Decatur Street in 1929

Looking north from Madison Street

In 1929, an unidentified photographer took pictures of Decatur Street, between Madison and Jefferson Streets. The purpose for taking these photos was to gather evidence for a long-forgotten court case (Ritzenthaler v. Singular), but now they help to document the evolution of a neighborhood.

 A small store selling snacks and cigarettes can be seen on the left side of the photo. By looking in the city directory for 1927-28, we can make an educated guess that the store was the Albert E. Moos grocery, at 533 Decatur. (There were at least 94 groceries in Sandusky at this time.) If you look closely near the first automobile parked along the right side of Decatur Street, you might notice what looks to be a pile of stones or bricks.

We have another photograph in this set that shows this more clearly:

 A note on the original photo describes this as 522 Decatur Street. Today, the even-numbered side of the 500 block of Decatur Street is occupied by Sandusky Central Catholic School properties.

Marked “Looking south on Decatur Street” is another picture taken at the same time.

Again, we can see the pile of stones in front of the house, which gives us some perspective. Now the odd-numbered houses (on the west side of the street) are on the right of the photo. Here is how that block looked about 40 years later:

Today, you can use Google Maps to further view the evolution of this block. 

The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center holds a significant collection of historical photos from Sandusky and Erie County. To view these images, see the Past Perfect Local History Archives online.

Merlin Wolcott, Library Director in Several Ohio Libraries

Merlin Wolcott in the 1950 BGSU Key

Merlin Wolcott was a son of Melvin and Adelia Wolcott. He and his twin sister Merriam Wolcott Washburn were born in 1920; they grew up on Shelby Street in Sandusky. As a youngster, Merlin was a frequent patron of the Sandusky Library, and worked one summer at the library during his college years. 

After earning a library degree at Kent State University, Mr. Wolcott went on to become the director of several Ohio libraries including Elyria, Avon Lake, and Canton. As part of his requirements for the degree of Master of Arts from Kent State University, he wrote a thesis titled The History and Development of the Sandusky Library Association, Sandusky, Ohio in 1953. A bound copy is on file at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

The thesis covered the history, growth and development of the Sandusky Library from its earliest years to the early 1950s. In the publication, he pointed out that the Sandusky Library, which opened on July 3, 1901, looked similar to a medieval castle. He stated that the library represented the ultimate ideal of the “university of the common man.”  Mr. Wolcott also discusses the earliest libraries in Sandusky, including the Portland Library Association and the Lyceum from the 1820s, and the Philomathesian Society that grew out of the Young Men’s Debating Association in 1840. He went on to cover the Ladies Library Association that met in 1870 for the purpose of forming a library association, and the Library Association of Sandusky which was incorporated in 1895.  In 1896 the Ladies Building Fund Association was organized, and two years later the Association purchased property at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Adams Street. The philanthropist Andrew Carnegie gave $50,000 for the library building and equipment, with the stipulation that no part was to be used for maintenance.  The original building was constructed with blue limestone from the Wagner Quarries, caps and sills in Berea sandstone, and the base in Columbus limestone.

Mr. Wolcott provided statistics about the Sandusky Library between 1921 and 1951. Today the Sandusky Library owns over 200,000 items, which include books, periodicals, DVDs, compact discs, books on tape, and e-books.  A host of online research databases provide instant access to information to library patrons twenty four hours a day.

Merlin Wolcott died in 1993 at the age of 73. He was a World War II Army Veteran, a member of Grace Episcopal Church, the Mayflower Society, the Descendants of Henry Wolcott, Masonic Lodge, the American Library Association and the Ohio Library Association. Mr. Wolcott had a deep interest in family and local history. He was a direct descendant of Benajah Wolcott, the first keeper of the Marblehead Lighthouse.

Artist John Opie's Painting of a Lyman Boat

 

In the historical collections of the Sandusky Library and the Follett House Museum is a painting of a Lyman boat, titled Lyman Islander, by artist John Opie. Mr. Opie is a native of Sandusky, graduating from Sandusky High School in 1954. He earned Bachelors of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees from Kent State University; after several years of teaching in art schools and universities, he became a full time artist, now living in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. John Opie’s family was associated with the O.P. Craft Company in Sandusky for many years. (His father was treasurer and general manager of the business.)

The Lyman Boat Company was founded in Cleveland in 1875 and moved to Sandusky in November 1928. They made wooden boats in Sandusky until 1973; these boats are still beloved by many Great Lakes boaters.

To read more about the Lyman Boat Works, read the book Lyman Boats: Legend of the Lakes, by Tom Koroknay (T, Koroknay, 2004), available for loan through the Clevnet system.   You can see a Lyman boat on exhibit at the Maritime Museum of Sandusky.         

Gilbert Harris, Dry Goods Merchant

Gilbert E. Harris was born in Sandusky in 1848, to Gilbert Harris, and his wife, the former Almira Belknap. The elder Mr. Harris died in 1849, leaving his widow to raise two small children on her own. The younger Gilbert Harris started out his long career as a clerk for the dry goods store of Charles and George Cooke. Later Mr. Harris went into a partnership with Henry Schumacher and John Bredbeck. In his final years in business, the dry goods store would become simply Harris and Schumacher. In 1900, this store was at 131 Columbus Avenue, just down the street from the West House.

This advertisement appeared in the Sandusky Register of March 13, 1900:

Mr. Harris and Mr. Schumacher were so enthusiastic about the closet sets they carried at their store that they took out an advertisement, along with many others, in volume 28 of Scribner’s Magazine in 1900.

The hangers provided in the Goodform Closet Set were supposed to keep garments in good condition, while also providing more space in one’s closet.

Mr. Gilbert E. Harris died from a bout with pneumonia on April 15, 1905. His obituary, in the April 16, 1905 issue of the Sandusky Register, stated that he was one of Sandusky’s “prominent, popular and progressive citizens.” He had been a deacon and trustee of the Congregational Church.  Mr. Harris was survived by his wife and two daughters. His obituary reported that his many friends were filled with sorrow. Mr. Harris was buried in Block 59 of Oakland Cemetery. Henry Schumacher carried on the dry goods business as sole proprietor.

The Rittman Family of Put-in-Bay and Sandusky

This picture of Lucy, George and Mamie Rittman was taken at the Pascoe studio in Sandusky, Ohio in the late 1880s. The parents of these children were Frank Rittman, Jr. and his wife, the former Fannie Parker. The Rittman family resided in Put-in-Bay, but often visited Sandusky to see relatives, including their grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Rittman, Sr. 

Memorial card for Grandfather Frank Rittman, Sr.

The Put-in-Bay column in the Sandusky Register often reported on the social activities of the Rittman family. In this brief posting, Lucy and Mamie had gone to Cleveland to visit their brother George and his wife.

George F. Rittman carried on the family butcher business at Put in Bay. He spent his final years on the mainland in Sandusky. In the early 1900s, Mary Rittman was a teacher in the public schools. In 1916 she married Captain Ezra Bickford, a veteran lakesman who was the first captain of the ferry the Erie Isle. Lucy became the wife of Granville Heuchele, who was associated with the U.S. Fish Hatchery. After Lucy’s death in 1933, Granville remarried.

The graves of George, Mary, and Lucy are all on South Bass Island. George Rittman (1877-1959) and Lucy Heuchele (1879-1933) were buried at the Maple Leaf Cemetery, and Mary “Mamie” Bickford (1882-1944) was buried at the Crown Hill Cemetery.

If you have ancestors from Sandusky or the Lake Erie Islands area, you can search for articles about them in local newspapers through Newspaper Archive, a Clevnet database. (To access, log in with your Sandusky Library card.)

Postcards from Lakeside

In the Neighboring Communities collection at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center are several postcards that feature Lakeside, Ohio. Lakeside is a Chautauqua community which had its origins as a camp meeting site for people of the Methodist faith. 

Here is a group departing from a steamer to visit Lakeside in 1905:

A path at Lakeside, once known as “Flirtation Walk”:

The Lakeside Auditorium is now known as Hoover Auditorium. Speakers and musicians have visited Hoover Auditorium for over 90 years.

Lake Erie provides opportunity for visitors to enjoy a swim at Lakeside.

Visit Sandusky Library to learn more about Lakeside. Several titles are available for loan through the Clevnet system.

Benjamin E. Deeley, Civil War Veteran

Benjamin E. Deeley was born in Sandusky on August 31, 1841, to Edmond and Dora Kinney Deeley. Benjamin worked with his father in the local fishing industry, and he was also a carpenter by trade. In 1861, at the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in Company E of the 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry for three months' service. In 1862, he re-enlisted, this time in Company G of the 123rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, ultimately earning the rank of Corporal during his service.

During his years as a soldier, he was held as a prisoner of war at least three times, in prison camps at Libby, Belle Isle, and Andersonville. After the war was over, he worked for the railroad in Sandusky, building railroad cars. He was also an active member of the McMeens Chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic; during Sandusky's Memorial Day services of 1911, he was chairman of the decorating committee.

Benjamin Deeley and his wife, the former Eliza Jane Steen, had six children. Two sons became physicians, one son became a dentist, and two daughters were teachers in Sandusky City Schools. At the time of her retirement, his daughter, Miss Mary Deeley, was serving as principal of Sycamore School, and had been in the field of education for forty-two years.

Benjamin E. Deeley died on November 26, 1925. His obituary appeared in the Sandusky Star Journal on the same day.

In light of the occupations of the children, it is clear that the Deeley family placed a great value on education and service. Surviving the horrors of war in military service and confinement at prison camps, Benjamin Deeley returned home to his family after the Civil War, and led an active life. Mr. Deeley was buried in the family lot at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

A Soldiers’ Memorial, honoring Co. G. of the Ohio 123rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry can be seen at the Follett House Museum.

Nearly All of the Loeffler Family Died in the 1849 Cholera

St. Joseph's Cemetery, Sandusky

According to the book, Sandusky Then and Now, in the course of a few days, John Loeffler, his wife Catherine, and four children all died from cholera in the summer of 1849. The only member of the family to survive was the youngest child, Johannes/John Loeffler, Local residents took the young child in, and the younger John Loeffler lived in Sandusky until his death in 1928 at age 82. He never married, and he worked as a gardener, tending to gardens and lawns all over Sandusky.

The elder John Loeffler came from Rentheim, Baden, Germany to Sandusky in 1835. He married Catherine that same year. Eventually, he ran a tailoring business, in conjunction with a tavern and grocery store at the corner of Fulton and Market Streets. John Loeffler was the first in the family to die from cholera, on July 24, 1849. On July 26, Catherine, Frank and George died. The last child to die was Conrad, who passed away on July 28, 1849.

John Loeffler, the young child who survived the deadly epidemic, made a career as a caretaker of lawns and gardens, and was buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Sandusky in 1928.

Though no stones have been located, St. Joseph’s Cemetery records list all six members of the Loeffler family as having been buried in Section B at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. A total of 357 persons died from cholera in 1849, and smaller epidemics took place in 1852 and 1854. While many have tombstones at Oakland Cemetery and St. Joseph’s Cemetery, most victims were laid to rest at the Cholera Cemetery on Harrison Street. An historical marker was placed at the Cholera Cemetery in 1966.

You can read more about the cholera epidemic in Sandusky in Hewson Peeke’s book, A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio (Lewis Pub. Co., 1916.)

The Cowell Family of Castalia

For many years Mr. and Mrs. Alvin T. Cowell resided in a home on South Washington Street in Castalia, approximately where the Castalia Branch of Civista Bank is now located. Mr. and Mrs. Cowell are in front of the house, and their daughter Frances Alberta Cowell, known as “Bertie” or “Fannie” is standing by a chair.

The book A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio, by Hewson L. Peeke provides biographical information about Alvin Cowell and his family:

Alvin T. Cowell was reared in Castalia, attended the public schools there, and was about seventeen years of age when the country was thrown into the confusion resulting from the outbreak of the Civil war. A few years later he responded to the call of his patriotism and enlisted on May 2, 1864, in Company I of the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Volunteer Infantry of Ohio. He was out about four months, and spent most of the time with his regiment in guard duty at Arlington Heights, just across the Potomac River from Washington. On receiving his honorable discharge he returned to Erie County, and subsequently .had the advantage of a brief attendance at the Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. With this preparation for practical life he became a farmer, and for many years conducted a large farm of more. than 200 acres in the vicinity of Castalia. While a man who has been known for his strict attention to his business, he has at different times consented to serve in the public interest and for six years was a trustee of Margaretta Township. At the present time he is living in Castalia, and has all the conveniences and comforts he needs for the evening of life.

On February 28, 1910, Mr. Cowell was called upon to mourn tine loss of his faithful companion who had shared with him in the joys and sorrows of existence for nearly forty years. On December 26, 1871, he married Catherine Cooper, who was born in Mount Vernon,. Ohio, a daughter of Cyrus and Sarah (Mitchell) Cooper. Her father was for many years a resident of Knox County, Ohio, and came from there to Margaretta Township where he was a prosperous farmer, but finally sold his land and spent his declining years at Clyde, Ohio, but his body now rests in the cemetery at Castalia. Mr. and Mrs. Cowell became the parents of two children. Fannie A. is the wife of Rev. Charles J. Dole, who is pastor of the Congregational Church at Chelsea, Michigan. The only son, Philip C., is now deceased. Rev. Mr. Dole and wife have five children named Marie L. Catherine Irene, Alberta A., Edward C. and Charles R.

Frances Alberta Dole married a Congregational minister, Rev. Charles Joel Dole in 1891. In the late 1800s, Rev. Dole served as the minister of the Castalia Congregational Church. Two of the Dole daughters had long careers with the Sandusky Library. Miss Irene Dole was the librarian for the Castalia Branch Library from 1942 to 1968. During her time as librarian, the library was housed in the former Town Hall on Main Street in Castalia. The former town hall in Castalia is pictured at the left, in the post card below, about 1905.

Mrs. Alberta Dole Smith was the children’s librarian at Sandusky Library during the 1950s and early 1960s. Mrs. Smith’s picture appeared in the Sandusky Register during National Library Week, on March 19, 1958. The article stated in part: “Children’s librarians feel that none of their patrons will turn out to be a Johnny or Joan who “can’t read” as they are accustomed to having books around the home, and visiting a store house of wonderful and exciting book friends.”

Admiral Byrd In Sandusky

On December 12, 1930, The famous explorer Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd spoke to a crowd of 1200 at Sandusky Junior High School, under the auspices of the senior class at Sandusky High School. He was delayed in Cleveland, but he finally arrived on the New York Central train in Sandusky. Due to the delay, the parade that had been planned for him was cancelled, but crowds of people greeted the Admiral as he arrived at the Sloane House Hotel. 

In his talk, Rear Admiral Byrd spoke about his recent expedition to the Antarctic. Byrd and his men experienced temperatures ranging from 50 degrees below zero to 70 below zero. They wore garments made from reindeer skin, and had sleeping bags made from fur. During his talk, he showed motion pictures that had been taken during the two year expedition.

While in Sandusky, Admiral Byrd visited the Parker Air Field, where he signed the register. During his visit here, he suggested that the Air Field be lighted. 

Sheriff John Parker can be seen in the picture below with the Admiral.

 John W. Parker and Lucius Parker operated the first airport in Sandusky from about 1927 to 1937, when it was sold to the city. It became the Griffing Sandusky Airport until it was closed in 2013.

Airplane at Parker Air Field in 1930

Byrd left Sandusky the next morning in a  Ford tri-motor plane that had been supplied by Edsel Ford. Admiral Byrd was to give a lecture in Detroit, Michigan.

A brief film clip entitled With Byrd at the South Pole can be viewed at Turner Classic Movies.