Berardi Brothers are Honored in San Marino

 

Photo credit: Dr. Daniele Cesaretti

Roberto and Leonello Berardi were the sons of Adam and Teresa Berardi, natives of the Republic of San Marino. The Berardi family emigrated to the United States in 1927, having left from Genoa, Italy on the ship Conte Biancamao. In 1930 the family was living on McKelvey Street in Sandusky, in a section of town known as “Little Italy.” This area was located along Milan Road, bordered by Finch Street and Boalt Street. 

Sadly, both sons of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Berardi were killed during World War II. Leonello, often called Nello, was killed in action in Italy in 1944. Roberto died in Germany in 1945. A plaque honoring the memory of the Berardi brothers was erected in the Fiorentino Cemetery in San Marino. A front page article in the Sandusky Register of April 5, 1961 reported on the memorial in San Marino.

At the dedication of the marble monument in San Marino on March 25, 1961, Dr. Frederico Bigi stated, “As citizens of the world’s oldest Republic, they took with them the spirit of Liberty as they traveled to the world’s youngest Republic, and showed their devotion to Liberty by laying down their lives to uphold freedom.”

To read more about Roberto Berardi and Leonello Berardi, see the website of the American War Memorials Overseas, Inc. The final resting place of Adam and Teresa Berardi is at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

Treasure Chest Campaign for War-Torn Countries in 1945

Sandusky Library staff members Esther Moreland and Harry Meisler are seated beside one of the treasure chests of books collected in 1945, to be sent off to Europe. Miss Yvonne Fievet, then Children’s Librarian, directed the project. Miss Fievet is pictured at the far right in the picture of 1940s library staff below.

Local school children all over Sandusky collected books, and decorated the boxes that held them. The campaign to donate books from the United States to countries in Europe was a national project of the Book Committee of the Women’s Council for Postwar Europe. The purpose was to provide underprivileged children with books and pictures of the American way of life, in order to promote a better understanding of life in the U.S. Included in the boxes were blank paper, crayons, and an empty scrapbook, so that children in other countries could tell Americans about life in their nation. Books collected from Junior High students were sent to China; Madison School’s treasure chest was sent to the Philippines; and books from Madison School were sent to Holland. Items collected by students at Barker, Osborne, Saint Mary’s, Saints Peter and Paul, and Holy Angels Schools were sent to Austria. 

Before being sent to Europe, the treasure chests were on display for a week at: the Ohio Public Service Company, Chamber of Commerce, Spector’s, and the adult section of the Sandusky Library.

"This Was My Home"

 

In 1941, Sandusky High School student Eleanor Downing wrote an essay for the Fram entitled “This Was My Home.”

Eleanor wrote that she always loved living in the country, with its blue skies, sunshine, and starry, still nights. She enjoyed the sights and sounds of rural Erie County, Ohio, and war seemed far away from her happy home. In 1941, the United States War Department acquired 9,000 acres of farm land in Perkins Township, to make way for a munitions factory. 150 families had to find homes elsewhere. The Plum Brook Ordnance Works was named for a creek which ran through the land. Later the site was occupied by NASA for nuclear research. The Plum Brook Station is now called the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at the Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility.

By doing a bit of research on Ancestry Library Edition, Rootsweb, and the Ohio Obituary Index, we were able to determine that Eleanor Downing was a descendant of the House family, who were among the early settlers in Perkins Township from Connecticut. The land was a vital resource to those pioneer residents, who had large farms on which they raised crops and livestock. Eleanor wrote a poignant article about how much she appreciated her home in the country, and how soon the things that she had “loved and looked forward to” would become things of the past. Visit the Sandusky Library to view the original article by Eleanor Downing in the April 1941 copy of the Fram.

Judge Moses H. Thompson, World War II Hero

From the 1940 Sandusky High School yearbook

Moses H. Thompson was the son of Moses C. Thompson and the former Marian Martin. During his time at Sandusky High School, Moses H. Thompson participated in both football and track for four years. After high school, Moses attended West Virginia State College, where he was on the boxing team. In 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army. While in Europe during World War II he was awarded a Bronze Star. He was discharged as a staff sergeant. 

An article in the Sandusky Register on December 26, 1944, read:

Staff Sergeant Moses H. Thompson, Signal Corps, has been decorated with the Bronze Star Medal in the European theater of operations. He is the son of Moses C. Thompson, 404 Tyler St. Sandusky. Sgt. Thompson was personally decorated by the commanding general of the Corps to which his unit is attached. The citation read: "for meritorious achievement in connection with military operations against the enemy in Germany on Dec. 1, 1944. In performance of duty as a non-commissioned officer in charge of a line survey crew. Sgt. Thompson completed a hazardous mission without loss of personnel or equipment. During this time he was under mortar and artillery fire, but with outstanding leadership and disregard for his personal safety the mission was successfully accomplished His display of initiative and ability has greatly contributed to the efficiency of his organization."

After serving in the Army, Moses H. Thompson moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1954; he earned a doctorate in 1956. He served as an administrative law judge in Montgomery, Alabama before his retirement in Atlanta, where he died in 2005 at age 83.

Erie County Companies Contributed to the War Effort During World War II

Many of you might know about Erie County's contribution to the production of war munitions during the Second World War. From 1941 to 1945, the Trojan Powder Company manufactured explosives at the Plum Brook Ordnance Works, five miles south of Sandusky in Perkins Township. It is estimated that over a billion pounds of ordnance was manufactured at the complex. The PBOW News, an employee newsletter, was discussed in an earlier blog post.

Several other companies in the Sandusky area also contributed to the war effort during the 1940’s. Charles E. Frohman, a Vice President of the Hinde & Dauch Paper Company, was chairman of the War Savings Program for Erie County in 1941-1942, and was a member of the Sandusky Appeals Panel of the War Manpower Commission in 1944-1945. In December, 1946, Mr. Frohman sent out several letters to Sandusky factories inquiring about their involvement in war production, as requested by the Ohio War History Commission.

Mr. E.C. Trausch, from the advertising department of Apex Electrical Manufacturing Co., answered Mr. Frohman’s request with a three page document that itemized the many products manufactured by Apex’s Sandusky plant between 1942 and 1945. Over $21 million of materials were manufactured by the local Apex plant during World War II.

The Klotz Machine Company manufactured bearings, castings, and grinders during the war.

The Union Chain & Manufacturing Company of Sandusky assisted in the design of the special track necessary for LVT amphibious tractors, and built a variety of sprocket chains and sprockets for several different military applications. Just a portion of the military items built by Union Chain are listed below.

The Barr Rubber Products Company manufactured inflatable life rafts, airplane fuel tanks, rubber fittings for tanks, pilot balloons, and gaskets and rubber coated wheels, which netted over $5 million dollars during wartime. The Hinde & Dauch Company was one of the leading suppliers of packaging for war materials and supplies. Special types of packaging were designed to meet overseas shipping requirements. Packaging had to be created that could withstand the weather of arid deserts, as well as tropical beaches and jungles. The Sandusky factory of the Hinde & Dauch Company produced 132,633,235 square feet of V-board and fabricated 14,368,000 packages, which carried everything from beer to bullets. 

Brown Industries produced heavy duty gasoline and diesel engine manifolds and cylinder heads. Employees of Brown Industries averaged more than 60 hours of work per week during the war years, in order to meet the orders needed for the war effort. Oliver F. Rinderle discussed his company’s war experience in his letter, “The greatest satisfaction experienced by us was in having our customers tell us at the end of the war that none of them had ever failed to maintain promised shipping schedules of their products due to failure on our part in meeting their demands upon us.” 

Several additional letters from Sandusky factories describing contributions to the war effort are available for research in the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

Barr Rubber Products

Barr Rubber Products began in Lorain, Ohio in 1920, with Nelt Barr serving as the company’s president. In 1923, the company moved its operations to Market Street in Sandusky. The company began as a balloon manufacturing plant, but soon it branched out into the manufacturing of balls, pet toys, and other quality rubber products. Not long after the business suffered a disastrous fire in 1928, the company moved to the site of the former Dauch Manufacturing Company in the 1500 block of First Street. During World War II, Barr Rubber switched its operations to the war effort.

Gaskets, fuel tanks, and rubber life rafts were some of the items made at Barr Rubber during the 1940s. An advertisement in the Sandusky Register Star News of September 22, 1943 stated that
Barr Rubber Products was adding a “Victory Shift.” It was intended to be a part time job for people that already were working a full time job. The Victory Shift ran for five hours a night, for five nights a week. Products made included parts for bombers, life rafts, self-sealing oil tanks and bullet cores for machine guns.

After the war, the company branched out into making rubber components for boats and automobiles, besides producing a wide variety of balloons and recreational balls. These are just a few of the types of products made at Barr Rubber in 1965:

This page from a 1973 Barr Rubber Products catalog shows the clever retail displays that could house the toys made by Barr Rubber:

In 1965 Barr Rubber Products became a subsidiary of Lancaster Colony Corporation. An article in the February 4, 2007 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that the company’s Sandusky factory closed in 1986 following declining sales. Though it is no longer in existence, Barr Rubber Products provided employment for hundreds of local residents, and sold recreational products throughout the United States.

Apex Employees in the 1940s

As the United States celebrates another Labor Day, today’s post takes a look back at employees of the Apex Manufacturing Company in Sandusky in the 1940s. All the pictures are from the Gerald I. Cockerill Collection at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. 

Apex and its predecessor Holland Rieger made appliances, but during World War II, the factory shifted to manufacturing materials needed for the war effort. Below is a picture from the balance operation of Jack and Heintz Starters.

These women were working in the Pesco armature and field department at Apex.

The assembly department for Bendix starters can be seen in the next photo.

The final picture was taken on the Bendix starter armature line.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to view these and hundreds of other historic photographs and documents.

The "Letters from Home Club"

In 1944 and 1945, Sandusky had a “Letters from Home” club. Members sent a monthly letter to more than 2000 men and women in military service during World War II. Pictures of the officers of the club appeared in the July, 1945 copy of letter sent out from the club. Mrs. Harrison W. Pratt was the president, Mrs. W.A. Carnes was vice president, Mrs. J.L. Sampson, Jr. served as secretary, and Mrs. Frank D. Schneider was the club’s treasurer. The letter included details about the potluck held at Lions Park, at which Cpl. Kenneth Stauffer spoke. An article which appeared in the September 11, 1943 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News reported that people in military service listed “letters from home” as what they most desired, followed closely by snapshots from home.  In June of 1944, serviceman Bernard Palmer wrote back after he read a letter sent to him from the club: 

“Out here in the South Pacific a fellow is always glad to hear from the folks at home. This is a land of perpetual summer. All these tropical islands are spots of everlasting green on the beautiful blue Pacific, but regardless of all this, give me dear old Sandusky, the best spot to me on all the earth. Walking down Columbus Ave. is just another thing to you people, but to us, and I mean all of us out here, it would be a privilege worth everything.”

One of the activities of the “Letters from Home” club was a baby contest in which local residents voted for the favorite son or daughter of Sandusky men and women in the service. Below are a few of the young boys in the contest.

 

Here are some the young ladies entered in the baby contest.

Besides the baby contest, the “Letters from Home” club also had contests in which they selected a pin-up girl and a pin-up grandmother. If you would like to read a copy of one of the letters from home, stop by the Reference Services desk. 

Sandusky’s Former Post Office

Seen here in the 1930s or 1940s, this building was opened as Sandusky’s Federal Building in March of 1927.  In 1923, Congressman James T. Begg introduced a bill in the U.S. House which requested an increase in the appropriation for the proposed Federal Building at Sandusky, making a total of $215,00 in funds to be used for the project. Congressman Begg pointed out that the current Post Office and Customs House had been built before the Civil War, and was very congested.  Ground was broken for the new Post Office on November 1, 1925.  T.M. Samford was the superintendent of the project, under the leadership of contractor Algernon Blair. M.J. Callan and Sons, of Sandusky, did the excavation work at the building site, beginning November 6, 1925. The building site was located at the intersection of Central Avenue, Jackson Street, and Washington Street. Formerly Bernard Lodick’s carriage shop and Trinity Methodist Church were at this location.

You can see the layout of the Post Office in 1939 in the portion of the Sanborn Map below.

The new Federal Building was built in the Neo-Classical style. It features a very large portico with fluted columns. Besides housing the Post Office in 1927, this building held offices for U.S. Customs, the Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Weather Bureau. During war years, the U.S. Armed Forces had recruiting offices here as well. The men in this picture are the first draftees from Erie County in January of 1941, standing on the steps of the Post Office:

           

Of course the former Sandusky Post Office and Federal Building is now home to the Merry-Go-Round Museum. When you walk into the lobby of the Museum, you can still see one of the windows where stamps were sold.

MacArthur Park and Fairlawn Court

In the collections of historical pictures from Sandusky and Erie County housed at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center are three photographs from MacArthur Park and Fairlawn Court, which began as federal housing projects during World War II.  The pictures were taken in 1955. The license plate of the car pictured above began with the letters YC. (Many local residents of a certain age will recall the popular YC and YE letter combinations used for autombile license plates in the 1950s and 1960s.) 

As World War II approached, the U.S. Government purchased land in Perkins Township for the construction of a munitions factory. The Trojan Powder Company operated at the Plum Brook Ordnance Works throughout the war, and provided jobs for hundreds of individuals. Sandusky faced a housing shortage as workers poured in to Erie County to supply manpower for the defense industry. MacArthur Park, located at the former site of the Erie County fairgrounds, at Camp Street and Perkins Avenue, was built to help curb the housing shortage. A local contest was held to select a name for the housing development, with Mrs. Bernice Jameson selected for her entry: “General Douglas MacArthur is the hero of the hour, and it seems appropriate to name a defense housing development in his honor as his name and accomplishments will be tomorrow’s history.” 

The Sandusky Register  featured two pages to celebrate the dedication of MacArthur Park on November 11, 1943.

The Trojan Powder Company ran this advertisement, which praised the community as well as the defense workers.

The Rev. J.A. Griffith gave the invocation at the dedication.  Public Housing officials gave remarks, as did Mayor George A. Apel. Musical selections were provided by Sandusky High School.

In 1943 another federal housing project, Fairlawn Court, was built to provide housing for African American residents of the south end of the city of Sandusky.  

Fairlawn Court had 104 family units on Buchanan Street between Carr and Shelby Streets. The development was listed as Fairlawn Park Apartments on this 1955 Sanborn Map.

Many Sandusky couples and families had their first home in MacArthur Park or Fairlawn Court, and then moved to larger accommodations as their families grew, or their economic circumstances changed. 

Women Worked for the War Effort at Barr Rubber Products Company (Women's History Month)

From 1923 until 1986, the Barr Rubber Products Company was a leading manufacturer of quality rubber products in Sandusky, Ohio. During World War II, several products were made for the nation’s war effort. Two women employees of Barr Rubber are pictured below making rubber gas tanks for B-29 bombers.

The company also made rubber life rafts for the war effort.

An article in the March 25, 1944 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News described the life rafts that were made in Sandusky. The rafts were used by aviators during World War II. At first the rafts appeared to be cushions, but when airmen jumped from a plane, the cushions inflated to become life rafts. Included on the raft were a sail, bailing bucket, an anchor, paddles and a first aid kit, along with distilled water and sea markers. In March of 1944 several Sandusky High School students who were facing possible military service used a life raft made by Barr Rubber Products during a series of physical fitness and lifesaving classes conducted by Coaches Howard Ziemke and Howard Caldwell.

Veterans Day November 11 -- Errol "Zip" Zistel, Military Aviator

Errol Henry Zistel was born in Sandusky, Ohio on July 16, 1895, to Ottomar and Amelia Zistel. He earned the nickname “Zip” from his days of “zipping” in an iceboat on Sandusky Bay when he was a teenager. He once went from Sandusky to Kelleys Island in eight and a half minutes in his iceboat, at a speed of ninety miles per hour. 

Errol Zistel began his military career as fighter pilot in Britain’s Royal Flying Corps and later transferred to General Pershing’s American Air Service during World War I.  During the war, he was seriously injured, but after his recovery he remained active in the Reserves. In 1927 he was one of the organizers of Ohio’s first Air National Guard Unit, the 112^th Observation Squadron. During World War II, he commanded the fourth Air Support Command at Hamilton Field, California, achieving the rank of Major General. General Zistel actively flew aircraft until his retirement from active service in 1957. 

Errol H. Zistel died on January 25, 1968, and was buried with full military honors at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. Members of the Air Force served as Honor Guards. General Zistel had been a member of the Early Birds, the American Fighter Aces Association, the Order of Daedalus, the Quiet Birdmen, and the Air Force Association. He was a past president of the Cleveland Aviation Club. A lengthy obituary for Errol “Zip” Zistel appeared in the February 3, 1968 issue of the Sandusky Register.

Sandusky High School Graduates in the Military, Spring 1918

The April 1918 issue of the Fram featured the names of seventy-six individuals who had either attended or graduated from Sandusky High School, and were serving in military service during World War I. The names were arranged alphabetically by surname, with the year of graduation listed after the name.

Opposite the “Honor Roll” listing of names was a page with pictures of several military men from Sandusky. Sergeant-Major William Murray was serving with the Aviation Corps of the U.S. Army.  Paul J. Appell was an instructor at Cape May, New Jersey with the U.S. Navy. Sergeant Wesley Moos was with the U.S. Army’s Quartermaster’s Corps. Ray Siggens, Harold Weis, and Surgeon Henry LaFavre were all serving in the United States Navy. La Favre, whose picture is in the center of the page, served as a U.S. Navy surgeon in both World War I and World War II. Eventually he retired to Virginia Beach. After his death on February 15, 1953, Captain La Favre was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Italian Heritage in Erie County

Between 1884 and 1924 about 7 million Italians arrived in the United States. In Erie County Italian-Americans found work in the quarries, restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, landscaping, fishing, and many other businesses. Local Italian restaurants were quite popular on weekend nights, and remain popular to this day. Four generations of the Balconi family have been in the monument business in Sandusky. “Mama Berardi” opened her well-known French Fry stands at Cedar Point in the 1940's. Pictured below is the grocery store of Ruggiero Riccelli around 1920.

Major Thomas S. Amato (third from right in the picture below) was born in Sicily in 1880. Major Amato served in the Sixth Infantry of the Ohio National Guard in World War I. His death in 1921 was directly attributed to his military service.

The Sandusky Register’s obituary of Thomas S. Amato states that “full military honors were accorded to the man who came to this country from Italy when a boy and so loved it that his life has been laid a sacrifice upon the altar of his adopted land.”

During World War II, many Sandusky young men of Italian descent served in the United States military, and some lost their lives. One of the most moving stories of sacrifice and honor is one of two Sandusky brothers of Italian descent who were honored in San Marino, a small republic within the borders of Italy. The front page of the Sandusky Register on April 5, 1961 features an article about a monument having been built in the cemetery in Fiorentino in honor of Leonello Berardi and Roberto Berardi. Leonello and Roberto were the sons of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Berardi, who emigrated from San Marino to the United States in 1927. Leonello died in Italy in 1944, and Roberto died in Holland in 1945. They wrote to their parents that they hoped to meet up in San Marino, but they never had the chance to do so. Though the young men were buried where they died, officials of the small republic of San Marino wanted to honor the sacrifice of Leonello and Roberto Berardi. Officials from both San Marino and the United States were present at the dedication of the monument. Dr. Frederico Bigi, of the Italian consulate, spoke at the dedication. He said the young men “took with them the spirit of liberty as they traveled to the world’s youngest republic, and showed their devotion to Liberty by laying down their lives to uphold freedom.” You can read more about the monument to Leonello and Roberto Berardi by accessing the April 5, 1961 issue of the Sandusky Register, on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. The names of Leonello and Roberto Berardi are also found on a plaque honoring several former students from Sandusky High School who lost their lives during World War II; the plaque is at the former Adams Junior High School.

A plaque that was donated to the historical collections of the Sandusky Library contains the names of the charter members of the Italian-American Beneficial Club in Sandusky, better known as the I.A.B.

You can read about “Little Italy,” a six-block area on Sandusky’s east side, in the May 18, 2003 issue of the Sandusky Register, now on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Hundreds of passenger records are available on the Ellis Island web site, accessible at home or at Sandusky Library. Consider donating historical family photographs or documents to the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library for future generations to enjoy.

Christmas Observance at Sandusky Junior High School in 1944

On December 22, 1944, the employees of Plum Brook Ordnance Works and their families and friends, met at Sandusky’s Junior High School (later known as Jackson Junior High School) for the third annual old-fashioned Christmas observance. All those in attendance received a program which included the words to several traditional Christmas carols.

Brief messages by local ministers, Rev. Theo J.C. Stellhorn, Sr. and Rev. C. J. Dobmeyer, offered reflections on peace while America was at war.

World War II Civilian Defense

In 1982, a scrapbook was donated to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center which features newspaper clippings about Civilian Defense activities in Sandusky between 1941 and 1943, during World War Two. The Civilian Defense Council in Sandusky was established by a city ordinance on December 15, 1941, following the Office of Civilian Defense having been created as a national agency on May 20, 1941. Leland Spore was coordinator of the Sandusky Civilian Defense in the early stages of the organization. When Mr. Spore left for active service duty Vincent F. Schubert took over. Earl C. Krueger served as the third coordinator of the Sandusky Civilian Defense Council.

The entire community joined in the activities of Civil Defense. In December of 1941, Dr. A. R Grierson, chief of the Medical Services Division, began voluntary enlistment for local men and women for the National Red Cross Volunteer Nurse’s Aide Course. Instruction was given so that volunteers had practical experience in hospital wards, kitchen, laboratory, x-ray, and surgery, should a major medical emergency arise. Dr. Grierson emphasized that the program was “no place for weaklings.” Local educator W.E. Weagly stated that “In the time of peace we go our separate ways. In time of war, we act together.” Members of the Erie County Ministerial Association voted unanimously that all members would lend their wholehearted to the Sandusky Civilian Defense Council in connection with work in public relations and civilian morale. In 1942 Fire Chief Wilson McLaughlin and Police Chief R.G. Bravard saw to it that area residents were trained as auxiliary firemen and policemen in case of an emergency. A Civilian Defense WWII Auxiliary Police helmet is now in the collections of the Follett House Museum.

A group of firemen and auxiliary firemen who were trained by the Sandusky Civilian Defense Council during World War Two are pictured below.

The “Salvage for Victory” campaign sponsored by the Sandusky Municipal Defense Council, asked Sandusky residents to save waste paper, rags, rubber and scrap metal. Items were collected by the Volunteers of America and then sold, with all proceeds paid to the Sandusky Municipal Defense Fund. In the fall of 1942 the Lions Club and Commodore Perry Post of the American Legion donated automobiles for the Sandusky Scrap Harvest campaign. Tire and specific food items and other goods were rationed.

The Sandusky Register Star News ran a full page advertisement on What to do in an Air Raid.

Civilian Defense movies were shown at the auditorium of Jackson Junior High School. A Civilian Defense and Flag Day Parade was held on Flag Day in June, 1942. Marching in the parade were members of the State Highway Patrol, Navy Mothers, VFW drum corps, Sandusky High School band, policemen, policemen, fireman, horsemen, ambulances, air wardens, and Civil Defense officials. Representing the War Plant division were Farrell Check, Brightman Nut, Plum Brooks Ordnance Works, and the Civil Air Patrol. The local U.S.O. provided hospitality for servicemen. On December 15, 1942, the Office of Civil Defense conducted a “dim-out” in Sandusky. Residents were asked to turn out all lights in their home. Automobiles were asked to place their headlights on dim, and travel at 15 miles per hour. They were not to use their telephone unless absolutely necessary. Once the “all clear” signal was blasted, lights could be used again. On March 2, 1943, a blackout drill was conducted simultaneously by 29 northern Ohio counties.

To view the World War Two Civilian Defense Scrapbook, inquire at the Reference Services Desk of the Sandusky Library. A concise summary of Civilian Defense activities in Sandusky appears in the Monday, May 7, 1945 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News, in the Victory in Europe edition, available on microfilm.

The USO in Sandusky

In September, 1942, a U.S.O. Service Center was opened in the rear portion of the Lake Shore Coach station at 129 Columbus Avenue. Having started in 1941, the primary mission of the United Service Organization was giving social support to America’s troops. In contrast to the regimented life of military life, the U.S.O. strived to create a warm homelike atmosphere.

An article which appeared in the May 15, 1943 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News stated that the Sandusky USO Center provided a spot for relaxation for thousands of men in uniform who found themselves temporarily in the Sandusky area. The article continued, “It has given them little attentions and helped out in the practical things of everyday life that beset a stranger; and it has done this in a homey, kindly atmosphere and with warmth of spirit that has eased the ache of homesickness and loneliness in the hearts of many.” Cookies and fruit were provided through the generosity of local organizations. Dances and parties were held both at the Sandusky U.S.O. and at Camp Perry. Junior hostesses of the U.S.O. visited men who were in the hospital at the Erie Proving Ground, playing cards and games with them as they convalesced.

A photograph was taken at the last party sponsored by the Erie County U.S.O., held at the Plum Brook Country Club.

The Sandusky U.S.O. Center closed in December of 1945 with a “fine service record,” according to an article in the December 1, 1945 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News.