Harry Mewborn and the Development of Phone Service in Sandusky

Harry Mewborn was named the Commercial Manager for the Ohio Bell Telephone Company in Sandusky on January 1, 1939. He started with Ohio Bell in Toledo in 1925, and worked in several positions, including outside representative, credit manager, assistant unit manager, and unit commercial manager. During his time in Sandusky, telephone service in Sandusky, Castalia and Bloomingville was greatly expanded, and local telephone equipment was converted to dial operation. (Before the advent of the rotary dial telephone, an “operator” was needed to connect anyone making a telephone call to the party to whom they wished to speak.) 

Below are Sandusky operators in the 1930s demonstrating their work to a group of observers. A poster on the wall stated that “The 9700 Sandusky subscribers make 45,000 local calls each day. These calls are handled by a force of 75 operators.”

During Harry Mewborn’s time in Sandusky, there was no area code in use. Sandusky phone numbers started with 625; Castalia phone numbers started with 684, and Bloomingville phone numbers began with 359. Older readers may recall when Sandusky telephone numbers were in the “Main” exchange and Castalia numbers were in the “Mutual” exchange. By correlating the first two letters of each of those exchanges to the telephone buttons, the numeric equivalent for MAIN is 62, for MUTUAL is 68. For example the Sandusky Register telephone number in 1958 was MA 5-5500, or 625-5500. Now the area code 419 is needed to make a call to the Sandusky Register. The MAIN and MUTUAL exchanges were discontinued in 1962, as phone numbers were switched to all numeric dialing.

Mr. Mewborn was active in civic affairs in Sandusky. In 1942 he was the chairman of the campaign committee of the annual Sandusky Community Fund appeal. He was a director of the Citizens Banking Company, member of the Rotary Club, Sandusky Yacht Club, and Telephone Pioneers of America. He was also active in the Masons. He was on the Board of Good Samaritan Hospital, on the Board of the Erie County Chapter of American Red Cross, past president of the Chamber of Commerce, former director of the Salvation Army, former director of the Kiwanis Club, and he served on the Civilian Defense Executive Board.

Harry Mewborn retired from Ohio Telephone Bell Company in 1958, due to declining health. He died on September 20, 1960, and was buried in Oakland Cemetery. Mr. Mewborn made significant contributions to the Sandusky area through his work at Ohio Bell Telephone and through the many hours he donated to community organizations

Memories from a 1963 Sandusky Telephone Directory

Housed in Archival Box D-14 is this Sandusky Telephone Directory, published by Ohio Bell Telephone in 1963. A princess phone graces the cover of the directory. Special features of the princess phone was its petite size and light-up dial.

A relatively new function of telephones in the Ohio Bell system in 1963 was the ability to dial long distance phone calls directly, using the digit 1 and the area phone before the regular telephone number. As you can see in the alphabetical listings of telephone numbers, Sandusky Library had the same telephone number that it has today: 419-625-3834.

Many residents will recall the International College of Beauty, owned and operated by Jon Knapp, who was the hairdresser of Miss America 1963, Jackie Mayer.

Before Standard Oil was bought out by British Petroleum, Baxter’s Sohio station offered round the class road services for automobile drivers. There were several service stations located at the intersection of Tiffin Avenue and Venice Road in the 1960s.

  

Surfside 66, a seafood and steak restaurant at Battery Park offered drive-in as well as boat-in service to customers.

Long before online shopping and cell phones were widely available, Ohio Bell’s slogan was “Let your fingers do the walking!”

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to see this vintage telephone directory, and many, many more resources which document the history of Sandusky and Erie County.