Promotional Items from Pusch, Martin and Company

Promotional items which were once given away to customers of the Pusch, Martin and Company in downtown Sandusky were donated by the Steinert family to the Follett House Museum. Pictured above is a print that shows a smartly dressed young woman walking her dog near Niagara Falls. Another print features a lovely lady who appears to be emerging from a waterfall, with a rainbow overhead.

The company’s stamp appears on the back of each item.

The Pusch, Martin and Company store was at the northeast corner of West Market and Jackson Streets from about 1910 to 1913. In the 1920s, E.B. Ackley had his billiard parlor at this location. Edwin D. Martin and Edward W. Pusch were the proprietors of the store, which sold ready to wear clothing for women. 

This 1913 advertisement from Pusch, Martin and Company, states that the “North Shore” ready-made dresses sold there were “good enough for anybody and cheap enough for everybody.” Dresses for women ranged in price from $1.40 to $2.98. Children’s dresses sold for ninety-five cents. Aprons and rompers cost less than a dollar each.

The partnership between Mr. Pusch and Mr. Martin was dissolved in August of 1913. Soon after, Edward W. Pusch opened a dry goods store in the 600 block on Hancock Street. Edwin Martin went on to work as a salesman for the Globe Paper Company.

Historical Pageant of Sandusky

The Historical Pageant of Sandusky was presented in Central Park, From July 26 to 29 in 1916. The production was staged by the John B. Rogers Producing Company, and was presented locally under the auspices of the City Federation of Women’s Clubs. George F. Anderson was the musical director, and Gladys Pusch and Ruth Lerman performed on piano. An advertisement in the July 24, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal stated that the Pageant of Sandusky would be the “greatest spectacle ever seen here.”

Tickets sold for twenty-five cents and fifty cents. There were six different committees that worked on the organization of the pageant.

Besides the cast of principal characters, over one thousand young people took part in the pageant. Several scenes portrayed various times throughout history, beginning with creation. “Father Time” was the first character to appear in the pageant. The first scenes included Native Americans, the War of 1812, and the laying out of the plat of Sandusky. Next were scenes that portrayed the Underground Railroad and the visit of General Harrison to Sandusky. Two ballets were performed with the themes of Civil War and Industries. The various industries represented were paper, quarries, fisheries, farming, wine and the crayon industry.

Throughout the Pageant of Sandusky,  James Ryan (pictured below at Cedar Point) played the role of the Pioneer Man, while the Pioneer Woman was played by Mrs. W.C. Scott.

The grand finale of the pageant included hundreds of youngsters dressed in red, white and blue, as the “Goddess of Liberty,” portrayed by Miss Lillian Wahnke made an entrance on a chariot, while holding the United States flag. An article in the July 27, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that the grand finale was beautiful and dramatic. 

In August, several reels of film of the Pageant of Sandusky were shown at the Schade Theatre in downtown Sandusky. To our knowledge, these films were not preserved locally. How interesting it would be to see the filmed version of the Pageant of Sandusky from over one hundred years ago.