Fram Illustrations by Walter Farrell

Walter Farrell created several illustrations for the Fram, a publication created by the students of Sandusky High School, during the academic year 1904-1905. (At the time, the Fram was a journal published several times during the school year.) On the heading of the page about athletics, Walter drew a variety of pieces of athletic equipment as well as books, on either side of the decorative title of “Athletics.”

In the “School Notes” feature of the Fram, interesting bits of information were reported about current Sandusky High School students and alumni. “Exchanges” told about student publications from other schools and colleges. Walter created the illustrations for each of these Fram features.

Sadly, Walter Farrell passed away on April 30, 1905 after an illness of more than a year. He would have graduated with the Sandusky High School class of 1906. He was sadly missed by his classmates. Even after his death, Walter’s illustrations continued to appear in the Fram. A touching tribute to him appeared in the June 25, 1907 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal. His funeral was held at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, with his classmates serving as pallbearers. Father William Murphy officiated at the funeral.

Early Images of the Hinde and Dauch Paper Company

Pictured above are employees of the Hinde and Dauch Paper Company, probably around 1890. In 1888, Jacob J. Dauch and James J. Hinde took over the Sandusky Paper Mill, which was located at the southeast corner of Shelby and Filmore Streets. Both Mr. Dauch and Mr. Hinde had been farmers in Erie County, and they made extra income by baling straw and selling it to the Sandusky Paper Mill for use in making paper from the straw. 

The Hinde and Dauch Paper Company was incorporated in 1900.  That same year, this commemorative medal was presented to Hinde and Dauch at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, for the company’s achievements in the manufacturing of paper products.

Below are several of the company’s employees in 1905 at the Hinde and Dauch factory at the northeast corner of West Water Street and Decatur Streets, known in later years as the Keller Building.

        

The Hinde and Dauch Paper Company became known worldwide as a major manufacturer of corrugated boxes. The Water Street factory had to be re-built in 1906 in order to keep up with the demand for corrugated boxes. 

These Hinde and Dauch employees are seen riding on a truck, in preparation for a parade.

During the years of 1917-1918, the Hinde and Dauch Paper Company built a new factory at the site of the former Woolworth Handle Factory, which was across the street from the Water Street factory on a pier along Sandusky Bay. The general offices remained in the Water Street location.

In 1927, the general offices of the company were moved from the old Water Street factory to a new building at 407 Decatur Street, now home to the Sandusky City Schools Board of Education. In the first half of the 1900s, Hinde and Dauch had factories in several locations throughout the United States and Canada. In 1953, the company was acquired by Westvaco. For most of the 1980s, the company operated as Displayco Midwest, which was bought out by Chesapeake in 1989. The factory closed in 1997. The former Hinde and Dauch building, pictured above, at 401 West Shoreline Drive is now home to Chesapeake Lofts. An article which provides the history of the development of Hinde and Dauch is available online. 

An American Citizen at the Grand Opera House in 1908

An American Citizen was a comedic play written by Madeline Lucette Ryley, which played in New York’s Knickerbocker Theatre in the late 1890’s. The play’s leading character is a patriotic young man who is entitled to a wealthy inheritance, but only if he gives up his American citizenship. In 1914 the play was made into a movie that starred John Barrymore. An American Citizen was performed in Sandusky, Ohio on April 24, 1908. Special permission was granted to allow this performance at Sandusky’s Grand Opera House, in which the roles were played by local residents. 

Mr. Albert James Peters was the director of the performance, and also played the leading character, Beresford Cruger. 

A photographic collage  by W. A. Bishop appeared in the play’s program. Mr. Bishop portrayed a schemer named Otto Stroble in “An American Citizen.”

Several other Sandusky residents played parts in the play. Ackley’s Orchestra played six musical selections in the play. Furniture and draperies were furnished by the Herb & Myers Company.

An advertisement which appeared in the April 24, 1908 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that the play was to be the attraction of the season.

Besides being active in local theater, Albert James Peters was one of the founders of the Alvord & Peters Company, which published the Star Journal newspaper in Sandusky for many years. Mr. Peters died in 1929 at age 57, and was buried in Oakland Cemetery. 

Hewson L. Peeke, Lawyer and Author

Hewson Lindsley Peeke was born on April 21, 1861 in South Bend, Indiana to the Reverend George Hewson and Margaret Bloodgood Peeke. He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts.

After teaching school in Illinois, he moved west to the Dakota territory where he was admitted to the bar in 1883. In about 1885, when his father was assigned as Pastor of the Congregational Church in Sandusky, he moved to Sandusky as well.

After being admitted to the Ohio Bar, he practiced law in Sandusky for many years. His obituary, in the 1942 Obituary Notebook (in the Sandusky Library), stated that he was known as the “dean of the County Bar Association” in Erie County. Mr. Peeke was admitted to the United States District Court in 1895; U.S. Court of Appeals in 1905; and to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1918. 

In 1902 and 1906, he ran unsuccessfully for Representative of the 13^th District, under the Prohibition ticket. He was a staunch follower of the old Prohibition Party, following the motto “The Wets Cannot Win.”

Local history was a favorite topic of his. He was the author of two histories of Erie County, A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio, published in 1916, and The Centennial History of Erie County, published in 1925. He also wrote Stories of Sandusky, which most people consider to be fictionalized accounts of people and incidents in Sandusky, Ohio. Mr. Peeke also served as the President of the Firelands Historical Society for a number of years.

An important issue in the life of Hewson L. Peeke was the idea of Temperance. He wrote a comprehensive study of the history of drunkenness in 1917, entitled:  Americana Ebrietatis: The Favorite Tipple of Our Forefathers and the Laws and Customs Relating Thereto. George Sargent, an editor from the Boston Evening Transcript newspaper praised Peeke’s book. He wrote in an article, which was reprinted in the November 20, 1917 Sandusky Register, that Peeke was “as impartial as the apostles in dealing with this subject and leaves his witnesses to be examined and cross-examined by either side. The collection of material which he has gathered gives a history of drunkenness and drinking customs in America, and while it is not the only one in the country, it is probably the finest in existence in private hands.” A copy of this unique title is in the Local Authors Collection of the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library.

Hewson L. Peeke died on February 17, 1942. His funeral was held at the First Congregational Church, and he was buried at Oakland Cemetery. The entire local bar association attended the rites, and the active pallbearers were: Judge E. H. Savord, Judge W. L. Fiesinger, and Attorneys Earl Webster, C.E. Moyer, James Flynn and Wilbert Schwer.

John F. Renner on Music

From 1890 until his retirement in 1929, John F. Renner was connected with the music business in Sandusky, Ohio. Above is an image of his store in the Odd Fellows Temple when he was in business with George Doerzbach in the early 1900s. Mr. Renner gave his customers brochures which extolled the virtues of music. The cover of one of these publications suggested that you could “get into the picture” by playing a musical instrument.

The focus of this brochure was unearthing hidden talent in children by teaching them to play a musical instrument. The cover title implies that music could promote harmony in the family home.

Bella Webb’s article on page 9 was entitled Music Instead of Pills. She wrote that improvements in both physical and mental health could be achieved by listening to music. 

 According to the American Music Therapy Association, music therapy is a health profession “in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals.” It seems that Mr. Renner promoted these concepts to Sandusky area residents long before music therapy became a college major.

Paul Swessinger, Sandusky Businessman

According to an article in the April 15, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal, Paul Swessinger was one of Sandusky’s best known German-American citizens. He was born in Nemigen, Germany on January 15, 1849. After first residing in Kelleys Island, Mr. Swessinger settled in Sandusky, Ohio. In the 1880s and 1890s, he was a dealer in groceries and provisions at the southwest corner of Lawrence and Adams Streets. For a time he also operated a saloon and beer bottling works along with the grocery store. The 1900 and 1902 Sandusky City Directory listed him as the proprietor of the Imperial Cafe, a popular bar and restaurant at the northwest corner of Columbus Avenue and Water Street in downtown Sandusky. By 1904 he was also the president of the Swessinger Manufacturing Company.

The  company, on South Depot Street near Hayes Avenue, made and sold bank, office, bar and store fixtures. In 1910, Mr. Swessinger was operating an automobile garage on Jackson Street.  Besides the many business ventures already listed, around the turn of the twentieth century, Paul Swessinger operated a Sight Seeing Car at the foot of Columbus Avenue.

The vehicle had open sides, solid rubber wheels, and was about the same size as a streetcar. It met the incoming boats and trains, to provide tourists with a tour of the city of Sandusky. 

Paul Swessinger died on April 15, 1916. He was survived by his wife, a son, daughter, three brothers and two sisters, one still living in Germany. Funeral services were held at his home on Central Avenue, and burial was in Oakland Cemetery.

Mary Cooke

Mary A. Cooke, the wife of Sandusky businessman Charles E. Cooke, was an early member of the Board of Trustees of the Sandusky Library Association. She was on the Board in 1870 when the Library Association of Sandusky was founded, and when it was incorporated on November 5, 1895. 

Mrs. Cooke was born Mary Augusta Turney. She married Charles E. Cooke on May 31, 1860. Besides serving on the Library Board, Mrs. Cooke was also very active in the Martha Pitkin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She traced her roots back to Noah Hoyt, an ancestor who served as a private with the Connecticut militia during the time of the American Revolution. 

On December 16, 1900, the local D.A.R. celebrated the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party at Mrs. Cooke's home, at the southeast corner of Wayne and Jefferson Streets. Between the parlors of the Cooke home, was displayed the log cabin silk banner which was created by Sandusky women, to welcome William Henry Harrison to Sandusky in 1840. This banner is now in the historical collections of the Follett House Museum.

  

The people at the celebration wore colonial costumes. Colonial era refreshments were served, and a quartet led by Mrs. J.W. Andrews sang patriotic songs, to the accompaniment of Mrs. Frank Sloane on the piano. A summary of the celebration of the Boston Tea Party in Sandusky was featured in volume 18 of the Daughters of the American Revolution magazine. 

Mary Augusta Turney Cooke died at her Wayne Street home in Sandusky on May 4, 1917, after a lengthy illness. Rev. E.G. Mapes officiated at the funeral services, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery. Mrs. Cooke was survived by her daughter, two sisters and grandchildren.

Early Sandusky Shoe Stores

Before John L. Rieger built the Rieger Hotel, he was in the shoe business. He began working as a shoemaker in 1876, and continued until 1917. Mr. Rieger’s advertisement read in part, “Protect your feet from the wet and cold, and thereby save your health. You can do this for the least money by buying your boots, shoes, rubbers and overshoes at Jno. L. Rieger’s.” His shoe store was at the corner of Hancock and Madison Streets. Many people will remember this location as the site of the former Wholf Hardware Store.

Another pioneer in the shoe and boot business in Sandusky was Leopold Federer. His ad from the late 1800s was printed in both English and German. In this particular advertisement, Mr. Federer offered boots and shoes that were “somewhat damaged” by fire and water at a reduced cost.

Long before online shopping became popular, people purchased their clothing, shoes, and other necessities of life at local stores that were close to their homes.

Unidentified Shoe Store

Tuesday Afternoon Club

Before radio and television, locally produced musical entertainment was a popular diversion for thousands of Americans. In Sandusky, Ohio a group of people formed a club known as the “Tuesday Afternoon Club.” Their first meeting was held on April 7, 1891. The purpose of the club was “the promotion of an interest in music, and to afford musical improvement and enjoyment to its members.” Initially the club members met in private homes, but later they gathered at various meeting rooms in Sandusky. On February 15, 1900, the Tuesday Afternoon Club met at Lea’s Hall on Market Street.

The Club performed a cantata by A. Goring Thomas, entitled The Swan and the Skylark on April 23, 1902, at Carnegie Hall of the Sandusky Library. Mr. George F. Anderson directed the production.

  

The names of the performers appear on the back of the program, listed by voice types.

Several programs from the Tuesday Afternoon Club are found in the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. They take us back to a simpler time, when people often relied on local talent for entertainment.

Enterprise Glass Works

Though it was only in existence for a relatively short time, the Enterprise Glass Works was once a booming business on Sandusky’s west side, on Superior Street. In the book What: Souvenir of Sandusky, Ohio (Hill and Dolly, 1903), an advertisement for the Enterprise Glass Works listed C.W. Smalley as President, A.J. Bates as the Vice-President and Manager, and J.E. Smalley, Secretary and Treasurer. A page in the 1905 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows the close proximity of the Enterprise Glass Company to Sandusky Bay. Pictured is Plant number 1. Plant number 2 was adjacent to Plant number 1.

In the early years, the glass made at Enterprise Glass Works was hand-blown. Once the glass was blown, it went to another part of the plant for flattening. At the end of the day, some of the employees made glass canes and other items from glass that was left over from the day’s work. One hundred men were employed at the company in 1910, but by 1916, the Enterprise Glass Company was in receivership. In the 1920s, the Sandusky Glass Manufacturing and Supply Company was in business at this site. Periodical Publishers Service Bureau also was at this location for a number of years. 

To read more about glass manufacturers in the city of Sandusky, see the Sandusky Register of February 18, 1995, now available on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.