Pictures of Erie County Ohio (Both past and present.)!

"From The Widow's Walk"

Columbus Ave, Sandusky, Ohio

(1905: Henry Dehnel store clock suspended over Columbus Avenue didn't really tell time.)

Cedar Point Pier, Sandusky, Ohio

(This is the view passengers got as they pulled into the pier aboard the Boeckling in 1920.)

Cedar Point Pier, Sandusky, Ohio

(Viewed from the southwest, the old yacht club can be seen over the roof of the pier in the center, upper third, of this post card.)

The Erie County Courthouse, shortly after its completion in 1874. Photos -- Lynn Rosino Collection

Erie County Courthouse History

The courthouse is the heart of any town. The citizens of Sandusky have long enjoyed the permanence and durability of our old courthouse, especially loving the four-faced clock and, at the very top of the building, the light to guide boats to port after dark.

Many changes have taken place since the building was completed on the courthouse square in 1874. Oran Follett gave the dedication speech of the Erie County Courthouse in 1875.

The photograph at the north facade shows the building as it looked soon after completion, with the three figures of Justice, the mansard roofs and the corner towers surmounted by iron crest rails. On the top of the main tower is the four-faced Seth Thomas clock plus an iron railing.

A belfry facing Jackson Street contained the iron bell removed from the first courthouse, which was located on the east side of Columbus Avenue in front ofthe present location of the Adams Junior High School. The bell was removed during the remodeling of the courthouse in 1936 and is now displayed on the ground floor of the Follett House Museum.

The interior of the building in 1874 featured variegated marble mantels in some offices as well as elegant stucco work. Large chandeliers of bronze and gilt hung in the halls. The corridors were floored with black and white marble tile, each one foot square.

An article in the Sandusky Daily Register dated Christmas day, 1874, describes the new courthouse, stating: "This building compares favorably with any modern public building." Sanduskians were justly proud of the Erie County Courthouse!

In 1936, when the building was 62 years old, it was remodeled by a WPA project and changed inside and out. Local architect Henry Millott drew up the plans which took over a year to complete. Many feel that the modernization destroyed the architectural lines, but undoubtedly on the inside, more space was needed.

The old and the new are now mixed in the architecture of the courthouse. A smooth limestone Art Deco exterior covered the blue and white limestone and sandstone of the ornate 1874 Second Empire style. The old arched windows and exterior stone are still visible on the lower floors. The massive steps and porticos were removed from the three entrances and what was the basement area is now the first floor.

The common pleas courtroom is still located in the northwest corner of the building as it was in 1874. An 1875 photo shows the Erie County Bar assembled in this courtroom, with Judge William G. Lane on the bench.

Former Probate Judge John Baxter remembers well the remodeling of the courthouse. He recalls that before 1936, the common pleas judge sat on a bench on the north wall, with the windows behind ... (to be continued when I get the rest of the history.)

 

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