A "Found" Piece of Business History

Shortly after the June 23, 1924 tornado in Sandusky, Mary Louise Krupp, wife of Charles J. Krupp, found a small book labeled "Autographs." That same year, she donated it to the historical collections of the Sandusky Library. 

This book, although made for autographs, was used to record the sales of chromolithograph prints. In 1873, Apollos Huntington, father-in-law of Sandusky businessman John McKelvey, was an agent for “Middleton’s Oil Chromos.” Customers who purchased the prints for $7.50 each (about $170 in today's value) also received a frame, with hardware for hanging included. 

Chromolithography was a technique developed by Louis Prang for making colorful prints, with its roots in lithography. Various colors are added in layers, with the end product resulting in a print which was much less expensive product than an original oil painting.

It appears he only sold two selections, “The Mount of Olives” and “Garden of Gethsemane.” Between May and September of 1873, the following individuals purchased one or both of the chromolithographs from Mr. Huntington:

Rev. H. N. Burton, minister of First Congregational Church

Rev. Martin K. Holbrook, minister of the Congregational Church at Kelleys Island

Rev. Ernst Von Schulenburg, minister of Emmanuel Church

I.F. Mack, publisher of the Sandusky Register

Festival of the Flower Queen

On Tuesday evening, August 14, 1860, a performance of the Festival of the Flower Queen was held at Norman Hall, under the direction of Professor A.B. Chase of Cleveland, Ohio; he had directed productions of the same play in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1858, and in Cleveland in 1859.

The musical performance featured seventy five young ladies from the Sandusky area, all appearing in beautiful costumes which represented different flowers. Featured performers were: Josephine Chapman, Sarah Parish, Kate Burton, Sarah Monroe, Amelia Brainard, Nettie Wetherell, Alice Hard, Fanny Barney, Alice Porter, Jennie McGee, Lina Mills, Kate Monroe, and Miss Sallie Reber. The theme of the musical was that the flowers were meeting in a dell in order to choose their queen. A recluse, played by Professor Chase, was discontented with life. In song, the flowers told the recluse about love and duty, and by end of the performance he was ready to return to society among his fellow creatures.

The August 15, 1860 issue of the Sandusky Daily Commercial Register reported that the performance at Norman Hall was a “a most decided success in every way.” The article stated that the Daisy, who was played by Sallie Reber, was coaxed into an encore song; she would later go on to be a popular performer with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in New York. 

The Pied Piper of Hamelin at Jackson Junior High

On May 14, 1937, Sandusky students performed the opera, “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” at the Jackson Junior High School. Miss Eulalie Shaw, the first director of Sandusky High School’s A Capella Choir, directed the one hundred seventy five students in the production. The lead role was played by Delbert Persons. Joe Freeman portrayed the Mayor, and the little lame boy was played by Dick Burton. Joyce White portrayed the dream lady, who sang of the joys of childhood in the mystic forest. The opera included a large chorus, and several children played the parts of the townspeople of Hamelin, toys, soldiers, dolls, jumping jacks and sprites. The opera was well attended, and the audience gave enthusiastic applause throughout the production. 

An article in the May 15, 1937 issue of the Sandusky Register listed the named of every student who took part in the performance of “The Pied Piper of Hamelin.” 

Jackson Junior High School opened in 1928, and served as a community center for dozens of school and civic events from the late 1920s through the 1940s. The school auditorium can be seen in the picture below, when Cryle’s Orchestra performed.

Homeville

An incorporated community called “Homeville” sprung up in the late 1800’s near the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home, now the Ohio Veterans Home. The area is located between Woodlawn Avenue and the Veterans Home, and is bordered by Columbus Avenue and Milan Road. Many streets were named for military leaders, such as Generals Grant, John Beatty, and Manning Force. Paxton and Dill Avenues were named after Thomas Paxton and Thomas Dill, both members of the first Board of Trustees of the Soldiers Home.

August Speir had a store on Dewitt Avenue in 1900, pictured below.
Later the Homeville Big Store was located at 113 and 115 Dewitt Avenue. It was owned and operated by Otto Luedtke in the 1920’s and 1930’s, and featured a barber shop in the rear of the building. The Scheid family operated a store and rooming house in Homeville in the 1920’s.

In 1916 Rev. Edward Burton and his wife Caroline began having church services at the Homeville Union Gospel Mission. The Sandusky Star Journal of January 6, 1917 reported on the new mission. There was to be Bible class, catechism, and Charley Tyree would provide mandolin music. After Rev. and Mrs. Burton died, there was a Pentecostal Mission in Homeville.

The local newspapers frequently ran articles about events in Homeville, usually in the same column as news of the Veterans Home. There was news about weddings, funerals, and social affairs. On January 15, 1901, the Sandusky Daily Star had a story about a medium who conducted seances. There were frequent articles about new homes and businesses, and the population increasing. A 1919 article stated that the residents of Force and Dill Avenues in Homeville “will soon be putting on city airs as wires are now being strung in those avenues by the Sandusky Superior Electric Company.”

By the 1920’s and 1930’s a large percentage of the population of Homeville was African American. Other areas of Sandusky where African Americans settled were Searsville, in Perkins Township, as well as a section of town from Hayes Avenue to Camp Street, known as the “South Side.” The February 8, 1998 issue of the Sandusky Register ran a feature article about Searsville, which was named for Rev. Sears, a minister who lived at Carbon Avenue, and lived to be a reported 102 years of age, after having been born into slavery in 1854. Rev. Silas Sears died in 1956, and you can read his obituary in the August 21, 1956 issue of the Register Star News.

Sandusky is rich in its history, and can truly be considered the proverbial “Melting Pot.” Visit the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library to learn more about Sandusky and the wide variety of individuals who have made Sandusky their home.