Remarkable Ohio

Results for: fishing
S. Main St.
Magnetic Springs

, OH

Near this site in 1879, J.E. Newhouse discovered a magnetic spring in his park, Green Bend Gardens. It was found that a knife blade dipped in the water could pick up small metal objects like a magnet. The spring became known for its curative powers and was advertised as a treatment for ailments including rheumatism, gout, insomnia, and diseases of the kidneys, bladder, and nerves. To share the health-giving water, Mr. Newhouse opened the Magnetic Bath House, which became famous for its water cures. To reach a larger market, the magnetic water was sterilized and bottled and sold under the Magnetic Springs label. Advances in medicine after World War II led to the decline in the popularity of mineral baths.

6100 Pymatuning Lake Road
Andover

, OH

The advancing and retreating mile-high glacial sheet of ice and snow shaped the countryside around this area. As the last of the ice masses melted, a great swamp developed, punctuated by towering white pines, bogs, and wetlands, fed by the Shenango and Beaver rivers. Abundant wildlife drew prehistoric and later historic Native Americans into the area where they lived and hunted for thousands of years. Indian legend has it that the name Pymatuning means “The Crooked-Mouthed Man’s Dwelling Place,” referring to a Native American chief who once resided in the area. European trappers came to these swamp lands in the 1700s in search of beaver and other fur-bearing animals. Pioneer farmers and lumbermen came to the area after 1800, but settlement in the swamp was slow and difficult. Eventually much of the area was cultivated in onions and other root crops. (continued on other side)

315 Madison Street
Port Clinton

, OH

As the county seat, Port Clinton is home to the present Ottawa County Courthouse, completed on May 20, 1901 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Constructed in the Richardson Romanesque style, the exterior of the courthouse was built using sandstone quarried at Amherst, Ohio. Pink marble wainscoting, an ornate staircase, and stenciling enhance the interior. A copy of William Powell’s mural, “Perry’s Victory on Lake Erie,” is featured along with smaller murals depicting early county industries – farming, fishing, fruit growing, and quarrying. Memorial tablets honor veterans from the Spanish-American War and Civil War.

6998 S Main Street
Gnadenhutten

, OH

The Upper Trenton Lock (Lock 15 South) of the Ohio & Erie Canal was built between 1828 and 1829. Originally built of cut sandstone blocks, the lock was named for the Village of Trenton, now Tuscarawas. Lock 16, or Lower Trenton Lock, lies only 800 feet southwest of Lock 15. The lock tender, who lived in a house on this site, served both locks. Repeated flood damage prompted reconstruction of Lock 15 in 1907. The deteriorated stonemasonry was completely replaced with concrete at a cost of $6,815. The old stone was used to shore up the towpath. Use of the state-owned canal had declined significantly by this point, and the great flood of 1913 brought the canal era to an end in Ohio.

705 Convers Avenue
Zanesville

, OH

Born Pearl Zane Grey in 1872 at this site and raised in Zanesville, author Zane Grey established the western novel as a twentieth century American literary genre. Trained as a dentist and practicing in New York City, Grey began writing full time following his marriage in 1905 to Lina Elise “Dolly” Roth, who served as his editor and agent. Grey’s novels featured rich western imagery and highly romanticized plots with often pointed moral overtones, inspiring scores of imitators. Of his more than 60 books, Riders of the Purple Sage (1912) is his best know work. Many of Grey’s novels were made into movies in 1920s and ’30s. In addition, Grey was the holder of ten world records for large game fishing, an avocation he pursued when not writing. He died in 1939 at his home in Altadena, California.

4729 Walnut Road
Buckeye Lake

, OH

Formed by the retreating glacier more than 14,000 years ago, Buckeye Lake first existed as a shallow, swampy pond, named “Buffalo Swamp” by Ohio Company explorer Christopher Gist in 1751. Beginning in 1826 the State developed it as a water source for the Licking Summit of the Ohio and Erie Canal, it being the highest level between the Scioto and Licking rivers. Engineers dammed the north and west sides of the swamp, inadvertently creating a unique floating sphagnum-heath bog surrounded by water. Cranberry Bog, with boreal vegetation typical of glacial-era Ohio, is a registered National Natural Landmark. (continued on other side)

417 Main Street
Huron

, OH

Lake Erie commerce has played a central role in the development of Huron. Important among Huron’s maritime industries were shipbuilding and commercial fishing. The city’s shipbuilding industry dates to the first decades of the nineteenth century. Shipyards were located on the Huron River’s west bank, slightly north of this marker, and also upstream at Fries Landing. Among the vessels built at Huron were the Great Western, constructed in 1838 and the first lake ship to have above-deck cabins, and the Golden Age, which, at 286 feet, was the largest craft on the Great Lakes when built in 1886. Huron shipbuilding declined as the nineteenth century drew to a close. Commercial fishing emerged thereafter, serving as Huron’s economic cornerstone for over fifty years. Huron’s fishing enterprises included the Huron, Kishman, Scott, and Zimmerman fish companies. By 1950, however, polluted lake waters ravished the once-lucrative industry. Although shipbuilding and commercial fishing are no longer a part of Huron’s daily life, they each had a profound effect upon the community’s growth for nearly two centuries.

1st Ave
Gallipolis

, OH

The Ohio River, the southeast border of Gallia County, played a significant role in the development of Gallipolis and Gallia County. One of the state’s first thoroughfares, this waterway enabled pioneers to settle in what was known as the Northwest Territory. On October 17, 1790, approximately 500 French immigrants arrived in Gallipolis, traveling by flatboats from Pittsburgh, and settled in log cabins in what is now City Park, in the heart of Gallipolis. This established the second oldest permanent settlement in the territory. The settlers relied on the River for communication, commerce, and transportation, and the River brought postal service to Gallipolis in 1794. As local business and river trade developed in the 1800s, Gallipolis became a thriving port. The scenic Ohio River is an important inland waterway, providing transportation for many commodities between major cities. The River also provides recreational opportunities for both visitors and residents, including water sports, fishing, and boating.