Sandusky Day, Sponsored by Retail Merchants in 1935

In June of 1935 members of the Sandusky Merchants’ Association mailed invitations to all residents of Put in Bay, Lakeside, Middle Bass Island, North Bass Island and Kelleys Island asking them to bring their families to downtown Sandusky for “Sandusky Day” on Saturday, June 15.  The Merchants’ Association paid for tickets for the steamer Chippewa. Put in Bay residents left South Bass Island at 7 a.m. and proceeded to the other locations, and arrived in Sandusky at 9 a.m. The Chippewa took the guests home at 9 p.m.

All day long Sandusky merchants offered special sale prices. Raffle coupons were issued to each shopper for every 25 cent purchase. Local residents as well as those visiting from the Lake Erie Islands area participated in Sandusky Day. Prizes were given away at Jackson Junior High School on June 17, and a listing of the prizes won, along with the names of the winners, were reported in the Sandusky Register on June 18, 1935

William Smith, of Putnam Street, won a dressed chicken from the Libhurt Market. Victor McKillips, from Kelleys Island, won a pair of slippers from Nobil’s Shoe Store. Louise Miller, of Columbus Avenue, won a fancy basket of fruit from Riccelli’s produce store.

To read the names of all the prize winners, see the June 18, 1935 issue of the Sandusky Register, now on microfilm. An article in the June 14, 1935 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that it was believed the free excursion provided by Sandusky’s Retail Merchants was “an important factor in the maintenance of the pleasant relations existing between the Islands and Sandusky.”

Hotel Kunzmann

The Hotel Kunzmann was operated by August C. Kunzmann, a native of Baden, Germany. August C. Kunzmann emigrated to the United States in 1879. When he first settled in Sandusky, he worked at the carriage shop of his uncle, who was named August K. Kunzmann. In 1882, August C. Kunzmann married Katie Link. Kunzmann’s Hotel was located at 125 and 127 Jackson Street in the late 1880s. A listing in the 1888-89 Sandusky City Directory indicated that fresh lager was always on tap, and the hotel provided "excellent accommodation and reasonable rates."

By 1898, the Hotel Kunzmann moved to 627, 629 and 631 Water Street, down the block from Fisher’s Hall. At this time the hotel featured modern improvements such as electric lights and hot water heating.

A popular drink at the Hotel Kunzmann was a large glass of beer, sold for five cents, known as the “high ball.” 

August C. Kunzmann died of pneumonia on March 14, 1905, at the age of 51. He was survived by his wife and four children. For a time after his death, Mrs. Kunzmann ran the hotel, and later non-family members took over management. An article in the October 11, 1919 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that the Riccelli Cone and Candy Company had recently leased the three story building that was once the Hotel Kunzmann.  

You can read more about life in Sandusky at the time the Hotel Kunzmann was in business. Mrs. Katherine "Katie" Kunzmann collected newspaper clippings about prominent people and events that took place in Sandusky, Ohio between 1898 and 1919. This scrapbook has been microfilmed and can be viewed at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. 

Italian Heritage in Erie County

Between 1884 and 1924 about 7 million Italians arrived in the United States. In Erie County Italian-Americans found work in the quarries, restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, landscaping, fishing, and many other businesses. Local Italian restaurants were quite popular on weekend nights, and remain popular to this day. Four generations of the Balconi family have been in the monument business in Sandusky. “Mama Berardi” opened her well-known French Fry stands at Cedar Point in the 1940's. Pictured below is the grocery store of Ruggiero Riccelli around 1920.

Major Thomas S. Amato (third from right in the picture below) was born in Sicily in 1880. Major Amato served in the Sixth Infantry of the Ohio National Guard in World War I. His death in 1921 was directly attributed to his military service.

The Sandusky Register’s obituary of Thomas S. Amato states that “full military honors were accorded to the man who came to this country from Italy when a boy and so loved it that his life has been laid a sacrifice upon the altar of his adopted land.”

During World War II, many Sandusky young men of Italian descent served in the United States military, and some lost their lives. One of the most moving stories of sacrifice and honor is one of two Sandusky brothers of Italian descent who were honored in San Marino, a small republic within the borders of Italy. The front page of the Sandusky Register on April 5, 1961 features an article about a monument having been built in the cemetery in Fiorentino in honor of Leonello Berardi and Roberto Berardi. Leonello and Roberto were the sons of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Berardi, who emigrated from San Marino to the United States in 1927. Leonello died in Italy in 1944, and Roberto died in Holland in 1945. They wrote to their parents that they hoped to meet up in San Marino, but they never had the chance to do so. Though the young men were buried where they died, officials of the small republic of San Marino wanted to honor the sacrifice of Leonello and Roberto Berardi. Officials from both San Marino and the United States were present at the dedication of the monument. Dr. Frederico Bigi, of the Italian consulate, spoke at the dedication. He said the young men “took with them the spirit of liberty as they traveled to the world’s youngest republic, and showed their devotion to Liberty by laying down their lives to uphold freedom.” You can read more about the monument to Leonello and Roberto Berardi by accessing the April 5, 1961 issue of the Sandusky Register, on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. The names of Leonello and Roberto Berardi are also found on a plaque honoring several former students from Sandusky High School who lost their lives during World War II; the plaque is at the former Adams Junior High School.

A plaque that was donated to the historical collections of the Sandusky Library contains the names of the charter members of the Italian-American Beneficial Club in Sandusky, better known as the I.A.B.

You can read about “Little Italy,” a six-block area on Sandusky’s east side, in the May 18, 2003 issue of the Sandusky Register, now on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Hundreds of passenger records are available on the Ellis Island web site, accessible at home or at Sandusky Library. Consider donating historical family photographs or documents to the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library for future generations to enjoy.

Minnie Riccelli’s Three Generation Photograph

Notes on the back of this family photograph indicate that the photograph was taken in 1932, after the funeral of Fred Scheuss. The women in the photograph are: Mrs. Lucia Baird, Maybelle Baird Barnett, and Minnie Barnett Riccelli. Lucia is Minnie’s maternal grandmother, and Maybelle is Minnie’s mother. According to the 1930 Census, Minnie Barnett Riccelli was the wife of Sandusky businessman Ruggerio Riccelli.

By entering the names of these individuals into genealogical databases, more details about these women can be learned. For example, the 1920 U.S. Census, accessed through Ancestry Library Edition, lists the name of Maybelle Barnett, and four of her children living in Sandusky on Market Street. The 1910 Census gives Maybelle’s husband’s name: John W. Barnett. By searching Family Search Labs for the name Lucia Baird, we find that Lucia’s husband was William P. Baird, and her parents were John Tuttle and Philena Bond.

If you have old family pictures, try searching Ancestry Library Edition, Heritage Quest Online, and Family Search Labs, to learn more information about your ancestors. While Ancestry Library Edition is able to be accessed only while in a ClevNet Library, Heritage Quest Online and Family Search Labs are available at home or at the library.

Going Bananas

Found accidentally, while researching something else. . . . a paragraph in a column called "Breakfast Table Talk," in the May 7, 1924 Sandusky Register:

"Yes. We have some bananas" said Al Maschari, W. Water-st. when he received Tuesday what is said to be the largest bunch of bananas ever consigned to this city. The bunch weighed 119 pounds, and held some 20 dozen or more of the famous fruit.

Of course, the opening line is a reference to a song that became a major hit in the United States in 1923, Yes, We Have No Bananas. Bananas were still a relatively new item in the American market, first imported in 1870, but by the 1920s they were one of our most popular fruits. Few other fruits were available in northern states during the winter, before advanced cold-storage facilities and high-speed transportation.

But the real reason for this article is to show this great picture of the Riccelli store, at 119-121 E. Market St. in 1920.

Unfortunately, we do not have any images of the Maschari store, which was located at 115 E. Water St. in 1924. Of course, we are always willing to accept images of Sandusky businesses and other local scenes -- if you have any to offer, we're here!