"Under Construction"

The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center has several photographs of businesses under construction in its collections. The image above shows the Sandusky Masonic Temple under contruction. The view is from the cornerstone-laying ceremony on June 24, 1889.

Below is a picture of St. Mary’s Catholic Church under construction in the 1870s. A worker is visible at the top of the building, while two adults and several young people are seen at the front of the church.

In the 1890s, this house was being built on Columbus Avenue for Sandusky businessman R.M. Wilcox. 

In the picture below, two men appear to be attaching slats to the frame of a Lyman boat at the Lyman Boat Works in 1938.

Helen Hansen took this photograph of the Citizens Banking Company, now Civista Bank, under construction in 1985 at the southwest corner of Water and Wayne Streets in Sandusky.

If you are interested in the historic buildings in Sandusky, Ohio, see Ellie Damm’s book Treasure by the Bay (Bucknell University Press, 1998) at the Sandusky Library. In this book Mrs. Damm points out that many of Sandusky’s early commercial buildings were built from native limestone, demonstrating the thrift and practicality of the early residents of Sandusky.

The Graefe Family’s Many Contributions to Sandusky

 Dr. Philip Graefe was born in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1823. He came to Sandusky in 1848, before moving briefly to Orange, New Jersey for a year or two. After returning to Sandusky, Dr.Graefe practiced medicine here until his death in 1884. Hewson Peeke wrote about him in his 1916 book, A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio: “His skill and promptness in meeting and combating the various ills to which mankind is subject, and his devotion to his patients, gained him the good will of the people, and a place of note among the more popular and successful physicians of this section of the state.” Besides being a well respected physician in Sandusky, Dr. Graefe also was associated with both the Third National Bank and Citizens Banking Company.

The oldest son of Dr. Philip Graefe and his wife, the former Dorothea Kranz,  also was a physician.

Dr. William Graefe was born in 1851 in Orange, New Jersey. He graduated from Cleveland Medical College in 1870, and then studied in some of the leading hospitals in Europe for three years. He worked as a physician and surgeon in Sandusky for more than forty years, and also served for twelve years on the Board of Education for Sandusky Schools. Dr. William Graefe died on December 27, 1923. In an editorial on the front page of the December 29, 1923 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal read in part, “In the death of Dr. William Graefe, Sandusky has lost a ‘builder.’ Not only was Dr. Graefe of high standing in his profession but he was deeply interested in civic affairs and in the city’s welfare.”

Another son of Dr. and Mrs. Philip Graefe, Dr. Charles Graefe, also worked as a physician and surgeon in Sandusky for many years. He was born in 1859, and was educated at Oberlin College, the University of Wooster, and the Western Reserve College at Cleveland. He spent three years studying at hospitals in Europe. Dr. Charles Graefe also served on the Board of Education for several years. He passed away on March 9, 1929.

A third son, Henry Graefe, was prominent as a banker in Sandusky, having been affiliated with the Citizens Banking Company since it was founded in 1884. After his death in 1919, the Sandusky Chamber of Commerce adopted resolutions which conveyed the high esteem with which the banker was held. The son of Henry Graefe the banker, Dr. Henry Graefe followed in the family tradition in the medical field, and also served as an officer of the Citizens Banking Company. Helen Hansen wrote in her book, At Home in Early Sandusky, that the ladies of the Graefe family generously gave their time to public service, working with a variety of community service organizations. Visit the Sandusky Library to read more about the Graefe family and other pioneer families of Sandusky and Erie County, Ohio.

Clocks Around Sandusky

The charming clock pictured above was outside the store of “Henry Dehnel, The Leading Jeweler” on Sandusky’s Columbus Avenue. The scene is a parade which took place in downtown Sandusky about 1905, and the view was facing north towards Sandusky Bay. 

In the late 1890s, Jacob Kronthal gave away a small clock that was set inside a figurine. The store was in a variety of different locations, but at the time this promotional item was given away, Jacob Kronthal’s men’s clothing store was at 705 Water Street:

When Citizens Bank was located in the Feick Building, this clock was in front of the Bank on Market Street:

                                       

In 1992, the clock was moved to the corner of Water and Wayne Streets, opposite Civista Bank.

Always a popular spot for taking pictures, this snapshot of Sandusky’s floral clock was taken on June 18, 1988.

If you are in Washington Parks in downtown Sandusky, you can always just look up at the Courthouse to see yet another clock.

Advertising Signs on Barns

Throughout the Midwest and South, advertising signs were often painted on barns and other buildings in the early to mid-1900s. Building owners were paid to have the advertisements on their property, and many farmers appreciated the fresh coat of paint on the barn. Citizen’s Banking Company offered loans for real estate, and an interest rate of 4 percent on the sign pictured below.

The Herb and Myers Company “Big Store” gave Union Stamps to customers at their Sandusky store in the 1920s.

The Dilgert and Bittner (sometimes spelled Dilgart) store suggested that local residents could furnish their homes completely with the products sold at their store in Sandusky.

And restaurants advertised their menus, as well.

Group of Youngsters in Front of the Citizens Banking Company

The Citizens Banking Company opened its new headquarters in the Feick Building on East Market Street in downtown Sandusky in 1924.  A group of boys is standing in front of the Citizens Bank. All the children are holding up an unidentified promotional paper. One young man is wearing a Boy Scout uniform. Note the vintage cars parked in front. Several bicycles are on the sidewalk as well. A large burglar alarm can be seen directly under the name of the bank. And if you look closely, you can see someone in an upstairs window. Today the Feick Building is still home to several Sandusky businesses and offices.