Erie County, Ohio - Chapter 26: Temperance Activities in Erie County, 1916

The charter of Sandusky provided, in section 2, act of February 22, 1830, ''That the Mayor and Common Council of said town be, and they are hereby authorized, and shall have exclusive authority, whenever they deem it expedient, to grant licenses for any time not exceeding one year, to grocers or retailers of spirituous liquors, porter, beer, cider or ale, in less quantities than one quart; and to license and regulate all houses of entertainment, other than taverns, within the limits of said town; and they are hereby authorized to make such ordinances, and pass such bylaws consistent with the constitution and laws of the United States, and of this state, as they shall deem proper for the regulation and control of the same, and to impose any fine not exceeding fifty dollars nor less than ten dollars, on any person who shall retail spirituous liquors, or keep any such house within said corporation, without license, and to appropriate for such license shall in no ease be less than ten' dollars, nor more than fifty dollars; Provided, also, That license shall be granted to none but persons of good moral character.''

On January 28, 1823, John N. Sloan advertises in the Clarion as a watchmaker and silversmith that he will receive whiskey, flour, butter and cheese in exchange for jewelry work.

The Sons of Temperance at one time had a strong organization in Sandusky. The Sandusky Clarion notices its meetings as early as 1849, and quotes Mrs. Partington as saying:

'Fifty-two Sons of Temperance, and twenty-five daughters, too! Why, bless me, how many children has Aunt Tempy got? And I hear them talk of Cadets of Temperance. What sort of debts are them? But no wonder she owes debts when she has so many children to maintain. How I pity the old critter.''

The Sons of Temperance met in Horeb Hall, which was in the Hubbard Block at the foot of Columbus Avenue, where the Good Templar Lodge also held its meetings at that time.

In 1844 St. Patrick's Day was celebrated by a joint parade of the Sons of the Emerald Isle and the Washingtonian Total Abstinence Society, after which there was a dinner at the Mansion House. The officers of the Washingtonian Total Abstinence Society were: Stephen Kneen, president; James B. Griffith and William Marshall, vice presidents; Henry D. Ward, secretary; and Daniel Dibble, treasurer.

The committee of the Sons of the Emerald Isle were: Barney Farrell, Daniel Larkins, James Cullenan, Francis Mullen, William Dart, Michael Malaney, James Haggony, Thomas Harnetty, Charles Cross.

At a meeting of which John McCafferty was chairman and Jeremiah Crowley was secretary the above committee was appointed and a written resolution passed to join with the Washingtonian Total Abstinence Society in celebrating St. Patrick's Day on temperance principles.

The Masonic Lodge then met in Townsend Block, the south side of Water Street between Wayne and Columbus Avenue. The Odd Fellows met in the fourth story of West's Block, corner of Water and Columbus Avenue. The Sons of Temperance and the Good Templars met in Hubbard's Block at the northwest corner of Columbus Avenue and Water Street. These were all the secret societies.

There were four military companies, and for the purpose of caring for the wounded, the Erie County Medical Society organized in 1850, and met the second Wednesday in each month.

The first temperance meeting in Sandusky was advertised in the Clarion to take place at the Portland House on the 15th day of August, 1825, but no program is given, nor is there any further record of what was done. The first temperance society was organized by F. D. Parish in 1831.

The Clarion of January 20, 1844, describes a meeting of the Sandusky Washingtonian Society. at the courthouse. It is signed by S Kneen, secretary, who was a fashionable tailor here at an early day.

On August 24, 1844, a temperance drama was given by the Washingtonian Society at the courthouse, entitled ''The Drunkard's Return,'' which was written by Mr. Merritt.

On November 9, 1844, a meeting to consider prohibiting the sale of liquor was advertised to be held at the courthouse on November 15th. The call is signed by H. Kneen, president, and H. D. Ward, secretary.

On August 22, 1845, a temperance meeting was advertised for August 25, to be addressed by Dr. Clark Jewett, F. N. Kellogg and Dr. James Warren.

On April 13, 1847, there were township local option elections, in which Portland voted no license by a majority of 162; Milan Township by a majority of 20, and Vermillion by a majority of 3, and the remaining townships of the county went wet.

On August 19, 1850, Mrs. M. M. Brown addressed the Daughters of Temperance in Sandusky. Beginning then, she was for many years very prominent in the Daughters of Temperance, the Good Templars, and later was the real inventor of the idea at the base of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.

On June 2d, 3d and 4th, in 1851, John B. Gough lectured in Sandusky for three nights. He was probably the greatest temperance orator for the next forty years after that.

The Sandusky directory of 1855 shows for Horeb division of the Sons of Temperance: A. W. Hendry, W. P.; Philander Gregg, W. A.; W. K. Marshall, R. S.; J. Wintersteen, A. R. S.; and the lodge met at No. 22 Jackson Street.

On February 6, 1866, Judge Sebastian F. Taylor charged the grand jury in Sandusky and made the statement that nine-tenths of the crime that came before him was due to the liquor business.

In August, 1893, L. Beauchamp lectured for a week at the Presbyterian Church. At that time a Good Templar lodge had been formed in Sandusky in 1892, which had existed for more than twenty years and had more than 500 names on its roll. It first met in the Odd Fellows' Temple, later in the hall now used by Wilcox as a carpet store, later in the Maccabee Temple, and finally in the G. A. R. Hall.