The Lea Block, on Market Street

Located at the southwest corner of Market and Wayne Streets in Sandusky, Ohio, the Lea Block was built in 1895, at what is now 174 to 186 East Market Street.  It was named for its first owner, James D. Lea, a prominent Sandusky business man. The three story brick structure was built in the Second Romanesque Revival style of architecture, and features rounded windows and corbeled brick trim.

There is ornamentation both above and below the fire escape on the side of the building that faces Wayne Street.

The first floor of the Lea Block has been home to number of different businesses through the years. In the early 1900s, the top floor was used as an Armory. Mr. F.X. Rinderle operated his tailoring shop in the ground floor in 1900. (Note: Before the street numbers changed in 1915, the Lea Block was in the 600 block of Market Street.)

From about 1917 to 1919, the Wendt Economy Grocery was in business in the Lea Block.

Wrestling matches were held on the upper level of the building in the early 1920s. In 1928 the Lea Block was purchased by the Knight of Pythias, for use by the lodge for meetings, dances and parties. In 1936 the Knights of Pythias occupied the third floor; the second floor was home to the Oheb Shalom Jewish congregation and the Progressive Spiritual Church; and on the first floor were a music teacher, dental office, insurance agent, and two dress makers. In more recent years, the ground level of the building has been occupied by jewelry and floral shops, a finance company, a novelty business, home decorating store, and even a metaphysical shop. 

Read Ellie Damm’s book, Treasure by the Bay, available at Sandusky Library, to learn more about the historic architecture of Sandusky, Ohio.

Moses Lebensburger, Sandusky Merchant

According to the book, History of Erie County, Ohio, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich, Moses Lebensburger was born in Bavaria, Germany, December 10, 1813, and came to America in 1840. Mr. Lebensburger married Caroline Monat in Dayton, Ohio in 1852. By 1860, Mr. and Mrs. Lebensburger were residing in Sandusky, Ohio, and Moses was a salesman at Leopold Monat’s men’s clothing store.  The Lebensburgers raised a large family of seven children. By 1867, Moses Lebensburger and Leopold Monat were partners in a store that sold ready-made men’s wear in West’s Block in downtown Sandusky. In 1875, Moses Lebensburger took over the men’s clothing business. In the 1870s, his store was at 161 and 163 Water Street. In 1880, Moses Lebensburger retired, and his sons took over the family business. For many years, Mayer and Abraham Lebensburger ran a menswear store on Columbus Avenue across from the old Post Office. The advertisement below appeared in the May 27, 1890 issue of the Sandusky Register.

On February 8, 1898, Moses Lebensburger died at the family residence on Washington Street. Funeral services were conducted by Rev. Dr.Machol of Cleveland, Ohio, and burial was at the Oheb Shalom Cemetery. An obituary which appeared in the February 11, 1898 Sandusky Register reported that the last rites over the remains of Mr. Lebensburger were witnessed by many friends and family of the deceased.

The Oheb Shalom Cemetery

The Oheb Shalom Cemetery is located south of the Erie County Fairgrounds, at the intersection of Columbus and Dewitt Avenues, in Perkins Township (near the Ohio Veterans Home). The land for this cemetery was purchased in 1854, according to an article in the Sandusky Daily Commercial Register, October 4, 1854.The first burial at this Jewish cemetery was Max Teshner, a Civil War veteran who died December 9, 1864. Although his name is given as Max Teshner in the cemetery records, he is probably the person recorded in the Ancestry Library Edition database (a Clevnet database) as Michael Tashner, who enlisted December 4, 1861 as a private at age 18. He eventually was promoted to Full Principal Musician of Company G, 72nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. On December 9, 1864, he died from wounds suffered in a battle at Nashville, Tennessee. He is buried in the cemetery with several other members of the Teshner family (sometimes spelled Teschner).

David and Rachael Frohman, along with some of their children, are also buried in the Oheb Shalom Cemetery. David was an uncle to the theatrical Frohmans, Charles and Daniel.

Moses Lebensberger, a native of Bavaria, Germany, migrated to Sandusky in 1857. He was involved in the clothing business in Sandusky for many years, first with a Mr. Minott, then with his son. The business, on Columbus Avenue in downtown Sandusky, is shown in the image below (from 1908). He is buried in the Oheb Shalom Cemetery with members of his family.
A booklet entitled The 100th Year History of Reform Judaism in Sandusky, Ohio is part of the Churches Collections in the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library. The interment records for the burials at the Oheb Shalom Cemetery are available on microfilm in the Archives Research Center.