors of the store were Lucius W. Lewis and Benjamin F. Dwelle. You can see the building in this 1876 image below, which was taken during the Independence Day celebration in downtown Sandusky. At this time, A.C. Platt had his photographic studio in the upper level of the building.

You can see the location of the grocery store at 643 Water Street in this view from an 1886 Sanborn Map. Railroad Street is now known as Shoreline Drive.

After the death of Lucius W. Lewis in 1889, his son W.L. Lewis took over his father's role in the grocery store. In 1895 the business was known as  Post, Lewis, Radcliffe & Dwelle. By 1896, W.L. Lewis was the sole proprietor. After his retirement, Benjamin Dwelle moved to Port Clinton, where he died in 1903 at age 85.

In Treasure by the Bay, Ellie Damm wrote that this spot was one of the prime locations for commercial property in Sandusky, because people congregated in the square nearby to meet trains or boats. The original building featured a rounded dormer along the roof line, and had a façade that was built in the Romanesque style. The building today has been substantially altered from its original form. From 1919 through the 1950s, the Moose Lodge was at this location. A multi-page advertisement in the October 20, 1938 issue of the Sandusky Register invited area residents to the newly renovated Moose Lodge. The building, which is now 101 East Water Street, is presently occupied by the Landmark Kitchen & Bar.

Miss Jennie Lewis, Latin Teacher

A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, Jennie Lewis taught Latin classes at Sandusky High School from 1907 to 1923. In 1911, Miss Lewis was also an adviser to a girls’ Bible study group in Sandusky.

In the 1930s and 40s, Miss Lewis taught Latin at Toledo Scott High School. By 1958, she had retired from teaching and was residing at Lakeside, Ohio. According to an article in the October 6, 1959 issue of the Sandusky Register, she was the speaker at a monthly meeting of the Women’s Fellowship of the First Congregational Church. She spoke about her recent trip to Africa, where she participated in two safaris. 

Miss Jennie Lewis never lost her passion for learning. While in Africa, she met and talked with Dr. Albert Schweitzer. She died on January 10, 1961, at the age of eighty, and she was buried in the family lot at the Cheshire Cemetery in Delaware County, Ohio.