Levi Till, Builder and Architect

Levi Till was born in Staffordshire, England in 1826 or 1827. (Sources vary.) He studied architecture in England, and later with an uncle in Mansfield, Ohio. By 1849, he was residing in Sandusky. Mr. Till is credited with designing and building the former home of Thomas C. McGee at 536 E. Washington Street in Sandusky.

While in some census records Mr. Till listed his occupation as carpenter, in the 1870 U.S. Census he stated he worked as a “builder and architect.” At this time, he and his wife Anna had four children in their home, ranging in age from 9 to 18.

 An article which appeared in the Sandusky Register of August 9, 1873, reported that “One of the finest jobs in iron work to be found in this or any other city” had just been completed at the residence of Rush R. Sloane. Mr. Sloane’s home was built in the 1850s by Samuel Torry, and was sold to Rush Sloane in 1854. In 1873, Levi Till designed the tower, cornices and piazza of Rush Sloane’s residence, with the construction work carried out by J.B. Weis and Company, of Sandusky.

In 1878, Levi Till designed of the former home of William Robertson, Jr., a Sandusky grocer.

    

Helen Hansen wrote in At Home in Early Sandusky, that “Neither time nor money was spared” in the building of this house. Charles Bauman painted each room in a different color, and the newel post and stairway came from Cincinnati. The original home had chandeliers made of cut glass and the hardware on the doors was made from triple plated silver. 

Another building that Levi Till designed was the old Number Three Fire Station on Meigs Street, which is now a law office.

Levi Till died on January 28, 1901 at his Meigs Street home in Sandusky. Funeral services were held ad the family residence, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery. 

To read more about the many historic buildings and homes in Sandusky, Ohio, visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

Commodore Denig Post, American Legion

In the summer of 1920, a silk flag was presented to the Perry Post, No. 83, American Legion, by Mrs. Herbert Farrell. The ceremony took place in the garden of Mr. and Mrs. Farrell at 414 Wayne Street. Pictured from left to right are: Lieut. Commander August Wilhelm, C.H. Richardson, Wesley Till, Norbert Hemmerlein, Lester Tebbutt, Earl Krueger, Post Commander, Norman Gagen, Mrs. Herbert Farrell, Lieut. Claud Zerbe, Lieut. Chester Teasel, Carl Ziegler, Russell Hetrick, and Commodore Robert G. Denig. By 1927 the name of Sandusky’s American Legion Post was changed to the Commodore Denig Post, No. 83.

Commodore Robert G. Denig had a long and successful naval career. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1873. Commodore Denig participated in a military expedition in Mexico in the 1870s, and later served in the Spanish American War. During World War I, Commodore Denig was an inspector of naval war materials. You can read a brief biography of Commodore Robert G. Denig, along with the biographies of several other World War I veterans, in the Erie County Edition, Honor Roll of Ohio, 1917-1918, housed at the Sandusky Library. Inquire at the Reference Services desk for more information.

1938 Map of Sandusky created by Sandusky High School Art Students

Miss Marian Yocum's art students at Sandusky High School created a map of Sandusky in 1938. The student artists were: Warren Diebold, Velma Giusti, Mary Hazen, Anita Holland, Allen Kubach, Betty Kneisel, Martha Luscombe, Richard Morey, June Zeiher, George Neese, Richard Oswald, Jean Perry, Marilyn Renner, Yvonne Shimansky, John Shaw, Betty Till, and Joyce White.

In the Sandusky Bay portion of the map, students created drawings of fishermen, swimmers, and boats, including the G.A. Boeckling, which ferried hundreds of tourists to Cedar Point during the summer months. In 1938 the Erie County Fairgrounds and dog pound were located off Perkins Avenue, between Putnam and Camp Streets. The Catholic Cemeteries now known as St. Joseph and St. Mary's Cemeteries were called the Irish Catholic and German Catholic Cemeteries. Otto's Ice Cream was located at 2434 West Monroe Street. (In later years, Toft's sold ice cream at this location.) Businesses which employed many of our grandparents can be seen on the map, including Lyman Boats, Farrell Cheek, Esmond Dairy, Holland-Rieger (later known as Apex), Brightman Nut, Hinde and Dauch.

A drawing of a truck on which the letters CCC and an arrow appear, represented the freight business Cleveland, Columbus, & Cincinnati Highway Inc., on 1231 First Street. Maschari Brothers features a man with a fruit cart saying "Nicea de Banan" to let customers know that the bananas were fresh. The coal docks on the west side of Sandusky were associated with the Pennsylvania Railroad at this time. Bicycles, trains, trucks, cars, and campers are all found on the map. Directional signs show the way to Bay Bridge, the Blue Hole, and Cedar Point. Viewing the student map is like stepping back in time.

Allen Kubach went on to become an artist and an art instructor. Mr. Kubach taught drawing and painting at Kansas State in the 1940’s and taught and lectured at Northwestern University. Paintings by Allen Kubach can be seen at The Painting Affiliates of the Art Center of Northern New Jersey.

Visit the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library to view the map created by Miss Yocum’s art students.