Trench Coats Were Popular in Sandusky in 1917

Inspired by military apparel, trench coats were sold by the Wilcox Company in Sandusky in the fall of 1917. An ad from the Fram read, in regards to military and trench coats for girls:

Here’s to the High School Girls that Want to be Thrifty,

Here’s to Those Who Like to Look Nifty,

Here’s Where We Sell at Less Than Fifty.

The Manhattan Men’s Outfitters carried trench coats for men, as seen in the ad below from the November 30, 1917 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal.

The Michaels-Stern trench coat carried by the Manhattan store featured “warmth without weight” and the “snap and zip of a military garment with the comfort and freedom of an ulster.” Read more about the rise of the trench coat in a Smithsonian article.

Rollin M. Wilcox, "An Honest Merchant"

Rollin Merritt Wilcox was born in 1836 in Rock Creek, Ashtabula County, Ohio to Harmon Wilcox and his wife, the former Maria Mabel Hubbard. Rollin’s uncles were well known Sandusky businessmen, L.S. and R.B. Hubbard. Below is an undated daguerreotype of Rollin and his brother E.H. Wilcox.

In 1859 Mr. Wilcox married Martha Newton, and they had a daughter named Jessie. Mrs. Martha Newton Wilcox died when she was not yet age 30. In 1870, Rollin married again, to Helen M. Smith. Rollin and Helen also had several children, Laura, Merritt, and Mabel. Mrs. Helen Smith Wilcox was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Library Association of Sandusky, from 1875 to 1877.

For many years, Mr. Wilcox was connected with the Wilcox Company, a dry goods and department store, in operation in Sandusky from 1886 until 1929.

            

In the first days of operation, the store was called Hubbard and Wilcox. Later it became March and Wilcox. The third name of the business was E. H. and R. M. Wilcox. (Edward Harmon and Rollin M. Wilcox were brothers.) After the death of Edward H. Wilcox in 1886 his son C. B. Wilcox entered the firm, and the firm became known as the R. M. & C. B. Wilcox Company.  

On May 1, 1902, Rollin M. Wilcox died at his home on South Columbus Avenue, after a brief illness. An obituary in the May 4, 1902 issue of the Sandusky Register featured the headline, “A Good Man Gone.” The article went on to declare that he was an honest merchant, and maintained that excellent reputation throughout his long career. Mr. Wilcox was buried at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery in the family lot. After his death, his son Merritt S. Wilcox began working for the company.

The Pelican Restaurant

Pictured above is the Pelican restaurant about 1928 in the 100 block of Columbus Avenue, next to the R.M. and C.B. Wilcox Company.  The Pelican Restaurant and Confectionery opened in March of 1928, with George Poulus and Michael Pappas as the proprietors. An article from the March 22, 1928 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that customers could purchase candy, or just a sandwich, or cold drinks, or a full dinner at the Pelican.  The soda fountain featured nickel fittings, and was located on the left side of the front section of the restaurant. The right front  window of the Pelican showcased the candies made by the confectionery. An ad in the Register lets everyone know that John C. Klee installed the plumbing for the Pelican.

In November of 1928, Michael Pappas became the sole proprietor of the Pelican. Here is a picture of the Pelican in 1931:

The Holzaepfel Brothers store and Rosino’s shoe store are just south of the Pelican, and to the north are the New Sandusky View restaurant, with dentist Dr. Edwin Butterworth upstairs; the Uthe and Hiltz drugstore; and the Interurban Office. Across the street, a group of youngsters were getting off the Lake Shore Electric railway car, and soon would head to the dock to catch the ferry to Kelleys Island. 

By 1941, Paul Mellio and Philip Pappas were the proprietors of the Pelican Restaurant.  On March 22, 1948, on the occasion of its twentieth anniversary, the Pelican was serving roast turkey dinners for sixty cents.

On Thanksgiving Day of 1954, Paul Mellio of the Pelican Restaurant saw to it that the prisoners at the city jail were served a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. The Pelican had the contract for daily coffee and sandwiches for the prisoners, but the dinner served at the jail on Thanksgiving was extra special. By 1960, Thomas Pappas was listed in the Sandusky city directory as the proprietor of the Pelican Restaurant. George Lenos  was listed as the proprietor of the Pelican in the 1966 and 1967  city directories By 1968, there was no longer a listing for the restaurant in Sandusky city directories.  Later  businesses which were at the location of the Pelican Restaurant, at 145 Columbus Avenue include a shoe store, a family bookstore, and most recently, the Crush Wine Bar. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn more about the history of the people and businesses of Sandusky and Erie County.

Holiday Messenger from the R.M. & C.B. Wilcox Company

The Wilcox Company department store in Sandusky was located on the 100 block of the west side of Columbus Avenue in Sandusky from 1886 until it closed in December, 1929. A publication entitled “Holiday Messenger” was mailed to Sandusky area residents during the Christmas season of 1921 from the Wilcox Store. Nostalgic illustrations, stories and riddles appeared throughout the publication, along with information about the many items available for purchase at the R.M. and C.B. Wilcox Company for Christmas gifts.

In 1921, the R.M. and C.B. Wilcox Company sold everything from bloomers to sweaters, along with many household items. Merchandise came in a wide variety of prices, and claimed to offer “the right present for the right person at the right price.”

The Wilcox Company

Pictured below is the R.M. and C.B. Wilcox Company in the first part of the twentieth century.

The Wilcox Company was located in the 100 block of the west side of Columbus Avenue in Sandusky from 1886 until it closed in December of 1929. The store was a dry goods and department store, and it was known for selling carpets. (It was incorporated in 1902.) A newspaper ad in 1911 indicates that the Wilcox Company also cleaned carpets and rugs. They utilized a “sanitary system” of cleaning carpets.

Here is an advertisement from the 1924 Fram:

The December 28, 1929 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that the Wilcox store had been continuously operated by one family for more than eighty one years, and was considered Sandusky’s oldest mercantile establishment. In the first days of operation, the store was called Hubbard and Wilcox. Later it became March and Wilcox. The third name of the business was E. H. and R. M. Wilcox. (Edward Harmon and Rollin M. Wilcox were brothers.) After the death of Edward H. Wilcox in 1886 his son C. B. Wilcox entered the firm, and the firm became known as the R. M. & C. B. Wilcox Company. After the death of R. M. Wilcox, his son Merritt S. Wilcox began working for the company. The Register article stated that, “The Wilcox store was always noted throughout the Sandusky retail section as an establishment handling quality goods.” The store closed its doors permanently at 9 p.m. on Saturday, December 28, 1929.

(The Wilcox Store near the end of its existence.)