Embroidery from the Historical Collections of the Follett House Museum

Embroidery, as defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica, is "the art of decorating material, primarily textile fabric, by means of a needle and thread (and sometimes fine wire)." It dates back to ancient times, often used in garments, tomb paintings, and for religious items.  Shown above is an embroidered sampler created by nine-year-old Nancy Ward in 1810. She stitched two upper case alphabets, a lower case alphabet, and numerals 1 to 10.

Here is a hand embroidered motto that reads “Forget me not” with a floral design:

In 1834 Caroline Sprague monogrammed the letter “M” on a linen tablecloth. Since Caroline married Henry Frost Merry in 1837, it is likely that the tablecloth was made for a member of the Merry family.

These four linen embroidered doilies belonged to pioneer Sandusky resident Mrs. William T. West, nee Lydia Mahala Todd:

Also in the historical collections of the Sandusky Library and Follett House Museum is a book published in 1888 entitled How to Shade Embroidered Flowers and Leaves, by Ellen Galusha Smith.

To read more about the history of embroidery in the United States, see the book The Development of Embroidery in America, by Candace Wheeler, available at Project Gutenberg.

Stories of Sandusky, by Hewson L. Peeke

According to the Sandusky Register of August 4, 1922, Hewson L. Peeke wrote ten stories about the early days of the city of Sandusky, calling them Stories of Sandusky. They could be best described as fictionalized versions of early events. Sandusky City Schools Superintendent Frank J. Prout had the stories mimeographed in the form of a pamphlet for use in the public schools. Dr. Prout stated, “They will teach the children to respect the historical incidents connected with the city’s existence.” In 1934 an expanded version of Stories of Sandusky was printed by the Stephens Company in Sandusky, Ohio, with forty-five stories in this edition. 

In many cases, Mr. Peeke gave fictitious names to the characters. The story “How John North Came to Sandusky and What He Did There” was actually about early Sandusky businessman William T. West. It turns out that William T. West intended to go to Cincinnati. In Buffalo, his baggage accidentally was put into a boat bound for Sandusky, so he followed the boat to Sandusky to retrieve his baggage. Then Mr. West missed his train bound for Cincinnati, and he ended up staying in Sandusky. He worked as a carpenter, ran a store, and eventually he and his brother constructed the West House hotel in Sandusky. The story indicates that Mr. West felt he was a “creature of circumstance.” 

The character of John North in Stories of Sandusky was William T. West

 In “The Story of Damask Rose,” Peeke relates that Damask Rose was the beloved daughter of attorney and abolitionist F.D. Parish. Supposedly, young Damask Rose Parish was carrying food to a runaway slave child and was seen by a U.S. official. The little girl and her mother were turned over to the slaveholder, and sent back south. Damask Rose Parish died at age 10, and she always blamed herself for the unfortunate events that transpired. 

A lawsuit was brought against F.D. Parish, and he lost the case. Though F.D. Parish did indeed have a young daughter named Damask Rose, the U.S. Census and Oakland Cemetery records indicate that she died in 1855, not in 1845, as Peeke wrote in Stories of Sandusky. Her tombstone can still be seen in Block 28 at Oakland Cemetery in the Parish family lot. 

In the story about “Old Mockabee” Peeke recalls how the town drunkard redeemed himself by digging graves for the victims of cholera in Sandusky in 1849. You can read many more stories about Sandusky and the Firelands in Stories of Sandusky. Inquire at the Reference Services desk if you would like to see this interesting book by Hewson L. Peeke.

The Study Club of the Presbyterian Church

In the Clubs and Organizations Collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research are two early nineteenth century club calendars from The Study Club of the Presbyterian Church. The Study Club of the Presbyterian Church of Sandusky, Ohio was organized in 1896. The theme for the club in 1901-1902 was “Travels in Italy and Greece.” 

The ladies met on Monday evenings from October through April. They discussed the culture and history of Italy and Greece, with three or four presentations at each meeting. On March 10, 1902, Bell West discussed Athens: Its Topography; Maria Warren discussed the Present Reigning Family of Greece; Harriet C. West gave a talk on the Orthodox Greek Church, and The University of Athens was presented by Alida Ayres. In 1902-1903 the Study Club focused on the Victorian Era. Members studied Victorian authors, leaders, artists, and social reformers.

If you would like to view the Club Calendars from the Study Club of the Presbyterian Church, inquire at the Reference Services Desk.

Our American Cousin Played in Sandusky

On May 19, 1875, the play Our American Cousin was presented at the Sandusky Opera House in Sandusky by the Sandusky Amateur Dramatic Association. Admission to the play was fifty cents, and proceeds were donated to the Young Men’s Christian Association. Of course Our American Cousin is best known as being the play that President and Mrs. Lincoln were watching on the evening of  the President’s assassination at Ford’s Theatre on April 16, 1865. 

In 1875 the building known as the Sandusky Opera House was Norman Hall, on the north side of Water Street between Jackson and Decatur.

The building later known as the Sandusky Opera House, the Biemiller Opera House, was not built until 1877. 

Ulysses T. Curran, superintendent of Sandusky Schools, played the part of Lord Dundreary.

Two of the local play’s performers, Miss Jennie M. West and Mr. C.L. Hubbard, would marry in 1877. 

A brief article which appeared in the May 20, 1875 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that, “The play was received in the best possible manner, and that it deserved such a reception will not be gainsaid by anyone who saw it. The members of the Sandusky Amateur Dramatic Association deserve the highest praise for their faultless interpretation of the many difficult characters in the piece.”

Account Book of Dr. R.R. McMeens

Before Dr. Robert Ritchie McMeens enlisted for military service in 1861 as a surgeon in the Third Ohio Infantry during the Civil War, he was in private practice as a physician in Sandusky, Ohio for over ten years.

The account book of Dr. McMeens, which covers the period from July 18, 1858 to April 25, 1861, is now in the historical files of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

At the bottom of page 1 in the account book is a listing for O. Follett, most likely publisher Oran Follett, who saw Dr. McMeens in July of 1858. Mr. Follett’s bill was thirty cents.

Someone from the Rush Sloane family saw Dr. McMeens in September of 1858. The bill was $1.50. It appears that the patients may have been Mr. Sloane’s son and wife.

Page 454 is the last page of the account book, dated April 25, 1861. The name of prominent Sandusky businessman W.T. West appears twice on this page. His fees were $1.50 and $2.00.

Sadly, Dr. McMeens died while in military service during the Civil War. The Firelands Pioneer of January 1888 contains an article about his death. Within the article is a reprint of a letter which George G. Shumard, M.D. wrote to Ohio Governor David Tod:

To His Excellency, Gov. Tod, Ohio:

SIR:—It is with feelings of the deepest regret that I have to announce the death of Surgeon R. R. McMeens of the Third Reg., Ohio Vol. Army, which occurred suddenly at Perryville, Ky., on the night of the 30th inst. Surgeon McMeens was among the first to offer his services to his country after the breaking out of the rebellion. Entering the three months service as a regimental surgeon, he was immediately after ordered to Camp Dennison, where his gentlemanly deportment and great professional skill soon won for him the esteem and confidence of his brother officers, at whose request he was appointed Medical Director of the post; all the arduous duties of which office he performed in such a manner as to win for him the warmest commendations of the Surgeon General of the State. From that time until the period of his death, he has continued in active service, filling many important positions in the medical department of the army. Shortly before the battle of Perryville, he was appointed Medical Director to the troops under the command of the lamented Jackson, and after having participated actively in the battle, was detailed to assist in taking care of the wounded at Perryville, in which position his kindness of heart, sound judgment, and great professional skill, enabled him to contribute very largely toward the relief of our suffering soldiers. He has fallen while nobly working at his post; although suffering greatly from disease, he refused to abandon his work, and performed several important surgical operations only a few hours before his death. In his death the army has lost a kind-hearted, faithful and efficient officer; the country a pure patriot, and the medical profession one of its brightest ornaments. I am, sir, respectfully, your obedient servant, GEORGE G. SHUMARD, M. D., Medical Director Danville District.

Miss Harriet C. West

Harriet C. West was born in Sandusky, Ohio in 1861 to Abel Kingsbury West and his wife, the former Caroline E. Wood. Abel K. West was an early dry goods  merchant in Sandusky and operator of the West House hotel with his brother William T. West in the 1850s. After the death of her parents, Harriet  (also known as Hattie) resided with the family of her sister, Mary West Anderson. 

In the  1890s, Harriet C. West served as the secretary of the Library Building Fund Association. At the time of the Sandusky Library’s grand opening in July of 1901, Miss West was the treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the Library Association, and was on the local reception committee when the Ohio Library Association held its seventh annual meeting at the Sandusky Library from October 1 to October 4, 1901.

On April 13, 1916, Miss Harriet C. West passed away at her sister's home on Wayne Street.  She had been ill with pneumonia. Funeral services were held at the Anderson residence on April 15, 1916, with the Rev. C. Argylle Keller officiating. Miss West had been a member of the First Presbyterian Church and the Martha Pitkin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. An obituary which appeared in the April 13, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal stated about Miss West, “For years she had been an active member of the library board and a great worker for that institution.” Harriet C. West was buried in the West family lot in the North Ridge section of Oakland Cemetery.

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.

A Child's Clothing in the 1850s

This long sleeved little boy’s dress was worn by King West, the son of William T. and Lydia Mahala Todd West in the 1850s. These short pants completed the outfit, which would have allowed young King to toddle around easily.

King David West was born on June 7, 1853. The son of William T. West, he was named after his uncle, Abel Kingsbury West. (Some sources list King’s name as Abel Kingsbury West.)

W.T. West and A.K. West were pioneer Sandusky residents who operated a dry goods store and built the West House hotel.  The 1869 Sandusky City Directory lists the residence of King D. West as West House, and his occupation was clerk at the dry goods store of W.T. and K.D. West.

Sadly, on September 9, 1872, nineteen year old King D. West drowned in Lake Erie after a sudden storm overtook the yacht Oriole, as King was with a group who wanted to view the regatta at Put in Bay. He was buried in the West family lot in the North Ridge section of Oakland Cemetery. His parents were heartbroken at the loss of their son. He most likely would have played an integral role in the business ventures of the West family, had he lived longer. King’s sister, Mrs. C.L. Hubbard (nee Jennie West) donated King’s childhood clothing to the historical museum of the Sandusky Library. The garments are now part of the historical collections of the Follett House Museum.

Mrs. Charles Livingston Hubbard, Nee Jennie Matilda West

Mrs. Charles Livingston Hubbard was born Jennie Matilda West in 1855, to Sandusky businessman WilliamT. West and his wife, the former Lydia Mahala Todd. When Jennie married Charles Livingston Hubbard in 1877, it was reported as “grandest wedding of the season” in the October 20, 1877 issue of the Sandusky Register.

C.L. Hubbard’s were Mr. and Mrs. Lester S. Hubbard. L.S. Hubbard was a prominent Sandusky banker. Rev. A.B. Nicholas officiated at the Hubbard-West wedding, which took place at the home of Mr. and Mrs. W.T. West at the southwest corner of East Washington and Warren Streets on October 18, 1877. The Register article stated that relatives and friends of the couple came from various parts of the United States. The bride wore a dress which was made of taille and satin, ornamented with rushes of silk illusion and scarves of satin. The dress was adorned with garlands of lilies of the valley and orange blossoms, and featured a long duchess train that was “a marvel of grace and elegance.” Jennie West’s bridal costume and trousseau had been purchased from Lord & Taylor of New York City. The West House was trimmed with evergreens, ferns, and beautiful flowers and lace, along with an arch and wedding bell. The refreshments “surpassed in elegance anything ever before given in this city.”  Two large bride’s and groom’s cakes were accompanied by all the delicacies of the season.  A long list of wedding gifts appeared in the Sandusky Register, including items of cut glass and silver, golden candlesticks, a marble mantle clock, several vases, and lovely art pieces.

Charles Livingston Hubbard worked as an attorney in Sandusky for many years. He and Jennie had four daughters, one of whom died in childhood. C.L. Hubbard died in May of 1904 when he was age 53. He was buried in the Hubbard family lot at Oakland Cemetery.  In 1935 Mrs. Jennie West Hubbard moved to Carmel, New York, where she lived until the age of 103. Mrs. Hubbard died there on December 31, 1958 and she was buried in the West family lot at Oakland Cemetery. Her obituary, which appeared in the January 1, 1959 issue of the Putnam County Courier stated that on her father’s side, Mrs. Jennie West Hubbard was descended from Sir Thomas West, Baron de Lawarr, who was once the Governor of the Virginia colonies, and for whom the state of Delaware derived its name. 

Mrs. Jennie West Hubbard is the third individual from the left, in the row of ladies seated in the front row in the picture below.

To read more about the Hubbard and West families in Sandusky, see the book At Home in Early Sandusky, available at the Sandusky Library.

William T. and Abel K. West

An article which appeared in the December 31, 1922 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that to William T. West and Abel K. West, “Sandusky is indebted for its first boulevard, its first cement pavement, the first open front store, the first mansard roof, even its first mahogany chairs.”  W.T. and A. K. West operated a general store in Sandusky in the 1840s. Theirs was the only store that remained open during Sandusky’s cholera epidemic in 1849. The West brothers were the owners of the West House Hotel which was opened to the public in 1858. At one time the West House was the largest hotel between Cleveland and Toledo. It was five stories high, and was located at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Water Street, in downtown Sandusky. It was open in time to accommodate the crowds who came to the Ohio State Fair, hosted in Sandusky in 1858.

William T. West became a resident of Sandusky quite by accident. In 1837, he planned to go from Buffalo to Detroit. He stayed overnight in Sandusky, Ohio. In the morning the hotel keeper forgot to waken him. When he woke up, his ship had already left.  He threw himself into the water, and swam after the vessel. After it was determined that his baggage had stayed in Sandusky, he returned to Sandusky and settled here. During the Civil War, William T. West and a partner, Philander Gregg, received a contract to build prison buildings and officers’ quarters at the prison on Johnson’s Island. Because the proximity of the West House to the confederate prison at Johnson's  Island, the hotel was almost always filled to capacity during the Civil War. Government officials who had dealings with the prison often stayed overnight at the West House after taking care of war business during the daytime.

William T. West and Abel K. West were key individuals in Sandusky’s early days. Abel K. West died on April 16, 1880. William T. West died at the West House on June 13, 1899. His obituary in the Firelands Pioneer stated that the greater part of William T. West’s eighty-four years “were devoted to business and the erection of buildings in the city of Sandusky.”

Anti -Slavery Meeting at the Courthouse in Sandusky on March 6, 1844

On March 6, 1844, at 6:30 p.m., ladies and gentlemen of Sandusky were invited to an anti- slavery meeting to be held at the Erie County Courthouse, which at that time was located on the east side of Columbus Avenue, just west of what is now Adams Junior High School. The names of fifty seven individuals appeared in the Sandusky Clarion, below a statement that read:

“The undersigned unite in advising a call for an anti-slavery meeting, to be holden at such time and place as may be found most convenient and proper; and they invite all who are opposed to the American system of slavery, and are willing to lend their personal, moral, and religious influence for its suppression, to be present, and participate in the deliberations of the meeting. If deemed advisable, an anti-slavery society will be organized and other measures adopted, to promote the object in view.”

Hundreds of residents of Sandusky and Erie County held anti-slavery sentiment for several years, and many of them participated in the Underground Railroad. The fact that many of those who held anti-slavery views were well respected in the community helped to spread that sentiment to members of the general public. F.D. Parish was Sandusky’s second lawyer, and Moors Farwell was Sandusky’s first Mayor. H.F. Merry and Thomas Hogg were early members of the Board of Education for Sandusky City Schools. Many of the men whose names appeared on the list in the newspaper in 1844 were business men in Sandusky. W.T. and A.K. West were merchants who went on to build the West House hotel in Sandusky. Long before the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, Sanduskians of the mid 1800s were also committed to civil rights.

Addendum: Here is a wider view of the area around the courthouse, circa 1870.

The West House Hotel

Owned by brothers W.T. and A.K. West, the West House hotel was opened to the public in 1858. It was the first building credited to architect Sheldon Smith. At one time the West House was the largest hotel between Cleveland and Toledo. It was five stories high, and was located at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Water Street, in downtown Sandusky, not far from the docks at Sandusky Bay. Over two thousand guests stayed at the West House during the Ohio State Fair, which was held in Sandusky in 1858. Charles E. Frohman wrote in his book Rebels on Lake Erie, that during the 1860’s the West House “was the center of the social and business life of the bustling city of 25,000.”

Many organizations, businesses, and associations held their conventions and annual meetings at the West House. The August 7, 1912 issue of the Sandusky Register announced that veterans from the 128th Ohio Volunteer Infantry would meet at the West House for their thirty seventh annual reunion. James A. Garfield wrote in his diary that he once met an associate at the West House. In 1877 the United States Signal Service was established in Sandusky and had its station on top of the West House.

In 1864, a Confederate agent, Charles H. Cole stayed at the West House. Cole, along with John Y. Beall and other Confederates, planned to free several prisoners housed at the Civil War prison at Johnson’s Island. Ultimately Cole was arrested before the plan could be successfully carried out. The website of the C.I.A. features a page on this conspiracy.

Volume 21 of the Firelands Pioneer reported that the West House was dismantled in March of 1919. The article concluded…..“for 55 years, until 1913, it was Sandusky’s principal hotel, housing from time to time many of the most notable men of the nation. From its upper stories could be commanded on a clear day a notable view of the Lake Erie island region, which always appealed to travelers and attracted transient visitors.”

Lydia Mahala Todd West

Lydia Mahala Todd was born in 1824 to Amos and Lurana Strong Todd in Cortland County, New York, and moved to Sandusky as a youngster. In 1844, Lydia married William T. West, a Sandusky merchant, and co-owner of the West House. Their wedding was the first wedding in the upper part of Grace Episcopal Church. In 1892, William T. West built the Mahala Block on East Washington Row, and named it after his wife’s middle name.

During the cholera epidemic of 1849, Mrs. West was a hard worker, and helped to alleviate the suffering of those taken ill. She gained a reputation for kindness to the soldiers during the Civil War. The December 25, 1902 Sandusky Register reported that “in later years charity and aiding the poor and needy have been her main objects.”

Mrs. Lydia Mahala Todd West died on Christmas Eve in 1902. Her obituary was headlined with the phrase “Death of an Esteemed Lady.” The funeral services for Mrs. West were largely attended, and many floral tributes were sent. The active pallbearers were four African American employees of the West House Hotel. Among the mourners at her funeral was Ban Johnson, president of the American Baseball League. While it is not known how they met, the Sandusky Evening Star stated that Ban Johnson knew Mrs. West well. Mrs. West was survived by her husband William T. West, and her children: Mrs. C. L. Hubbard, Mrs. W. B. Jordan, George C. West, and William G. West. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery.

The William T. West family is the subject of Article 11 in Helen Hansen’s book
At Home in Early Sandusky, available at the Sandusky Library. The book is also for sale at the ongoing book sale of the Sandusky Library’s main circulation desk.

Pictured below is the wedding handkerchief of Mrs. Lydia Mahala Todd West, from the collections of the Follett House Museum.

Cartes de Visite from Johnson's Island

While the 128th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the Hoffman Battalion, was the main unit stationed at the Johnson’s Island Prison Camp during the Civil War, in 1864 other units were also brought in. Mrs. Charles Livingston Hubbard donated three carte-de-visites of Civil War soldiers to the Sandusky Library historical museum in 1920. Mrs. Hubbard was the daughter of William T. West, who built the West House hotel with his brother Abel West in 1858. William T. West and Philander Gregg received the government contract to build the initial buildings at Johnson’s Island Prison. William West appears in the image below in the late 1800’s.

The carte de visite was a small photograph, designed to be used in place of a calling card or as a pocket-sized memento of a loved one.

Captain George A. Bernard’s picture was taken by Sandusky photographer R. E. Weeks. A search in the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database located a General George A. Bernard in the 65th New York Infantry. R. E. Weeks featured an advertisement in the 1858 Sandusky City Directory for his “Ambrotype & Daguerreotype Gallery,” located over Olds Book Store on Columbus Avenue. By 1869, Weeks was listed as a photographer.

Dr. Roller’s photograph was taken by C.V. Olds. Charles V. Olds had a bookselling business on Columbus Avenue, but during the Civil War, he also ran a “Union Photograph Gallery” at his bookstore. Dr. Charles W. Roller is listed as a surgeon with the Pennsylvania 23rd Infantry in the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database. A third Civil War soldier is Major A. E. King, whose photograph was taken by C. V. Olds. To date, his Civil War unit has not been identified. If anyone knows more details about Major King, please leave a comment on the blog. Mrs. Hubbard was only nine years of age when these photographs were taken, so they were most likely passed on to her from her parents. William T. West was a well-connected Sandusky businessman, and perhaps he encouraged local photographers to get to know the visiting soldiers, and promote the local economy as well.

Many resources pertaining to the Johnson’s Island Prison are available at the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library. Charles Frohman’s book Rebels on Lake Erie discusses prison life as well as the conspiracy of prisoners to escape. James E. Duffy’s Victim of Honor is a historical novel based on the plot engineered by Confederate officer John Yates Beall to free prisoners from the Johnson's Island Civil War Prison Camp.

The Follett House Museum has many artifacts from Johnson’s Island, including a barber chair that was built by the prisoners.

The Mahala Block

From 1894 until 1909, the Mahala Block on Washington Row, was home to several businesses, organizations, and a business college. The four story Mahala Block building was located between Columbus Avenue and Wayne Street.
The Mahala Block was built by William T. West, who had also built and owned the West House hotel with his brother A. K. West. Mahala was the middle name of Mrs. William T. West, nee Lydia Mahala Todd.
Some of the businesses which were located at the Mahala Block included: Charles J. Krupp, undertaker; May Reynolds, artist; Herb and Myers; Mahala Steam Laundry; Neill Bros., hardware; and the Sandusky Business College. A search through historical Sandusky City Directories will pinpoint the various names and dates of the tenants throughout the years.

On November 18, 1909, a massive fire destroyed the Mahala Block. The loss was estimated at approximately $250,000. Destroyed in the Mahala Building were many businesses and apartments including: Carrie Freyensee, milliner; The Herb and Myers Co.; Yochem and Feick; the Mahala Laundry; Charles J. Krupp, undertaker and embalmer; The International Correspondence Schools; Neill Bros. and Co.; Miss Helen Powers studio; Dr. H.J. Dann; Sandusky Business College; and Mrs. J.S. Grandcolas, hairdressing and massage parlors.