Sandusky’s Busy Waterfront

As Leola M. Stewart pointed out in her article Sandusky, Pioneer Link Between Rail and Sail, Sandusky has one of the finest natural harbors on the Great Lakes. In the picture above, three excursion boats can be seen in Sandusky’s harbor around the turn of the twentieth century. After the passengers got off the steamships, this is what they might have seen:

Visitors flocked to Sandusky by rail and by steamer in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Cedar Point was a popular destination for many.

By 1920 automobiles parked at the foot of Columbus Avenue. At this time, streetcar lines ran down Columbus Avenue as well.

 In this scene from the mid to late 1950s, you can see cars from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad which was still in operation in downtown Sandusky. The Cedar Point boat dock had a festive sign which was brightly lit at night.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to view this and hundreds of other vintage photographs of Sandusky and Erie County. An article by Leola M. Stewart is found at the website of the Ohio Historical Society.  Sandusky, Pioneer Link Between Rail and Sail provides historical background on the natural harbor found at Sandusky Bay, as well as the development of transportation and natural resources found in this area of the Great Lakes region.

Cedar Point Sign at the Foot of Columbus Avenue

Though we do not have the exact dates it was in use, the iconic Cedar Point sign at the foot of Columbus Avenue could be seen in downtown Sandusky from the 1930s through the 1960s, and possibly longer. (If anyone has the exact dates that this sign was in operation, please leave a message in the comments field.) At night the sign was brightly lit, and the colorful lights reminded you of Cedar Point’s bustling Midway rides. For decades you could ride a ferry from downtown Sandusky to Cedar Point, and the dock was just beyond the Cedar Point sign. For many years the large building at 103-105 W. Shoreline Drive served as the winter offices for the Cedar Point Resort Company. You can read several phrases on the sign in the picture below, taken about 1940 during a Grape Festival celebration.

Advertised were: bathing, hotels, dancing, amusements, and free attractions. In this picture from the 1950s, you can see cars from the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad which was still in operation in downtown Sandusky at the time.

The Cedar Point sign can be seen in this Colortone postcard printed by the Curt Teich Company in Chicago, Illinois. Two large passenger ferries can be seen near the pier.

Views of the Foot of Columbus Avenue

As Leola M. Stewart noted in her 1948 article, Sandusky,Pioneer Link Between Rail and Sail, Sandusky has one of the finest natural harbors on the Great Lakes. In the picture above, three excursion boats can be seen in Sandusky’s harbor around the turn of the twentieth century. After the passengers got off the steamships, this is what the view of Sandusky looked like from the waterfront, facing south.

  

By 1920 automobiles parked at the foot of Columbus Avenue. At this time, streetcar lines ran down Columbus Avenue as well.

    

In this scene from the mid to late 1950s, you can see cars from the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad which was still in operation in downtown Sandusky. The Cedar Point boat dock had a festive sign which was brightly lit at night.

       

Today the Schade-Mylander Plaza welcomes visitors to downtown Sandusky, providing beautiful views of Sandusky Bay, Marblehead, and Cedar Point.

Lincoln Funeral Train at Cleveland

Longtime Great Lakes Captain Frank Hamilton donated the above photograph to the historical collections of the Sandusky Library. The Lincoln Funeral Train carried the body of slain President Abraham Lincoln from Washington D. C. to Springfield, Illinois, from April 21 through May 3, 1865. Along the 1,650 mile route, the train would stop at key cities in seven separate states.

After leaving Buffalo, the Lincoln Funeral Train arrived in Cleveland, Ohio on April 28, 1865 at 6:50 a.m. Over 100,000 people filed through Public Square to pay their respects to Lincoln. The catafalque holding Lincoln’s coffin was shaped like a pagoda, and allowed for two lines to pass through simultaneously. Members of the 29th Ohio National Guard and the Veteran Reserve Corps troops stood guard over President Lincoln’s remains. The weather remained rainy the entire day of April 28th. At 10:00 p.m., the casket was closed, and police led the procession to Union Depot. The Lincoln Funeral Train arrived at Columbus, Ohio at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 29, 1865.

Several photographs of the Lincoln Funeral Train in Ohio can be seen at the Ohio Memory Online Scrapbook.