Lewis and Dwelle, Grocers

 

From the 1870s through the 1890s, the Lewis and Dwelle grocery store did business at the northeast corner of East Water Street and Columbus Avenue. In 1873 the address was 158 Water Street. By 1880 the street number had changed to 643 Water Street. The proprietors of the store were Lucius W. Lewis and Benjamin F. Dwelle. You can see the building in this 1876 image below, which was taken during the Independence Day celebration in downtown Sandusky. At this time, A.C. Platt had his photographic studio in the upper level of the building.

You can see the location of the grocery store at 643 Water Street in this view from an 1886 Sanborn Map. Railroad Street is now known as Shoreline Drive.

After the death of Lucius W. Lewis in 1889, his son W.L. Lewis took over his father's role in the grocery store. In 1895 the business was known as  Post, Lewis, Radcliffe & Dwelle. By 1896, W.L. Lewis was the sole proprietor. After his retirement, Benjamin Dwelle moved to Port Clinton, where he died in 1903 at age 85.

In Treasure by the Bay, Ellie Damm wrote that this spot was one of the prime locations for commercial property in Sandusky, because people congregated in the square nearby to meet trains or boats. The original building featured a rounded dormer along the roof line, and had a façade that was built in the Romanesque style. The building today has been substantially altered from its original form. From 1919 through the 1950s, the Moose Lodge was at this location. A multi-page advertisement in the October 20, 1938 issue of the Sandusky Register invited area residents to the newly renovated Moose Lodge. The building, which is now 101 East Water Street, is presently occupied by the Landmark Kitchen & Bar.

Benwood Food Products, Processed in Sandusky

Pictured above is a wooden codfish box packed by the Bender-Woodward Company in Sandusky, Ohio. The Benwood brand name was a combination of the company’s officials, M.J. Bender, Jr. and W.W. Woodward. The Benwood brand of food products were produced in the 1920s

One of the partners in the Bender-Woodward Company

From about 1896 to 1902, M.J. Bender, Jr. operated a grocery store at the southwest corner of Hancock and Monroe Streets; by 1908, he had moved his business to the southeast corner of Hancock and Water Streets. Around 1910, Mr. Bender went into business with W. W. Woodward. Bender was the president of the company, and Woodward was the Vice President. (Mr. Woodward had previously been associated with Hoover-Woodward.) The Bender-Woodward store, which operated as a wholesale grocery business, was in business in Sandusky until 1939. Eventually, M.J. Bender Jr.’s son Elliot became associated with the company.

An advertisement in the May 20, 1924 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal promoted the Benwood Brand.

In 1924, Bender-Woodward Co. was just one of several local sponsors of the Garland Cooking School, which met for an entire week at the Dilgart & Bittner Co. on Washington Row.

Remembering the Cassidy and Silvani Market

Ad from Sandusky Register Star News, February 17, 1953

Silvani’s Market was located at 1614 Milan Road in Sandusky, Ohio for several years. The original store was started by Arthur Silvani’s father in law, Primo Cassidy, who was also known as Primo Cassadei. Mr. Cassidy started in the grocery business in Sandusky in 1922.

In 1935, Cassidy’s was just one of several Sandusky grocery stores that carried Kellogg’s Wheat Krispies.

An article in the April 3, 1940 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that the Cassidy Super Market was to be open for public inspection, after the store had recently been enlarged. New refrigeration cases had been added, and modern display counters were in use. With the newly enlarged floor space, Mr. Cassidy offered a wider variety of grocery items for sale. He invited all shoppers to visit the store to see the improvements. There were specials on sale in every department.

By 1947, Mr. Cassidy had retired, and the market became known as Silvani’s Market, now run by Primo’s son in law Arthur Silvani.

In November of 1960, Silvani’s advertised “more big food bargains” at the market.

Arthur Silvani died on February 27, 1967, and Primo Casadei in 1971. Sandusky city directories list a Clearwater Pool Supply business at 1614 Milan Road in 1970 and 1971. Many of our parents and grandparents probably shopped at the former Cassidy or Silvani Market, which was in the heart of Sandusky’s Little Italy neighborhood.

Bremer Groceries and Saloon

In the first quarter of the twentieth century, members of the Bremer family operated grocery stores in Sandusky. J.D. Bremer was listed as a saloon keeper in the 1880 U.S. Census. In 1902, he ran both a saloon and a grocery store in the 600 block of McDonough Street, and by 1908 had moved his grocery business to the southwest corner of Vine and Monroe Streets (pictured above). He sold staple and fancy groceries and provisions at his grocery store, as well as flour and feed. 

In the early days of telephone service, there were competing phone companies, whose customers could only call other phones connected to the same services; therefore, many businesses subscribed to both services. This was true at the J.D. Bremer store, with the Bell Telephone Company and the Harrison Telephone Company both having phone lines to the store. 

J.D. Bremer ran his grocery store at this location until the early 1920s. Herman Bremer, most likely a brother, also had a grocery store in Sandusky. In 1908, Herman’s store was at the southeast corner of Monroe and Clinton Street. When Herman Bremer died in 1911, the Sandusky Register reported his death on the front page of the March 13, 1911 issue of the paper.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

After Herman Bremer’s death, his sons and wife ran the grocery store until about 1916. Before the automobile age, many neighborhoods had their own small grocery store. The 1921-1922 Sandusky City Directory listed ninety separate grocery stores on pages 475 to 477.

The Other Kerber Grocery

Many people in Sandusky are familiar with Kerber Marine Grocery located on Tiffin Avenue, but not many people know there was another Kerber grocery business on the east side of town.

Albert Kerber was born in 1861 in Ehrenstten, Baden near the city of Freiburg. His parents were Anton Kerber and Cecelia Bauman. Anton Kerber’s brother Vincent Kerber immigrated to Sandusky in 1849 and ran several well-known businesses. He was a masonry contractor whose projects included the Water Works, Barker School, Standard Wheel Company, and several social halls. Later in life Vincent collaborated with his sons in a number of businesses including Consumer Ice Company and a grain and feed business on Water Street.

Records show Albert immigrated in 1880. He was listed in the 1880 census as living with his uncle Vincent on Ogontz Street. Albert then settled on Middle Bass Island and worked for the Golden Eagle Wine Cellars.

While on Middle Bass he met Augusta Kubach who was born in Sandusky in 1865. Augusta’s father John Kubach was born on the Steamer Albany during the family’s immigration to the United States. Albert and Augusta were married in July 1884.

Albert and Augusta moved to Sandusky in 1887. They built a store and residence at the corner of First and McEwen Streets in the east end, near Alberts’s uncle and cousins. The photo below was taken around 1891 and shows Albert and his brother-in-law Andrew Kubach in front of the store. One sign in the window advertises a steamer trip to Cleveland on Thursday June 25, 1891, for fifty cents. The other sign advertises Arbuckle’s Coffee.

Albert’s brother Lawrence (Lorenz) Kerber was born in 1862. In 1888 he founded Kerber Marine Grocery. Lawrence unfortunately died young at just the age of 30 in 1892.

Sometime around 1900 Albert expanded the grocery store to include a saloon. The picture below taken around 1905 shows the store and saloon. Standing in front of the store are Alberts’s sons, Millard and Carlisle and another brother-in-law, Clyde Kubach.

Like many businesses of the era, the saloon issued tokens. Shown below are the two sides of a 5-cent token.

Albert was active in the community and there were numerous listings in the Sandusky Register about hosting social events, sponsoring visiting musicians and travels to visit friends and relatives. One brief article in the Register noted “A young son of Albert Kerber, the Huron Ave and McEwen Street grocer, was struck by an automobile in Huron Ave, Thursday night but escaped serious injury.” The article implies there was a second grocery on Huron Ave, but no records were available.

Albert died on March 13, 1911. His obituary indicates funeral was conducted by Sandusky Lodge No. 669 International Order of Odd Fellows. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery.

The building at the corner of First and McEwen Streets stands today as shown below.

Theodore and Hermine Goessling

In the 1880 U.S. Census, Theodore Goessling was listed as single and aged 30, with his birthplace as Germany. He lived in Sandusky, where he worked as a retail grocer. His store was located at 727 Market Street (now in the west 100 block) in downtown Sandusky.

Notes on the original photograph state that Theodore Goessling is most likely the man holding a hat in the doorway of the store.

On October 18, 1880, Theodore Goessling married Hermine Engels, the daughter of Herman Engels, a well known local vintner. Hermine is pictured below in a photograph taken at the Platt studio in 1889.

The Goesslings had a son born on December 4, 1881, named Theodore Herman Goessling. Theodore, the son, died at age 30 from heart disease. Theodore Goessling, the father, had died in 1891, at the age of 41. Hermine Goessling lived to be 78 years of age, passing away on August 26, 1933. Because Hermine did have any direct descendants at the time of her death, she left twenty thousand dollars in her estate. She gave one thousand dollars each to Good Samaritan Hospital and the United Ladies’ Sewing Circle, and the rest to relatives.

Whitworth and Quinn Grocery Store

After having been associated with the Whitworth and Free grocery store for a number of years, in about 1878 John Whitworth began a partnership with Patrick H. Quinn in a store in the 200 block of Columbus Avenue that sold groceries and provisions.

John Whitworth was born in New Jersey in 1852, to Jonathan and Nancy Whitworth. The family moved to Erie County, Ohio when John was quite young. He began working in a grocery store when he just a teenager. He worked hard and became a partner in Whitworth and Free, and later he and Patrick Quinn ran the grocery business. By the early 1900s, he had given up the grocery business, and he became the treasurer of the American Crayon Company. He was also well known in banking and finance circles. John Whitworth died at his home in Sandusky on September 13, 1907. Hewson Peeke wrote in his book A Standard History of Erie County (Lewis Publishing Co., 1916) about Mr. Whitworth, that “throughout his career was a conservative but public spirited citizen, and everything that he touched was the better for his influence.” 

From about 1900 to 1905, Patrick H. Quinn continued to operate a grocery store at 213 Columbus Avenue in Sandusky. In 1905, he sold his business to Otto Kaufmann and William O. Huth. Eventually he moved to New York City, where he passed away in 1918.

Kaufmann and Huth carried fine groceries and delicacies. Their location at 213 Columbus Avenue was later occupied by the J.C. Penney store and Caryl Crane. You can read a brief history of grocery stores in Sandusky in article 9 of From the Widow’s Walk by Helen Hansen and Virginia Steinemann, available at the Sandusky Library.

Edwin A. Sprau, Baseball Enthusiast

In the 1942 Obituary Notebook in the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library is an obituary for Edwin A. Sprau. Mr. Sprau died on June 19, 1942, following a brief illness. He was only 39 years old.  Prior to his death, he was in business with his brother, Emmett Sprau, at the Sprau Grocery on Camp Street. 

For many years Edwin Sprau was active in baseball circles. He was secretary of the Sandusky Baseball Federation, secretary-treasurer of the Northern Ohio Baseball League, and had also been associated with the Firelands Baseball League, the Junior Leagues of Sandusky, and the Church Indoor League.

Hundreds of officials and baseball players from several area baseball teams paid their respects at a memorial service in the Elks Home on the evening of June 22. Funeral services for Edwin A. Sprau took place on Tuesday, with the Rev. Donald Wonders of Grace Episcopal Church officiating. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery. Edwin A. Sprau was survived by his mother, and brothers Walter and Emmett. Edward C. Sprau, Edwin's father and the founder of the family grocery business, had died in 1939.

Pictured below is the E. C. Sprau grocery store around 1908. Edwin A. and Emmitt Sprau are standing in the doorway with their father and other family members.

Wichman & Sons Grocery

 

Beginning in 1890, F. Wichman and sons operated a grocery store at the southeast corner of Washington and Shelby Streets for many years. An advertisement in the 1890-1891 Sandusky City Directory stated that Wichman’s, operated by Frederick, Gustave, and George Wichman, sold groceries, provisions, fruits, confectioneries, cigars and tobaccos. After the death of Frederick Wichman, his son Gustave took over the business, and later generations of the family ran the business after Gustave’s death in 1938.

In her book, Treasure by the Bay, Ellie Damm wrote that Wichman’s Grocery had been built in the Eastlake style, and is an outstanding example of a commercial establishment in the 1890’s. The picture below was taken about 1980, when the business was known as Wichman’s Food Market, at 1118 West Washington Street.

By 1990, the building was owned by Variety Beverage.

Lotz Grocery Once Stood at the Corner of Shelby and West Washington Streets

The popular eatery Joe Sundae’s has been in operation at the northeast corner of Shelby and West Washington Streets since 2007, but this commercial property has been home to several other businesses since the 1850s. Ellie Damm wrote in her book Treasure by the Bay that Henry Lotz had this building constructed between 1850 and 1852, along the edge of the Old Plat of the city of Sandusky, and ran a grocery store at this location for over thirty years. Below is a portion of page 61 from Hellrigle’s 1876 Sandusky City Directory. This listing states that Henry Lotz resided at the same address as his grocery store.

After Lotz died in 1887, a variety of different businesses were located in this historic brick structure. It was briefly a millinery shop. For a time, Mr. Lotz's granddaughter Myrtle L. Meagher had her piano studio on the upper floor. In the early 1920s the Maschari Brothers had their fruit store here, before moving to the current location. On Friday, April 17, 1925,  a Kroger’s store opened at 1119 West Washington Street. Bread sold for ten cents a loaf, and flour was $1.35 for twenty four and a half pounds.

The Kroger’s store was in business at 1119 West Washington Street until the early 1940s. (In 1932 there were seven Kroger stores in Sandusky.)  

From 1945 until about 2005 Cronin’s Tavern was at this location. Dan Cronin had a tavern on West Market Street before moving to this location. Later the proprietor of Cronin’s was Bee Bumgardner. In 1964 Cronin’s customers were entertained by Adrian “Foxey” Fox on drums and Phyllis Kromer at the piano and organ. During the 1960s a large advertisement for P.O.C. pilsener beer was painted on the Shelby Street side of Cronin’s Tavern. You can see a picture of Cronin’s Tavern on page 72 of Ellie Damm’s book Treasure by the Bay. The building at Shelby and  West Washington has seen thousands of local residents pass through its doors through its many years of existence in our community.

Kerber’s Marine Grocery on Tiffin Avenue

Now home to Divine Awakenings, the former Kerber’s Marine Grocery was in business on Tiffin Avenue in Sandusky for many years. Lorenz Kerber built this building in 1888 as a grocery store that took supplies to coal, ore and grain boats in Sandusky, Huron and Marblehead. Ellie Damm wrote in her book Treasure by the Bay that Kerber’s sent out supply boats to meet the grocery needs of the big freighters. For a few years, Lorenz Kerber was in a partnership with Charles Miller. Sadly, Lorenz Kerber died at the age of 30 in 1892. His sons continued in the family grocery business. An article in the Sandusky Register of February 6, 1911 stated that the partnership between Charles F. Miller, F.A. Kerber and O.J. Kerber was dissolved, but the business apparently continued. 

This earthenware jug was a holiday item from the 1910s, when F.A. and O.J. Kerber were running Kerber’s Marine Grocery:

The grocery business remained in the hands of the Kerber family until the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, the business was known as the Sandusky Marine Grocery. After the grocery ceased operation, a children’s clothing consignment shop was in the building for several years. In 2018, the Divine Awakenings shop is now at 1006 Tiffin Avenue. When you drive down Tiffin Avenue, you can still see the name L.A. Kerber at the top portion of the storefront, reminding of us of the roots of this long standing place of business in Sandusky

William J. Schweinfurth’s Grocery Store

From about 1900 until his death in 1932, William J. Schweinfurth ran a small neighborhood grocery store at the northwest corner of Perry and Jefferson Streets. Mr. Schweinfurth and his family lived just around the corner, at 529 East Jefferson Street. You can see both the address of the grocery store, at 433 Perry Street, as well as the Schweinfurth residence on Jefferson Street in this close-up view from the Sanborn Map.

The Schweinfurth grocery store was one of several stores that were part of the Home Service Stores group. The Home Service Stores were a group of individually owned grocery stores which organized for the purpose of collective buying. This organization was in existence in the Sandusky area from 1923 through the early 1950s. On March 29, 1930, an advertisement in the Sandusky Star Journal featured several Easter specials on sale at local Home Service Stores, including the William Schweinfurth grocery.

In the window of the Schweinfurth grocery store in the photo above is a sign for Salada Tea, which was a popular product at that time. Salada Tea advertised heavily in newspapers in the twentieth century, including newspapers published in Sandusky. The ad below appeared in the Sandusky Star Journal of November 17, 1922.

When Dick’s Grocery and Carry-Out Was at the Corner of Tiffin Avenue and Mills Street

For many years, the building at the corner of Tiffin Avenue and Mills Street was home to Dick’s Grocery, later Dick’s Grocery and Carry-Out. The building was constructed in the first quarter of the twentieth century. In 1925 Frank J. Dick operated a confectionery at this location; by the 1930s and 1940s, it was a deli. For a time in the early 1950s, Almo Maumus ran a grocery store at this location. The first listing in Sandusky City Directories for Dick’s Grocery appeared in 1954; Richard Lorenz was the proprietor.

The building is a flat iron building, because of its unique shape that is similar to a flat clothes iron. You can see the layout of this building in a portion of a page from a Sanborn Insurance Map below. The structure is much narrower at the front part of the building, and is wider in the rear part of the building.

Though the address on the Sanborn Map is listed as 1022 Tiffin Avenue, the address is now 1028 Tiffin Avenue.

Decorative brick trim can still be seen along the top of the building.

An article appeared in the Christmas Eve issue of the Sandusky Register in 1964: “True Christmas Meaning Not Lost on West End Foursome.” Four youngsters who lived on the west end of Sandusky went Christmas caroling. They collected money as the caroled from door to door, and raised a total of $2.57. The children donated the money to the Muscular Dystrophy Fund container at Dick’s Grocery and Carry-Out. Sandusky Register staff writer Dell McCloy wrote the article, and three of the four children had their picture taken by Register photographer Ken Eckler. By the mid 1970s, Dick’s moved to its new location at 1318 Tiffin Avenue, and was listed as Dick’s Drive-Thru Carry Out. For several years, an income tax company was located in the former Dick’s Grocery and Carry-Out.

Portraits of Walter and Edwin Sprau

Walter Sprau gave this picture of himself to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edward C. Sprau, on Christmas Day in 1915, when he was eleven years old. Walter was very active in Grace Episcopal Church, and he may be wearing a church choir robe in his portrait.  Walter’s brother Edwin gave his parents this picture on Christmas Day in 1916.

 Mr. and Mrs. Edward C. Sprau were the parents of three sons. Walter and Edwin had a younger brother named Emmett. The Sprau family owned and operated a grocery store at the northeast corner of Camp and Jefferson Street from the early 1900s to the 1950s. Edwin and Emmett helped their father in the family business. The E.C. Sprau grocery store is pictured below in 1908, with two of the Sprau boys standing in front of the door of the grocery store.

      

Sadly, Edwin Sprau died at the age of 39 in 1942. He had been very active in baseball circles. He was secretary of the Sandusky Baseball Federation, secretary-treasurer of the Northern Ohio Baseball League, and had also been associated with the Firelands Baseball League, the Junior Leagues of Sandusky, and the Church Indoor League. Walter Sprau died in 1964 at the age of 60. Walter and his brother Emmett were both employed by the Erie Proving Grounds in Ottawa County.  The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center is fortunate to have hundreds of historical pictures of Sandusky families and businesses in its collections. 

Fuchs Grocery Store and Fuchs Hall

In the 1890 Sandusky City Directory, Charles P. Fuchs was listed as a partner with his mother Mary Fuchs in the grocery business at 781 Fulton Street in Sandusky, now 702 West Monroe Street.  Charles’ father Joseph had previously run a grocery store at the corner of Fulton and Fox Streets. The name Fuchs is translated into Fox in the English language. Helen Hansen and Virginia Steinemann wrote in an article that appeared in the November 7, 1993 issue of the Sandusky Register that Joseph Fuchs/Fox had platted lots on the west side of Fulton Street, south of Monroe Street. That area was known as “Foxtown” and once featured a German beer garden. From about 1906 through the mid-1930s, the upper floor of the Fox Grocery was known as Fuchs Hall, or Fox Hall. 

This hall was a popular meeting place for the German Singing Society and the Low German Mutual Aid Society, as well as for card parties and dancing lessons. In 1916 the First Spiritual Reform Church met weekly at Fuchs Hall. Charles P. Fuchs died in 1934, and in 1935, a fire did considerable damage to Fuchs Hall. You will recognize the location of the Fuchs Grocery and Fuchs Hall at the southwest corner of Fulton and Monroe Streets as the longtime home of Cameo Pizza.