Ottawa County Court House in Port Clinton

Ottawa County

Like many counties that were created later in Ohio's development, Ottawa County land that once was included in other counties including Erie, Lucas and Sandusky. The name was in honor of the Native American group known as the Ottawa who were common along the southern shore of Lake Erie. They were a fierce grou he Americans had won. By the time Ottawa County was legally formed by the the committee of New Counties, the last of the Ottawa had just been forced out of Ohio as they boarded a steamer for Cleveland where they would then take the Ohio and Erie Canal south to the Ohio River and then to lands set aside for them west of the Mississippi.

Ottawa County, created on March 6, 1840 from portions of Sandusky, Erie and Lucas counties. The first session of the county commissioners met in Port Clinton in April of that year. Before this land became a county, it was mostly inhabited by Native Americans, and later settlers who made their way by hunting, fishing and trapping. The land, especially along the main bodies of water and rivers, were mostly marshes. It was a land with large numbers of fur-bearing animals. Today, Magee Marsh and the surrounding marsh lands are somewhat reminiscent of that time period.

Stories are told that early on before the county was formed, a ship bound for Chicago from Buffalo was wrecked in a storm and those passengers who survived made it to shore around where Port Clinton would later be developed. It was said these survivors were of Scottish descent and decided that this area was as good as any other and they stayed here instead of trying to make their way further west to Chicago.

When the first farms were developed, the somewhat milder climate due to the moderating temperatures from the proximity of Lake Erie, made the area ideally suited to growing peaches and grapes. Today those crops are still grown in abundance.

At the end of the 19th Century a new interurban railroad line was constructed between Toledo and Marblehead with stops at all of the towns across Ottawa County. This new mode of transportation made it possible for citizens to quickly travel across the county. Now a trip that used to take a day could now be done in a few hours both to and from the county courthouse in Port Clinton. This helped bring the county togerther and created more harmony among the various communities that felt ignored because of the geographic location.

Marblehead Peninsula Lighthouse

One of the most beautiful portions of Northwest Ohio is located on what is known today as the Marblehead Peninsula. The road highway making a large loop "around the horn" is close to the water on all 3 sides of the peninsula. Located on the extreme tip of the peninsula is the Marblehead Lighthouse that is one of the most attractive lighthouses still in existence around Lake Erie. Further around the highway visitors can see where the lighthouse keeper once lived. While today most of the inner section of the peninsula is a quarry, the land was once heavily populated with peach trees.

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Catawba Island

Catawba Island as it is called, is really a smaller peninsula jutting off the Marblehead Peninsula. It's called an island only because there's a very small creek that separates it from the mainland. Also included in Ottawa County are South Bass, Middle Bass and Isle St. George. The much smaller islands are also included in the county. Kelley's Island which is located due north of Marblehead Lighthouse, is part of Erie County and is the largest of the American Islands in Lake Erie.

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South Bass Island

South Bass Island and specifically Put-in-Bay, has taken on almost an exotic-island-destination persona. It and Middle Bass, Ballast, Sugar and Gibraltar were purchased back in 1854 by J.D. Rivera who was greatly impressed with the beauty of the islands. He paid a grand total of about $44,000 for the entire group. One of the stipulations he put in his deed was that in Put-in-Bay, no buildings could be erected in a small park at the heart of the town so everyone could enjoy the harbor view. Rivera used South Bass island first as a sheep farm, and then later he tried grapes. Grape growing was much more successful and he sold off his sheep concentrating on the grapes.

Put-in-Bay was the most famous summer resort on Lake Erie for many generations and still is a favored spot. Towards the end of the 19th Century, Hotel Victory was considered the finest summer hotel in the country. After the hotel burned in the early 1900s, Cedar Point took aim at being the most famous summer resort. Historically, Put-in-Bay and South Bass Island played a pivotal role in the War of 1812. From this harbor, Oliver Perry's fleet sailed out against a British fleet of warships and defeated them in a hotly contested battle. Today, the result of that engagement is memorialized at the Peace Monument located on the narrow isthmus of South Bass Island. This monument which opened to the public in 1913 is a lasting monument to the peace that has existed between the United States and Canada since that war.

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Ottawa's Main Communities

The larger communities in the county are of course Port Clinton, the county seat, and Oak Harbor (which vied to become the county seat, but lost out to Port Clinton). Next in size comes Marblehead, Elmore, and Put-in-Bay. Today most of Ottawa County still appears much as it did at the beginning of the 20th Century, with the one exception: instead of it being a primarily fishing and agricultural county, today it is more guided by the tourists that flock here each summer for the variety of activities that never go out of style.

Port Clinton

Port Clinton is the the fishing capital of Ohio and perhaps the Midwest. In the mid 1800s, it was discovered there was an abundance of fish between the main land and the Bass Islands leading rise to a great fishing industry. At one time Port Clinton fishing was bringing in tons of fish every day that was shipped to markets around the country. So profitable was the fishing industry that in the 1890s it was reported there were fishing pirates sailing across the main fishing grounds at night, lifting the nets and their catch then taking it to Toledo for a quick sale. By the mid 1950s the great fishing boom was over. Today Port Clinton is known for its recreational and charter fishing and the home of Jet Express.

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Oak Harbor

The large ships that once harbored at Oak Harbor no longer come down the Portage River. Nor do the ferry boats that ran on a regular basis to and from town. Many of Oak Harbor's industries from the 19th Century are no longer employing the 1000s of people required to keep their doors open. Today, this bedroom community is like a step back in time appearing much like it did more than a 100 years ago.

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Marblehead

Best known for it's lighthouse, Marblehead today is an eclectic community on the tip of Marblehead Peninsula. There are a variety of shops from antiques to the arts and is best enjoyed after you park the car or your motorcycle and stretch your legs, it's that kind of town.

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The Ottawa County Courthouse
It took three years to build the beautiful Ottawa County Courthouse beginning in 1898 and cost was just under $62,000. The exterior sandstone was quarried from Amherst, Ohio and is said to be some of the best sandstone in the country. That sandstone was shipped to Port Clinton where it was assembled. It might seem odd that the Amherst sandstone was used when just down the road on the Marblehead Peninsula, a very large limestone quarry was located. The Marblehead limestone was indeed the original choice of the builders, but the two groups couldn't come to an agreeable price for the limestone.
The entire construction period of the courthouse lasted from 1898 through May 20, 1901, when the county commissioners and building committee accepted the new courthouse, total cost of construction being $61,500. The exterior of the entire building is constructed of North Amherst sandstone and interior steps and wainscoting of pink Tennessee marble. The original intent of the building committee was to face the Structure with native limestone from Marblehead quarries; however, agreeable arrangements could not be reached with the quarry. The interior murals described above were completed in 1908 and restored in 2008.