Famous "Visitors" at the West House

 

The West House was Sandusky's first "high-rise" hotel, opened in 1858 at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Water Street (now the site of the State Theatre). Its location in the heart of downtown near the waterfront and railroads made it a popular location for travelers in Sandusky.

The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center is fortunate to have the guest registers of the hotel from 1860 to 1878. Names of guests are recorded with their signatures in these books; often, the names of traveling entertainment groups accompany the signatures, as seen above with the New Orleans and Metropolitan Opera Troupe. Some names familiar to local historians and other researchers can be found in these pages, making them a useful and interesting research source.

Some signatures can be more interesting than others, for reasons you might not expect. . . 

If you look carefully at the page above from May 1860, you might see a familiar name from that time. Yes, there is a signature that says James Buchanan, destination White House. For those who know their history, James Buchanan was President of the United States in 1860. And for those who really know their history, John Floyd, the name below him, was the Secretary of War for President Buchanan. The President and Secretary of War visited Sandusky in 1860? Why have we not seen a report of this? This is something I'll need to research, I thought; but first, let's keep looking at the guest register.

So, a few pages later, we found other Presidents "visiting" Sandusky. . . 

Unfortunately, President Washington had been dead for over sixty years by then. Martin Van Buren was still living, but was an elderly 78 years old. And did you notice the similarities in handwriting among the presidents? Considering that each of the signatures were the last ones of their respective days, and the handwriting seems to be from the same person, we can speculate whether it might have been the work of a bored night clerk at the West House, who wanted to provide some entertainment for those in the future who read this guest register. It worked for us!

The Bijou Restaurant after a Snowstorm

A large group of individuals are pictured above in front of the Bijou Restaurant on West Water Street, next to the West House Hotel (where the back of the State Theatre is today) in downtown Sandusky in 1910 or 1911. The huge mound of snow behind the men (with an interesting statue on top) indicates that Sandusky must have recently had a large snowfall. An obituary for Charles W. Herzog, which appeared in the 1950 Obituary Notebook at the Sandusky Library, stated that Mr. Herzog operated the Bijou Restaurant and Café from 1908 until 1916. 

A woman and child can be seen in an upper floor window, just to the right of the restaurant sign. Could that be Mrs. Herzog and their daughter? Probably. A little genealogical research lets us come to that conclusion: According to the 1912 city directory, the Herzog family residence was at the same address as the business. Searching for Mr. Herzog in Ancestry.com, we find a record for the 1930 census that shows that Charles & Suzanna Herzog had a 22-year-old daughter named Mildred, as well as a 10-year old son Charles and a 3-year old daughter Rosemary. We know that the two youngest were not around yet in 1911, but with a little math we know that Mildred was born around 1908 or 1909. So, seeing the child in the photo who looks around 2 or 3 years old, it might be reasonable to assume that the people in the window are Suzanna Herzog and her daughter Mildred. Isn't genealogy fun?!

Sandusky, the "Ideal Home City"

In the 1912-1913 Sandusky City Directory, Conrad Boehm was listed as a confectioner at 103 Columbus Avenue, in the West House hotel in downtown Sandusky (the present site of the State Theatre). An envelope from Mr. Boehm’s store advertised Sandusky as the “Ideal Home City.”

Conrad Boehm sold post cards and other souvenirs at the time of the Perry Centennial Celebration in September, 1913. The image he used on the envelope was from a popular postcard at the time. 

The return address on the envelope

A gate featured on the envelope promotes Sandusky as being the Gateway to the Perry Centennial, with steamers providing a direct route from Sandusky to Put-In-Bay. (Note that the imagined Perry's Victory monument doesn't quite match how it ended up in reality.) Cheap fuel, power, and free factory sites are also promoted on the envelope.  Sandusky has long been a hub of transportation, with Sandusky Bay being a natural harbor on the Great Lakes, and railroads running east, west, and south to and from the city. 

To read more about the history of transportation in Sandusky, see Leola M. Stewart’s article entitled “Sandusky, Pioneer Link Between Rail and Sail,” available on the Ohio History Connection’s website.

When Railroad Tracks Ran Through Downtown Sandusky

Beginning in the 1850s, when a landfill project added more land to downtown Sandusky, moving the shoreline well north of Water Street, railroad lines traveled along the north end of downtown Sandusky, along the bay.

This view of the foot of Columbus Avenue was taken from the water, around 1900-10. Sandusky’s waterfront has been the hub of a variety of modes of transportation in Sandusky, including horse and buggies, boats, trains, the interurban, and later automobiles, motorcycles, and even Segwave tours.  The West House hotel was popular with tourists in Sandusky for many years. The State Theatre is now at the site of the former West House hotel. 

Below, we see the train tracks on Railroad Street (now Shoreline Drive) in downtown Sandusky about 1908.

The A. Booth and Company’s fish house and the Johnson’s Island boat landing were just north of the tracks. A water tower on the roof of the Hinde and Dauch factory is visible in the distance. 

The 1905 Sanborn Map shows three different railroads in operation through downtown Sandusky at that time: the Baltimore and Ohio, the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company (later known as the “Big Four”), and the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway.

A recent view of this location can be seen at Google Maps.  

Look at the huge crowd gathered in downtown Sandusky to hear Theodore Roosevelt when he visited here during his unsuccessful race for the presidency in 1912:

  

Society has changed in many ways throughout the last one hundred years, but downtown Sandusky remains a popular destination for visitors and area residents alike. Visit the Sandusky Library to learn more about the city of Sandusky’s rich history. The website of the Erie County Historical Society hosts several historic walking tours of sites around town. 

The Play “Witches of New York” Played in Sandusky in 1871

Albert W. Aiken, who wrote the play “Witches of New York” brought his company of actors to Sandusky, Ohio on November 22, 1871. The play, in which Aiken also starred, appeared at Fisher’s Hall for one night only. Mr. Aiken and the performers in the theatrical production signed the guest book of the West House, where they stayed during their time in our city. The West House register is now on display at the Follett House Museum.

An article which appeared in the November 23, 1871 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that the play was full of sensations, and kept the audience interested. Mr. Aiken is said to have performed his role exceedingly well, and his manner was “far from being stagey.” Mr. Aiken and his company were taking the show to Toledo, Ohio following the performance in Sandusky.

Fisher’s Hall was located at the northwest corner of Wayne and Water Streets in downtown Sandusky. This property is still a vital commercial property in Sandusky today. For many years the street level of the structure was occupied by businesses, and the upper floor was used as a theater. Concerts, lectures and wrestling matches were held at Fisher’s Hall from the 1860s through the 1930s.

Below is a picture of the former Fisher’s Hall (now the Cable Block), taken by then-Follett House curator Helen Hansen in the early 1990s.

Postcard View of the Perry's Victory Centennial

This photographic postcard view of Columbus Avenue was taken at the time of the Perry's Victory Centennial which commemorated the one hundredth anniversary of Oliver Hazard Perry’s victory in the Battle of Lake Erie. Sandusky’s celebration took place on September 8 and 9, 1913. Downtown Sandusky was decorated with flags, lights, banners, and patriotic bunting. Visitors to the Perry Centennial arrived by the interurban electric railway and automobiles, and then could board boats to Put in Bay on South Bass Island.

On the west side of Columbus Avenue, one of the shops on the street level of the West House hotel hung a banner promoting their services for the developing of Kodak camera prints.

A café and restaurant on the east side of Columbus Avenue were open for business to serve meals to the many visitors to Sandusky and the Lake Erie Islands region.

The Lake Shore Electric Railway Co. transported people to Sandusky from all points on the system, which included Cleveland, Lorain, Elyria, Norwalk, Bellevue, Fremont, Toledo, and many stops in between, while the steamer Arrow made two trips daily to Put in Bay, Lakeside, Kelleys Island, and Middle Bass Island. Taking a closer look at this postcard allows us to see the energy and excitement that was associated with the celebration of this historic event. The Official Souvenir Program of the Perry’s Victory Centennial is available online at the Internet Archive.

The Wilke Building in Downtown Sandusky

According to an article from the Sandusky Register of January 30, 1986, the Wilke building at 129 Columbus Avenue was originally part of the West House hotel.

The article said that retail stores were on the street level, while hotel rooms occupied the upper floors. 

In the early 1900s Carl H. Wilke purchased the building, and added a brick facade. (You can still see the surname Wilke at the top of the building.) The building has had a number of tenants through the years. In the mid-1910s, Carl F. and John M. Holzaepfel sold sporting goods and photography supplies at their store at 129 Columbus Avenue.  An article in the April 2, 1920 issue of the Star Journal reported that the Lake Shore Electric would soon occupy the Wilke building. The headline stated that the new home for the Lake Shore Electric would be the “finest on system,” as the stations in Cleveland and Toledo were not nearly as grand as Sandusky’s new station.

After the Lake Shore Electric interurban ceased operations in the late 1930s, 129 Columbus Avenue became the bus station for the Lake Shore Coach Lines and, for a time, the Greyhound Bus Lines. During World War II, a U.S.O. Service Center opened in the rear portion of the Lake Shore Coach station. Having started in 1941, the primary mission of the United Service Organization was giving social support to America’s troops. In contrast to the regimentation of military life, the U.S.O. strived to create a warm homelike atmosphere.

Many different businesses have been in operation in the Wilke building. In October of 1954, the Byer Brothers opened a new store at 129 Columbus Avenue. The new location was triple the floor space of its precious location which had  also been located on Columbus Avenue.

Eventually Marv Byer became the sold proprietor of the business, which became known as Marv Byer Clothiers; he and his wife purchased the property in 1967. In 1986 he was honored for his work in restoring the downtown building. By 2000, the By Design store was located at the site. The  Fabulous Female Boutique currently occupies 129 Columbus Avenue.

A Child's Clothing in the 1850s

This long sleeved little boy’s dress was worn by King West, the son of William T. and Lydia Mahala Todd West in the 1850s. These short pants completed the outfit, which would have allowed young King to toddle around easily.

King David West was born on June 7, 1853. The son of William T. West, he was named after his uncle, Abel Kingsbury West. (Some sources list King’s name as Abel Kingsbury West.)

W.T. West and A.K. West were pioneer Sandusky residents who operated a dry goods store and built the West House hotel.  The 1869 Sandusky City Directory lists the residence of King D. West as West House, and his occupation was clerk at the dry goods store of W.T. and K.D. West.

Sadly, on September 9, 1872, nineteen year old King D. West drowned in Lake Erie after a sudden storm overtook the yacht Oriole, as King was with a group who wanted to view the regatta at Put in Bay. He was buried in the West family lot in the North Ridge section of Oakland Cemetery. His parents were heartbroken at the loss of their son. He most likely would have played an integral role in the business ventures of the West family, had he lived longer. King’s sister, Mrs. C.L. Hubbard (nee Jennie West) donated King’s childhood clothing to the historical museum of the Sandusky Library. The garments are now part of the historical collections of the Follett House Museum.

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. 

Odd Fellows’ Festival in 1856

On March 25, 1856 the Odd Fellows’ Festival was held at West’s Hall in the West House in downtown Sandusky. The floor managers were John Youngs, Warren Smith, and Jerome Monroe. Twelve Sandusky men served on the Committee of Arrangements, including John W. Holland, a well-known local sign painter and businessman.

Clock’s Band provided music for the evening’s entertainment. Rev. Samuel Marks addressed the Daughters of Rebekah, the women lodge members, who attended the festival in full regalia. An article in the March 26, 1856 issue of the Sandusky Daily Commercial Register reported that the Odd Fellows’ Festival was “one of the most brilliant and admirably conducted entertainments ever given in Sandusky.” After Rev. Marks’ address, the crowd enjoyed a dance and music. Several amateurs sang throughout the evening. Dinner was served at eleven o’clock p.m. One hundred seventy people attended the banquet, which featured three tables “loaded down with all the luxuries and substantials the most craving appetite could demand.” The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a fraternal organization. The I.O.O.F. symbol features a three link chain, which represents Friendship, Love and Truth. The I.O.O.F. building in Sandusky was dedicated on March 18, 1890. Several attorneys and businesses are now located in the I.O.O. F. building on Washington Row in downtown Sandusky.

Sandusky Themed Christmas Cards Created by Eileen Detlefsen

In time for the holiday season of 1966, Eileen Detlefsen created several original Christmas cards using the linoleum block print technique. “Old Sandusky” was the theme of these cards. Notes inside the card which depicted the Follett House on the cover stated that the residence of pioneer Sandusky resident Oran Follett was once the scene of many social festivities in early Sandusky.

Inside the Christmas card which featured the Sandusky harbor, Mrs. Detlefsen pointed out that in 1848 Sandusky was larger than Cleveland. In those days many sailing ships visited the Sandusky harbor.

For many years the West House, pictured above in another of “Eileen’s Originals,” was known as one of the best hotels between New York and Chicago. The popular hotel, in operation in Sandusky from the 1850s until the 1910s, was host to many notable visitors through the years.

On the inside of each Christmas card is provided an account of Christmas in Sandusky from 1824, as was described by historian Hewson L. Peeke. (Some of the account might be more legendary than historical.)

 Visit the Sandusky Archives Research Center to view these unique Christmas cards created by Eileen Detlefsen, as well as an article about the cards from the December 12, 1966 issue of the RFD News.  Eileen, along with her husband Harold Detlefsen, were the founders of the RFD News in 1958.

William T. and Abel K. West

An article which appeared in the December 31, 1922 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that to William T. West and Abel K. West, “Sandusky is indebted for its first boulevard, its first cement pavement, the first open front store, the first mansard roof, even its first mahogany chairs.”  W.T. and A. K. West operated a general store in Sandusky in the 1840s. Theirs was the only store that remained open during Sandusky’s cholera epidemic in 1849. The West brothers were the owners of the West House Hotel which was opened to the public in 1858. At one time the West House was the largest hotel between Cleveland and Toledo. It was five stories high, and was located at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Water Street, in downtown Sandusky. It was open in time to accommodate the crowds who came to the Ohio State Fair, hosted in Sandusky in 1858.

William T. West became a resident of Sandusky quite by accident. In 1837, he planned to go from Buffalo to Detroit. He stayed overnight in Sandusky, Ohio. In the morning the hotel keeper forgot to waken him. When he woke up, his ship had already left.  He threw himself into the water, and swam after the vessel. After it was determined that his baggage had stayed in Sandusky, he returned to Sandusky and settled here. During the Civil War, William T. West and a partner, Philander Gregg, received a contract to build prison buildings and officers’ quarters at the prison on Johnson’s Island. Because the proximity of the West House to the confederate prison at Johnson's  Island, the hotel was almost always filled to capacity during the Civil War. Government officials who had dealings with the prison often stayed overnight at the West House after taking care of war business during the daytime.

William T. West and Abel K. West were key individuals in Sandusky’s early days. Abel K. West died on April 16, 1880. William T. West died at the West House on June 13, 1899. His obituary in the Firelands Pioneer stated that the greater part of William T. West’s eighty-four years “were devoted to business and the erection of buildings in the city of Sandusky.”

The Christmas Season in Sandusky, 1891

This was the menu for Christmas time at the West House, a large hotel in Sandusky:

A variety of game and seafood were the main course, along with cold ham, chicken and tongue. Desserts included mince pie, lemon pie, cake, ice cream, and English plum pudding with brandy sauce.

Local companies advertised in the Sandusky Register for several weeks in December of 1891. The Fair, a store managed by M.N. Sisenwain opposite the Sloane House, sold dolls, books, mechanical toys, jewelry, china cups, glassware, pictures, and a wide assortment of gift items of “Christmas delights.” J. Krupp and Son sold books cases, beds, rockers, tapestries and furniture for the home or office. M. & A. Lebensburger, a leading Sandusky clothier, sold several styles of overcoats. The Bazar at 615 and 617 Market Street slashed prices just a few days before Christmas Day.

D.C. Powers ran a lengthy poem advertising the many items for sale at the D.C. Powers dry goods store at 142 Columbus Avenue. The first three stanzas, which appeared in the December 18, 1891 issue of the Sandusky Register, were:

Mother Christmas’ Answer

Santa came to “Mother Christmas”-
“Dear,” said he, “I’m sore perplexed!
Knotted was the kind old forehead,
One might almost think him vexed.
“Where I’m going to get my sleighful
of the rarest, brightest, best,
Prettiest things to please this worldful
Grown so captious, can’t be guessed!

Said his Dame, “I wonder at you!
Must be you’ve forgotten Powers;
I have found there gifts to rapture
These expectant bairns of ours.
For, you know, with all the worldful-
Stockings large, and stockings small,
You must cram form out your sleighful-
Nothing’s left for ours at all!”

“Then the quaint, delightful boxes-
Filled, the yare, with daintiest things-
Charming souvenirs, cards and booklets –
Everything the season brings,
Kerchiefs, hemstitched, plain, embroidered,
Silk and linen, grave and gay-
Finest values for the prices –
In bewildering display!”

The poem concludes with Santa deciding to fill his sleigh with items from D.C. Powers’ stock. This photograph, which shows an interior view of the D.C. Powers store, was taken in the latter part of the 1800s:

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.

Promotion at N. R. Holzaepfel Confectionery

In 1916 Norman R. Holzaepfel operated a confectionery at the corner of Madison Street and Columbus Avenue in Sandusky. His shop sold cigars, candy, newspapers and magazines. The March 23, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal featured a small ad that stated that every customer who made a purchase on Saturday, March 25, 1916, would be given a free copy of the Saturday Evening Post. Here a group of news carriers hold copies of the magazine in front of the store. In 1919 Norman Holzaepfel ran a newsstand at the West House hotel.

Mr. Norman R. Holzepfel’s obituary, which appeared in the October 20, 1970 issue of the Sandusky Register, indicated that Mr. Holzaepfel had been a concessionaire in the Sandusky area for fifty years.