Frank A. Link, Longtime Sandusky City Manager

In the photo above, former Sandusky City Manager Frank A. Link speaks at the ceremony to re-dedicate the Sandusky City Building in May, 1983. Mr. Link, who passed away on February 1, 2023, was the longest serving city manager in the history of the city of Sandusky. An article in the April 7, 1991 issue of the Sandusky Register, reported that “Frank Link has gone beyond the call of duty in his nineteen years as city manager of Sandusky.” He retired in 1993.

Mr. Link was well respected in the community. He was a graduate of St. Mary’s High School in 1948 and  the University of Notre Dame in 1952. Through the years, he earned many honors in recognition of his leadership and commitment of service to his community, family, and faith. To read more about the life of Frank A. Link, see his obituary which appeared in the February 4, 2023 issue of the Sandusky Register. Thank you for many years of service to your community, Mr. Link.

Frank Link’s family history leads back to Morris Link, an ancestor who also was very active in the city of Sandusky.

Morris Link and Link’s Block

Morris Link was born in Baden, Germany, and emigrated to the United States in 1851. After settling in Sandusky, he became involved in the culture of grapes and manufacturing of wine. He also worked for several years as a foreman in the Mad River Railroad warehouse. 

In 1870, Morris Link built the Link Block at the corner of McDonough and Washington Streets in Sandusky. Dr. Ernst von Schulenburg wrote in Sandusky Then and Now, that Link’s Block on Washington Street was a “monument to his [Mr. Link's] spirit of enterprise.” In the 1886 Sanborn map, pictured below, you can see that Link’s Block had a drugstore, grocery and saloon on the street levels of the building, with a public hall on the upper level, and a dining hall in the rear of the structure.

Many social events, political meetings, and dances were held at this site. On July 4, 1873, the Bay City Dancing Club held a Grand Ball at Link’s Hall, with musical entertainment provided by the Great Western Band. Tickets were fifty cents. According to the book Sandusky Then and Now, in 1885 the Sandusky Liederkranz (Sandusky Choral Society) was reorganized and held rehearsals at Link’s Hall. In 1904, a Mr. Rissman and Schaefer served lunch there. Turtle soup was the special of the day on March 26, 1904. A roller skating rink was in operation at Link’s Hall in 1905. In the 1940s and 1950s, several wrestling matches were held there. Below is an advertisement from the October 18, 1952 issue of the Sandusky Register, for a match between Bert Silverman and Frankie Taylor.

A number of businesses have been in operation in Link’s block, including the Towne Tavern and Health Club in the 1960s and 1970s.

            

For a number of years, the State Liquor Store No. 181 was located in the 900 block of West Washington Street. When you pass by the corner of West Washington and McDonough Street, take a moment to reflect on the rich history of that location.

St. Mary’s 1939 Basketball Team

Former newspaper reporter C. Weston Dash donated this picture of the 1938-1939 Sandusky St. Mary’s basketball team. Notes on the original picture indicate that the photograph was taken on March 19, 1939. This team was runner-up for the Class A High School state championship in 1939. Coach Lee Zierolf is on the right, in the back row. Team members were: Leroy Riedy, Howard Thompson, Art Link (team captain), Ken Smith, Wayne Stamm, Joe Riccardi, Charles Stanley and John Thompson. You can read more about this team in the March 19, 1939 issue of the Sandusky Register. Coach Lee Zierolf was a teacher and coach at St. Mary’s from 1932 to 1953. Under his leadership, the St. Mary’s basketball team won the state championship in 1936, and were state runners-up from 1937 to 1940. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to read more about your favorite local sports teams in issues of the old Sandusky newspapers, now on microfilm.