Sunday, December 30, 2012

Sandusky Register Centennial Edition


On December 31, 1922, the Sandusky Register published a lengthy Centennial Edition of the newspaper. A bound copy of this edition is housed in the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, and is available on microfilm as well. The Sandusky Register began on April 24, 1822, as a newspaper called The Clarion, edited by David Campbell. The paper was called the Daily Register after Earl Bill and Clark Waggoner took over as editors of the paper in 1851. It was not until Isaac Foster Mack became half-owner in the newspaper in 1869 that the local newspaper in Sandusky was known as the Sandusky Register. The Centennial Edition of the Register covered several aspects of the history of the city of Sandusky, including its importance as a port, its many businesses, and Sandusky’s involvement in steam and railroad transportation. Also discussed in the special edition are music, entertainment, religion, and Sandusky’s rich military history.

President Warren G. Harding sent a letter stating that he was happy to be an old friend of the Register.


Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and former U.S. President, William Howard Taft sent greetings congratulating the Sandusky Register on its one hundredth anniversary.

Thomas A. Edison recalled his boyhood days in Milan. He recalled seeing prairie schooners that carried adventurers out west to hunt for gold.


The Rotogravure section of the Centennial Edition featured articles about people and events that were significant in Northern Ohio between 1822 and 1922. Visit the Sandusky Library if you would like to view the Centennial edition of the Sandusky Register.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Sandusky Turn-Gemeinde Christmas Festival


On December 25, 1892, the Sandusky Turn-Gemeinde held their annual festival at the Turner Hall, which had formerly been known as Norman Hall. Tickets were twenty-five cents and the music was provided by the Great Western Orchestra.

The Turn-Gemeinde was an association made up primarily of German-American individuals, and whose primary objective was to promote physical fitness. It was formed by a merger of the Active Turnverien and the Social Turnverein clubs around 1888.

The last party of the Social Turn-Verein, before merger with the Active Turn-Verien

The December 26, 1892 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that the Turn-Gemeinde Christmas festivities were largely attended. Otto Baumeister had created a piece of floral art that was quite attractive. The article went to say that “The music of the Great Western Orchestra was exceptionally fine, fully maintaining the reputation of that well known organization of musical artists.” The Great Western Band and Orchestra entertained Sandusky residents for many years. To read more about the history of German-American citizens of Sandusky, see Sandusky Then and Now, by Dr. Ernst von Schulenburg.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Christmas 1947 Edition of Hourglass Newsletter



The Hourglass was a newsletter put out for employees of the Apex Manufacturing Company. The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center contains a series of Hourglass newsletters published from 1943 to 1948. Apex manufactured washing machines in Sandusky in the 1930s and 1940s. During World War II, millions of dollars worth of materials were manufactured by the local Apex plant for the war effort. Miss Lillian Chapman from the purchasing department created the Christmas cover design for the December, 1947 Hourglass. The upcoming Apex Christmas party was a featured topic in this edition.


The party was to be held at the Sandusky Junior High School at 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 20, 1947. Elmer Rife’s “All-Apex Music Masters” was one of the groups scheduled to provide entertainment. Kay Lutes and her Million Dollar Dance Revue was another.


The Apex Manufacturing Company and its predecessor, Holland Rieger, provided jobs for hundreds of Sandusky area men and women for many years. Inquire at the Reference Services desk to view copies of the Hourglass newsletter from Apex.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Edmund H. Zurhost, Politician and Businessman

The front page of the December 21, 1923 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that Edmund H. Zurhorst was “one of the picturesque personages of partisan politics of Sandusky,” on the occasion of Mr. Zurhorst’s death in California.
Edmund H. Zurhorst was born in 1845 in Montreal, Canada, to William H. and Letitia  (McKenna) Zurhorst. In 1849 the Zurhorst family moved from Canada to Sandusky, Ohio. Edmund Zurhorst began his studies in the Sandusky city schools, but when he was age 14, he left school in order to obtain employment to help support the family. Before the Civil War, Mr. Zurhorst worked on lake and ocean vessels. During the Civil War, he was both a seaman and a surgeon’s steward. After the Civil War, he was connected with several business interests, including the Marblehead Lime Company, the Sandusky and Columbus Short Line Railway, the Columbus, Sandusky and Hocking Railroad, the Second National Bank, and the C. C. Keech Company. From 1898 to 1904, he served as the U.S. Collector of Customs for the Sandusky district.

Perhaps Edmund H. Zurhorst was best known for his years as a keen politician in which he gained the confidence of state and national leaders of the Republican party. The Register article stated that Mr. Zurhorst often said “They called me a boss, but I wasn’t. I used to have the boys gather around me and then I’d tell ‘em how I thought things out to be done. They just generally agreed with me, that was all there was to it.” Mr. Zurhorst was personal friends with President Chester Arthur, President William McKinley, and Senator Mark Hanna.

On December 20, 1923, Edmund H. Zurhorst passed away in Hollywood, California. His wife, the former Harriet West Keech had predeceased him in 1890. Mr. and Mrs. Zurhorst had three children, Christopher C., William K., and Mary Louise. Mrs. Mary Louise Mitchell was the only surviving child of Mr. Zurhorst. Funeral services were attended by many, and burial was at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.


Edmund H. Zurhorst is the gentleman on the left in the picture above. He and an unidentified man are seen reading the December 9, 1914 issue of the Sandusky Register. Biographical sketches of Edmund H. Zurhorst can be found in Hewson Peeke’s A Standard History of Erie County and History of the Western Reserve by Harriet Taylor Upton, both available at the Sandusky Library.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Holiday Messenger from the R.M. & C.B. Wilcox Company


The Wilcox Company department store in Sandusky was located on the 100 block of the west side of Columbus Avenue in Sandusky from 1886 until it closed in December, 1929. A publication entitled “Holiday Messenger” was mailed to Sandusky area residents during the Christmas season of 1921 from the Wilcox Store. Nostalgic illustrations, stories and riddles appeared throughout the publication, along with information about the many items available for purchase at the R.M. and C.B. Wilcox Company for Christmas gifts.

In 1921, the R.M. and C.B. Wilcox Company sold everything from bloomers to sweaters, along with many household items. Merchandise came in a wide variety of prices, and claimed to offer “the right present for the right person at the right price.”

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Fox Family Portrait

The Allen Fox family is pictured below, around the turn of the twentieth century. Though difficult to read, the names of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Fox have been written on the picture. Standing are: Mary, George, Emma, Joe, Fanny, Dick, and Martha Fox. Seated are: Polly, Allen Fox, Eliza Catharine, and John Fox.



A brief biographical sketch of Allen Fox is found in the  History of Erie County, Ohio (1889), edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich. Mr. Fox was born in Perkins Township on July 11, 1826, to Roger and Polly Weatherly Fox. In 1851, Allen Fox married Eliza C. Bartlett, and they had a family of ten children. A lengthy obituary for Mrs. Fox appears in the February 6, 1903 issue of the Sandusky Register. The article said that Mrs. Fox had been widely and favorably known, and the large gathering of people at her funeral indicated the respect and esteem of her family and friends. “Those who knew Mother Fox best, speak in cordial praise of her goodness, sympathy and service in times of sickness. By day or night, she was ever ready to respond to the call from the sick room, and many were the sick and dying cheered by her ministrations.” The funeral for Mrs. Fox was held at the Perkins Methodist Church, and burial was in Perkins Cemetery.

Not pictured in the family photo was Ida Fox, who died on October 30, 1873, as a young person.

Mrs. Fox’s surviving children were listed as: Polly Mackin, John R. Fox, Joseph A. Fox, George Fox, Emma Strong, Sylvester D. Fox, Mary Louise Hess, Martha Richards, and Kate Lucy Frances Morris.

Allen Fox died on November 27, 1906. His obituary was in the December 5, 1906 Sandusky Register, which reported that the old log house that remained on the Fox farm was also the place of Mr. Fox’s birth. Mr. Fox was survived by nine children, twenty two grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and two brothers.

The citations for the obituaries of Mr. and Mrs. Allen Fox were obtained by accessing the Obituary Index from the R. B. Hayes Presidential Center. Obituaries can help add human interest to your family history, as you gather data about your ancestors from vital records, family Bibles, and other sources. While the R. B. Hayes Presidential Center is located in Fremont, Ohio, hundreds of obituaries of persons who resided in Erie County have been indexed. If you find a citation in the Hayes Obituary Index that cites its source as a Sandusky newspaper, you can find the actual article on the microfilmed copies of the Sandusky Register and other Sandusky newspapers in the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library.

While the handwritten names on the Fox family photograph did indeed help us identify the individuals pictured, it is not a good idea to literally write on a photograph. You can write on the back of the photograph with a soft pencil, preferably in the margins of the photograph. Another method would be to store the photograph in an acid-free sleeve, and on a separate piece of paper, identify the people and places that are pictured, using archival quality paper and pens. To read more about using photographs in your family history, see Maureen Taylor’s book entitled Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs, available at the Sandusky Library.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Local Advertisements in the December 1939 Fram


Along with several original works of prose, verse, art, and photography by students at Sandusky High School, several advertisements from Sandusky area businesses appeared in the December 1939 Fram. Students embellished the advertisements with block prints, as seen below in the ads from Farrell-Cheek Steel and the Ohio Public Service Company.



Page 33 of the Fram featured advertisements from the Simplex Radio Company and the William S. Frankel Company, a “women’s gift store.”


On another page, a figure is shown dancing with a milk bottle in the ad from Esmond Dairy, while the Denzer’s ad was accented with a stick figure holding an oversize pen.

Sunday, December 09, 2012

Ludwig Altstaetter’s German Music Books

In the Archives Research Center at the Sandusky Library are two books of handwritten music. The books were prepared by Frederick Altstaetter for his son Ludwig Altstaetter. One book, entitled Practische Klanierschule, includes scales and other musical segments intended for a student who is practicing piano skills.


The other book contains several musical pieces. All the musical notes, clefs, and tempos were meticulously handwritten. Below is a portion of the piece entitled Air de Ballet de Guillaume Tell de Rossini (using the old style of the first 's'). It appears to be a ballet based on the opera William Tell.


Louis Altstaetter, the Americanized name of Ludwig Altstaetter, was born in Germany on June 21, 1832. He married Matilda Steuk. Louis and his brother William Altstaetter are listed in the 1880 Sandusky City Directory as being the proprietors of a grocery store at 836 Market Street in Sandusky. Louis Altstaetter died on March 1, 1900, and he was buried at Oakland Cemetery. Mr. Altstaetter’s obituary, which appeared in the March 2, 1900 Sandusky Register, stated that he had lived in Sandusky for a number of years, during which time “he won the respect and esteem of all.” He was survived by a son and five daughters. Later, his son Edward Altstaetter would become the Mayor of Sandusky.

The name of Louis Altstaetter’s father, Frederick Altstaetter, would be familiar in Sandusky, Ohio for many years. Louis Altstaetter’s grandson was named Frederick Altstaetter, and Louis had a great granddaughter named Frederica Altstaetter.

Thursday, December 06, 2012

1931 Calendar from Lord & Schmitkons, Inc.


Boy Scout Memories was the theme of the promotional calendar from Lord & Schmitkons, Inc. from 1931. Inside the booklet found at the top of the calendar are the twelve points of the Scout Law, instructions for making backpacks and rover packs, as well as blank pages for Scouts to keep a record of meetings, hikes, and other events. Lord & Schmitkons, Inc. was incorporated in February of 1929, with officers George C. Schmitkons, president; Bert H. Lord, vice-president; and K. B. Lord, secretary and treasurer. The company was the distributor for Studebaker and Pierce-Arrow Motor Cars, at 212 Hancock Street. According to Sandusky City Directories, Lord & Schmitkons was only in Sandusky about two years, from 1929-1931.

Monday, December 03, 2012

Oakland Cemetery Deed from 1856


On December 13, 1856, a deed for Lot 8, Block 9 of Oakland Cemetery was issued to H. H. Eldis. The burial lot was purchased at a cost of $15.00. The document was signed by Sandusky Mayor Charles Cross. It appears that Samuel Lewis, Recorder, signed the document on May 12, 1854. (This date may be a clerical error.)

Henry H. Eldis was the son of early German settlers Martin and Louisa Eldis. According to According to the History of Erie County, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich, Martin Eldis settled in Portland Township, Sandusky, and opened a bakery and provision store on Water Street in the Spring of 1828. Martin Eldis died on November 28, 1852, "leaving to his wife and children an abundant share of earthly goods."

Mrs. Eldis (pictured above) told of her early years in Sandusky:

"We were not welcomed. On our arrival sixty years ago [1828], we were advised to better move on; if it had not have been for the steamboat trade, we never could have made a living in the first year or two. By and by though, the inborn element became more friendly to us, and learned to respect our ways. For nearly four years we were the only German family in this hamlet, and in all probability in the county."

The death record of Henry H. Eldis states that he died on August 16, 1892, at the age of 63. He had been employed as a railroad clerk. Henry H. Eldis was buried in Lot 8, Block 9, of Oakland Cemetery in the family lot, near his parents Martin and Louisa Eldis. To learn more about the early German settlers in Sandusky, read Sandusky Then and Now by Ernst Von Schulenburg.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Three Churches at the Intersection of Columbus Avenue and Jefferson Street

In this aerial view of Columbus Avenue, taken around 1920, one can see the three churches located at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Jefferson Street. (The church steeple in the right foreground of the picture is Emmanuel Church.) The oldest of the three churches at this intersection is Saints Peter and Paul Church, located at the southeast corner of Columbus Avenue and Jefferson Street. According to the Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places, Saints Peter and Paul Church (below) was built of limestone in 1865 by Patrick Charles Keely in the Victorian Gothic style. The triple windows in the tower and the three front doors are reflective of the Trinitarian theme often used by Keely.



The First Congregational Church was built in 1895 by George Philip Feick in the Romanesque Revival style of architecture. Tiffany glass is featured in this two story church, located at 431 Columbus Avenue.

George Feick was also the builder of Zion Lutheran Church, built in 1898-1899 at the southwest corner of Columbus Avenue and Jefferson Street. The church was built from limestone in the Victorian Romanesque style. Many early German immigrants worshipped at this church, whose congregation formed in 1847. Well into the twentieth century, there was a German language service held here every Sunday. Zion Lutheran Church served as a mother church for several other Lutheran churches in the area.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn more about these and several other area churches. In the Church Collections of the Archives Research Center are many vintage photographs, church histories, and church records on microfilm.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Lake Erie Hide and Leather Company


A vehicle owned by the Lake Erie Hide and Leather Company is pictured above, in front of the Griswold-Wagg Motor Company on East Market Street in Sandusky about 1920. The Lake Erie Hide and Leather Company was incorporated on October 5, 1909, and was located at the southeast corner of Hayes Avenue and North Depot Street. In 1912 the officers of the Lake Erie Hide and Leather Company were: A.G. Kibler, president; M.M. Kibler, vice-president; A.F. Cronenberger, secretary; and S.J. Kibler, treasurer. The Kibler family was from New Washington, Ohio, where several family members were associated with a tannery business and other business and political interests. Products carried by the Lake Erie Hide and Leather Company included hides, furs, wool, tallow, and pelts. An advertisement which appeared in the January 5, 1922 issue of the Sandusky Register listed the prices for a variety of hides. Opossum hides sold for seventy cents, mink for seven dollars, skunks for three dollars, and large red rat hides sold for a dollar and fifty cents.



The hides, furs, and other leather products handled by the company were easily shipped via the New York Central Railway, due to the company’s close proximity to the New York Central Depot.


The 1923-1924 Sandusky City Directory listed S.J. Kibler as the president of the Lake Erie Hide and Leather Company. By 1925, the Lake Erie Hide and Leather Company was no longer operating in Sandusky, Ohio.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Pietschman’s Shoes


Two youngsters are pictured above with a banner advertising an anniversary sale for Frank W. Pietschman, who was known as the “west side shoe-man.” Pietschman’s Shoe Store was located for several decades at the same location in Sandusky, at 417 Tiffin Avenue. The Twin Anniversary Edition of the Sandusky Register and Star News, from November 24, 1947 featured a full page advertisement for Pietschman’s Shoes.


The article stated that Frank Pietschman, a Civil War veteran, had first established a small shoe shop at 417 Tiffin Avenue in 1865. The original shop was a two story building with two rooms on the first floor and an apartment on the second level. Boots and shoes were custom made by six cobblers who were skilled in the art of shoe making. Frank Pietschman’s son William took over the shoe business in 1896. Though by this time, most people purchased ready-made shoes, one cobbler remained on staff for custom shoe orders. At the end of World War I, William’s son, who was named Frank William Pietschman, took over the family business. Young Frank W. Pietschman had served as an apprentice under his grandfather, and he had learned how to make shoes for individuals with deformed feet. In the year 1947, Frank W. Pietschman had been fitting people with corrective shoes for forty five years. Frank W. Pietschman passed away in October of 1979. Pietschman’s Shoes continued in operation, with the next generation of Pietschmans at the helm, for several years. Pietschman’s Shoes went out of business in the mid 1990s, but for decades it was known as one of the oldest and most outstanding shoe stores in northern Ohio.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

East Side Service Station


From about 1928 to 1931, the East Side Service Station was located at the intersection of Cleveland Road and McKinley Street in Sandusky, Ohio. In 1928 the East Side Service Station used Pennzoil products.



An advertisement which appeared in the November 21, 1928 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that the East Side Service Station offered Sandusky’s first enclosed drain pits. The staff specialized in greasing and crank case draining. High test gasoline was sold at the station.


An advertisement featured in the August 3, 1929 Sandusky Star Journal stated that the East Side Service Station was open all night. The station provided restrooms for travelers, and sold refreshments.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn more about the historic businesses of Sandusky and Erie County.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

John W. Parker, The Flying Sheriff


A newspaper article in the November 18, 1930 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal, reported on Sheriff John W. Parker’s flight from Sandusky to the State Penitentiary. On November 17 Sheriff Parker transported two prisoners from Erie County to the penitentiary aboard a Stinson four passenger airplane. John W. Parker served as Erie County Sheriff from 1928 to 1932.  While he was still the sheriff-elect, Parker stated that he would only use one of his planes when it was deemed necessary in the line of duty in the Sheriff’s office. In 1924, John W. Parker and his brother Lucius G. “Lute” Parker started an airplane club in Sandusky. They started a flying school in 1928, and they were instrumental in starting Sandusky’s first airport. From the 1950s through the 1970s, John W. Parker was the Commandant of the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home, now known as the Ohio Veterans Home. John W. Parker died on December 7, 1987. He was a veteran of both World War I and World War II. Mr. Parker was survived by his wife, three daughters, a son, and several grandchildren and great grandchildren. To learn more about Erie County’s elected officials, see Patty Pascoe’s book, Elected to Serve, available at the Sandusky Library.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Stubig’s Shoes


According to History of Erie County, Ohio, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich, Christian Stubig began manufacturing and selling shoes and boots in Sandusky, Ohio in 1866. Born in Nassau, Germany, Christian Stubig came to the United States in 1861. During the Civil War, Christian Stubig served with the Hoffman Battalion, where he guarded prisoners at Johnson’s Island. Stubig’s shoe store was located at 228 West Washington Street in downtown Sandusky.


In the 1890s Christian’s son, William O. Stubig, began working with his father at the Stubig’s shoe store, and William took over the business after his father’s death in 1904. Several employees of Stubig’s shoes can be seen in the 1910 picture below.

William O. Stubig died on November 15, 1956. An obituary for Mr. Stubig, which appeared in the November 17, 1956 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News stated that William O. Stubig had been one of Sandusky’s oldest and best known businessmen. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to see more documents, photographs, and other primary resources related to the Stubig family.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Veterans Day : Major Thomas S. Amato


Thomas S. Amato was born in Sicily, Italy in 1880. When he was fourteen years old, he came to the United States, and he settled in Sandusky, Ohio. In 1901 he enlisted in Company B, Sixth Infantry of the Ohio National Guard, and was promoted from private to the rank of Sergeant. While with this unit, he did guard duty at the funeral of President William McKinley in Canton in 1901. In 1914 Amato was named captain of the unit. From 1916 through 1917, he served as a guard on the Mexican border and in other parts of the United States.  During World War I, Captain Amato was transferred to the 148th Infantry at Camp Sheridan. Later he was assigned to Camp Gordon, Georgia. He was commissioned Major on September 14, 1918. Amato was assigned to the 5th Training Battalion in Camp Meade, Maryland, and was in charge of commanding the discharge division of the demobilization group. Major Thomas S. Amato was honorably discharged on May 23, 1919. After completing his military service, Major Amato was influential in seeing that the Erie County edition of the Honor Roll, 1917-1918 was published. This book features pictures and biographical sketches of those who served during World War I, along with information about the individuals who contributed to the war effort on the home front. (The image above is from this publication.)

On October 23, 1921, Thomas S. Amato died at the Marine Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, following a surgical procedure. He was survived by his wife, three daughters, a son, two brothers, and a sister. He was buried with full military honors at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

Friday, November 09, 2012

Giant Checkerboard in Washington Park


In the 1930s and 1940s, a giant checkerboard was located in Washington Park, close to where the red popcorn wagon now is situated. According to an article in the May 11, 1964 issue of the Sandusky Register, the checkerboard was erected through the efforts of Bernard McGory, when he was the president of the National Checkers Association. The facility was popular with both local and residents and tourists visiting Sandusky. The checkerboard was constructed out of concrete, and the squares were about twelve inches square. The checkers, also made from concrete, had a metal loop on the top, and players used a hook to move the checkers. When John Glenn, Sr., father of the astronaut, visited Sandusky in March of 1964, he was sad to learn that the giant checkerboard had been dismantled several years ago.

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Program Announcement: Brown Bag Lunch - Welcome Home Miss America


Wednesday, November 14, 12PM

In the fall of 1962, Sandusky welcomed home the newly crowned Miss America, 1963 Jackie Mayer! Revisit those exciting days and take a look at some original artifacts and photographs from the collections of the Follett House Museum and Sandusky Library Archives. Join us at the library, as our very special guest will be “Miss America” herself, Jackie Mayer! Registration is not required.

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Charles E. and George A. Cooke


Charles Eddy Cooke was born about 1828, in Milan, Ohio to Augustus and Mary (Eddy) Cooke. After the death of his father, he lived with his maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Roswell Eddy, who were pioneer settlers of Erie County. Charles E. Cooke studied medicine briefly with Dr. Tilden. Not finding himself suited to the practice of medicine, he became a clerk in the dry goods store of Edward Everett. After learning about the dry goods business, Charle E. Cooke saved enough money to start his own dry goods store. By the mid 1860s, Charles E. Cooke and his younger brother George A. Cooke were operating a dry goods store at the northwest corner of Water Street and Columbus Avenue.



In 1866, the large building known as the Cooke Block, at the northeast corner of Columbus Avenue and Market, was purchased by the Cooke brothers. After a time, the Cooke brothers got out of the dry goods business, and devoted their time to looking after their property interests.

George A. Cooke died on May 21, 1894 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, at the age of 62. Charles E. Cooke lived to be 83 years of age. He died in Sandusky on November 6, 1909. Mr. Charles E. Cooke was known as a philanthropist, and a man “of kindly spirit.” During the funeral of Charles E. Cooke, all the businesses within the Cooke block were closed for one hour. Both George A. Cooke and Charles E. Cooke were buried in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

Thursday, November 01, 2012

Aerial View of the Sandusky Plaza in 1956



Tom Root took this aerial picture of the Sandusky Plaza, located off Cleveland Road West, just east of Sycamore Line, on May 3, 1956, before it was opened. The Sandusky Plaza was formally dedicated on Thursday, November 1, 1956. Mayor Richard Fuller cut the ribbon, and he called the shopping center “a great asset to the community, and service to the citizens.” Several stores had free treats and samples during Opening Week. There was a drawing for a number grand prizes, which included one thousand dollars in cash, a 17 inch Philco television set, a shotgun, three bicycles, and several appliances. Free entry blanks to be entered into the drawing were distributed by these stores, all located in the Sandusky Plaza: Howard Johnson’s, Pick-n-Pay, Sloane Bar and Grill, Lee’s Barber Shop, Cleveland Fabric Shop, Plaza Hardware, Sterling Carpet, F.W. Woolworth Co., Norman Shoe Store, Zucker’s Store for Men, the Cohn Store, W.T. Grant Co., Thom McCan, Van’s Clear Sylk, Plaza Meats, Gray Drug Store, Moore’s Store, French Tex Cleaners, and Kroger’s. A circus monkey made an appearance, and there were free bus rides to the new Sandusky Plaza. The parking lot of the new plaza offered free parking for 1,200 cars.