History by Horsman: Sandusky's oldest home

SANDUSKY — Back in 2018, we celebrated Sandusky's bicentennial — an anniversary commemorating 200 years since the founding of the city. Unfortunately, no buildings from 1818 survive to this day. A few years after the city's founding, Eleutheros Cooke — Sandusky's first lawyer and the father of Jay Cooke— came to Sandusky and built the city's first stone house in 1821. That house was located on Columbus Avenue, about where Barra is located today. Although the earliest stone house no longer stands, another house built by Eleutheros Cooke holds the title as the oldest house in Sandusky. At 410 Columbus Ave., just across the street from the library, stands a small stone house that was built by Cooke around 1827. There are conflicting dates, but 1827 seems to be the most common one given. The house has not changed substantially from its original appearance with the exception of the large brick porch that was added to the front of it some time between 1910 and 1920. This house was owned by the Cooke family for many years, and it is said that Jay Cooke lived here during his last winter in Sandusky. The house's original front porch was also the site of a visit by William Henry Harrison in 1840 who stopped in Sandusky during his 1840 presidential campaign. Some prominent women of the city made a large white satin banner to commemorate his visit, and it was presented to Harrison at the Cooke House. That banner is now on public display at the Follett House Museum. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and thus it is now a protected landmark under Sandusky's Landmark Preservation Ordinance. As it approaches its own bicentennial in a few years, I hope the house will remain a fixture on Columbus Ave. for decades, and even centuries, to come. Editor's note: Tom Horsman works for the city of Sandusky's department of community development as serves on the board of trustees for the Erie County Historical Society.