Officers Row at the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home

Several houses on Dewitt Avenue in Sandusky were built as homes for officers of the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home, now known as the Ohio Veterans Home. The picture above was taken about 1910. The postcard below is dated 1920.

In the 1910 United States Census, three of the residents of Officers’ Row are enumerated at the top of the survey page:

William Burnett is listed with his wife Mary. William was the Commandant of the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in 1910. He served with Company A, Fourth Battalion, Ohio Independent Cavalry during the Civil War, and once was the Mayor of Springfield, Ohio.

Nathan Holloway was the Quartermaster of the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailor’s Home. He continued to live in Sandusky, Ohio after retirement, and died in 1928 at the age of 91.

Jonathan D. Wheeler achieved the rank of Captain in the Civil War. He was the Adjutant at the home in 1910. A mention of Mrs. Emma L. White visiting Captain J.D. Wheeler and his wife at their “cozy home” in Officers’ Row appeared in the Sandusky Register on July 12, 1907.

The homes built for Officers’ Row are now privately owned. To read more about the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home, see several posts at the Sandusky History website.

Erie County African American Soldiers in the First World War

 The book Honor Roll of Ohio: Erie County Edition is a compilation of Erie County residents who served in military or civilian activity during World War I. Soldiers and sailors who served during the war are listed in the book, with photographs, brief personal information, and service summaries included for each man. 

As in the service itself, the African American servicemen were segregated from the rest of the men into two pages of the book. Those pages are shown here.

 Although we do not have additional information for all of the soldiers depicted here, we are able to gather brief biographical data on some of these men. 

Reading the descriptions, you will notice that two of these men died in overseas service. Corporal Clarence Howard was featured in a previous blog post. He was noted as a star pitcher for the Sandusky Crescents baseball team before the war. He was killed by an accidental weapon discharge on October 12, 1918.

Private Robert Adkerson died in service in France on October 22, 1918, at age 25. He was initially buried in France, but in 1921 his remains were returned to his native Tennessee for reburial.

Three sons of William and Mary Alexander performed military service during the war. Sergeant Robert Alexander served overseas with Co. H of the 802nd Pioneer Infantry. Private Charles Alexander was in France with Co. L of the 365th Infantry, 92nd Division. The youngest brother, Private Earl Alexander, served in the Student Army Training Corps at the Ohio State University, beginning September 1918.

The Honor Roll of Ohio is available in the Genealogy book collection at the Sandusky Library.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin at Jackson Junior High

On May 14, 1937, Sandusky students performed the opera, “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” at the Jackson Junior High School. Miss Eulalie Shaw, the first director of Sandusky High School’s A Capella Choir, directed the one hundred seventy five students in the production. The lead role was played by Delbert Persons. Joe Freeman portrayed the Mayor, and the little lame boy was played by Dick Burton. Joyce White portrayed the dream lady, who sang of the joys of childhood in the mystic forest. The opera included a large chorus, and several children played the parts of the townspeople of Hamelin, toys, soldiers, dolls, jumping jacks and sprites. The opera was well attended, and the audience gave enthusiastic applause throughout the production. 

An article in the May 15, 1937 issue of the Sandusky Register listed the named of every student who took part in the performance of “The Pied Piper of Hamelin.” 

Jackson Junior High School opened in 1928, and served as a community center for dozens of school and civic events from the late 1920s through the 1940s. The school auditorium can be seen in the picture below, when Cryle’s Orchestra performed.

Anna White Ferris, Mrs. B.F. Ferris

According to the Firelands Pioneer, Anna Damarius White was born on August 11, 1838 to Samuel M. White and his wife, the former Damarius Pendleton. Samuel M. White was a building contractor. He and his wife were pioneer settlers of Sandusky, Ohio. In 1861, Anna D. White married Benjamin F. Ferris, a hardware merchant. The steamer B.F. Ferris was named for Anna’s husband.

           
Mrs. Ferris was an early member of the board of the Library Association of Sandusky, serving on the board in 1878 and 1879. For many years, she took an active part in parish activities of Grace Episcopal Church. On October 9, 1901, Mrs. B.F. Ferris passed away in the very room in which she was born, at her home on Adams Street in Sandusky. An article in the Sandusky Daily Star of  October 9, 1901 read in part, “By her death, Sandusky loses a woman of sterling worth and character, who had many warm friends and who will be sincerely missed from among her associates.” Mrs. Ferris was survived by her husband, a brother, and three sons. She was buried in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. Her husband, Benjamin Franklin Ferris, died in October of 1912. A beautiful monument honoring the memory of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Ferris, as well as several members of the White family, is located in Block at Oakland Cemetery.

The Wedding of Cora H. Arndt and George F. Hagenman

 On Thursday afternoon, December 29, 1881, Rev. L.S. Osborne officiated at the marriage of Cora H. Arndt and George F. Hagenman at the bride’s home on 410 Adams Street in Sandusky, Ohio. A listing of the gifts that were presented to the bride was printed for the friends and family of the newlyweds.

 Cora H. Arndt was the only daughter of David M. Arndt, superintendent of the Sandusky Water Works, and her groom, George F. Hagenman, was a young lawyer from Reading, Pennsylvania. An article which appeared in the December 30, 1881 issue of the Sandusky Register gave a lengthy description of the wedding.  Cora wore a brocade cream dress with satin shirrings, and a magnificent set of diamond earrings, which had been a gift of her bridegroom. William Dilger, proprietor of the Hayes Avenue Conservatories, decorated the Arndt home with flowers and vines. A floral archway took the place of the traditional wedding bell. Music was provided by the Great Western Orchestra, who played an arrangement of Lohengrin’s Wedding March that had been rendered by Eugene Baetz especially for the wedding. Wedding gifts included several items of silver and crystal.

Sadly, the marriage did not last. Erie County Probate Court records indicate that on February 17, 1885, Cora married lawyer George Henry White. The couple moved to Chicago, and had two children. Cora Arndt White died on January 26, 1914, following a lengthy illness. Her obituary, which was in the January 29, 1914 issue of the Sandusky Register, stated that Cora had been one of “Sandusky’s charming young ladies.” She had been an active member of the community, especially in the parish work of Grace Church. Cora Arndt White was buried in the White family lot in a cemetery in Harvard, Illinois. George F. Hagenman died in 1907 when he was in a tragic railway accident during a Shriner’s trip to California.

Testimonial Dinner in Honor of Jesse P. White in 1939

A testimonial dinner in honor of Jesse P. White was held at Jackson Junior High School in Sandusky on December 28, 1939. The photograph pictured above was taken by Mound Photographers of Sandusky. Mr. White retired from the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 1939, after having served for 25 years as the area’s district manager. Nearly 200 individuals attended the dinner, including guests from the home office of Metropolitan Life Insurance.  Walter Shepherd served as toastmaster of the dinner. He paid high tribute to Jesse P. White, and presented him with a diamond medal of honor. Company officials considered Mr. White to be one the outstanding managers in the company. After his retirement, Jesse P. White devoted his interests to civic activities. During World War II, Mr. White served as co-chairman of five wartime savings bond drives. He passed away on March 29, 1950. He was survived by his wife of fifty years, the former Chloe Herron, two sons, and two daughters. Funeral services for Mr. White were held at the Lutz Funeral Home with the Rev. C.L. Alspach officiating, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery.

During the 1920s through the 1940s, Jackson Junior High School served as a community center in Sandusky. Though the tables were decorated nicely, plants were placed around the gymnasium, the lines used for playing basketball are clearly visible on the floor.

40th Anniversary Meeting of the International Union of Operating Engineers

On January 15, 1952 local photographer William Mound took this photograph of the members of Local 496 of the International Union of Operating Engineers. Pictured are: (top row, left to right) Joe Geise, William Schemmer, Charles Popke, Sidney White; (bottom row) Frank Converse, Ben Sprau, and Frank Merrick. Ben Sprau was a charter member of the local chapter of the International Union of Operating Engineers, which was begun on January 12, 1912. The group started with only twelve members, and later grew to a membership of almost one hundred. Mr. Sprau worked as a marine engineer for over twenty five years, and later served as an engineer for the city of Sandusky.

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.