The Kline Block, Fremont, Ohio

 

Kline Block, 200-202 E. State St, Fremont, Ohio

Rutherford B. Hayes Library and Museums

Henry Kline constructed this building in 1893. It was considered one of the finest business structures in Fremont, Ohio.  It was  located on the northeast corner of East State Street and Sandusky Avenue.  The versatile Mr. Kline is said to have run successful  plumbing, sand, pork packing, and wholesale liquor businesses.  The ornate gazebo on the roof was an east side landmark where at one time the Agerman Band played music on Saturday nights to the delight of listeners on park benches below.  The Kline family lived in the fine Victorian house at the right.  The photograph was taken in the 1890s.

     

Old First Presbyterian Church, Fremont, Ohio

The Presbyterian Church of Fremont, Ohio was founded in 1833 by twenty-two  residents, of which all but two had been  members of churches elsewhere.  

According to Homer Everett's History of  Sandusky County, they originally gathered in a log schoolhouse and then met regularly in the Lower Sandusky (Fremont, Ohio) courthouse. Prayer meetings were held at the minister's home on Justice Street.

Old Presbyterian Church

Fremont, Ohio

Courtesy of  Rutherford B, Hayes Presidential Library and Museums

Members met in various locations until they decided to build a church.  The trustees purchased a lot on the northwest corner of Main (now Park Avenue) and Garrison.  A building committee was appointed in 1844 and the above structure was dedicated January 10, 1847. Built of brick in the classical style, the church measured 45 by 60 feet and featured a bell tower. In 1852, the congregation added a lecture room at the rear of the church. 

In 1869, the Presbyterians subscribed $25,000 for a new building to be constructed on the same location.  During its construction, members met at what was then known as Birchard Hall. On the 28th  of April, 1870, the new church was dedicated. The total cost, which was completely paid for at its dedication, was $40,000

Some records can be found at the Rutherford Hayes Library and Museums.  A photocopy of the church's records from 1833 to 1885 appears in the Reading Room of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library under the title Records of the Presbyterian Church in Lower Sandusky, Volume I, 1833 - 1885.  The volume includes an index of names of members whose baptisms, dismissals, transfers, and deaths appear in the records. The index has been entered in a genealogy database in the library and also appears online (rbhayes.org/index). The bulk of the church's records are available in  the  Hayes Presidential Local History Manuscripts Collection.

Croghan Street, Fremont, Ohio - But What and When?

This black and white print was recently donated to the Hayes Presidential Center. The undated image was taken on Fremont, Ohio's Croghan Street by Grob Studio. Uniformed men on horseback appear prominently in the photograph, but there is no indication of what the event is. If anyone knows what event is taking place and/or the date, please contact Nan Card (ncard@rbhayes.org) or reply to this post. Thank you in advance!

Railroad Bridge Crew, Fremont, Ohio, 1907

The photograph above was taken by professional Fremont, Ohio photographer Elmer Whitney. He dated the photograph February 7, 1907. A search of the Fremont newspapers around this date did not reveal any articles on the subject of this railroad bridge. Was this a construction crew? or a repair crew? None of the individuals is identified.

Fremont, Ohio St. John's Lutheran Church Confirmation Classes: 1902 and 1904

St. John's Lutheran Church, Fremont, Ohio confirmation class photographs  (May 18,1902 above and May 22, 1904 below were shared with us by Joan Jahns, Fremont, Ohio. The tall boy in the center of the photograph is Will Jahns. Others are unknown.

Second Row, seated from the left, Nettie Jahns, sister of Will Jahns. Others are unknown.  

Ensign Lysander C. Ball of the U.S.S. Vindicator

 

Gunboat U.S.S. Vindicator at Vicksburg

Grant Dickinson Collection

Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center

 

 

Ensign Lysander C. Ball, Jr.

 

Grant Dickinson Collection

Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center

 

 

 

Lysander C. Ball, Jr. enlisted in the U. S. Navy at the age of 23 in July 1862 at Fremont, Ohio. He served as an ensign aboard the gunboat "U.S.S. Vindicator" as part of the Mississippi Squadron. Ensign Ball sent this carte de visite of the "U.S.S. Vindicator" at Vicksburg to sisters Alvira and Elvina Ball, living at home in Fremont, Ohio.  Ensign Ball initially served on board the "U.S.S. Petrel," which was captured and destroyed by the Confederates on April 22,1864. He was then assigned to the "U.S.S. Vindicator." The vessel was reworked for use as a ram and was assigned command of the 5th District of the squadron on July 4th, 1864 and deployed off  Natchez, Mississippi. 

 

Following the Civil War, Ensign Ball returned to Fremont and married Hannah Morrison. The were the parents of five children: Martha, Charles, Elvira, Alma, and Evelina. After farming in Sandusky County, Ball moved to Lisbon County, North Dakota.

 

  

Died January 17, 1902

Lisbon, Ransom County, North Dakota

 

Courtesy of Find a Grave