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Ottawa County Time Traveler Eastern Ottawa County Past & Present APRIL 2025 |
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by Linda Higgins If you’ve ever had to wait awhile for the light to change while heading west out of Port Clinton on Rt. 163, you may have had some questions about the reason for the wait. It might help to know that travelers along that stretch have had a similar wait for many decades.
In the early days the river was crossed by ferries, then a pontoon-style structure was used until a narrow wood bridge was built across the river. The bascule bridge (drawbridge) was built on the same site as the last wood and iron wagon bridge, which was barely wide enough for two wagons or buggies to pass.
The construction of the Port Clinton drawbridge, which connects the east and west sides of the town along State Route 163, was begun in 1932. The old New York Central bridge was used for diverted traffic during construction. The new bridge cost $195,000, half of that amount contributed by the federal government, $39,000 by Ohio, and the rest by Ottawa County.
The bridge was dedicated and open for traffic on August 5, 1933. The mayor at that time, Alfred J. Davids, was the featured speaker. In attendance were the mayors of Cleveland, Toledo, Lorain, and Sandusky, as well as governors White of Ohio and Comstock of Michigan, all representing locations linked to Ohio Route 2, now State Route 163. The last surviving Civil War veteran of Ottawa County, Gabriel DuBrie, cut the ceremonial ribbon.
Architect Josephine Powers designed the bridge. She received her degree in architecture from Columbia University, then opened an office with Marion Hindman in Columbus in 1931. When she later joined the State Highway Department’s Bridge Bureau, she supervised and designed all bridge-related architecture.
Within a few years of its construction, the bridge received recognition for several reasons; its Art Deco style and the tall columns holding light fixtures and stop lights were especially noteworthy. It was designated an Ohio historical bridge. It was the first double bascule bridge in Ohio, and it was also the first in the state to use welded steel-plate flooring, or battleship deck.
Only four bascule bridges are believed to exist in Ohio. Bascule bridges, using counterweights to balance and swing one or two leaves, were used by the Egyptians thousands of years ago, evolving into the “modern” version in the mid-nineteenth century. Steam power then allowed long, heavy spans to be moved efficiently. The bridge decks will not fall while raised because of a backup braking mechanism.
Until 1958 the lift numbers were not recorded regularly. Bridge Tender Tom Canby was in charge of lifts at that time, and when that boating season ended he had recorded 568 openings. Canby said that before the Rt. 2 bypass opened the number of lifts caused serious traffic jams extending into downtown Port Clinton. New rules were implemented and these are updated as required by changes in flow under and over the bridge on the hour and half hour.
In 1997, a small house used as the bridge tenders’ dwelling was torn down, its having been used last as housing in the late 80s. When the bridge was mechanized, the tenders were able to live in their own homes.
Maintenance is state-funded because the bridge is part of State Route 163. Regular safety maintenance was sufficient for many years, but in 2016 major renovation became necessary. The process took much longer than expected, and the extended delays made it difficult for commuters and businesses alike. Because Port Clinton had no fire houses on the other side of the river, several firemen who lived on that end of town were on call during the reconstruction, and one fire truck was housed in that area for the duration.
The Port Clinton drawbridge is under the control of the Ohio Department of Transportation, but is maintained by the Ottawa County Engineering Department. Perhaps some of this information will help the next time our drawbridge interferes with your day. Or perhaps not! Use this link to see or share the article online: Linda |
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by Lorrie Halblaub Marblehead became a village in 1891. A village is a municipal corporation with a population of less than 5,000 people. Today, Marblehead has a population of over 800 people. The village limits start on Main Street near the post office on the north side of the peninsula and extend “Around the Horn” as the locals call it, to Bayshore Road, and the south side of the peninsula to include Wilson’s Beach and Johnson’s Island. The rest of the peninsula is Danbury Township, which confusingly enough includes the Village of Marblehead. There is one part of the Main Street area on the north side that I like to call the Marblehead Mile. It is actually a little farther than a mile, but it is a walkable area where there are shops, eateries, parks, and just about everything you would find in any small town. This area started to form long before Marblehead officially became a village and has a rich history. This series of The Ottawa County Time Traveler will be about the Marblehead Mile and will cover many months of facts and stories. So let’s take a walk down Main Street going from west to east. The Lakeside-Marblehead Post Office at 1306 W. Main Street was designed and built in 1965 by contractor A. LeRoy Higley (1926-2018). Prior to this post office, there were many separate post offices on the peninsula. Here are just a few: Marblehead had one at the Clemons home, and later in a building that is now part of the library parking lot. Lakeside had post offices in 6 different locations over the years. Before they were part of Marblehead, the house across from the Gaydos Drive on Bayshore road was once a post office. And there was one on Johnson’s Island. At one time, a place they called Danbury O. near the Bay Bridge had its own post office. This was before Danbury Township formed in 1840. For a while before the opening of the Lakeside-Marblehead Post Office in 1965, homes in Danbury township used the Port Clinton Post Office. I remember my address in Danbury Township was R.R. #2 Box 179A Port Clinton, O. Our post office was built about the same time the United States Postal Service introduced the 5-digit zip code in 1963 and made them mandatory by 1967. The numbers at the end of every address helped speed up the sorting process so mail would arrive quicker. The same year, 1963, was also the start of when abbreviations for state names gradually changed to a standard set of two capital letters still used today, instead of whatever kind of abbreviation for the name of the state the addressee of the letter felt like using. Then stamps changed. Remember having to lick a stamp? The first self-adhesive stamp was printed in 1974 and grew quickly in popularity. By 2007 the Forever stamp first appeared. No more using several denominations of different stamps to send a letter. When our post office opened in 1965 a stamp cost 5 cents. Today it costs 69 cents! Danbury, Ohio Post Office 1935 (Photo from author’s private collection) You can use this link to read or share this article: Lorrie |
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New Ohio Review is a national literary journal produced by Ohio University’s Creative Writing Program. Now in its eighteenth year, NOR has been the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant and support from the Ohio Arts Council. 808.8 NEW 2025 |
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The ads in old newspapers are often as interesting (and informative) as the "news." |
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The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is a portal to millions of freely available items from thousands of libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage organizations across the United States. Search under Online Resources A-Z on the Ida Rupp Library website to enter DPLA. Once you're there, click on the link for Family Research. |
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Readers can actively contribute to this newsletter, not just enjoy reading the monthly issues. From the March article about the local interurban, a reader sent in these photos of a Port Clinton & Lakeside railroad care that were taken several years ago at Carillon Park in Dayton. Thank you so much for sharing! |
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Western approached to the drawbridge in downtown Port Clinton, April 18, 2025. |
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