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444 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY
The first photographer to come here was on June 1, 1849, when A.
L. Rockwood advertises himself as a& daguerreotyper.
On April 18, 1849, Miss Humphrey advertised her millinery.
On October 26, 1847, D. Campbell & Son advertised for sale black
blotting sand, which Avas then used instead of blotting paper..
On January 27, 1848, the Clarion published the rates of postage,
which for a letter was 5 cents for tAvo ounces for 300 miles and 10 cents
for a distance over 300 miles. The postoffice Avas then Avhere the Commercial
Bank is IIOAV, in a small building, and Perry Walker Avas deputy
postmaster.
The Sandusky Clarion of June 6, 1849, announces that the play,
"The Lady of Lyons," will be presented with Mr. Powell as Claude
Melnotte* and Mrs. Powell as Pauline. In these days of the high cost
of living it is pleasing to observe that the tickets Avere 25 cents to all
parts of the house.
In 1850 Water Street Avas three or four feet lower than now and
the boAvsprits of the vessels projected nearly to the curb where the Wells
F'argo Express Company IIOAV has its place of business. The streets
Avere not lighted at night and Avhen anyone Avent out in the evening
they carried lanterns.
In 1850 the mayor's office of John BroAvn Avas in a frame shanty
Avhere Ritters cigar store is now situated.
The old square brick house which stood until about 1912 on the
premises at the corner of Jackson and Madison Street, where the tAvo
houses now owned by W. L. Lewis are situated Avas formerly a depot
of the underground railroad, and Avas occupied by a colored man named
McReynolds. There Avas a book ease in one of the rooms that SAVung
out from the Avail uncovering a door to a room Avhere he concealed runaAvay
slaves.
On April 27, 1850, the postoffice Avas removed to AVest's neAV store
block, the south room.
The Register of March 15, 1852, discusses the destruction by Geo.
Reber at that time of the Old White Store, in order to build the Rcber
Block. It states that this Avas one of the first stores erected in Northern
Ohio of any pretensions to respectability of size and finish and for
many years it gave character and name to the place. In the good old
times people spoke of going to the \vhite Store when about to visit
Sandusky.
The fire of the 18th of January destroyed another of the ancients.
The block knoAvn as the Clarion Building then destroyed Avas one of the
oldest in the city, having been built in 1818, and was for many years
knoAvn as the Portland House, by which name it Avas kept as a hotel
by Col. C. F. Drake, the popular host of the Verandah Hotel.
The collection of Fred Frey, Jr., Avhich together with that of his
father is the most .complete of antiques relating to Sandusky now knoAvn
to the writer, contains a copy of the annual report made to the stockholders
of the Mad River Road in October, 1847, from which it appears
that the road from Sandusky to Bellefontaine Avas 134 miles long and