Betsy Ross, the Cannon

Betsy Ross, known locally as the cannon in Waterworks Park, formerly Perry Park, is relic of Perry’s victory over the British in 1813. Betsy is a carronade cannon that was found on the shore of Put-In-Bay, originally called Ross Island.

The cannon is referred to in Sketches and Stories of the Lake Erie Islands by Lydia Ryall. The cannon bears the initials H.M.N. (His/Her Majesty’s Navy). The initials B.C. are found on the cannon indicating that the cannon was made by Birmingham Cannon making it a British cannon.

The cannon was purchased by Port Clinton Mayor Henry J. Rohrs prior to 1904. Mayor Rohrs left the area in early 1905.

Initially the cannon was mounted on large carriage wheels which were not historically accurate. This cannon was normally mounted on the upper deck rather than below decks. Eventually the Matthews Boat Plant created a new appropriate mounting.

The Port Clinton Progressive Times of February 1930 contains a very informative article about the cannon.

The Ottawa County Courthouse

The Ida Rupp Public Library is pleased to re-introduce the local history blog. This month’s feature is the Ottawa County Courthouse.

The structure is typical Richard Romanesque style. Its construction is of North Amherst, Ohio sandstone and pink Tennessee marble. The foundation is made from local Marblehead limestone.

The Courthouse was started in 1898 and completed in 1901. The contracted construction price was to be $47,500. Additions and changes brought the final cost to $60,000. The addition of steam heat and furnishings brought the total to $65,500.

A ¼ mill tax levy generated property taxes sufficient to produce a tablet that lists the name of every soldier and sailor who served in the American Civil War.

A lesser known but intriguing fact is that during construction a five-ton stone fell when a cable broke knocking Conrad Balduf to the ground. Fortunately, Balduf was not seriously injured. The construction company presented “Coonie” with a jersey cow as he has just lost a milk cow before this incident.

In 1974, the Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historical Places.

For further reading, please refer to:

          Henry House, Historical Collection of Ohio. Centennial Edition,

          1902, 2 vol.

          The Heritage of Port Clinton, Ohio, A Collection of Writings by Port Clinton                               Historians, edited by Barbara Bailey. 

Mysterious Green Island?

Does Green Island hold a long lost secret?  A forgotten lighthouse lost in obscurity, overgrown with vegetation and now a state owned bird sanctuary.  In the 1820’s the island was known as Strontium Island because of the crystallized Celestine or Strontium discovered in the cliffs along the eastern side of the island, by Major James Delafield.   Delafield was an agent of the International Boundary Commission as established by the Treaty of Ghent.  In 1851 the U.S. Government purchased the island from Alfred Pierpont Edwards.  A frame lighthouse was completed by November of 1855.  The light was destroyed in a New Year’s Eve fire in 1863.  The lighthouse keeper Colonel Charles F. Drake and his family were the only residents of the island escaped with barely their lives; a storm of freezing rain ravaged the island the very night of the fire. The family dragged a feather bed into the privy and huddled beneath it  until a rescue party reached them. Rescuers moved the family to Put-in –Bay where they gradually recovered from their ordeal.  Colonel Drake’s hands and face were severely burned in the attempt to save his family.  In Harry Ross’s book Enchanting Islands of Lake Erie, he writes about the islands role in the Manhattan project.  Many local residents disregard the premise.  In 1990 Green Island was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park service.

Part two will be featured next month

GERMAN & ITALIAN P.O.W.s @ CAMP PERRY

 

          While working on our local Bataan collection; and, in my involvement with the Ottawa County Historical Society’s oral history project, it became quite clear that we needed more information in one central location regarding the German and Italian prisoners housed at Camp Perry.

 

          Donna Bovia, our late local author, created a legacy in print to those passed through the gates of Camp Perry. There are also newspaper articles from the Port Clinton Herald and Republican from October 1943 when the POWs first arrived until they departed in December 1945. These articles have been very useful in my research. The Italian prisoners were the first to arrive and they were settled into their five-man huts. The prisoners had their own mess hall where the meals were prepared by their own cooks. Prisoners also had their bakers, laundry and cobblers for shoe repair.

 

          German prisoners began arriving in June 1944. In July 1944 a larger group arrived after their capture in Normandy, France. All prisoners were put to work as farm laborers, if physically able (unwounded). Local farmers and fruit growers who were within a 50 mile radius of Camp Perry were provided with laborers. The prisoners were paid $.80 per day plus a basic allotment of $.10 per day. The local farmers, growers and others who were provided with the laborers paid the U.S. Government a fee of $2.00 per day for each worker. Anna writes that “in 1945 $2,000,000 was paid to the U.S. Treasury” from the German and Italian P.O.W.s working in the fields and at side camps.

 

          The prisoners also tended a 5 acres vegetable garden at the Camp which resulted in a $5,000 savings to the amount that was necessary to feed the prisoners. Over 1,000 bushels of potatoes alone was produced from the garden.

 

          The oral History Committee has collected a number of stories about this time period at Camp Perry. We are also interested in adding to these stories. If you are interested in contributing to our local history, please contact Connie Cedoz at the Ida Rupp Public Library, (419) 732-3212.

 

 

 

Sources

 

          Bovia, Anna L. and Maj. Gary L. Wirzylo. Camp Perry 1906 – 1991. The Hubbard Company, Defiance, Ohio. 1992.

 

          Ottawa County News. July 13, 1945.

Ottawa County Courthouse

The Ottawa County Courthouse is a picturesque building. I have answered many questions regarding the style, cost, etc. Here is a concise description of what I have discovered. The source of the following information is primarily newspaper articles.

            The structure is in the Richardson Romanesque style, constructed of North Amherst, Ohio sandstone and Pink Tennessee marble. Construction started in 1898 and was completed in 1901. The contract price for the Courthouse was $47,500; additions and changes brought the price to $60,000. This did not include the steam heat, furniture and other fittings. The total cost was $65,500. The cost of decorating the 3^rd floor Common Pleas courtroom exceeded $1,000.

            The tablet that records the name, company and regiment of every soldier and sailor from Ottawa County who served in the Civil War was paid for by the funds generated from a ¼ mill property tax levy which was approved by the voters.

            During construction a five ton stone was to be transferred from the south face to the north face. While the stone was being moved, a cable on the derrick parted and the stone & derrick fell. It fell on Conrad Balduf knocking him to the ground. Miraculously, Balduf was not seriously injured. The construction firm presented him with jersey cow. “Coonie” had just lost a milk cow shortly before the incident.

            In 1974, the Ottawa County Courthouse was added to the national Register of Historical Places.

          Etienne Brule was often treated as though he were a mythical character. The facts are these: there were no letters or diaries left behind by Brule to give us his account of life as one who literally became a native with the Hurons.

 

          Brule fully integrated himself, learning the language and the customs. It was in 1610 that Samuel de Champlain the exchange with the natives. Young Brule was 16 years old and he was one of eight who managed to survive the winter of 1608 and 1609 with Champlain in Quebec.

 

          Brule was aid to be strong and adventurous; often called “first runner of the woods.” When he did return to Quebec, he was said to be unrecognizable. The Frenchman was accepted as a native of the Metis Nation. He had an impact on Canadian history. It is accepted as local history that Etienne and his fellow travelers landed at the Toussaint Creek of the Portage River on November 1, 1615, All Saints Day. This tributary of the Portage River was named for the date of his discovery. Toussaint means All Saints.

 

          Here he trapped muskrat and beaver for the fur trade with the natives. In 1629, Brule was killed by the Hurons for a betrayal that he committed. He was stabbed, dismembered and his remains were consumed by the villagers, as was their custom.

 

          Brule was born in 1592 in Champigny-sur-Marne, France. He died a Toanche, on the Pentanguishene Peninsula, Ontario, Canada.

 

 

Port Clinton Millstones

 

 

          There are two huge millstones located in the Adams Street Boulevard that have a local significance. The first stone is located across from St. John’s Lutheran Church, just south of Second Street.

 

          The stone was forced ashore at the South end of Fulton Street from Sandusky Bay. The stone, measuring 2’ x 3’ and weighing approximately 3800 lbs, was forced ashore about 1920 during a winter ice storm. Ice formed in the Bay and the stone was forced ashore by the current of the Bay. It came ashore on the farm of Henry Rohde and had been turned upside down. The stone has three bowl shaped indentations; one measuring about nine inches in diameter and the other two slightly smaller.

 

          The existence of this stone was first brought to the attention of Port Clinton by Emil Heiser. Mr. Heiser had been a resident of the Bay area for many years and thought that the stone was significant. The City of Port Clinton decided to move the stone to the Adams Street Boulevard (1,000 feet south of the Harrison Trail) near St. John’s Church. Washington’s Birthday 1933 was chosen as the date for the move.

 

          The second stone was moved to its location just south of Perry Street across from the former Garden at the Lighthouse. The stone was moved to this location from the property of Col. S. M. Lockwood.  Lockwood was instrumental in developing the gypsum industry in this area. The stone, appears to be of similar size to the Indian Millstone, was used in the milling operations by the gypsum industry; milling stone into plaster for use in drywall.

 

 

Sources:

 

          Millstone is placed in park on Washington’s Birthday. ---------, Port Clinton, Ohio, February 24, 1933.

 

          Gordon, William & Mary. A Historical Walking Tour of Downtown Port Clinton. 2004