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Products Sold by the Cleveland and Sandusky Brewing Company

December 9, 2016, 7:00 am
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According to this advertisement, which appeared in the December 18, 1906 issue of the Sandusky Register, several types of beer could be delivered to Sandusky homes in 1906. Two dozen pints of C & S Special beer sold for $1.25. A case of Hof-Brau beer also sold for $1.25. A case of Crystal Rock or Amber beer sold for $1.00. 

The Stang Brewery on King Street
From about 1898 until Prohibition, the Kuebeler-Stang plants of the Cleveland and Sandusky Brewing Company distributed beer locally. In the 1904-1905 Sandusky City Directory listed Jacob Kuebeler as the first vice president and general manager of the local plants, while John E. Stang served as the assistant manager. The general office of the company was on the east side of Tiffin Avenue, near the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern railroad. The branch office was on the east side of King Street, north of Madison Street.





Frank Stang started the Stang Brewing Company in 1880. His younger brother John Stang took over as president in 1890. Pictures of John Stang and Jacob Kuebeler appear in the 1895 publication, Men of Sandusky.

Jacob and August Kuebeler founded the Kuebeler Brewing Company in 1867. Around 1885 the Kuebeler brothers both built virtually identical large brick homes on Tiffin Avenue. Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Kuebeler lived at 1318 Tiffin Avenue. (This home no longer stands.) The August Kuebeler residence was built at 1319 Tiffin Avenue, and is still standing today.

The Kuebeler & Stang Breweries merged in 1896.  Two years later the Kuebeler-Stang Breweries merged with Cleveland breweries to form the Cleveland and Sandusky Brewing Company. Many breweries closed during Prohibition, but the Stang plant continued doing business as Crystal Rock Products Company, selling soft drinks. The picture below shows a float sponsored by the Kuebeler Stang Brewing Company in the late 1800s.

To read more about the Kuebeler and Stang Brewing Companies and other brewing companies, see the book, Brewing Beer in the Buckeye State, by Dr. Robert A. Musson, available for loan through the CLEVNET system.
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The Ivonhoe Theatre

December 12, 2016, 6:00 am
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In 1914 and 1915, Charles L. Blatz was the owner and manager of the Ivonhoe Theatre, located on the west side of Jackson Street between Market and Washington Streets. An advertisement for the theatre stated that it was “built to conform to the OhioState code, is absolutely fire and panic proof.”  Music was provided by a special musical instrument, the “American Photo Player,” which combined piano, organ, and musical and sound effects in one unit. In the lobby of the Ivanhoe, hung a painting by Ralph S. Tebbutt, said to be a rendition of a "Native American maiden." The model for the painting was Mr. Blatz’s niece, Ivon Gamble. Ivon was about nineteen years of age when Tebbutt did the painting.  


Ivon Gamble married Augustus Feick in September of 1921. Following the death of Mr. Feick in 1938, Ivon married John W. Campbell. Mrs. Ivon Gamble Feick Campbell passed away in 1985 at the age of 90. She is buried in OaklandCemetery next to her first husband, Augustus Feick. Mrs. Ivon Campbell is pictured below in her later years.




Mr. Norbert Erney wrote a piece of sheet music entitled “Ivonhoe,” in honor of the theater. The sheet music is now located in the Arts Collection of the SanduskyLibraryArchivesResearch  Center. By 1916, the theater on Jackson Street became known as the Plaza Theater.


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Anthony Ilg, Pioneer Brewer

December 15, 2016, 6:00 am
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Anthony Ilg, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Casper Ilg, was born in Germanyin 1820. He came to the United Statesin 1849, settling first in Cincinnati, where he worked in the hotel and saloon business. In the 1870s, he and his family moved to Sandusky, where he purchased an interest in the old Fox brewery, becoming a partner in the brewery known as Raible, Strobel, and Ilg. From 1874 to 1879, the brewery was operated by Strobel and Ilg. Eventually Mr. Ilg became the sole proprietor, with his son Otto working for him. The Anthony Ilg brewery operated at the foot of Harrison Streeton Sandusky’s west side until the late 1880s.  

The 1886 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows the layout of the Ilg Brewery, with a large ice house, and smaller areas for coal, barley, mash and malt:




An excerpt from Hewson L. Peeke’s A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio, describes the popularity of breweries and saloons in Sanduskyin 1883:




According to Peeke’s History, there was a saloon for every sixty five residents of Sanduskyin 1883.


Anthony Ilg passed away on July 18, 1905, and was buried in the North Ridge section of Sandusky’s OaklandCemetery. 
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Musical Entertainment at Norman Hall on December 18, 1863

December 18, 2016, 7:27 am
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On Friday evening, December 18, 1863, musical entertainment by the pupils of the Sandusky High School was presented at Norman Hall under the direction of Prof. William C. Webster. The venue was the same location where noted abolitionist Frederick Douglass would present a speech in Sandusky in 1864.


Martha A. Webster played the piano for the evening’s program. Several musical numbers were performed during the first part on the program, which concluded with the chorus singing “Prepare We for the Festive Scene.”  During the second part of the night’s entertainment, the “Coronation of the Queen” was enacted.


The queen was played by Mary Whitney, with Mary Dewey and Julia W. Webster serving as attendants. Twelve young ladies presented the queen with a basket of flowers. Speeches were given by Emma Cowdery, Julia Pool, and Maud Youngs. Several musical performances by the Webster family were included during the course of the evening.  

Tickets to the program were sold at the C.V. Olds Bookstore at the West House for twenty five cents, with tickets for children under 12 years old selling for fifteen cents.  William C. Webster and his wife, Mary Cushing Webster, were pioneer music teachers in the states of Ohio and New York. A biographical sketch about William C. Webster in the book History and Genealogy of the Gov. John Webster Family of Connecticutstates that Mr. Webster was a teacher of vocal music for thirty years.
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Christmas Issue of the Hourglass Newsletter

December 21, 2016, 7:00 am
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Several issues of the Hourglass newsletter from the former Apex Manufacturing Company are housed in the business collection of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. The December 1948 issue of the Hourglass promoted home cleaning products. Page 16 of the newsletter depicts Apex cleaners under a Christmas tree:


The back cover of the newsletter provides details about a display for the Apex cylinder cleaner that featured the attachments for that model. The attachments helped the 1940s homemaker clean not only the floor, but also draperies and furniture and blinds.



Other features of this newsletter include family news about employees, safety tips, and news from the various Apex departments. An interesting letter from Sandusky Plant Manager Henry A. Klingenberger discusses the social climate of the U.S. after World War II. Having faced material shortages during the war, and the loss of employees to military service, in 1946 the company was shifting back to normal peacetime production. “Good will and cheer” were in the air.


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Sandusky Children Gave Gifts to a Local Hospital in 1889

December 24, 2016, 6:00 am
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In December of 1889, hundreds of Sandusky schoolchildren brought in donations for the Good Samaritan Hospital, which at that time was located on Van Buren Street.
      

According to the Sandusky Register of December 23, 1889, school children all across Sandusky were asked to contribute gifts to the hospital.



Hundreds of youngsters brought in donations of food for use at the hospital. Ethel Moore brought in two cakes of chocolate. Other gifts included a pound of coffee from Joe Nolan, four pounds of rolled oats from Jessie Hornig, a pound of tapioca from Willie Banks, and a live chicken from Albert Trout. Some students brought in contributions of cash. (You can read the article above in its entirety on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.) 

During the holiday season of 1889, the D.C. Powers and Company store promised to carry something to please every member of the family

After having opened in 1886, the Good Samaritan Hospital ran into serious financial problems and closed its doors in 1893. The hospital reopened in 1910, and was rebuilt in 1918. Later a new facility was built, next door to the old one. In 1985 Good Samaritan Hospital and Sandusky Memorial Hospital merged to form Firelands Community Hospital, now known as Firelands Regional Medical Center.

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Rudy Vallee Turned Down an Opportunity to Appear in Sandusky in January 1933

December 28, 2016, 7:00 am
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In December of 1932, J. Leroy Weier of the Lake Shore Tire Company, asked musical star Rudy Vallee to consider appearing at the opening of a new building in Sandusky. A reasonable search did not turn up exactly which building or business was opening in Sandusky in the winter of 1932-1933, but Mr. Weier had several local business interests at that time, including the Lake Shore Tire Company and the Weier Brothers salvage yard. It seems that the famous entertainer was going to be in Cleveland, Ohio for the Automobile Show in January of 1933. Mr. Weier had hoped that Rudy Vallee could appear in Sandusky, during the same week as the Auto Show. It turns out that Mr. Vallee had to return promptly to New York City for the radio broadcast sponsored by the Fleischman Yeast Company.  Though Mr. Vallee seemed optimistic that he may be able to appear in Sandusky at a later time, it does not seem that he ever made it here.

During the 1920s and 1930s, radios were sold at the Lake Shore Tire Company. In the historical business files of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center is an undated promotional item that was given away by the Lake Shore Tire Company. Inside the small notebook were pages on which a person could jot down the call letters, city, and state of radio programs, and make notes about those programs.



In the 1920s and 1930s, the Lake Shore Tire Company stocked a variety of radio accessories, including tubes, condensers, batteries, condensers, speakers and sockets.


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New Year’s Pretzel

December 31, 2016, 7:12 am
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This article was originally posted on December 27, 2006

The tradition of the New Year's Pretzel appears to date from the turn of the 20th century in Sandusky. As the city of Sandusky grew, it was home to a very large German population. Sandusky had German neighborhoods and even supported a German language newspaper or two. It was the strong influence of the German community that brought about a holiday tradition known to very few communities.

The New Year’s Pretzel is different from the pretzels we know today. It is soft and made from an egg dough, and instead of being sprinkled with salt, it is washed with a glaze. The finished product is chewy. The pretzels were anywhere from 15 to 36 inches across and were made by a number of bakeries in Sandusky, including Becherer, Frank’s (pictured here, at 834 Columbus Ave.), Knoerle, Feddersen, Kanzler, Schweinfurth, Michel, Smith’s, Sandusky Baking, H & S, Park, and others.

The pretzels are usually eaten for breakfast on New Year’s Day. Wilbert Ohlemacher recalled that his father would hang the pretzel by a ribbon from the gas chandelier over the dining room table. He would cut the ribbon and then cut the pretzel into smaller pieces for everyone in the family. When the custom was practiced in early Sandusky, the pretzels were often decorated with intricate braids made from the same dough.

There are a few different theories about the origins of the German New Years Pretzel. One is that they were first baked by monks in Southern Germany as a reward for children who learned their prayers. Thus they were shaped to represent the crossed arms of a child praying.

Another story is that the circular shape of the symbolic loaf is derived from the old calendar sign for the winter solstice, which was a circle with a dot in its center. The central cross was added to represent the four seasons.

Yet another story tells of German citizens parading through the streets with pretzels piled onto long sticks, and groups of people would go calling on friends and relatives and exchange pretzels instead of greetings.

While the exact origin is unknown, the New Years Pretzel is fondly remembered by countless residents of Sandusky.
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Hotel Kunzmann

January 3, 2017, 12:51 pm
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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. 
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When Dick’s Grocery and Carry-Out Was at the Corner of Tiffin Avenue and Mills Street

January 6, 2017, 7:36 am
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For many years, the building at the corner of Tiffin Avenue and Mills Street was home to Dick’s Grocery, later Dick’s Grocery and Carry-Out. The building was constructed in the first quarter of the twentieth century. In 1925 Frank J. Dick operated a confectionery at this location; by the 1930s and 1940s, it was a deli. For a time in the early 1950s, Almo Maumus ran a grocery store at this location. The first listing in Sandusky City Directories for Dick’s Grocery appeared in 1954; Richard Lorenz was the proprietor.

The building is a flat iron building, because of its unique shape that is similar to a flat clothes iron. You can see the layout of this building in a portion of a page from a Sanborn Insurance Map below. The structure is much narrower at the front part of the building, and is wider in the rear part of the building.


Though the address on the Sanborn Map is listed as 1022 Tiffin Avenue, the address is now 1028 Tiffin Avenue.


Decorative brick trim can still be seen along the top of the building.


An article appeared in the Christmas Eve issue of the Sandusky Register in 1964: “True Christmas Meaning Not Lost on West End Foursome.” Four youngsters who lived on the west end of Sandusky went Christmas caroling. They collected money as the caroled from door to door, and raised a total of $2.57. The children donated the money to the Muscular Dystrophy Fund container at Dick’s Grocery and Carry-Out. Sandusky Register staff writer Dell McCloy wrote the article, and three of the four children had their picture taken by Register photographer Ken Eckler. By the mid 1970s, Dick’s moved to its new location at 1318 Tiffin Avenue, and was listed as Dick’s Drive-Thru Carry Out. For several years, an income tax company was located in the former Dick’s Grocery and Carry-Out.

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The Smith Brick Company

January 10, 2017, 12:41 pm
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The Smith Brick Company was incorporated in 1902; it was located on the east side of Olds Street, south of Monroe Street. The 1904 Sandusky City Directory listed John H. Smith as the president and general manager, and Ernest Stephens as the secretary-treasurer. A map of the property appeared in the 1904 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map:


The Smith Brick Company was located near the railroad tracks and the Lower Lake Coal Docks, which made shipping of their products quite convenient.  In September of 1906, the company received an order for a million bricks that were to be shipped to Chicago Junction (now known as Willard) for construction of a roundhouse for the B and O Railroad. In 1910 the Smith Brick Company was bought out by James J. Hinde, and it became the Hinde Brick and Tile Company. This ad appeared in the Sandusky Register of August 5, 1912.



By 1923 the Erie Brick and Cement Company took over the site of the former Hinde Brick and Tile Company. The west end of the city of Sandusky has long been home to many industrial sites. Visit the Sandusky Library to view decades of historical Sandusky City Directories which provide detailed listings of past and present Sandusky residents and businesses.
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Wildman & Mills Deeded Property to Martin Eldis in 1841

January 13, 2017, 7:49 am
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On August 14, 1841, several members of the Wildman and Mills families deeded property to Martin Eldis. (Zalman Wildman and Isaac Mills were original property owners, and are considered founders of the city of Sandusky.) The property was No. 29 Water Street, which was in the city of Sandusky, bounded to the north by Water Street, to the east by Lot 28, to the south by Lot 22, and to the west by Lot 30. 

Click to zoom

The property sold for $2, 082.83. A fee of ten cents was paid to the Erie County Auditor, Orlando McKnight. The deed was recorded in Volume 2 of the Records of Erie County, on pages 258 and 259. Horace Aplin was Erie County Recorder in 1841.


The deed was witnessed by Mayor S.B. Caldwell and by Associate Judge Moors Farwell.


The names of several pioneer residents of Sandusky appear on this deed. F.D. Parish, well known abolitionist, served as the attorney for Julia Ann Wildman and Mary Starr. Isaac A. Mills, attorney for Abigail Mills, was the son of one of the proprietors of Sandusky, also named Isaac Mills. Martin Eldis and his wife, the former Louisa Guckenberger, were among the earliest Sandusky settlers of German descent. They ran a bakery, which was taken over by Mrs. Eldisafter the death of her husband in 1852.

Mrs. Louise Guckenberger Eldis

To read more about Mr. and Mrs. Martin Eldis, see page 94 of Sandusky Then and Now, available at the Sandusky Library.
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Morris Link and Link’s Block

January 16, 2017, 6:00 am
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Morris Link was born in Baden, Germany, and emigrated to the United States in 1851. After settling in Sandusky, he became involved in the culture of grapes and manufacturing of wine. He also worked for several years as a foreman in the Mad River Railroad warehouse. 

In 1870, Morris Link built the Link Block at the corner of McDonough and Washington Streets in Sandusky. Dr. Ernst von Schulenburg wrote in Sandusky Then and Now, that Link’s Block on Washington Street was a “monument to his [Mr. Link's] spirit of enterprise.” In the 1886 Sanborn map, pictured below, you can see that Link’s Block had a drugstore, grocery and saloon on the street levels of the building, with a public hall on the upper level, and a dining hall in the rear of the structure.


Many social events, political meetings, and dances were held at this site. On July 4, 1873, the Bay City Dancing Club held a Grand Ball at Link’s Hall, with musical entertainment provided by the Great Western Band. Tickets were fifty cents. According to the book Sandusky Then and Now, in 1885 the Sandusky Liederkranz (Sandusky Choral Society) was reorganized and held rehearsals at Link’s Hall. In 1904, a Mr. Rissman and Schaefer served lunch there. Turtle soup was the special of the day on March 26, 1904. A roller skating rink was in operation at Link’s Hall in 1905. In the 1940s and 1950s, several wrestling matches were held there. Below is an advertisement from the October 18, 1952 issue of the Sandusky Register, for a match between Bert Silverman and Frankie Taylor.


A number of businesses have been in operation in Link’s block, including the Towne Tavern and Health Club in the 1960s and 1970s.
            

For a number of years, the State Liquor Store No. 181 was located in the 900 block of West Washington Street. When you pass by the corner of West Washington and McDonough Street, take a moment to reflect on the rich history of that location.


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Simplex Radio Company

January 19, 2017, 6:30 am
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After having been connected with the Maibohm Motor Company in Sandusky, Harry C. Maibohm started the Simplex Radio Company in 1924 at the corner of King and West Monroe Streets in Sandusky, Ohio. The advertisement above appeared in a 1932 Erie County Directory. The ad featured a Model P Simplex Radio which sold for $29.95 and a Model R Simplex Radio, which sold for $19.95. The Model P radio brought in radio stations from far distances, but the Model R was used primarily for local reception. In the 1930s, Simplex radios relied on RCA vacuum tubes for operation. The radio dial was illuminated, and interior chassis parts were rust-proofed. Most likely many Sandusky residents listened to President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chats” from a broadcast brought into their home through a Simplex radio. 

When Jackson Junior High School opened in 1928, a Simplex system provided the ability to broadcast a radio program or phonograph record throughout a public address system, so that every student and teacher in the school could hear the broadcast at the same time. An article in the February 26, 1928 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that, “Through the imagination and foresight of F.J. Prout, superintendent of schools, Sandusky now claims the distinction of having what is believed to be the world’s first radio-equipped school.” 


This page from a patent issued to Harry C. Maibohm in 1932 describes a combined radio receiver, phonograph and public address system. The entire patent document is viewable through Google Patents.


As years went by, the Simplex radio became more streamlined, as seen in this picture of a 1937 Simplex radio, now at the Follett House Museum.
   

In 1937 Philco, a large radio manufacturing company, bought a controlling interest in the Simplex Company. The company relocated to the site of the former Maibohm automobile factory at 3130 West Monroe Street. By 1948 the local company adopted the Philco name. During war years, the factory worked on communications equipment for the U.S. Government. In the early 1950s, Philco made radios and television sets. In 1961 Philco moved its operations to Pennsylvania, and used the Sandusky plant as a warehouse. The Air Reduction Company purchased the warehouse building in 1964. 

The Simplex and Philco Companies provided jobs for hundreds of local men and women. The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center is fortunate to have a series of newsletters from Simplex and Philco in its business collections. Visit the Sandusky Library to view these interesting publications, which range in date from 1948-1962
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Vincent Valve Company

January 22, 2017, 6:00 am
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In the early 1900s, the Vincent Valve Company was located at the corner of Arthur and Wayne Streets in Sandusky, Ohio. Officers listed in the 1902 Sandusky City Directory included:  J.G. Schurz, President; William F. Ohlemacher, Vice President; C.H. Myers, Treasurer; and E.C. Bacon, Secretary and Manager. The company manufactured Vincent Gate Valves, Big Four Globe Valves, and other equipment used in water works facilities.


In an early issue of the journal Modern Machinery, it was stated that the Vincent Valve Company employed standard measurements, the finest of machine tools, and the services of skilled workmen. The article continued, “All this has been developed by the absolute necessities and requirements of modern engineering.” The Vincent Valve Company ran a want ad in the January 2, 1901 issue of the Detroit News, advertising jobs at once for pattern makers and mold makers. An article in the Sandusky Daily Star of October 26, 1901 reported that the Vincent Valve Company had been awarded a medal at the Pan American Exposition.


By June of 1903, the National Valve Company took over the business. 

Several other businesses were later located at the former Vincent Valve Company site, including Roberts Motors, the Modern Pattern Company, Johnston Marine Engine Works, and Roberts Construction. Below is a portion of the Sanborn Map which shows the layout of the Modern Pattern Company in the 1950s and 1960s.


Today Arthur Street Storage is located at this site.
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Reffelt’s First German Book for School and House

January 30, 2017, 6:49 am
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Now housed at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, this German textbook was once used by August Kuebeler. Reffelt’s First German Book for School and House included instruction in reading, writing, arithmetic and drawing. On pages 20 and 21 from the German textbook, you can see examples of math problems, handwriting, and several vocabulary words. The drawing sample features a weaving pattern.


Here are pages 62 and 63 from Reffelt’s First German Book:



In Sandusky,  classes were taught in the German language for native German speakers in the public schools during the 1800s. In the 1872-73 school year, there were five German schools in the city. The 1876 Sandusky City Directory listed J.A. Falk, C. Wormelsdorf, J.G. Doerflinger, and Mrs. E. Lewetz as instructors of the German language in Sandusky’s public school system. In addition to classes for German speakers, instruction in the German language for English speakers was available in all the schools.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to view this interesting piece of Sandusky’s educational history.
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Lower Lake Dock Company Dinner at the Hotel Rieger in 1928

February 2, 2017, 6:00 am
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On February 11, 1928, several members of management and staff of the Lower Lock Dock Company met for a dinner at the Hotel Rieger in Sandusky. The celebratory dinner was held in honor of the crews who staffed Heyl and Patterson dumpers at the Lower Lake Docks in Sandusky. 

On May 6 and 7, 1927, 1254 coal cars of the Pennsylvania Railroad were unloaded, resulting in 73,987 tons of coal being dumped. This feat broke all previous unloading records at the dock.

The invited guests were treated to a dinner of steak and baked potatoes with all the trimmings. 

At that time, C.H. Hampe was the superintendent of the company. He would go on to have a career that spanned over fifty years of dock service, having worked in Ashtabula and Sandusky. In 1950, officials of the Lower Lake Dock Company and the Pennsylvania Railroad honored Mr. Hampe with a celebration of his fifty years of service by hosting a party in his honor at the Odd Fellows Hall. 

Now the company formerly known as the Lower Lake Dock Company is owned by Norfolk Southern and is operated by the Sandusky Dock Corporation. This firm still uses equipment made by Heyl and Patterson. To see more pictures of the coal docks, see a previous post at Sandusky History’s website.


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Charcoal Drawing of Paul and Clarabelle Cayhoe

February 5, 2017, 6:00 am
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Charles G. Cayhoe created this charcoal drawing of his children, Paul and Clarabelle Cayhoe, around 1909. Mr. Cayhoe was trained at the Zanerian College of Penmanship in Columbus, Ohio. He was a teacher of penmanship for thirty years, serving as supervisor of penmanship and drawing at Sandusky City Schools from 1910 until his retirement in 1919. 

Paul and Clarabelle Cayhoe can be seen in this family picture, along with their parents, aunt and grandmother.


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Levi Till, Builder and Architect

February 8, 2017, 6:30 am
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Levi Till was born in Staffordshire, England in 1826 or 1827. (Sources vary.) He studied architecture in England, and later with an uncle in Mansfield, Ohio. By 1849, he was residing in Sandusky. Mr. Till is credited with designing and building the former home of Thomas C. McGee at 536 E. Washington Street in Sandusky.


While in some census records Mr. Till listed his occupation as carpenter, in the 1870 U.S. Census he stated he worked as a “builder and architect.” At this time, he and his wife Anna had four children in their home, ranging in age from 9 to 18.


 An article which appeared in the Sandusky Register of August 9, 1873, reported that “One of the finest jobs in iron work to be found in this or any other city” had just been completed at the residence of Rush R. Sloane. Mr. Sloane’s home had built in the 1850s by Samuel Torry, and was sold to Rush Sloane in 1854. In 1873, Levi Till designed the tower, cornices and piazza of Rush Sloane’s residence, with the construction work carried out by J.B. Weis and Company, of Sandusky.


In 1878, Levi Till designed of the former home of William Robertson, Jr., a Sandusky grocer.

    
Helen Hansen wrote in At Home in Early Sandusky, that “Neither time nor money was spared” in the building of this house. Charles Bauman painted each room in a different color, and the newel post and stairway came from Cincinnati. The original home had chandeliers made of cut glass and the hardware on the doors was made from triple plated silver. 

Another building that Levi Till designed was the old Number Three Fire Station on Meigs Street, which is now a law office.


Levi Till died on January 28, 1901 at his Meigs Street home in Sandusky. Funeral services were held ad the family residence, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery. 

To read more about the many historic buildings and homes in Sandusky, Ohio, visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.
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Ceylon, Ohio

February 11, 2017, 6:00 am
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Ceylon is a small unincorporated community north of Berlin Heights in Erie County, Ohio, along Route 61 and just east of Old Woman Creek. It was a stop for the LakeShoreand Michigan Southern Railroad, and later was a station on the Lake Shore Electric Railway route. A small refreshment stand served both automobile and interurban customers. Aldrich’s History of Erie County stated that in 1889 Ceylon had “two stores, two saloons, a hotel, a post office and a sawmill.”  The May 6, 1881 Sandusky Daily Register reported that Ceylon was “one of the leading shipping points on the Northern division of the Lake Shore Road.”  In the fall of 1880, twenty five thousand bushels of wheat were shipped out of Ceylon. There was a Post Office in Ceylon until September 14, 1904. (It was established as the Berlin Station Post Office in 1858, and the name was changed to the Ceylon Post Office on Oct. 2, 1871.)   Mail was delivered by stage coach for many years.

The PeakeCemetery is located just east of the intersection of Ceylon Road and Route 2. The cemetery was named after the Peake (sometimes spelled Peak) family which resided in the Ceylon area in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. An obituary for OliverPeak, one of Ceylon’s earliest settlers, is found in the July 1878 issue of the Firelands Pioneer.



The final line of Mr. Peak’s obituary says that “The deceased was an industrious farmer for many years, a man of sterling qualities, genial spirits, and went down before the Great Reaper as a shock of corn ripe for the harvest.”
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