Manufacturing used to be robust in Sandusky

Editor's note: For America 250, the Register decided to take a look back into Sandusky's past and its longstanding manufacturing tradition that predates the city's current reputation of being a tourism hub. SANDUSKY — Sandusky has an estimated population of about 24,000 now, but the 1970 census showed a population of 32,674, probably reflecting the robust manufacturing base that the city used to enjoy. Now mainly a hub for tourism, Sandusky used to teem with industry. Even before it was a city, the eventual location for Sandusky had an industry of sorts. It was one of the places where an early businessman named George Croghan operated his fur trade. (He's not the same George Croghan who defeated the British at Fort Stephenson during the War of 1812 at what is now the city of Fremont.) As Sandusky developed as a port and fishing city in Sandusky, various industries sprang up. Ice was nice; So were other local industries During the 19th century, ice harvesting developed as an important industry in the city. Before electricity and modern refrigeration, people would purchase blocks of ice to keep food fresh in iceboxes. Hundreds of tons of ice were harvested in Sandusky and shipped off to cities such as Columbus and Cincinnati, according to an article on the Sandusky Library history blog. The paper industry eventually became a major part of Sandusky. Many residents worked for the Hinde and Dauch Co. in the early part of the 20th century. The company was known worldwide as a big manufacturer of corrugated boxes. In 1927, the Hinde and Dauch offices were moved to a new building at 407 Decatur St. that now serves as the building for Sandusky's school board. In the first half of the 20th century, Sandusky played a part in one of the first big communications revolutions in the U.S. The Simplex Radio Co., founded in 1924 and located at the corners of King and West Monroe streets, made vacuum tube radios that captured broadcasts from AM radio stations. Philco, a big radio company, brought control of Simplex in 1937 and the plant's name eventually became Philco. In the 1950s, the Sandusky plant, at 3130 W. Monroe St., made both radios and TV sets, but production moved to Pennsylvania in 1961. Auto parts production took over The automobile industry was a big part of Sandusky's manufacturing base in much of the latter half of the 20th century. The New Departure Plant at Hayes (Ohio 4) and Perkins avenues was a General Motors facility that made ball bearings. The plant opened in 1946. Eventually, that plant was part of a section of GM spun off into a separate company, Delphi Corp. The Sandusky plant eventually became KBI, Kyklos Bearing International. The KBI plant closed in 2017 and is now a data center site owned by Aligned Data Centers. Ford Motor Co. opened an assembly plant on Tiffin Avenue (Ohio 101) in 1955. The plant eventually became Automotive Components Holdings and now operates as Ventra Sandusky, manufacturing headlamps and taillights, mostly for Ford. Other notable manufacturing operations include the Lyman Boat Co., which made wooden boats in Sandusky from 1928 to 1973; the American Crayon Co., which closed in 2002 after 167 years in Sandusky; and Apex Manufacturing, which made appliances such as washing machines.