John J. Molter, Civic Leader

John J. Molter was born in Sandusky on July 16, 1854 to Mr. and Mrs. John Molter, who were both natives of Baden, Germany. As a young man, Molter lived for ten years in Danville, Illinois, but he spent most of his life as a resident of Sandusky, Ohio. He was elected to the 69th and 70th General Assembly of Ohio. While serving as a legislator, he fostered a bill to make “physical education” a branch of the curriculum of the public schools of Ohio. In his youth, he had been active in the “Turners,” an athletic association whose members were primarily of German descent. In 1887, he earned the National Turn Verein swimming title during a competition in Covington, Kentucky. Walking was a favorite pastime of Mr. Molter, and he was known to hike daily, even in inclement weather.

Appointed by President Cleveland, John J. Molter served as Sandusky’s postmaster from 1894 through 1898. He was elected Mayor of Sandusky from April 1901 through January 1910. He was active in the Elks Lodge, and the Knights of Pythias, and for a time he was in the wholesale liquor business with August Guenther.

On December 19, 1934, John J. Molter passed away in Good Samaritan Hospital, after an illness of two months. His obituary, which is found in the 1934 OBITUARY NOTEBOOK at the Sandusky Library, reads in part, “No citizen was better known; none was more honored and respected….Molter was a man of unquestioned honesty and exemplary habits and enjoyed the confidence and friendship of citizens of all classes.” Mr. Molter was survived by a brother and a sister. His funeral was held at the Elks Lodge on East Adams Street, and was largely attended. Burial was at Oakland Cemetery, with the Knights of Pythias in charge of the gravesite services.

John J. Molter is pictured above in the Mayor’s Office on West Market Street in Sandusky, about 1908.

Opening of the Social Turners’ Hall, May 31, 1883

On May 31, 1883 the Sandusky Register announced the opening of the Social Turners’s Hall. The Singing Societies Harmonie and Froshinn and Company B of the 16th Regiment of the Ohio National Guard were to appear at the grand opening. Company B of the 16th O.N.G. was commonly referred to as the Sandusky Light Guard.
Roughly translated, the announcement reads:

Opening

of

Social Turn Hall

on

Thursday Evening May 31, 1883

with one

Concert

Drill, Gymnastics and Dance

under cooperation of

Singing Societies Harmonie and Froshinn

and Company B, Ohio National Guard

Floor managers for the event were: Charles Unckrich, John Holzaepfel, John Doerflinger, Henry Neumeyer, August Fettel, and A. P . Lange. These men served on the committee of arrangements: F.J. Holzaepfel, Jacob Deitz, Dan Mishler, C. Schlenk, Ph. Linder, Wm. Allendorf, and F .Beihl. The 1884-1885 Sandusky City Directory states that the “Social Turn Verein,” a variation on the name of the Social Turners Society, was organized in September, 1882. The club met at their hall at 823 Water Street. In 1884, August Fettel was the president of the organization.
The Turner movement was started in Germany in 1811 by Fredrich Ludwig Jahn, who believed in promoting both physical and mental health. The activities of the various Turner societies in Sandusky are discussed on pages 94, 165, and 171-173 of Sandusky Then and Now.