HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY OHIOBy Aldrich Lewis Cass
Published 1889
HISTORY OF City of Sandusky
CHAPTER XX. Continueing with page 330
The advocates for the new county erection eventually succeeded in their part of the undertaking, and in the year 1838 Erie county was formed, but the expected results hoped for by the people in the south and west parts of Huron county were not so fully realized as Norwalk continued to be the county seat, notwithstanding its location in the extreme northern portion of that county. After the county was set off Colonel Sloane ceased his missionary labors, and he and his advisory council soon lost interest in the welfare of that people, at least so far as the removal of the county seat of Huron county was concerned.
The Fish Hatchery — In the eastern part of the city, on the same lot on which stands the City Water Works buildings, is the State Fish Hatchery. This institution was established in Sandusky as the most available location for the purpose of propogating fish from spawn, or eggs, taken from captured fish.
The number of fish produced here is simply incalculable, there being in the hatchery building no less than four hundred and twenty jars, each containing about one gallon of eggs. From this production it is estimated that the employees of the State in this enterprise place in the lake, annually, from thirty to forty millions of young white fish and pickerel. The hatchery was built in this city some seven or eight years ago, upon which a similar institution at Toledo was abandoned. This is the only hatchery now in the State, and is under the superintendence of James Douglass.
The Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home — Although the buildings of the Soldiers’ and Sailor’ Home are not within the limits of the city proper, but in Perkins township, still the institution is regarded and looked upon, and in fact is, a part and parcel of the city’s work; for its establishment at this point was made possible only through the magnanimity and generosity and public spiritedness of the people of the city. The city will derive benefits from this institution in a hundred different ways.
Provision was made for the establishment of a Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home by an act of the Legislature of 1885-86, under which act a board of trustees was appointed as follows: R. B. Brown, of Zanesville; Durbin Ward, since deceased, and the vacancy filled by the appointment of Thomas B. Paxton, of; Cincinnati; W. P. Orr, of; T. T. Dill, of Mansfield, and Isaac F. Mack, of Sandusky. The board was organized on the 3rd of June, 1886, by the election of Isaac F. Mack as president, and R. B. Brown as secretary.
Page 331
Subsequently, and on the list of July, the board met, after due notice given, at Sandusky, at which time propositions from towns and cities desiring to offer sites for the Home were duly considered, and thereafter, and between the 12th and 31st of July, the board visited Newark, Mount Vernon, Canton, Wooster, Perrysburg, Kenton, Springfield, South Charleston, Yellow Springs, Springboro, McArthur, Zanesville, and Piqua, and on the 31st, at Dayton, decided to locate the home at or near the city of Sandusky, provided the terms offered by the people of that city were satisfactorily guaranteed. These terms were: A clear title to the State of the ninety acre tract of land, the building of a sewer from it to the Augustine inlet, an arm of Lake Erie, the extension of an eight inch water main from the city to the grounds, the extension of the gas main and the electric light lines, the extension of street car lines, and the extension of a side track from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to the grounds. The citizens of Sandusky performed each and every of the acts they had pledged themselves to do. At their expense a main sewer was built six thousand and seventy five feet in length, extending from the grounds of the Home to an inlet of Lake Erie; an eight inch water main was extended, without expense to the State, to the grounds ; the right of way from the main line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was donated by the citizens to the State, and cost $1,650; the railroad company promptly extended a branch road over this right of way, one mile in length, and reaching the boiler house on the grounds; at the expense of the county the two highways leading from the city to the site of the Home, have been widened to ninety-nine feet, and substantially rebuilt, and the street railway company are extending their line of track over the same.
The Home buildings are now in course of erection. They are of stone with brick partitions. The plan, in substance, calls for a main, or administration building, a general dining room and kitchen, laundry, chapel, hospital, power house, and cottage dormitories for about fifty men each.
Regarding the capacity and cost of the Home, the trustees report of December, 1887, says: “When the plans already approved have been carried out the Home will accomodate six hundred inmates and the employees, and the cost will be, on the basis of present contracts, about three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. To increase its capacity thereafter for additional inmates will call for about twelve thousand dollars for each fifty inmates, or about ninety five thousand dollars for four hundred additional inmates, making a total of one thousand, or double that for eight hundred additional inmates, a total of from $500,000 to $540,000 for fourteen hundred inmates. This estimate includes cottages for fourteen hundred, the administration building, domestic building, boiler house, laundry and bath-houses, chapel, hospital, stables, workshop, and such other buildings as the board regards necessary to a complete institution.
The expense of furnishing the Home is not included in the above, but it is confidently believed the entire cost of buildings and furnishing sufficient for the accommodation of fourteen hundred inmates will cost not to exceed the sum of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Page 332
The work of construction is under the immediate supervision of H. C Lindsay, of Zanesville, as architect, and Charles C. Barnett, of Piqua, as clerk of the works. Herman Haerlin, of Cincinnati, is the landscape gardener, and Colonel Thomas T. Dill has charge of the improvement of the grounds.
The Custom House and Post office — The establishment of a custom house at this point was by no means the result of accident, but rather through the earnest efforts of Colonel James Kilbourne. By the act of 1805 Sandusky Bay was declared to be a port of entry, and was included in the district of Miami, but by the act of 1812 was changed to Sandusky. At this time the seat of the district was located at Danbury, on the peninsula, and it was through the influence of Colonel Kilbourne that the seat was, in 1821, moved to Sandusky, then a little struggling town in the factional township of Portland. In this connection it is proper to state that to the labors of Colonel Kilbourne was due not only the establishment of the port here, but several other prominent acts of great importance at that time.
Somewhere about the year 1815 James Kilbourne was in the employ of the Worthington Manufacturing Company, of Worthington, near Cincinnath. This company desired to find a northern outlet for their goods, and sent Kilbourne to survey a route to the lake, or at least to look up the most favorable route for the opening of a road to the lake. This being the point where the waters extended farthest south, he naturally concluded that it would afford the best outlet; but on reaching the place found no white residents, only Indians. He inquired for their chief and was directed to the cabin of Ogontz. The latter informed Kilbourne in answer to a query, that the land hereabouts was owned by a man in Connecticut. The Colonel then returned to Worthington, and subsequently went to Connecticut, where he found the owner, Zalmon Wildman, and found, furthermore, that he and Isaac Mills were engaged in a dispute regarding the ownership of the lands which they were unable to amicably settle. Kilbourne represented to them the folly of their course, and said if they would come to an agreement, and lay out a town on the site, that he, Kilbourne, would, get a turnpike established from the lake running south to the Ohio River; that he would get, through influence at Washington, the customs port removed to the place, a post office established, and, as his compensation, would take an interest in the town lands. The proposition was agreed to, the dispute was settled, the town laid out, Kilbourne making the survey, the turnpike company was formed and the road built, the customs port was changed to this point, and the post office established here, all just as was promised. Kilbourne eventually got his land but not until a number of years after his part of the agreement had been fulfilled. The post office was established here in 1820, with Hector Kilbourne, son of James Kilbourne, as postmaster. From that until the present time the incumbents of the office have been as follows: Hector Kilbourne, Francis D. Parish, Erastus Cooke, D. Caswell, E. Brink, W. B. Smith, D. Powers, J. M. Brown, T. C. McEwen, Ebenezer B. Sadler, A. C. Van Tine, John M. Boalt, Charles M. Keyes, and the present incumbent, George Daniel.
Page 333
United States Signal Service — A station under the control and direction of the war department was established at Sandusky in 1877, and placed under charge of Sergeant E. F. McComas. This signal station is of great importance to those engaged in lake traffic, and has proved a benefit to the whole people of the county. Succeeding Sergeant McComas was Charles R. Dow, and subsequent to that officer, W. A. Massey, M. H. Parry and Benjamin F. Hough have been in charge, the last named being the present incumbent. The station is under orders of discontinuance on account of a lack of funds at the command of the department officers.EDUCATION AND THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF SANDUSKY.
Among the first cities in the State to take advantage of the laws favoring common school education, Sandusky has endeavored uniformly to keep pace with the progressive spirit of the age. Any failure which may have occurred can be safely credited to errors in judgment rather than lack of a hearty appreciation of the advantages to be gained by general culture and enlightenment.
To deny that such errors have occurred from time to time would be to assume that the citizens are more than mortal. To state that any school system is not necessarily imperfect would be worse than pedantic, and to discuss school methods at any considerable length is not the province of the historian, hence we will at once take up the subject of our chapter. An old manuscript dated May 29, 1829, and in the hand writing of Judge Parish, declares that the trustees of Portland township, in the county of Huron, do certify that they have divided said township into two school districts as follows, to wit: All that part of the township lying east of the center of Columbus avenue, and a line running in the same direction therefrom to the southline of the township to constitute school district number one, and all that part lying west of said avenue and line to constitute school district number two.
Page 335
An annexed list of house holders shows that there are forty nine in number one, and forty eight in number two.
Very few, if any, of the men whose names appear on the list, are among the living today, but their descendants’ names may be found among those who have been honored by the nation, as highly as the true Ohio man could wish.
We are told by local historians that Miss Sallie Stimpson started a school in a log cabin on lot one. Water street, in 1818, but another writer states that the Steamboat Hotel, now called New Lake House, was built in 1817 on the same ground. The foregoing statements may be harmonized perhaps by assuming that the lots in those days were large in proportion to the scarcity of people.
Though there were numerous private schools existing from time to time previous to 1838 it seems most proper to date the direct beginning of the present public schools September 10 of that year, when Lucas S. Beecher, S. B Caldwell and M. Farwell were appointed local school directors by John F. Campbell, superintendent of common schools. These gentlemen, on the day of their appointment, met the Portland township board, and arranged for the anexation of the township to the city district for school purposes.
For some reason not explained in the records examined by the writer an election was held on the 21st of September, and Oran Follett, Francis D. Parish and Samuel B. Caldwell were chosen directors, and in October this new board passed resolutions to the effect that two female teachers be employed, and schools lasting three months from the beginning of November be established in convenient parts of the town.
Mr. O. Ransom, Miss Ann Gustin and Miss E. Hendry were employed that year, the rooms were engaged, and school was kept at an aggregate cost of three hundred and fifty five dollars; as to the number of children in attendance, their ages, and the branches taught, the records are mute for several succeeding years. In October of the year 1839 entirely new board was elected, J. N. Davidson, William B. Smith and Henry F. Merry. They met November 6, and resolved to rent three rooms in the Methodist chapel, one room in the Western Liberties, one room in the Presbyterian Church, and two rooms in Grace Church. Noah Merrill, at twenty five dollars a month; D. Higbie, at thirty dollars per month; Mary L. Brown, twenty four; Annie Gustin and Sarah A. Brown, fourteen dollars each, and Martha J. McElwain, at fifteen dollars, constituted the corps of teachers for 1839-40.
During the winter months of 1840-1, there was a new male teacher, and five female teachers, at about the same salaries as had been given the year before; but the year following there were two male teachers again, and the same number of ladies. Rev. B. H. Hickox was required to ring the church bell in addition to his duties in the school room, and he received for the double service thirty dollars per month. The records do not state whether or not he was to preach an occasional sermon by way of recreation; but it is fair to assume that he was.
Page 336
In September of this year Earl Bill, Zenas W. Barker and W. W. Wetherell were elected directors — just why the election occurred in that month does not appear; but schools were run on very peculiar lines at that time, so it is most probable that the date happened to be convenient. The gentlemen did not qualify however, and Superintendent Cochran appointed a board composed of the same membership, excepting Mr. Bill, whose place was filled by F. M. P'ollett.
A school report made in 1842 by A. Root is the earliest definite statistical record that the writer has been able to find. It shows that the total enrollment amounted to three hundred and seventy seven pupils, of whom one hundred and ninety three were males and one hundred and eighty four females. The expenses for rent of school rooms, and other expenses not enumerated, amounted to the immense sum of one hundred and seventy four dollars, not including a desk costing four, and a stove costing twelve dollars, which swells the grand total to one hundred and ninety dollars. This school furniture seems to be the first property either personal or real belonging to the public schools of Sandusky. The report also declares that a tax of two mills on the dollar had been levied for public school purposes, and two hundred and forty two dollars was the amount of the total assessment, one hundred and seventy five having been paid in, and the remainder was delinquent; but later in the year the fund was swelled by money from other sources to no less than three hundred and ninety four dollars and nine cents.
At this time the best accessible statistics place Sandusky’s population at something over twelve hundred souls. A very short calculation in percentage will also show that the valuation of taxable property was $121,000. If the citizens understood the under valuation scheme of the present day as thoroughly as they apparently did the delinquent tax matter, the valuation recorded may be solely multiplied by ten. The branches taught at that time were reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, geography, and philosoph)c Not a very extensive list of studies, but still something more than the three R’s.
The first school buildings owned by the city were built in 1844-45 accordance with plans suggested by a special committee consisting of Messrs. M. Farwell, A. M. Porter, and Z. W. Barker, appointed at a convention of the voters of the school district called for the purpose. Elentheros Cooke was a prominent mover in the enterprise as he was in other matters of public interest.
The committee recommended the erection of three buildings, one in the West Liberties, and one each near the east and west markets respectively; also a high school building on the public square; the plan of the last named building to be such as should be creditable and ornamental to the town.
Page 337
In 1844-45 there were four men and three ladies employed as teachers, Mr. H. Goodwin, since so prominent in the legal profession, was among the former. In this year we find Latin added to the course laid down in 1842. The expenses for tuition amounted to five hundred and nineteen dollars and twenty four cents, and six thousand fifty dollars was the cost of the four school houses completed.
In 1845-46 we find the force of teachers increased to nine. Mr. A. C. Heustes as principal of the high school, and E. Merry, jr., since prominent in Erie county official work, as a teacher in one of the outer districts, having been added to the corps.
The attendance was three hundred and seventy one, a trifle lower than that of 1842. French, chemistry, and physiology had been added to the course. The tuition expenses had been increased to eight hundred and eight dollars and sixty one cents.
A “Programme for the exhibition of the students of the Sandusky City high school, Friday evening, February 6, 1846,” contains no less than forty numbers, original and selected, embracing orations, colloquies, recitations, songs, compositions, beginning with prayer and closing with a benediction.
This paper is of peculiar interest as illustrating the ideas of the time on commencement exercises, and because of the fact that it contains the names of many citizens since quite prominent in public affairs. In their order on the paper they are: T. H. Goodman, H. Annis, Elizabeth Thompson, Sarah P. Corbett, Adelaide Van Vleet, E. A. Williams, Thomas Laden, Mary C. Newton, Caroline Dibble, Julia F. Farwell, Catherine Earl, Elizabeth and Francis Roosevelt, Jane Davidson, James Currie, F. E. Parish, John T. Beecher, Sarah A. Moore, Sebastian Graff, Louisa Sloane, Sarah L. Gregg, Lucretia Gregg, Levancia Monroe, Annette Tilden, Cynthia Davidson, Leverett Hall, James E.Darling, M. Y. Graff, Mary S. Strong, Minerva E. Wells, Cordelia A. Hitchcock, A. R. Bodley, Miranda Brooks, Jemima Johnson, E. G. Ross, R. R. Sloane, G. A. Cooke. Several names appear twice.
In September of this school year was held the first teachers’ institute in Ohio, for the benefit of all grades of teachers. Hon. E. Lane, Rev. L. Hull, C. B. Squires, and others, were proniinently connected with the work of securing lecturers and creating an interest in the then new undertaking for the advancement of educational interests. Wise as they were in projecting this effort, how little could they have realized its true import to the schools of Ohio.
Page 338
There were ninety seven teachers in attendance, and the work of instruction was performed by Hon. S. Town, of New York, Hon. E. Lane, M. F. Cowdery, A. D. Lord, C. B Squires, and Lyman Pi'eston . The meetings continued one week, being ably conducted, and very satisfactory to all interested in the cause of education. Mr. Cowdery afterwards became superintendent at Sandusky, holding the position for many years with honor to himself and lasting benefits to the schools.
In 1846-47 the enrollment of pupils reached four hundred and ninety. Algebra and astronomy were added to the course of study in the high school.
This brings the history of our schools up to their first grading under the original of the present school law, and it is perhaps necessary to explain that, while the general public had for a period of nineteen years enjoyed such schools (during a limited portion of the year) as the most advanced citizens of the State at that time deemed proper at public expense, still the era that followed was a great stride in advance of the general sentiment in regard to such matters,
In November, 1848, F. M. Follett, H. F. Merry, and C. Leonard — the school board — elected F. M. Cowdery as superintendent of instruction with power to classify the pupils in such a degree as the buildings and circumstances in general would permit.
On the first Monday in December of that year the pupils were assembled and classified as primary, secondary, grammar, and high school students.
During the first week of school four primary classes were established with an aggregate membership of two hundred and sixty, three secondary, with one hundred and eighty, two grammar schools with one hundred and sixty pupils, and a high school numbering about sixty; six hundred and sixty in all. It is not to be inferred that this grading was entirely satisfactory to those who had brought it about, but it was an evident improvement on the old method or lack of method which had existed in the fullest sense of the word for a number of years.
Under the new order of things Mr. Cowdery acted as superintendent and principal of the high school, Mrs.Cowdery and Miss L. A. McElwain as assistants. Mr. W. H. Nye with Misses A. Osborne, E. Barker and Helen Barkertook charge of the grammar schools. Misses E. Lewis, H. M. Hoyt and E. Moore took the secondaries, and Misses L. Barney, M. Barrett, A. Smith and Fannie B. Stone were appointed to the primary schools. Nearly thirty years later Mr. Cowdery in preparing a paper for the Centennial of U. S. Independence speaks with enthusiasm of the spirit and ability manifested by these teachers, and the members of the board who helped to bring the change about. He omits to mention what the writer may add that M. F. Cowdery is entitled to a full measure of the honor due those who thus early saw something of the future possibilities of our great graded school system, and was willing to labor for its advancement, even against a general public sentiment of distrust or apathy, or worse at times, active opposition.
Page 339
As soon as the school law of eighteen forty nine was received at Sandusky after its passage in February of that year, it was resolved unanimously by public election to adopt the new law for the control of the city schools. F. T. Barney, E. Bill and D. Souter, were added to the membership of the board elected the fall before. Many difficulties were experienced by these pioneer graded school workers that have been lessened somewhat by time, experience and observation. They had no neighboring school systems organized, and going forward s those of the present day are doing. They had comparatively few educational works and papers, few meetings of experienced educators, and in fact they had more disadvantages than it would be profitable to undertake enumerating, let alone discussing at length.
A feature of this new system was an unclassified school which, as its name implies, was made up of pupils of vastly different dispositions, qualifications, ages and surroundings, who for various reasons could not be easily distributed among the various classes of the regular grades. This school was kept up with satisfactory results for over twenty years.
The average attendance at this school was eighty pupils, two-thirds boys. Miss M. Kelley, Miss Julia A. Hitchcock and Mrs. F. Hull had charge at different times. Pupils were promoted at all times during the year to any grade in the city that they were prepared for, and this practice, doubtless, aided these excellent lady principals in disciplining their, at times, somewhat irrepressible classes.
The first plan under which the schools were graded contemplated teaching in the primary grade the simplest elements of language, numbers, geography and vocal music, with object lessons adapted in kind and extent to the capacity of children from six to eight years of age. The qualifications for promotion from this grade were fluency in reading in the Second Reader, familiarity with half the multiplication table, ability to name from the maps all the countries and large bodies of water in North America, and one term of practice in outline drawing. Cleanliness and morality were always encouraged, and Bible reading as an opening exercise was quite generally practiced for some years in all the schools. Mr. Cowdery mentions with particular commendation the success Mrs. Mary N. Clarke, who is still in the schools, and after a service of thirty-eight year's, doing excellent work for the little ones. Mrs. M. C. Dewey, now principal of the fourth ward building, and for twenty-six years a faithful teacher, is also commended. Kind mention is also made by him in his centennial article of Mrs. F. Hull and Miss Fannie McFall.
The primary grade occupied two years, from six to eight; the secondary schools were expected to give fluency in reading the Third Reader, ability to construct maps of the United States and other countries, to answer mental questions in text books of arithmetic, to parse and analyze, etc., vocal music, and essay writing also received attention in this grade. The pupils were kept here nominally two years but in practice, nearer two and a half. Among the teachers who deserve honorable mention Mr. Cowdery names in this grade Miss Mary Comstock, Misses Fannie Harris, Annie Aplin, Hattie Fisher and Sarah Clarke; the latter is still at work in the grade. Prior to 1860 he mentions Misses E. Moore, E. Lewis, F. B. Stone, M. Loomis, C. M. Walker, S. L. Sprague, E. M. Jackson, E. D. Bartlett and E. S. Booth<.
Footnote: Surnames printed in Bold Print. Source of Photograph: Google Images. Photograph-- "Steamboat Hotel"