Mary Schott's Autograph Album

The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center has in its collections an autograph book owned by Sandusky resident Mary Schott, with autographs collected when she was a young woman. She was born in 1860; the album covers the years 1881 and 1882. By looking through the pages of the album, one can learn about her friends and acquaintances, as well as discover the style of writing and humor of the late nineteenth century, often known as the "Victorian Era."

On June 9, 1881, Mary’s friend Teresa Missig wrote to Mary:

“There is no death of kindness

In this world of ours,

Only in often blindness

We gather thorns for flowers.”

 Beside Teresa’s poem is a sentence written in the shape of an anchor:

“May Faith Hope and Charity Anchor thee safe into eternity.”

 

Lizzie Zipfel, later Lizzie Feick, wrote a verse to Mary on Oct. 12, 1881:

 

“Don’t forget me when you are happy,

Keep for me one little spot,

In the depths of thy affection,

Plant one sweet “forget me not.”

Lizzie Zipfel was about 17 when she wrote her message to Mary. She is pictured here later, when she was Mrs. Feick

Fred Westerhold wrote to Mary on March 4, 1882:

 

“On life’s rugged road,

As we journey each day

Far, far more of sunshine

Would brighten the way.

If, forgetful of self

And our troubles, we had

 

The will, and would try

To make other hearts glad.”

 

Sometime after 1882, Mary Schott married Mr. Joseph Robertson, but by 1900 she was widowed, and living with her sister, Eva Schott Missig. Mrs. Mary Robertson died on her 90^th birthday in 1950. She had been a lifelong member of St. Mary’s Church.

Prominent Sanduskians

The image below is of a group of prominent Sandusky men, taken sometime between 1910 and 1920. The picture was anonymously mailed to the Sandusky Register and then was forwarded to Wilbert Ohlemacher, who wrote The Elderlies column for the Register for several years.

Back row: Fred Emmons, Mr. H. Squire, C. Webb Sadler, Dr. J.T. Haynes, F. P. Zollinger, Dr. J.F. Douglas, Mr. Feick, William Seitz, Dr. C. B. Bliss, Sidney Frohman, unknown, and Mr. Bruce

Front row: Mr. Feick, C.B. Lockwood, William Sumser, Lawrence Morton, T. T. Morton

 

Fred Emmons was the secretary and assistant treasurer of the Hinde and Dauch Paper Company; Mr. H. Squire owned Squire Electric Company; C. Webb Sadler was the father of city manager Webb Sadler; Dr. J. T. Haynes was the physician at the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home; F. P. Zollinger was the president of the Third National Bank; Dr. J.F. Douglas had a dental office on Columbus Avenue for many years; Mr. Feick was a local builder; William Seitz was a merchant tailor, Dr. C.B. Bliss was an ophthalmologist; and Sidney Frohman was the president and general manger of the Hinde and Dauch Paper Company. In the front row was another member of the Feick family of builders. C. B. Lockwood and William Sumser were associated with the Standard Box Company; Lawrence Morton was the sales manager of the Threading Machine Company; and T. T. Morgan was the treasurer and general manager of the Brown Clutch Company.

We do not know the occasion for this gathering, but you can read Mr. Ohlemacher’s newspaper article about this picture in the March 27, 1983 issue of the Sandusky Register, available on microfilm at the Sandusky Archives Research Center, or online via the Sandusky Library's website.

Sketches in Europe, by George Feick, Jr.

George Feick, Jr. was a member of a long line of architects and builders in his family, spending much of his career in the family firm, the George Feick and Sons Company. According to his obituary in the November 30, 1945 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News, he spent a year in Europe and the Near East studying building designs following his graduation from the Cornell University School of Architecture. A book of his architectural sketches is in the collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. 

Dated in 1906 (when he was about 25 years old), the sketch book features drawings created while he visited Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and several other locations.

To learn more about the Feick family, see Building America: A History of the Family Feick, by Anita Gundlach Feick,  in the Family Histories collection of the Sandusky Library.

Bay Shore Manufacturing Company

This receipt from the Bay Shore Manufacturing Company in Sandusky, dated March 31, 1908, indicates that John Feick purchased 1452 feet of select poplar 4 x 4s from the company at a cost of $72.60. According to an annual report from the Ohio Secretary of State, the Bay Shore Manufacturing Company filed articles of incorporation on April 2, 1909. A brief notice in volume 31 of the American Bottler stated that the Brewers’ Bottle Case Association had purchased the Sandusky business of the Bay Shore Manufacturing Company, and was moving its operations to Cincinnati, Ohio. The company made cases for all kinds of bottles.

Another reference to a company known as the Bay Shore Manufacturing Company was mentioned in the December 30. 1914 issue of the Sandusky Register. 

The article explained that the “Always Full Grocery Cabinet” was going to soon be put on the market by the company. The Sandusky Sash, Door and Lumber Company had a contract to make the cabinets that Bay Shore designed. The “Always Full Grocery Cabinet” was patented by former Sandusky residents George W. Maley and Fred Schweinfurth. Below is a page from their patent:

Though these two companies existed and evidence of that fact is found in books and newspapers, there is no listing for the Bay Shore Manufacturing Company in any Sandusky City Directories dated between 1908 and 1914. Perhaps they were not in business long enough to appear in local directories. Many aviation and automobile companies also failed in the early twentieth century, as technology was changing so rapidly.

Lutheran School

After holding classes in the old Lutheran church in Washington Park since 1891, Zion Lutheran Church dedicated a new parochial school at the southeast corner of Decatur and Madison Streets on September 24, 1899.  A diagram of the Lutheran Parochial School is visible on the 1905 Sanborn Fire Insurance map.

The builder of the school was George Feick, a member of the Zion Lutheran Church’s congregation.

George Feick was also the architect and builder of Zion Lutheran Church’s new building which was under construction at the time that the school opened. The first service in the new Zion Lutheran Church building was on November 19, 1899.

The Reverend G. Mochel of Fremont gave a sermon on “Christian Education” at the dedication of the Lutheran School. An article in the September 25, 1899 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that the school, constructed from Sandusky limestone, was “one of the finest and most complete” buildings in the city. The lot for the school had been purchased for $1000, and the schoolhouse was built for $6000. Rev. Theodore J.C. Stellhorn concluded the dedication service with prayer, and all were invited in to view the new Lutheran school.

The teachers at the Lutheran Parochial School, from 1891 to 1923, included: Emil Meyer, F. Wiechert, C.F. Knauer, G. Al Allwardt, Carl Schaub, Walter Wietzke, Frank Ruprecht, Otto Woelke, Katherine Dornbirer, Minnie Dornbirer, Lena Lehman, Ella Brehmer, Laura Bing, Elise Gerlach, Bertha Jahraus, Fannie Kahler, Clara Arheit, Katherine Feddersen and Louise Neubiser. The last year that there were students at the Lutheran School was 1923. In 1927, the Board of Education of Sandusky Schools purchased the former Lutheran School, and it became a part of the Junior High School, known for many years as Jackson Junior High School. You can see the former Lutheran School on Madison Street in this view from Google Maps. The former Lutheran school was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The Ohio Historic Places Dictionary states that the Lutheran school was significant because of its role in the education of Protestants of German descent.

Receipts from the Horse and Buggy Era

Before the automobile age, people as well as goods were often transported by horse drawn vehicles. In 1880, Rush R. Sloane, Mayor of Sandusky, signed a license which granted Jay Bogart permission to run a hack from August 2, 1880 to August 2, 1881. The original document is embossed with the Mayor’s seal. (According to the tenth edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, one definition of a hack is “a horse let out for common hire.”)

Horses often had to have their horse shoes replaced in order to protect their feet. This bill dated 1899, is from Hodgins & Large, Practical Horse Shoers:

You can see the Hodgins and Large Horse Shoers building in the 400 block of Decatur Street in this picture taken in Sandusky about 1900:

                                 

In 1905 Mr. John Feick paid for services from the Charles Sprow livery and feed stable:

Dr. William A. Ferry had an active Veterinary practice in Sandusky for over thirty years, which certainly would have included the treatment of horses.

   

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research to learn more about the historic businesses of Sandusky and Erie County. 

The Ivonhoe Theatre

In 1914 and 1915, Charles L. Blatz was the owner and manager of the Ivonhoe Theatre, located on the west side of Jackson Street between Market and Washington Streets. An advertisement for the theatre stated that it was “built to conform to the Ohio State code, is absolutely fire and panic proof.”  Music was provided by a special musical instrument, the “American Photo Player,” which combined piano, organ, and musical and sound effects in one unit. In the lobby of the Ivanhoe, hung a painting by Ralph S. Tebbutt, said to be a rendition of a "Native American maiden." The model for the painting was Mr. Blatz’s niece, Ivon Gamble. Ivon was about nineteen years of age when Tebbutt did the painting.  

Ivon Gamble married Augustus Feick in September of 1921. Following the death of Mr. Feick in 1938, Ivon married John W. Campbell. Mrs. Ivon Gamble Feick Campbell passed away in 1985 at the age of 90. She is buried in Oakland Cemetery next to her first husband, Augustus Feick. Mrs. Ivon Campbell is pictured below in her later years.

Mr. Norbert Erney wrote a piece of sheet music entitled “Ivonhoe,” in honor of the theater. The sheet music is now located in the Arts Collection of the Sandusky Library Archives Research  Center. By 1916, the theater on Jackson Street became known as the Plaza Theater.

Osborne (Seventh Ward) School

According to the book Treasure by the Bay, by Ellie Damm, the Seventh Ward School in Sandusky was built in the Romanesque Revival style by George Feick in 1890. Many of the students who attended this school were the children of railroad workers, as the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway depot was not far from this school. In 1908 the school was enlarged, with an addition that doubled its size. In the fall of 1912, the name of the Seventh Ward School was changed to Osborne School. 

Pictured below are several teachers from Osborne School about 1912.

Though not everyone in the picture has been identified, notes with the original picture state that these individuals are included in the photo: Emma Schleicher, Myrtle Coles, Edna Becker, Hattie Ehrhard, principal Winifred Light, Stella Horn, Lucy Day and Marie Weier. Miss Winifred Light was principal of Osborne School for twenty nine years. 

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to read more about the history of schools in Sandusky.

Mahala Laundry was in Sandusky for Seventy Five Years

The Mahala Steam Laundry was founded in 1901 by Charles A. Yochem and Lewis Feick. This advertisment from the Sandusky Daily Star of December 7, 1901, suggests that if you took your laundry to be done at the Mahala Laundry, you would have no wash day!

The Mahala Steam Laundry got its name from its location in the Mahala Block on Washington Row between Columbus Avenue  and Wayne Street. The four story building had been constructed for William T. West in 1892, and was given the name of his wife’s middle name.

A massive fire destroyed the Mahala Laundry and several other businesses in 1909. After the fire, the Mahala Laundry relocated to Jackson Street. This advertisement appeared in the 1925 Fram.

It is interesting to note that in 1939, the Mahala Laundry and Beilstein Laundry were both located on the same block of Jackson Street, between the Star Journal newspaper building and the Presbyterian Church, seen below on a Sanborn Map from June of that year.

Both companies would later branch out into dry cleaning. In 1946 Lewis Feick and Alden Feick took over the Mahala Laundry. An article in the February 24, 1961 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that the Mahala Laundry had been purchased by the Peerless Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company of Elyria, Ohio. For seventy-five years, the Mahala Laundry cared for the garments of area residents, and provided jobs for many individuals, many of whom were single females.

Sandusky Chapter of the American Red Cross was very Active during the Great War

Prior to the entry of the United States into World War I, and throughout the war years, hundreds of volunteers in Sandusky and Erie County worked tirelessly for the local chapters of the American Red Cross. Here are some of the volunteers of the Sandusky Chapter:

In 1916 a sewing room on the third floor of the Parish House of Grace Episcopal Church was used by local volunteers to sew night shirts for the office of the American Fund for French Wounded. Later work done at this location was for the American Red Cross. During World War I, the Sandusky Chapter of the American Red Cross made 59,043 surgical dressings; 13,775 knitted articles; and over 20,000 other articles. The members participated in five parades and raised money for Red Cross Nurses. Red Cross members participated in collecting items for the Tin and Lead Foil Drive and provided financial support to the emergency hospital for victims of influenza in Erie County. Mrs. Elizabeth D.G. Moss Marsh served as chairman of the surgical dressing committee of the Red Cross during the Great War years.

This 1917 American Red Cross display helped to promote the services of the local chapters of the American Red Cross during the War. It depicts a Red Cross nurse giving medical aid to a wounded soldier.

The participation of members of Sandusky and other Erie County chapters of the American Red Cross have been chronicled in detail in the Honor Roll, Erie County Edition, from pages 179 to 213. Many pictures are included on these pages, as well as the names of key individuals and their length of service with the Red Cross. Inquire at the Reference Services Desk to view this valuable local history resource. Military records of servicemen, including family details and brief service records are provided for hundreds of local men who served their country during World War I. Also included are details about the hundreds of local residents who lent aid to the war effort on the home front.

David S. Curr, Practical Sail and Awning Maker

Two receipts from David S. Curr are housed in the business collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. In the spring of 1908, James Emrich paid 75 cents for putting up an awning (about $20 in today's money).

In December of 1908, John A. Feick paid $28.35 to Mr. Curr for a winter covering for his yacht named the Elizabeth.

David S. Curr was born in Dundee, Scotland in 1858. He came to the United States from Scotland in 1881. On the passenger list of the Devonia, accessed at FamilySearch.org,  he listed his occupation as sailmaker. His name is the twelfth name on the list below.

From about 1902 to 1910+, David S. Curr made and repaired sails and awnings for area residents. His sail loft was in the 500 block of Water Street, above a feed and grain store. Mr. Curr passed away on September 6, 1910, at the age of 52. He was survived by his wife Rosetta, and sons Charles and Frederick. Rev. H.V. Givler officiated at his funeral services, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery.

The Erie County Children’s Home

According to the book Treasure by the Bay, by Ellie Damm (Bucknell University Press, 1989), in 1898 the voters of Erie County approved the construction of a Children’s Home to be built on a five acre site just north of the intersection of Cleveland Road and Sycamore Line in Sandusky, Ohio. The Erie County Children’s Home opened in May of 1901. The building was designed by the Cleveland architectural firm of Lehman and Schmitt, and the general contractor was George Feick.

 The building was constructed of native limestone, and featured a large entry portico with pillars, with the windows and doors arranged symmetrically. Dormitories were located on either side of the main building. Girls were housed on the first floor of the right side of the building, and boys were on the first floor of the left side of the building. Each child was assigned an individual locker for his or her belongings. The dining room was located on the first floor of the main building. On the second floor of the main building was a hospital, quarters for the maids, and the rooms of the superintendent and his wife. The first superintendent of the Erie County Children’s Home was Eugene Peake. An epidemic of scarlet fever caused the residents of the home to be under a strict quarantine during July of 1901. The schedule for the Erie County Children’s Home was printed in the Sandusky Register of December 1, 1901. The daily routine included: rise at 6 a.m.; family worship at 6:20; breakfast at 7; school at 8:30; lunch at noon; school from 1:30 to 3 p.m.; supper at 6 p.m.; and bedtime at 8 p.m.  In December of 1926, the local Kiwanis Club sponsored a Christmas party for residents of the Children’s Home.

While the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center does not have extensive records from the Erie County Children’s Home, we do have some snapshots taken during the 1940s in our historical files.

The Erie County Children’s Home ceased operations in 1960. In the early 1960s, the building that formerly housed the Children’s Home was used for offices by Erie County. In 1992, the property was purchased by Stein Hospice, which opened at 1200 Sycamore Line in the summer of 1993.

Cornerstone of St. Mary’s School Set in Place in 1909

On April 25, 1909, thousands of people attended the ceremony of the setting of the cornerstone for St. Mary’s School. The school was a three-story structure which included as basement and a large auditorium. The architect for the project was H.C. Millott, and the school was constructed by George Feick and Company. Bishop J.M. Koudelka came to Sandusky to dedicate the cornerstone as it was laid in place. St. Mary’s priest, Father J.S. Widmann was directly behind the group of men carrying the cornerstone in the picture above. As the cornerstone was set into place, the choir from St. Mary’s Catholic Church sang a musical selection.

Councilmen from St. Mary’s each tapped the new cornerstone with a mawl. The councilmen were: Dr. J.H. Herman, Edward Erney, Charles Westerhold, and Martin Ehner. After them, Father Widmann gave words of thanks on behalf of himself and the entire congregation.

Father Patrick O’Brien, from Toledo, gave an oration, but he had to cut it short due to threatening weather. Though rain fell, the audience gave Father O’Brien their complete attention. Ackley’s Band played as the people assembled sang a Catholic hymn at the conclusion of the ceremony. Articles about the cornerstone laying ceremony appeared in the April 25 and April 26, 1909 issues of the Sandusky Register. St. Mary’s School was dedicated on June 19, 1910.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to read more about the history of churches in Sandusky.