Valentines Given to Ralph Spahn

Ralph Spahn was born in Sandusky, Ohio in 1891. He was the son of Fred Spahn and his wife, the former Philipine Hinkey. In the historical collections of the Sandusky Library and the Follett House Museum are two valentines given to Ralph by his cousin Ida Bunsey and another person named Carrie.

Ralph’s father Fred Spahn, a popular Sandusky barber who also had a shop on Johnson's Island, died in 1906 at the age of 38, from an accidental drowning. Sadly, Ralph Spahn passed away less than two years later on February 16, 1908, from typhoid fever. He was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

Ralph’s mother, Philipine “Bena” Hinkey Spahn lived a long life. She died in 1956 at age 90, and was laid to rest in the family lot at Oakland Cemetery.

A View of Meigs Street and the East Waterfront in 1876

In about 1876 photographer A.C. Platt created a series of stereoscopic views of the region, which he called The Isles of Lake Erie. Pictured above is a view on Sandusky which features Meigs Street and the waterfront. Sandusky resident Leroy Hinkey created a key to this image.

Sycamore School can be seen at the top right of the picture. Louis Zistel’s aquarium and boat livery are numbers 2 and 3 in the picture, adjacent to the Atlantic Gardens, also owned by Mr. Zistel. Two ice houses and residences, and several Sandusky businesses can also be seen in the picture. We are fortunate that Leroy Hinkey had the foresight to allow future Sandusky residents to have of a better understanding of life in Sandusky in a time gone by.

Fred J. Hinkey, Blacksmith and Boiler Maker

Fred J. Hinkey was blacksmith in Sandusky for sixty one years. (Here he is pictured in the uniform of the Knights of the Maccabees or the Knights of Pythias -- if you know which it is, let us know in comments.) He started working as a helper in a blacksmith shop, and later he opened his own shop on Market Street, near Franklin Street. In the 1935 Sandusky City Directory, Mr. Hinkey listed these services at his shop: dealer in sheet and bar steel, general blacksmithing, power forging, ship work, and boiler making and repairing. His ad stated that his work was promptly done to order and at the lowest rates. An article in the January 22, 1921 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that Mr. Hinkey did not have to lay off employees, as his business kept the workers busy at all times of the year. During the spring fishing season his shop turned out thousands of iron grab hooks used by fisheries for their trap nets.  In the summertime, boats and barges needed repairs and new parts for their machinery. Fall fishing season brought in more repair work. The winter ice season brought with it “a myriad of orders” for new ice handling equipment and repairs to the old equipment. Besides providing repairs to machinery, Mr. Hinkey also had six boiler makers who made and repaired boilers in an area of about a sixty mile radius around Sandusky.  He stated that the three things which contributed to his success were courtesy, good workmanship, and promptness.

These ice tongs were made at Fred Hinkey’s shop, and can be seen at the Industry Room of the Follett House Museum.

In the 1920’s and 1930’s, Fred’s son Leroy M. Hinkey provided portable arc welding services to Sandusky area residents. Leroy Hinkey later moved to the Dayton area.

Fred J. Hinkey passed away on June 27, 1939. His funeral was held at his home on West Market Street. The Garfield Company of the Knights of Pythias held graveside services for Mr. Hinkey at Oakland Cemetery. Fred J. Hinkey was survived by three sons and a sister. His wife Dorothy had died in 1932.

The Acquittal, presented by the Singara Grotto

On October 22 and 23, 1923 the Singara Grotto presented The Acquittal at the Sandusky Theatre. The George M. Cohan Mystery Drama, written by Rita Weiman, was produced, staged and directed locally by George J. Lehrer. An article in the October 16, 1923 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that in the original Broadway production of The Acquittal George J. Lane was in the cast, under the stage name of Norman Lane.

The character of Madeline Winthrop was played by Maybelle Hinkey. The newspaper article stated that Miss Hinkey was “fully capable of playing this part”….which called for “wonderful repression of the emotions and great power to sustain dramatic situations.” In the play the character of Mr. Winthrop, played by Sam Cunningham was just acquitted of murder. Beryl Starr played the role of Mr. Winthrop’s secretary. Due to popular demand the performance played again on Thursday evening, so more area residents could see this popular play.

Some of the advertisements in the play’s program were interesting. The Sandusky Butter & Egg Company recommended that you could protect your health by drinking Budweiser. The C.S. Garretson Lumber Company featured an ad that said “We would like to C-U-B-A customer of ours.” The letters C-U-B-A represented the phrase see you be a. Hoffman Motor Sales sold Hupmobile vehicles at 801 Hancock Street.