The Marblehead Mile (Article 9) - Lorrie Halblaub

In this series we are taking an historical look at an area that covers approximately a mile of Main Street in downtown Marblehead. Heading east from the Village limits, we will discover the facts and the stories of how Marblehead became what it is today. [This is the 9^th article in the series.]

The next building at 806 West Main Street, east of Madam Rosie’s Boutique and Gallery, has had many uses.  It was once Brown’s Department Store, Bob Anderson’s electric shop, the home of Celia Grover who earned her living as a seamstress. Then it was Pitzer’s Pizza and Subs,  Bill Hammond’s Pizza and video rental store, The Village Peddler- Antiques and Such, La Habana a Cuban Restaurant, the art Gallery of Bailey Van Kirk , the office of Nature Conservancy and is now, again, a private home.  This one building is a good example of the evolution of Marblehead.  Before the Bay Bridge connected the Marblehead Peninsula with Bay View and made Sandusky a destination accessible by car instead of by ferry or train, shops in Marblehead sold practical things that people needed, like fuel oil, tires, clothing, shoes, kitchen utensils, bolts of cloth for sewing, etc.  However, with the bridge, it was easier to get to Sandusky where there were larger stores with more variety in their inventory.  Over the years, Marblehead shops changed to restaurants, gift shops, and art galleries.  Marblehead slowly evolved into the tourist-based seasonal economy that it is today.

However, not all practical businesses changed.  The next building on the corner of Main and James St., 802 West Main St., was built by Louis St. Marie in 1895 out of the formed concrete blocks sold by the quarry.  It was the first site of the Marblehead Bank founded in 1907. Louis St. Marie was the first president of that bank, and it remained at this site until 1957 when they built a larger bank on the south side of Main Street.

The bank only took up half of the downstairs of the St. Marie building.  The other half was George Ward’s Grocery Store.  When the bank moved across the street, the Knights of Columbus took their space. The upstairs of that building was once a dance hall, then a lawyer’s office, and for a while a vinyl graphic’s business run by Drew Jenkins. Since 1992, Marblehead Mayor John Starcher owns the whole building and the downstairs is Village Pro Hardware. 

The Marblehead Bank on the south side of the street at 709 West Main Street has had one enlargement since they moved to this spot and celebrated the 100^th Anniversary of the founding in 2007.  This bank annually receives Bauer’s Five Star Ratings and is one of the safest banks in America and even staying solvent during the Great Depression.  This year it merged with State Bank and Trust Company of Defiance, OH. The well-respected State Bank specializes in community banks and both banks assure customers they will enjoy additional products and services.