The Sloane House Annex in 1969

The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center collections have several pictures of the Sloane House Annex from June of 1969. The Annex was a building on West Washington Row adjacent to the Sloane House hotel for several years. In 1949 the LaSalle store opened next door, on the site of the former Sloane House hotel. The Parkview Barber Shop and the Kubach and Buderer pharmacy were at the street level of the Sloane House Annex  in 1969. You can see a portion of the Beecher House on the left side of the picture below. In the 1960s, the Beecher House was the home of the American Legion. (The small structure between the Sloane House Annex and the Beecher House was unoccupied at the time this picture was taken.)

On the east wall of the building was a sign advertising free downtown parking. Note the classic Volkswagen beetle parked on the street. 

Today the Erie County building is at the corner of West Washington Row and Columbus Avenue, where the Sloane House hotel once stood. First Federal Savings-Lorain is at the site of the former Sloane House Annex, and two businesses are in operation at the Beecher House. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to see these and hundreds of other historic images of Sandusky and Erie County.

When There Was an Undertaking Business in the Beecher House

You might recognize the Beecher House as it looks today on Washington Row, surrounded by commercial buildings, next door to the Odd fellows building:

But when it was built around 1848 as the home of Lucas Beecher, that portion of Washington Row was was residential. 

After Mr. Beecher’s death, and the city's business district expanded, other individuals as well as businesses were located in this building. In 1890, W.A. Bishop's photographic studio was in the Beecher House. For a time, Dr. E. Gillard had an office there. In the late 1890s, an undertaking business was located in the house at 725 Washington Row (later the 200 block), also known as “Beecher Place.”

H.J. Breeze and Mr. Hole advertised their “exclusive undertaking and embalming” business in the Postal Guide which was distributed to local residents in Sandusky in the late 1890s. Breeze and Hole also provided free ambulance service to any part of Sandusky, and they could be reached by telephone at any hour of the day or night. An interesting article about H.J. Breeze appeared in newspapers all over the U.S. in 1898. He had a process in which he successfully embalmed pet dogs.

from https://archive.org/stream/Peoplesadvocate1898/Aug%201898#page/n7/mode/2up/search/breeze

It seems that a wealthy lady had two St. Bernard dogs, which she treasured. After the dogs attacked a messenger boy, the police said the dogs had to be put down. Mr. Breeze successfully embalmed the dogs, and after several weeks, they still appeared in good condition. They appeared to be dogs at rest.

A Postcard Scene of Washington Row in the Late Nineteenth Century

            

In the collection of historical postcards at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center is a postcard which features a view of East and West Washington Row in the late 1800s. In the close up view below, you can see two men looking toward the west down Washington Row from the doorway of Charles J. Krupp’s Funeral business in the Mahala Block:

The Sandusky City Business College, later known as the Sandusky Business College, was in operation in the middle of the Mahala Block.

On the left side of the picture, you can see the Kingsbury Block, at the northeast corner of Washington Row and Columbus Avenue.  At the northwest corner of Washington Row and Columbus Avenue was the Sloane House hotel. In the distance, you can see the former home of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel B.Caldwell, next to the Presbysterian Church, which is hidden by the trees. Horse and buggy was the normal mode of transportation at this time.

On November 18, 1909, a massive fire destroyed the Mahala Block, with losses estimated at approximately $250,000.

When the Cooke House was on Washington Row

A local resident, Leroy Hinkey donated several historical photographs to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Because of his generosity, we can get an idea of what Sandusky looked like in days gone by. This stereographic image, created by Sandusky photographer A.C. Platt, was made in the 1870s as part of the Isles of Lake Erie series. In an enlarged view, you can see several buildings that were important to the daily lives of Sandusky residents for many years. The Cooke Block, at the northeast corner of Columbus Avenue and Market Street, was constructed in the 1850s. It was built by Wildman Mills, who sold it to Charles E. and George A. Cooke in 1866, and still stands today. Many local residents will recall when Holzaepfel’s was in business in the Cooke building.

The West House hotel was owned by brothers W.T. and A.K. West. It opened in 1858, in time for the Ohio State Fair, which was held in Sandusky that year. It was five stories high, and was located at the northwest corner of Columbus Avenue and Water Street. Now the State Theatre occupies the site. The old Post Office and Customs House was at the southwest corner of Columbus Avenue and West Market Street from 1857 until 1927. This location is now a parking garage. Gray Drugs was in this spot for many years.  The home of Eleutheros Cooke was built in 1843-1844, at the southwest corner of Washington Row and Columbus Avenue. (Note: Eleutheros Cooke and Geoge and Charles Cooke were not related, to the best of our knowledge.) After Eleutheros Cooke died, Sandusky attorney  Rush Sloane purchased the home. In 1878, he had the house dismantled, brick by brick, and was reassembled at what is now 1415 Columbus Avenue. Mr. Sloane gave the home to his newlywed son Thomas and his wife Sarah, who was a granddaughter of Eleutheros Cooke. Below is a picture of the Cooke home about 1890.

The original site of the Cooke house later became the location of the Sloane House hotel in 1881, followed by the Lasalle’s store in 1949; it is now occupied by Erie County governmental offices. 

Vintage Views of the Sloane House Hotel

According to volume one of From the Widow's Walk, by Helen Hansen & Virginia Steinemann, the Sloane House hotel opened November 17, 1881 and was razed in the early 1950s to make way for the Lasalle’s store. The four story brick building was located at the northwest corner of Columbus Avenue and Washington Row, now the location of Erie County offices.  It was named for its owner, Rush Sloane, a well-known lawyer and abolitionist who served as Sandusky’s Mayor in the 1880s. When it opened, the Sloane House furnished accommodations for one hundred fifty guests.

 The Sloane House was a popular gathering place for business meetings, wedding receptions, and family gatherings. Several businesses were in operation at the street level. A drugstore was the anchor store at the Sloane House for several years. Below, you can see a portion of the H.K. Henkelman and J.H. Bechberger drugstore in a picture from a wintry day in 1909.

 An article in the October 25, 1915 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that a play entitled “Emma McChesney and Company” used an exact replica of the lobby of the Sloane House as part of its scenery.  A traveler told Sloane House Manager Charles T. Gauvey that when he saw the play, he was tempted to go on stage to go through the swinging door into the bar room, because it looked so much like the Sloane House lobby.

This postcard from the Alexander Manufacturing Company shows a view of side of the Sloane House that faced Washington Park.

 By the time this postcard was created by E.B. Ackley, visitors to the Sloane House could reach the hotel by automobile instead of horse-drawn vehicles.

 Several items from the Sloane House hotel can be viewed at the Follett House Museum, including this china water pitcher.

Giant Checkerboard in Washington Park

In the 1930s and 1940s, a giant checkerboard was located in Washington Park, close to where the red popcorn wagon now is situated. According to an article in the May 11, 1964 issue of the Sandusky Register, the checkerboard was erected through the efforts of Bernard McGory, when he was the president of the National Checkers Association. The facility was popular with both local and residents and tourists visiting Sandusky. The checkerboard was constructed out of concrete, and the squares were about twelve inches square. The checkers, also made from concrete, had a metal loop on the top, and players used a hook to move the checkers. When John Glenn, Sr., father of the astronaut, visited Sandusky in March of 1964, he was sad to learn that the giant checkerboard had been dismantled several years ago.

A View of East Washington Row in the summer of 1955

A snapshot taken by Helen Hansen on August 20, 1955 shows several buildings in downtown Sandusky on East Washington Row. At the corner of East Washington Row and Columbus Avenue is the Western Security Bank building, just across the street from the old LaSalle’s store. The 1955 Sandusky City Directory lists the occupants of the upper levels of the bank building, which included several insurance agents, a title company, and offices for lawyers George A. Beis and Robert W. Beamer. Doctors William F. Burger, Carle Koehler, Emerson Hoyer, and Homer C. Fout also had offices above the Western Security Bank. The Walter L. Crusey furniture store was located at 117 East Washington Row. A Kroger’s grocery store took up 135 to 145 East Washington Row. Parking for Kroger’s was beside Mary’s Diner. The Washington building takes up the rest of the block of East Washington Row. On the street level of the Washington building were: Rosino’s Shoes, Singer Sewing Machine Company, and the Ohio Fuel Gas Company. There were a number of offices on the upper levels of the Washington Building, including accountants, insurance agents, the Camp Fire Girls, Boy Scouts of America, Judson Civil Engineering, Dr. Sheldon R. Hoover, and William E. Didelius, Erie County Prosecuting Attorney.

Prior to a massive fire in 1909, the Mahala Block took up a large portion of East Washington Row in Sandusky.

Stereographic Image of Downtown Sandusky

A.C. Platt created this stereograph card between 1877 and 1888. The photographer was looking north down Columbus Avenue toward Sandusky Bay. The former residence of Eleutheros Cooke can be seen at its original location at the northwest corner of Washington Row and Columbus Avenue. (Erie County offices are now at this location, which has a present day address of 247 Columbus Avenue.) Following the death of Mrs. Eleutheros Cooke in 1878, Rush Sloane acquired the Cooke home. Rush Sloane hired Jacob Biehl to take down the Cooke house and rebuild it at 1415 Columbus Avenue, as a wedding gift to Thomas M. Sloane and Sarah Cooke.

The Customs House and Post Office were located at the southwest corner of Columbus Avenue and Market Street, where a parking garage stands today. You can see the station of the United States Signal Service on top of the West House which overlooks Sandusky Bay. James R. Davies had an insurance real estate business at 222 Columbus Avenue, adjacent to the Cooke block on the northeast corner of Columbus Avenue and Market Street. Many other Sandusky businesses, banks, and public halls are also pictured on this image. Leroy Hinkey donated a collection of several stereographs and photographs to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

Mayflies, or June Bugs

The photograph above pictures mayflies in the street at the corner of Jackson Street and Washington Row in the summer of 1940. At the very corner of the photograph the sign for Merchants Finance Co. can be seen. In 1940, Merchants Finance was located at 257 Jackson Street, between the Mahala Laundry and the First Presbyterian Church.

From the genus Hexagenia, some of the names that these insects are called include: mayflies, June bugs, or Canadian soldiers. An online article from the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that in Ohio, mayflies emerge from Lake Erie, fly inland and molt, and then mate and die. This process all takes place within a time span of 24 to 72 hours.

To read more about these annual invaders, see Fact Sheet 069 from the Ohio State University’s Sea Grant publications, which reassures us that the insects are harmless and can be used in composting.

Street Signs in Sandusky in 1948

Through much of the twentieth century several state highways travelled through downtown Sandusky. Here we can see that a number of directional signs were located at the intersection of Washington Street and Columbus Avenue in 1948. Cleveland is marked at 58 miles to the east, while Huron is only 10 miles away. Pointing to the west are signs for Port Clinton and Castalia.

State Routes 6 and 2 are marked along with Routes 12 and 101. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, a portion of Route 12 was shared with Route 101. For a history of these Ohio States Routes see this link. (Scroll down to the state routes for more information.)

The brick building in the background is the Sloane House which was built in 1880, and owned by Rush Sloane. The Sloane House was demolished when Lasalle’s opened a store in downtown Sandusky in the late 1940’s. This site is now the location of an office building for Erie County.

Several vintage automobiles can be seen in the wider view of this photograph.

A View of Washington Row in 1906

Pictured below is a portion of Washington Row around 1906. The Odd Fellows Hall was built in 1889, by members of Ogontz Lodge No. 66. Like other lodge halls of this era
the Lodge met upstairs, and businesses rented space on the ground floor. John J. Marquart’s Undertaking Business is seen at the left of the photograph. George J. Doerzbach and John F. Renner were dealers in Pianos, Organs, and Musical Merchandise. Each gentleman’s name was featured above separate windows.

To the east of Renner & Doerzbach, was the Central Union Telephone Company. A small bell is barely visible in the lower left window. The telephone company building had previously been the home of Lucas Beecher, a well known lawyer and abolitionist. This building has been identified as a station on the Underground Railroad. A “hair dressing parlor” was in operation on the floor level of the Sloane Hotel, immediately to the east of the telephone company.

Below is a page from the Sanborn Fire Maps containing the Washington Row block between Jackson Street and Columbus Avenue.
By gathering information from the Sanborn Maps, city directories, and local history books of the area, we can learn more about everyday life at the turn of the century in Sandusky, Ohio. The telephone was a relatively new device. Transportation modes included bicycles and the horse and buggy. The store selling pianos and organs lets us know that music was of cultural significance to community residents. A large hotel indicates that the city of Sandusky was frequented by out of town visitors.

Visit the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library to learn more about the people and businesses of Erie County. The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps and Heritage Quest are two of the Research Databases which are accessible from home through the Ohio Public Library Information Network.

The Mahala Block

From 1894 until 1909, the Mahala Block on Washington Row, was home to several businesses, organizations, and a business college. The four story Mahala Block building was located between Columbus Avenue and Wayne Street.
The Mahala Block was built by William T. West, who had also built and owned the West House hotel with his brother A. K. West. Mahala was the middle name of Mrs. William T. West, nee Lydia Mahala Todd.
Some of the businesses which were located at the Mahala Block included: Charles J. Krupp, undertaker; May Reynolds, artist; Herb and Myers; Mahala Steam Laundry; Neill Bros., hardware; and the Sandusky Business College. A search through historical Sandusky City Directories will pinpoint the various names and dates of the tenants throughout the years.

On November 18, 1909, a massive fire destroyed the Mahala Block. The loss was estimated at approximately $250,000. Destroyed in the Mahala Building were many businesses and apartments including: Carrie Freyensee, milliner; The Herb and Myers Co.; Yochem and Feick; the Mahala Laundry; Charles J. Krupp, undertaker and embalmer; The International Correspondence Schools; Neill Bros. and Co.; Miss Helen Powers studio; Dr. H.J. Dann; Sandusky Business College; and Mrs. J.S. Grandcolas, hairdressing and massage parlors.