A View from the Steeple at St. Mary’s Church

This picture was taken in 1911 from the steeple of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. St. Mary’s Parochial School is visible on the right side of the photo, located at the corner of Decatur and Jefferson Streets. Further to the east, at the intersection of Jefferson Street and Columbus Avenue, the tops of three different churches can be seen. The tallest church tower at this intersection is that of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church. Zion Lutheran Church is directly across the  street, and the First Congregational Church is at the northwest corner of Jefferson and Columbus.

It looks as though the weather is cold, as you can see people scurrying down Decatur Street in this close up view below.

In 1911 Fred Westerhold had a jewelry and clock store in the 400 block of Decatur Street. He stated that his prices were reasonable in this ad from the November 2, 1911 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal.

Gasper Anastas had opened a shoe repair shop in August of 1911 at 426 Decatur Street.  He promised to bring first-class work and the best materials to his customers.

By looking at city directories from the period in which a photograph was taken can help you understand what a neighborhood was like in a specific era. Visit the Sandusky Library to learn more about the historic businesses and residents of Sandusky and Erie County.

Marriage of Mr. Albert Brownworth and Miss Theresa Casper

This ornate marriage certificate was issued to Albert Brownworth and Theresa Casper on August 12, 1903. The couple was united in marriage at St. Mary’s Church in Sandusky, Ohio by the Rev. Joseph S. Widmann. Several verses of scripture are found on the certificate, and at the bottom of the certificate is a phrase often used in marriage vows, “What therefor God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.”  

An article in the August 12, 1903 issue of the Sandusky Evening Star reported that Albert Brownworth and Theresa Casper were married at 7:30 in the morning. Theresa was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Casper of 519 McDonough Street. She wore a gown of white mousseline de soie and carried a white prayer book. She was attended by Miss Louise Casper. Mr. Jacob Casper served as best man. A dinner was held in honor of the newlyweds on the evening of August 12, for relatives, close friends, and guests visiting from out of town. 

Albert Brownworth worked in the transportation industry for over fifty years. He was superintendent of equipment for the Lake Shore Electric Railway and the Lake Shore Coach Company. Mr. Brownworth died on June 8, 1962, and he was buried at Calvary Cemetery. Mrs. Theresa Brownworth passed away in October of 1967, at the age of 89. 

While we do not have a wedding picture of the happy couple, below is a picture of Albert Brownworth while he was at work. He is the man in the center of the picture.

Former Residence of the Sisters of Notre Dame

From about 1909 to the early 2000s, this building in the 500 block of Decatur Street served as the residence for the Sisters of Notre Dame, who were associated with St. Mary’s Catholic Church and School in Sandusky. The building was originally constructed as a school in 1887, and housed the female parochial students, while male pupils attended school in a building on Jefferson Street. The girls’ school was constructed of limestone. Above the main entrance was a tower, and the windows featured decorative lintels. When the new St.Mary’s School opened in 1909, the girls’ school was converted to a residence for the Sisters of Notre Dame.  Below is an image of the residence in 1930. The picture appeared in a history of St. Mary’s Church that covers the years 1855 to 1930.

During the Influenza Epidemic of 1918, when the Health Department closed all schools in Sandusky, the Sisters of Notre Dame “gladly and without charge” offered their services to suffering humanity. 

In the 1940s, a wing was added to the southern portion of the convent. Included in the new addition were a reception room, office, pantry and kitchen on the first floor; while a chapel, typing room, linen storage, and bedrooms were located on the second floor. In 1948, twenty sisters who taught school at St. Mary’s were residents of the convent, along with a housekeeper. Though the former residence of the Sisters of Notre Dame no longer stands, these pictures take us back in time to the traditions of some of our grandparents and great grandparents who were of the Catholic faith.

Looking Towards Sandusky Bay from St. Mary’s Steeple, Circa 1920

Robert Frank donated this photograph which features the view from the steeple of St. Mary’s Church, looking down Central Avenue towards Sandusky Bay about 1920.  Many landmarks (some no longer standing) are visible in the picture. At the top left of the picture is the Sloane House. To the right of the Sloane House (across Columbus Avenue) is the Kingsbury Block, shortly before a portion of it was replaced by the Commercial National Bank building. In the far distance, northeast of the Kingsbury Block, are storage silos and buildings in the waterfront district of Sandusky, close to the B & O Railroad tracks. The Erie County Courthouse is in the same location as it is today, but in 1920 it had not yet been remodeled in the Art Deco style, which was a WPA project in the 1930s.  You can see Sandusky High School to the east of the Courthouse, before it was expanded. (This building later became Adams Junior High School.) The steeple of Emmanuel Church is visible, at the northeast corner of Columbus Avenue and Adams Street. Only the rooftop of the Sandusky Library can be seen, opposite the Courthouse on Adams Street, which is very close to the Erie County Jail. A private residence and later Dr. J.D. Parker’s office, stood between the library and the jail for many years. At the upper right of the picture is the smokestack of the Water Works. Apartment buildings and businesses are seen along Central Avenue. The diagonal direction of Central Avenue forms a portion of the Masonic emblem. Hector Kilbourne laid the city of Sandusky out in the shape of the square and compasses of the Masonic emblem.

  

This historical marker in Washington Park honors Hector Kilbourne, the surveyor who laid out the original plat of Sandusky in 1816.

Central Avenue was once Miami Avenue

In the 1818 plat map of Sandusky, the street we now call Central Avenue was known as Miami Avenue. By the 1890s, Miami Avenue was renamed Central Avenue. This street runs diagonally from  the west side of Washington Park to Monroe Street, and then at Monroe Street it runs in a north-south direction to north of North Depot Street. For many decades, local residents have found that Central Avenue provides an efficient route to get from downtown Sandusky to key places on Sandusky’s near western side. 

If you take Central Avenue to West Osborne Street, you will soon find yourself at Osborne School.

                   

If you take Central Avenue south to North Depot Street, after you turn right, you will come to Sandusky’s Amtrak Station.

In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, there was a fire station located at the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Osborne Street, known as Fire Station Number 4. This fire station was razed about 1930.

Two churches are located on Central Avenue. St. Mary’s Catholic Church was established to meet the needs of Sandusky’s Catholic residents of German heritage. The current parish was built in the 1870s, and is the largest church building in the city of Sandusky.

             

Before moving to its current location at Mills Street, St. Paul Lutheran Church was at the southeast corner of Central Avenue and Tyler Street. A number of other Protestant churches have met at this location in recent years.

       

A previous Sandusky History blog post featured a picture of horse racing on Central Avenue.

Now primarily residential, Central Avenue continues to be a vital thoroughfare for area residents. Visit Sandusky Library to view historical Sandusky city directories to learn more about our community’s past residents, businesses, and cultural institutions. 

When Sandusky Businesses Made Home Deliveries

Before the advent of automobiles and supermarkets, several businesses in Sandusky delivered their products to the homes of area residents. The E.C. Sprau grocery store had a horse and wagon that made deliveries, seen in the picture above, taken about 1908. A young man and child, with a horse and wagon from the Lewis Neill, Jr. Dairy were parked at the rear of St. Mary’s Church in Sandusky in 1910.

               

Employees of several local bakeries made deliveries to both homes and businesses throughout the years. Mrs. C. Frank’s bakery was first located on Tiffin Avenue, and moved to Columbus Avenue near Neil Street by 1902.

               

Below is the wagon fleet of the H and S Modern Bakery on Hancock Street in 1920.

            

Esmond Dairy started making dairy deliveries by horse drawn vehicles, but eventually the company switched to refrigerated trucks. The Esmond Dairy began in 1907, and ceased operations in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

        

In the 1930s and 1940s, both ice and coal were delivered by the City Ice & Fuel Company.

Before there were electric refrigerators, Sandusky residents ordered ice from the ice man. Customers put a card in their window, indicating how many pounds of ice they needed for the ice box. This ice card from the City Ice & Fuel Company, now in the Industry Room at the Follett House Museum, allowed customers to indicate whether they wanted 25, 50, 75, or 100 pounds of ice.

The popularity of online shopping has actually increased home delivery of consumer goods in recent years, but of course, it is a very different method of sales and delivery. Now, you don't see your sales person, and the money you spent leaves your community. Amazon, Ebay, and many other online retail sites display their products on a computer or mobile device, and with a credit card, ordering is quick and easy. 

Cornerstone of St. Mary’s School Set in Place in 1909

On April 25, 1909, thousands of people attended the ceremony of the setting of the cornerstone for St. Mary’s School. The school was a three-story structure which included as basement and a large auditorium. The architect for the project was H.C. Millott, and the school was constructed by George Feick and Company. Bishop J.M. Koudelka came to Sandusky to dedicate the cornerstone as it was laid in place. St. Mary’s priest, Father J.S. Widmann was directly behind the group of men carrying the cornerstone in the picture above. As the cornerstone was set into place, the choir from St. Mary’s Catholic Church sang a musical selection.

Councilmen from St. Mary’s each tapped the new cornerstone with a mawl. The councilmen were: Dr. J.H. Herman, Edward Erney, Charles Westerhold, and Martin Ehner. After them, Father Widmann gave words of thanks on behalf of himself and the entire congregation.

Father Patrick O’Brien, from Toledo, gave an oration, but he had to cut it short due to threatening weather. Though rain fell, the audience gave Father O’Brien their complete attention. Ackley’s Band played as the people assembled sang a Catholic hymn at the conclusion of the ceremony. Articles about the cornerstone laying ceremony appeared in the April 25 and April 26, 1909 issues of the Sandusky Register. St. Mary’s School was dedicated on June 19, 1910.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to read more about the history of churches in Sandusky.

Stereographic Cards from the American Views Series

Nicholas H. Hammond was the proprietor of the Great Bazar, a large dry goods store in business in downtown Sandusky from the 1880s through the early 1900s. As a side business, Mr. Hammond also created stereographic views of downtown Sandusky. These stereographic cards are all from the American Views series. 

Now known as St. Mary’s Catholic Church, this church was known as the German Catholic Church in the 1880s. Note the cigar stand next door.

Here is a view of Sandusky’s bustling waterfront in the nineteenth century:

You can see the steeple of Emmanuel Church in this stereographic image of the Erie County Courthouse.

Sandusky High School was constructed in 1867, and about ninety years later became Adams Junior High School. Grace Church is at the left of the image.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn more about the history of Sandusky and Erie County, Ohio.