Elmer B. Otto, seen above in a portrait which appears
in Hewson Peeke’s A Standard History of
Erie County (Lewis Publishing Co., 1916), was a pioneer in the dairy
industry in Erie County. He was born in 1885 to Herman and Frances (Oswald)
Otto, who owned a farm in Perkins Township. Elmer began selling
milk from his father’s farm with just one horse and wagon. Soon he purchased a
large milk cooler and a cream separator.
In 1907, he bought the former Pitt Cooke residence at what is now 515 West
Washington Street. He lived with his family in the front portion of the large
stone home and in the rear part of the building, he operated the dairy.
An
article in the August 16, 1958 issue of the Sandusky
Register reported that a Mr. Whitney had operated a restaurant at 515 West
Washington Street, and he named the house the “Esmond House,” after his son. Elmer Otto decided to call his business the Esmond Dairy, in
honor of Mr. Whitney’s son. In 1916,
the business had eight delivery wagons that took milk, butter and other dairy
products to customers all over the city of Sandusky.
A new building for the Esmond Dairy opened at 1610
Campbell Street in 1919.
A special feature article about Esmond Dairy appeared
in the May 1, 1919 Sandusky Register.
The Esmond Dairy used the Milwaukee
filler and capper machine to ensure that dairy products were bottled and sealed
in the most sanitary conditions. George Feick and Sons had built the modern
building, which was three stories high and constructed from brick, steel and
concrete. The new Esmond Dairy building and plant was considered “a model of
perfection.” The public was invited to the grand opening on May 2, 1919, and
Esmond ice cream was served to all visitors.
On June 7, 1921, it was announced
that Don Lightner would take over as president of the Esmond Dairy Company,
with Elmer B. Otto still retaining part of his holdings in the company, and
remaining on the board of directors of Esmond Dairy for a time. Elmer Otto branched out into the cold storage
business and a new dairy business known as Otto’s. A listing in the 1925
Sandusky City Directory stated that Elmer B. Otto was the proprietor and
manufacturer of milk products. The main plant was located at 305-307 East Water
Street, with substations on Monroe Street, the corner of Adams and Lawrence
Streets, and in Venice. Otto’s products carried the name Otto’s which was
always slightly angled in an upwards direction.
This Otto’s syrup bottle is now housed in the historic
collections of the Follett House Museum.
A later popular location operated by
Otto’s was at 2434 West Monroe Street, which was eventually purchased by
Toft’s. Otto’s had a variety of locations throughout its many years of
operation. Visit the Sandusky Library to view historic Sandusky City
Directories for the exact years and
locations.
Elmer B. Otto died in 1973. His
obituary in the July 20, 1973 issue of the Sandusky Register
indicated that Mr. Otto had been a pioneer in the practices of pasteurization
and homogenization of milk, and he was innovative in his use of paper and milk
bottles for milk. Elmer B. Otto was survived by two sons, a daughter, and several
grandchildren and great grandchildren. His wife had died in 1957. Elmer B. Otto
was laid to rest at Oakland Cemetery. His years of innovations and good
business practices were recalled by hundreds of area residents.
4 comments:
The "syrup bottle" mentioned is actually a cottage cheese jar.
Very interesting and informative
Thank you
whatever it is a cottage cheese or syrup glass jar, I have one. It says on the bottom, thrift jar, ottos Sandusky, Ohio
3cent deposit, pat.d-128153
He was my great grandfather…. He told me he invented the double dip ice cream cone. His boat was named double dip
Post a Comment