For a century, the Murschel House was located in the 1200 block of North Depot Street close to the train station in Sandusky. Ellie Damm wrote in
Treasure by the Bay that Jacob Murschel built a saloon and hotel in 1876, opposite the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad depot. The hotel and saloon were convenient for both railroad workers and travelers. (The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway later became a part of the New York Central Railroad.)
After the death of Jacob Murschel, his son William Y. Murschel ran the hotel for many years. By 1902, John Sinerson was listed in the Sandusky City Directory as being the proprietor of the Murschel House.
A full page advertisement in the book
What: Souvenir of Sandusky, Ohio and the Islands of Lake Erie, features interior views of the bar, reading room, dining room, and barber shop of the Murschel House.
The Murschel House was often mentioned on the society pages of the
Sandusky Register and the
Sandusky Star Journal, as it was the location for many banquets, meetings, family gatherings, and even wedding receptions. An article from the
Star Journal of September 3, 1911 reported that Alice Cherry, who weighed 450 pounds, was “the largest and most impressive guest” in the history of the Murschel House. Alice Cherry had been appearing as the “Fat Lady” at the county fair. Her visit to the Murschel House caused local excitement. In July of 1916, a troop train from the New York Central Railroad stopped in Sandusky. Several servicemen from Maine, all clad in khaki, stopped at the Murschel House for coffee and sandwiches. Newspaper reports state that the cash register bell was “working over time for a while.” In 1925, the Murschel House was a polling location for voters in the Third Ward of Sandusky. Murschel House sponsored a bowling team in Sandusky’s Industrial League during the 1930’s.
Through the years, the Murschel House had several different owners. It was still listed in the 1981
Sandusky City Directory, but by 1991 the city ordered the building to be demolished for safety concerns. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn more about the Murschel House and other historic hotels and businesses in Sandusky and Erie County.
I'm glad I stumbled upon this blog dedicated to Sandusky!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this article. I never knew it had such an interesting background
DeleteOn the barbershop, if you look to the left of the photo just past the stripped barber pole, you will see a small building. In the early 1940s, the barber in that building was John Manuel. I remember going there with grandfather often when got his haircut. As a special treat, John would put me in the chair and lather my face followed by his "shaving me" with the back of a comb. I'll never forget those "shaves."
ReplyDelete