Doctors Edwin Gillard, Sr. and Jr.

The pencil sketch pictured above was done by Edwin Eugene Gillard in 1889 at around age 16, when he was a student in the Sandusky Public Schools. The son of Dr. Edwin and Ida (Stroud) Gillard, Edwin Eugene Gillard also became a physician. In the 1917 Sandusky City Directory, father and son, both named Dr. Edwin Gillard, shared a medical practice in Sandusky at 503 West Washington Street. Sadly, the elder Dr. Edwin Gillard died in 1917, and the younger Dr. Edwin Gillard died in 1918, at the age of 43.

This photograph of the elder Dr. Edwin Gillard was taken by Sandusky photographer Willard A. Bishop.

The elder Edwin Gillard was born in Venice, Ohio (now the western end of Sandusky) in 1845. He graduated from the Cleveland Homeopathic College in 1872. Dr. Gillard was a physician in Sandusky for many years, and served as Erie County Coroner from 1879 through 1881. Dr. Gillard married Miss Ida Stroud in 1869; her father was area dentist Dr. Charles Stroud. They were the parents of three children, Cora, Edwin, and John Gillard.

In 1884, Dr. Gillard opened the Electro-Medical and Surgical Sanitarium on Washington Street. The January 1, 1884 issue of the Sandusky Daily Register describes the Sanitarium in detail. 

The Sanitarium was “made as complete in all the appointments for a Sanitarium as money and skill could effect.”  Each room and hallway was heated with steam, and the floors were insulated from noise by layers of concrete. The facility featured an electro-thermal bath, and the “Holtz Toepler” electric machine for administering electrotherapeutic treatment for nervous diseases, rheumatism, and neuralgia.

The Electro-Medical and Surgical Sanitarium ceased operating in 1886, though Dr. Gillard continued his practice as a physician. On October 2. 1912, the New York Times featured an article about the doctor and his brave efforts to treat Mrs. Charles Barney, the daughter of Jay Cooke. Dr. Gillard and Mr. C. B. Lockwood took a small motor boat to Gibraltar Island during gale winds. Mrs. Barney did indeed recover. 

In 1896, the building at 609 West Washington Street served as the Lake Erie Sanitarium, and later it was occupied by a boarding house. Helen Hansen tells us in the book At Home in Early Sandusky that for many years the building was known as “The Gillard Hotel.”

The Hermit of Fowler’s Cut

Mrs. Eleanor Stroud Evans gave a typewritten account of her memories of Tom Fowler to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Mr. Fowler was known as “The Hermit of Fowler’s Cut.”  Well recognized for his long, flowing beard, during the summer, he lived in a houseboat in an area close to Big Island known as Fowler’s Cut. In the winter, he lived in an old shack on Big Island. 

During the fall season, he rented boats to hunters and fishermen. Mrs. Evans stated that old Tom Fowler “had a way” with animals. Ferrets would cling to Tom’s neck or perch on his head; hunting dogs obeyed every command that Tom gave them.  Tom trained hunting dogs for Dr. Clarence Stroud, the grandfather of Eleanor Evans, and also for the family of Allen Stroud, Eleanor’s father. Tom showed members of the Stroud family how to set traps for muskrats and fox, as well as how to handle the duck boats that he rented. Eleanor said that Mr. Fowler could have had a business in training hunting dogs, but he did not want to do anything that would attract too many people to his place.

According to the 1920 U.S. Census for Erie County, Thomas Fowler was born about 1856 in England. He emigrated to the United States around 1872, and became a naturalized citizen. An obituary, found in the 1927 Obituary Notebook at the Sandusky Library, stated that he had lived in the Sandusky area for forty seven years. He died at his residence at River Avenue, at Big Island, on July 25, 1927, and was buried at Oakland Cemetery. Mrs. Eleanor Evans wrote that Tom Fowler had been a fixture in the eastern portion of Sandusky Bay, and the East End would never be quite the same without “Old Tom.”

Boy Scouts Celebrated Twelfth Anniversary in 1922

An article,“Whole Nation Celebrates Scout Birthday,” appeared in the February 8, 1922 issue of the Sandusky Register, reporting on the anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. Sandusky celebrated along with the rest of the U.S. 

To mark this twelfth birthday, Sandusky scouts took a hike to the Plum Brook Country Club. The photograph above shows the Scouts and their leaders on the steps of Sandusky High School, just before they left for the anniversary hike. Some of the boys are holding their sack lunches. In the Register article, Paul R. Savanack, the Scout executive for Sandusky said, “The normal boy has over 3000 hours of unorganized time on his hands in a year to use as he thinks best. That is the reason the scout work is filling such a place in the lives of the boys from 12 to 20 years.” 

In 1922 there were twelve local scout troops in Sandusky, with over 200 members. Dr. Charles E. Stroud had started the first Sandusky Boy Scout troop in December 1910.

Homecoming Parade for Veterans of the Spanish American War

On May 26, 1899 a special train brought the soldiers of Company B, Sixth Ohio Infantry, from Cincinnati to the Big Four Station in Sandusky, Ohio. According to the Sandusky Register of May 25, 1899, the men who served in the Spanish-American War left on April 26, 1898 as “soldiers of the state” and they returned on May 26 as citizens. The front page article in the Register stated that “Welcome Company B” was the heartfelt expression of every patriotic citizen of Sandusky. Flags and red, white and blue bunting decorated homes and businesses all over Sandusky. 

A parade was held to honor the homecoming of Company B on May 26. Crowds of people gathered  at the train depot to meet the soldiers, who soon were lined up by Captain Charles E. Stroud. The Register account of the homecoming indicated that the scene was a spectacle “never to be forgotten.”  Hats were flying in the air, and cheers and yells added to the ringing of church bells. The parade proceeded from Columbus Avenue to Monroe Park. Several men on horses and horse drawn vehicles took part in the parade.

A group of marchers in formation held swords aloft.

In the 200 block of Columbus Avenue, spectators watched the parade from the second and third floors of downtown businesses.

The Great Western Band, the Sandusky Brass Band, the Soldiers’ Home Band, and a drum corps made up of employees of the Standard Wheel Company all participated in the parade, along with several lodges, veterans’ organizations, and a platoon of policemen. Mayor Christian Zimmerman welcomed the crowds at Monroe Park, where Major E.B. King spoke on behalf of the citizens’ committee. Professor Luse of the Sandusky City Schools arranged for a vocal chorus of 1,000 voices to sing patriotic songs. 

It is estimated that 15,000 people gathered at the park. A reception and banquet was held at the West House for the returning soldiers on Monday, May 29.  Details about the homecoming of Company B, Ohio Sixth Infantry, can be read in the May 26-May 30, 1899 issues of the Sandusky Register, now on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

Dr. Clarence Eugene Stroud, Physician and Dentist

Born in Canandaigua, New York in 1847, Clarence Eugene Stroud was the son of Dr. Charles Taylor Stroud and the former Lucy Fidelia Allen. Dr. C. Eugene Stroud was educated as both a physician and dentist. He graduated from the Detroit Homeopathic College in 1872, and the Wisconsin Dental College in 1873. For several years, Dr. Stroud served on the Sandusky Board of Health. In the 1890 Sandusky City Directory, Dr. Stroud had both lived and worked at 412 Columbus Avenue. His name also appeared in the listing for C.T. Stroud and Son, Dentist, at 410 Columbus Avenue. Working as both a doctor and a dentist must have kept Dr. Stroud quite busy! 

If you look closely, you can read the sign “Stroud and Son, Dentist” on the sign in the picture of the doorway at what used to be known as 410 Columbus Avenue:

Below is a picture that shows several stone buildings on Columbus Avenue, which were all owned at one time by Eleutheros Cooke.

On December 13, 1907, Dr. Stroud was seriously injured at his dental office when a vulcanizing machine (probably used to make dentures) exploded. He died from his injuries on January 2, 1908, at the age of 60; he was survived by his wife, Zenobia, a son, a daughter, a sister, and a brother, also a dentist. Dr. C. Eugene Stroud was buried in the family lot at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

Elementary School Children in Sandusky, 1883

Walter Ritter donated this picture of an elementary school class taken on the steps of the old Sandusky High School (later Adams Junior High School) in 1883.  Martha Anthony (later Mrs. I.C. Brewer), number 16 in the picture, was the original owner of the photograph. 

Listed as number 40 is Allen Stroud, the son of Dr. C. Eugene Stroud. Allen Stroud became a mail carrier in Sandusky, and he also owned the Stroud Gardens that were adjacent to his home on Milan Road.

Edward W. Altstaetter, number 46 on the picture, once served as Sandusky’s Mayor. When he passed away in 1970 at the age of 91, he was the oldest insurance agent in the city of Sandusky. Young Mr. Altstaetter is the second boy from the left in the image below.

To view hundreds of historic images related to Sandusky and Erie County, see the Past Perfect Local History Archives online.

Stone Houses Owned by Eleutheros Cooke

Between 1827 and 1835 several structures in the 400 block of Columbus Avenue were built by Eleutheros Cooke, Sandusky’s first lawyer.  You can see the properties on the 1893 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map.

You can still see the brackets along the top of the home, under which are geometric designs.

On the porch of the home that is now 410 Columbus Avenue, General William Henry Harrison was presented with a flag made by the ladies of Sandusky. That flag is now in the historical collections of the Follett House Museum.

This home is considered to be Sandusky’s oldest standing house, according to the Ohio Historic Places Dictionary. It was built in the Greek Revival style of architecture in 1821. In the 1890s, Dr. C.T. Stroud and his son had their dental offices at this location. An advertisement which appeared in the Sandusky Register Star News of April 4, 1945 indicates that a beauty shop and “normalizing salon” was in business here.

Through the years, several different medical practices were in business at his location. 

Just to the south of 410 Columbus Avenue is a double stone house, built from limestone, now with the address of 412-414 Columbus Avenue. William Robertson purchased this property in 1865 from the Cooke estate. For many years this structure has been used as apartments. There are doors on either side, at the street level and lower level.

The third stone building, now 416 Columbus Avenue, was razed in 1918 to make way for a Bell Telephone Company office building. The United Way now has its offices at this location. 

To learn much more about the many historic homes and businesses in Sandusky, see At Home in Early Sandusky by Helen Hansen, and Treasure by the Bay, by Ellie Damm, both available at the Sandusky Library. 

Banquet Honoring Spanish-American War Soldiers

On Monday, May 29, 1899, a banquet was held at the West House on the return of the soldiers from Company B of the Sixth Ohio Regiment, who had served in the Spanish-American War. According to records in the historical files of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, Company B of the Sixth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry was organized in April 1898. The regiment arrived in Cuba in January 1899, and was in Cuba until April 22, 1899. The unit was mustered out of service on May 24, 1899, at Camp McKenzie, Georgia, and returned to Sandusky on May 26, 1899.

There were 275 guests at the banquet, held in the ball room on the fourth floor, which was decorated with palms, flowers, and candelabras. Toastmaster for the evening’s events was Judge E. B. King. He said, in part, “I can say that the soldiers of the Sixth Ohio have fully performed the service which they called upon to perform…It can be truthfully said that there have been no better soldiers in the volunteer service than the Sixth Ohio.” Captain Charles E. Stroud, pictured below, said about Company B, “Over a year ago you placed in my charge over a hundred of your brave sons, who had answered to their country’s call. Today I count it the highest honor and privilege of my life to have brought them all safely home.”

Owner and editor of the Sandusky Register, I.F. Mack gave a tribute to the veterans of the Civil War. He said, “The same spirit which had animated and inspired the boys of the Civil War had inspired the boys of the Civil War had inspired the boys of ’98, and perhaps would inspire those of another war thirty years hence.” Several other military men, public officials, and local pastors spoke at the banquet. A double quartet, consisting of four men and four women sang the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and the “Star Spangled Banner.”

A huge parade in downtown Sandusky welcomed Company B home on May 26, 1899.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn more about the many men and women who have served in the military service to their country.

Dr. Charles E. Stroud

Charles Edwin Stroud was born in Palmyra, New York in 1859 to Charles Taylor Stroud and Lucy Fidelia Allen Stroud. The family settled in Sandusky about 1865. Both father and son were dentists. Charles E. Stroud graduated from Sandusky High School in 1877 and from the University of Michigan in 1880. Dr. Charles E. Stroud practiced dentistry in Sandusky for almost fifty years, before he became Inspector at the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home.

During the Spanish American War, Charles E. Stroud served as Captain of Company B of the 6th Ohio Regiment. Dr. Stroud is seen seated in the center of the group of soldiers pictured below.

Dr. Stroud was a pioneer in the Boy Scout movement in Sandusky. He organized the fist Scout troop in the city, and serve as president of the Firelands Council from 1924 until his death in 1929.

Through the years, Dr. Charles E. Stroud was very active in community affairs of Sandusky. He served as Vice Mayor of Sandusky and was on the board of the Erie County Visitors Bureau and the Erie County Children’s Home. He frequently attended military reunions and he was held in high esteem within the Masonic fraternity. Dr. Charles E. Stroud died on October 7, 1929 at the age of 70. He was survived by his widow, the former Jennie Davis, and two sons, Ira T. Stroud of Michigan and Edgar J. Stroud of Indiana. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery.

Dr Charles E. Stroud was considered an authority on Native American relics. He bequeathed many historical artifacts and photographs to the historical room of the Sandusky Library. Now the Stroud Collection is shared between the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center and The Follett House Museum. The silk hat pictured below was worn by Dr. Stroud in the 1890’s. It was purchased from Harry E. Nason, who ran a clothing store for gentlemen on Columbus Avenue.

Sanduskians Honor Deceased Veterans in 1911

During the last week of May in 1911, Sanduskians honored their deceased soldiers and sailors with several services. On Sunday evening, May 28, the Rev. C. Argyle Keller of the First Presbyterian gave a Memorial address at the Presbyterian Church. The seats in the front pews of the church were reserved for Veterans.

The May 31, 1911, Sandusky Register reported that as many of the seventeen hundred members of the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home as were able “fell in line behind Ackley’s band and proceeded to the little cemetery outlying the institution grounds, where they decorated the graves of fallen comrades.” The Civil War veterans were in advanced years by this time, and Josh B. Davis, chairman of the general committee for Memorial Day arrangements, said that the members of the McMeens Post of the G.A.R. would be riding in street cars instead of marching in the Memorial Day parade, as they had in the past.
Memorial Day services were also held at Oakland Cemetery. Over four hundred wreaths had been obtained for placing on the graves of soldiers who had lost their lives. Sandusky Boy Scouts, under the leadership of Charles E. Stroud, performed the actual decorating of the graves. Oakland Cemetery’s Superintendent, Christ Schlenk, had given the Scouts the names and locations of each grave to be decorated. Charles E. Stroud led a group of Sandusky Boy Scouts for many years.
Benjamin Deeley, pictured below, was the chairman of the decorating committee. Mr. Deeley had served in both the Ohio 123rd Infantry and Ohio 8th Infantry, and he was an active member of the McMeens Post of the G.A.R.
Veterans arrived in street cars at Oakland Cemetery, and were met by comrades from the Soldiers Home. They marched forward together at the start of the ceremony. Ackley’s Band played patriotic selections, and Rev. Ross W. Sanderson gave the invocation. The main address was given by I. F. Mack, Past Commander of the Department of Ohio G.A.R. The Woman’s Relief Corps also conducted services. Mr. Mack later stated that “I never saw so many flowers there,” after his return from Oakland Cemetery.

To honor the sailors who had lost their lives, the steamer Arrow traveled out into Sandusky Bay, midway between Sandusky and Johnson’s Island. There, hymns were sung, and flowers were strewn upon the water. The Woman’s Relief Corps were in charge of the services on the Arrow, with Rev. Ross W. Sanderson saying the prayer.

The Sandusky Register carried several articles about Sandusky’s Memorial Day celebrations in 1911, including front page articles on Tuesday, May 30, 1911, and Wednesday, May 17, 1911. These articles can be accessed on microfilm at the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library.