Zeiher and Millar, Building Contractors

Peter J. Zeiher and Thomas C. Millar formed a partnership in 1914. In the early years, Zeiher & Millar focused on brick and stone work, but as time went by, they broadened their scope and they became general building contractors. Mr. Zeiher and Millar are in the group photo below, taken outside the Erie County Courthouse, when the 11th Annual Conference of the Bricklayers, Masons, Plasterers and Marble Masons met in Sandusky in May of 1916.

Zeiher & Millar are remembered for several important building projects in Sandusky, Ohio and throughout northern Ohio. In 1924, they were the contractors for the new Sandusky Butter and Egg Company, located on West Water Street, where Feddersen’s Bakery later was in business from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s. This advertisement appeared in the Sandusky Star Journal on February 25, 1928, when the new Junior High School was dedicated in Sandusky.

In the fall of 1928, Schine’s State Theater opened, which was yet another building constructed by Zeiher & Millar.

The Star Journal of October 12, 1928 featured an article about the firm:

Zeiher & Millar went out of business in the early 1930s. Peter J. Zeiher continued to work as a masonry contractor, and Thomas C. Millar went to serve as superintendent of maintenance for Sandusky City Schools for over twenty years. Mr. Zeiher passed away in 1964, and Mr. Millar died in 1966. The final resting place of both men is in Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

The Sandusky High School Band was Busy in 1936

In 1936 the Sandusky High School Band gave a series of free Sunday afternoon concerts, under the direction of Byron F. Aldrich. In February, the band played for the Sandusky Auto Dealers car show held at the Sandusky Junior High School.

The Sandusky Star Journal of March 13, 1936 reported that the Sandusky High School Band played for the Style Promenade put on by the M.R. Herb store at the Junior High School. Elmer Bauer also played selections on the Frohman Memorial organ at the style show. Over three thousand were in attendance. The band also provided musical entertainment for the Postmasters Convention at Cedar Point in June as well as for the district meeting of the American Legion in November.

A large concert put on by the Sandusky High School Band took place at the Sandusky Junior High School in December 11, 1936. For this concert, the admission fee was 25 cents (about $5 today). Hundred of area businesses also sponsored the band concert, and were listed in the Sandusky Star Journal on December 10, 1936.

Byron F. Aldrich directed the Sandusky High School Band from 1923 until 1955. Many Sandusky High School alumni honored Mr. Aldrich at a dinner in the fall of 1981.

The former band director is quoted in the article, from the Sandusky Register of September 20, 1981, “Maybe I can’t remember all the names, but I can remember just where each one sat when they were in the band.”

Byron F. Aldrich passed away on October 6, 1984. He and his wife Florence are buried at Oakland Cemetery. Mr. Aldrich touched the lives of many during his long tenure at Sandusky High School.

Red Arrow Auctions in Sandusky

In 1930 and 1931, several "Red Arrow Auctions" were held at the Junior High School in Sandusky.

Local businesses gave customers “Red Arrow Money” which could then be redeemed for items at a "Red Arrow Auction." Clarence E. Depew, an advertising man from Springfield, Illinois promoted the Red Arrow Auctions. The auctions took place in the midst of the Great Depression, providing an entertaining diversion for Sandusky area residents. Dozens of Sandusky businesses participated in the program. The Cohn’s store was considered a “Red Arrow Store.”

At the first Red Arrow Auction, held May 28, 1930, Rev. J.A. Griffith won a $25.00 breakfast set, for which he paid $18 of Red Arrow money. O.F. Kopp of Hayes Avenue paid $466 of Red Arrow money for window screens valued at $41.00. Prior to the Red Arrow Auction, entertainment was provided by junior high school students, under the direction of Miss Mary Helen Homegardner and Carl Mackey.

An “Our Gang Comedy” movie was the entertainment at the July, 1930 Red Arrow Auction. In September, 1930, the Auction featured a doll costume contest, with cash prizes given out. Usually the crowds at the auctions numbered from 1800 to 2000.

An article in the May 27, 1931 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that no more Red Arrow Auctions would be taking place, though Red Arrow Money could be redeemed until June 25. The article stated about the most recent auction: “All of the auctions held in the past have attracted good attendance, but the crowd Tuesday night was declared to have been the best ever and there was spirited bidding shown for the many fine articles of merchandise that were offered by local merchants.”

Sandusky Boat and Equipment Show in 1940

From April 26 to April 28, 1940 the Sandusky Boat and Equipment Show, sponsored by the Sandusky Sailing Club, was held at the Sandusky Junior High School (later known as Jackson Junior High.)

The Boat and Equipment Show ran from Friday through Sunday. Model sail yacht races were held in the swimming pool, as well as demonstrations of life saving and artificial resuscitation. Movies were shown in Room One.  Meetings of the I.L.Y.A. (Inter-Lake Yachting Association) and I.L.S.C. (possibly the Interlake Sailing Class Association) were held during the weekend. The Boat and Equipment Show had over fifty exhibitors, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Lyman Boat Works, Darst Works, Sandusky Boat Works, Worthy R. Brown, Inc., and several other companies from Sandusky, Toledo, Cleveland and Detroit. Music was provided by the Sandusky High School Orchestra and Mr. Aldrich’s High School Band Quartet known as the “Singing Sailors.”  On Sunday evening at 8 p.m. a Dutch folk dancing group from Holland, Michigan performed in the closing ceremonies. The eight young ladies were led by their instructor Miss Mabel Apel, the daughter of Sandusky City Commissioner George J. Apel. 

An article in the Sandusky Star Journal on April 29, 1940, reported that total attendance for the Sandusky Boat and Equipment Show was 4,000 over the three-day event. Many local businesses advertised in the program for the Boat Show, including Maus Shoes, who sold a shoe called the Yachtshu which claimed to be slip proof on the wet deck of a boat.

As was discussed in a previous blog post, the Junior High School was the location of many community events in Sandusky from the late 1920’s through the  1940’s. This is from a car show at the Junior High from 1936:

Christmas Observance at Sandusky Junior High School in 1944

On December 22, 1944, the employees of Plum Brook Ordnance Works and their families and friends, met at Sandusky’s Junior High School (later known as Jackson Junior High School) for the third annual old-fashioned Christmas observance. All those in attendance received a program which included the words to several traditional Christmas carols.

Brief messages by local ministers, Rev. Theo J.C. Stellhorn, Sr. and Rev. C. J. Dobmeyer, offered reflections on peace while America was at war.

Sandusky Junior High School Served as a Community Center

The Sandusky City School building located at 318 West Madison Street was dedicated on February 26, 1928 as Sandusky Junior High School. In 1957, after the new high school had been built, it became known as Jackson Junior High School. This school building housed the eighth graders of Sandusky City Schools until 2009. From the late 1920’s through the 1940’s, the auditorium and gymnasium of the Sandusky Junior High served as a community center, hosting banquets, lectures, concerts, and meetings.


During the late 1920’s and early 1930’s an annual Gym Show was presented by Junior High School students.

In May of 1929 the gymnasium exhibition featured marching, callisthenic drills, tumbling, and many other forms of exercise. Students also demonstrated lifesaving skills, dives, and races in the swimming pool of the Junior High.

A Food Show was held on October 29-31, 1935 at Sandusky Junior High, under the auspices of the local Home Service Stores. Area stores and organizations displayed goods and equipment for use in the home kitchen. Tickets were given away free at any Home Service Store, and children were to be accompanied by adults at all times.

Other events held at the Junior High included an Art Show

and a musical revue entitled the “Flying Varieties,” produced by the Special Service Branch of the Air Service Command Headquarters to promote the sale of war bonds in July of 1944.

Today a wide variety of convention centers are found in Sandusky, Cleveland, and Toledo, to host conventions, meetings, and banquets, but in the first half of the twentieth century, Sandusky Junior High School was an ideal spot for such events.