Cyrus B. Winters, Ohio Legislator

According to an early twentieth century issue of Ohio Legislative History, Cyrus B. Winters was one of the oldest members in 80th General Assembly of Ohio (convened 1913). He was elected four times to represent Erie County in the Ohio House of Representatives as a Democrat. 

Cyrus Bertrand Winters was born in Townsend Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, and he lived on the family farm for several years. He attended the Milan Normal School, and after reaching adulthood he became a deputy clerk in the Clerk of Courts office. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1874. From 1882 to 1888, Mr. Winters served as the Erie County Prosecutor. The listing for C.B. Winters in the 1884-1885 Sandusky City Directory stated that C.B. Winters was an attorney at law, and Erie County Prosecuting Attorney, with his office in the Erie County Courthouse. He also served for a time on the Sandusky Board of Education.

While in the General Assembly of Ohio, Mr. Winters served as chairman of the Committee of Cities, Ways and Means. He was considered an authority of matters pertaining to legal affairs, and is well known as the author of the Public Utility Law. 

In 1874, Cyrus B. Winters married Helen E. Clason, a native of Logan County, Ohio, and had six children. On June 9, 1916, he died in Castalia, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Howard Brown, at the age of 68. Funeral services for Mr. Winter were held at the Brown residence in Castalia, with the Reverends Ross W. Sanderson and J. W. Overmyer officiating. Burial was in the Castalia Cemetery. Mr. Winters was survived by his wife, two sons, three daughters, a sister and a brother. To read more about this former Ohio legislator, see Elected to Serve, by Patty Pascoe (Sandusky, Ohio, 2003) and A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio, by Hewson L. Peeke (Lewis Publishing Company, 1916.)

Ohio Fisheries, Foot of Hancock Street

Before the location was known as Shoreline Drive, the State of Ohio had offices located at the foot of Hancock Street in Sandusky. Below is a picture of several buildings owned by the state of Ohio, adjacent to the railroad tracks, around the 1920s or 1930s. The words Ohio Fisheries Building can barely be read on the building that is to the far left of the photo.

From about 1940 to 1960, a cottage in front of the Ohio Fisheries Building housed State of Ohio employees. The Ohio Fisheries Building had been repainted by this time.

Some of the offices that were located at the foot of Hancock Street in Sandusky were the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Division of Conservation, the Division of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Division of Shore Erosion, and the Division of Wildlife. Names of the various State of Ohio offices changed throughout the years. By looking through historical Sandusky City Directories under the heading State Offices, you can get a better idea of what specific state offices were operating in Sandusky, Ohio in any given time. Though these buildings no longer remain, today the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has several employees at the ODNR's Coastal Services Center located at 105 West Shoreline Drive.

Henry Howe’s Historical Collections of Ohio

Henry Howe (1816 -1893) was an author, publisher, historian, and bookseller, the son of Connecticut publisher Hezekiah Howe. The elder Howe’s bookshop was a popular gathering place for scholars and authors of New England.

It was at his father’s bookstore that Henry saw a copy of John W. Barber’s book, Historical Collections of Connecticut. In 1840, Henry Howe made arrangements to assist John W. Barber in preparing a similar book for the state of New York. Henry Howe worked on histories of New Jersey and Virginia. Many consider Henry Howe’s most notable project to be his Historical Collections of Ohio. Henry traveled throughout the state interviewing residents to collect historical facts. First, Henry traveled on foot, but soon he purchased a horse named “Pomp” in order to travel throughout the many counties in Ohio. He often drew sketches in public areas, which helped create interest in his work. As he collected facts and drew sketches, he also solicited subscriptions for the future book. Howe’s first edition of Historical Collections of Ohio was completed in 1847. The Ohio Historical Society states that “Eighteen thousand copies of the first edition were sold and Howe's book became the standard history of Ohio.” The title was revised and republished in several editions.

In the summer of 1885, Henry Howe decided to update his original work. This time, he covered the state by rail, and Henry carried with him a camera instead of a sketchpad. The July 23, 1886 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Henry Howe was in Sandusky gathering information for his enlarged edition of the Historical Collections of Ohio. Though the first volume of the updated title appeared in 1889, Howe ran into financial troubles. The Ohio legislature purchased 1200 copies of the first volume of the history for $12,000, and eventually the State of Ohio purchased the plates and copyright to Henry Howe’s book. Henry Howe died, heavily in debt, on October 14, 1893. The State’s purchase of the copyright helped relieve his widow’s financial woes. The Sandusky Library was given a complimentary copy of Historical Collections of Ohio in Two Volumes by Ohio Representative W. E. Guerin, who served in the 75th General Assembly of Ohio.

John Beatty wrote in volume 2 of the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly:

“In brief, ‘Howe's Historical Collections of Ohio,’ next to the Bible and Noah Webster, should find a place under every Ohioan's roof-tree….”

Today, you can find a copy of the Historical Collections of Ohio in Two Volumes at the Sandusky Library. A variety of editions of this title are also available online, through Google Books, Making of America, and historical websites. Brief biographical sketches of Henry Howe appear in Ohio Authors and Their Books and Artists in Ohio, 1787-1900, which are found in the Reference Services area of the Sandusky Library.