Bay Township, Ottawa County

Township · Ottawa County · 1,142 residents

Ottawa County

Local events in Bay Township, Ottawa County

Nothing is posted for Bay Township itself yet; here is what is on within 20 miles. All local events in Bay Township, Ottawa County

  1. "Spook and Find" Scavenger Hunt at Sandusky Farmers Market

    10 to 11 a.m. · Sandusky Library Outdoors Columbus Avenue · Sandusky · 13 mi · From Sandusky Library

  2. OhGo Food Drive-Open to the Community

    9 to 11 a.m. · Margaretta Elementary School · Margaretta Township · 12 mi · From Margaretta Local School District

  3. MMS/MHS Parent/Teacher Conferences

    3:45 to 7:45 p.m. · Margaretta High School · Castalia · 11 mi · From Margaretta Local School District

Know a calendar we should watch? Send the link

Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.

How Bay Township, Ottawa County began

Bay Township lies along Sandusky Bay in southern Ottawa County, named for its position on the bay. It was surveyed township number sixteen of Sandusky County and part of the large original Portage Township; the act creating Ottawa County in 1840 split it, leaving the southern part in Sandusky County as Rice Township. English, Scottish and German families cleared its forest from 1829 on, and it had 509 residents in 1880. It remains open farm country, with a small part of Port Clinton in its northeast corner.

Settled 1829, by John and Elizabeth Lattimore, from England by way of Indiana (March 1829).

Where the name comes from

Named for its position on Sandusky Bay; it is the only Bay Township in Ohio.

Before the town

No source consulted records a Native village, trail or other site inside Bay Township. Its Sandusky Bay shore lies west of the ground Wyandot tradition places near Fremont, in Sandusky County; the 1872 Maumee Valley history says the Ottawa of the Maumee hunted over this county.

Nations recorded here: Ottawa.

Timeline

  1. — The later Bay Township was still part of Portage Township.
  2. — John and Elizabeth Lattimore settled in Bay Township, then almost unbroken wilderness, and stayed until 1857.
  3. — David and Jane McRitchie, bound for Chicago, were shipwrecked near Port Clinton and instead bought 120 acres of timber in Bay Township.
  4. — The Mellish family from Toronto settled on a farm in Bay Township.
  5. — Nehemiah and Hester Williams brought their infant son Enos from Guernsey County to Bay Township.
  6. — John Kleinhans married Maria Hineline in Bay Township.
  7. — Bay Township became part of the newly organized Ottawa County.
  8. — The act creating Ottawa County drew the new county's line two miles north of the southeast corner of Bay Township; the part left in Sandusky County became Rice Township. Bay Township had 231 residents that year.
  9. — The township had 509 residents.
  10. — Township population was recorded at 1,142.

Stories

Shipwrecked into Bay Township

David and Jane McRitchie left Forfarshire, Scotland, in 1832 and took a lake vessel from Buffalo for Chicago, where they expected to meet friends. In August 1832 the ship was wrecked in a storm near Port Clinton harbor, and they were brought ashore and lodged at John Mitchell's brick hotel. McRitchie gave up on Chicago and bought 120 acres of timber in Bay Township. The only paid work was in the plaster quarries seven miles away, so he walked there each Monday, carried a week's food, came home Saturday and was often paid in goods. Once he owned an ox team, a trip to Lower Sandusky for supplies took two days. He later served as township clerk, justice of the peace, county auditor from 1848 for nine years and county treasurer from 1874.

Photographs

Open farm fields in Bay Township.
Open farm fields in Bay Township. (2016)
Photo: Nyttend, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Map of Ottawa County highlighting Bay Township.
Map of Ottawa County highlighting Bay Township. (2015)
Photo: Ruhrfisch and Nyttend, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org

Water

Lake Erie, via a submerged intake crib serving the county's regional plant near Port Clinton (precise offshore crib coordinates not documented) The water here

Hospitals, fire stations and more

Inside Bay Township, Ottawa County's boundary: 1 fire or EMS station and 4 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.

Fire and EMS stations (1)

  1. Bay Township Fire DepartmentPort Clinton
    Address
    4471 West Fremont Road, Port Clinton, OH 43452
    Coordinates
    41.47858, -83.01999

Source: USGS National Map structures (most Ohio records last updated 2019 to 2022), checked against the Columbus and Cleveland station lists. The department that answers a call is set by jurisdiction and mutual aid, not by distance.

Spills reported since 2021 (4)

  1. Herbicide(S) Nos (Not Specified)2024-10-28 · Bay Twp
    Reported
    2024-10-28
    What spilled
    Herbicide(S) Nos (Not Specified)
    Largest amount reported
    300 gallons
    Where
    Bay Twp, Ottawa County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2410EPA0001804
  2. Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle2021-09-17 · Bay Twp
    Reported
    2021-09-17
    What spilled
    Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle
    Largest amount reported
    55 gallons
    Where
    Bay Twp, Ottawa County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2109EPA0001468
  3. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road) Reached water2021-09-14 · Bay Twp
    Reported
    2021-09-14
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Largest amount reported
    50 gallons
    Reached a waterway
    99 - Unnamed
    Where
    Bay Twp, Ottawa County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2109EPA0001449
  4. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2026-05-13 · Bay Twp
    Reported
    2026-05-13
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Largest amount reported
    10 gallons
    Where
    Bay Twp, Ottawa County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2605EPA0000797

Source: Ohio EPA emergency response spill reports, 2021 to September 2026, one point per case where Ohio EPA placed it. A report is what the caller or responder recorded; amounts are often blank or estimated.

Its ZIP codes

Each ZIP code that touches Bay Township, Ottawa County, with the share of its residents who live here and the same headline figures as the ZIP page.

Local government

Who holds office in Bay Township, Ottawa County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.

Who holds office

OfficeNamePartyTerm endsContact
Fiscal OfficerAngela Lorensen2028-03-31 5530 W. Little Portage East Rd. Port Clinton, OH 43452
TrusteeArt Castillo2027-12-31 5530 W. Little Portage East Rd. Port Clinton, OH 43452
TrusteeDenton Glovinsky2029-12-31 5530 W. Little Portage East Rd. Port Clinton, OH 43452
TrusteeJason C Hefflinger2029-12-31 5530 W. Little Portage East Rd. Port Clinton, OH 43452

Roster as of 2026-04-10: county board of elections.

Money issues on the ballot since 2020: 16 of 19 passed.

Ballot issues

DateIssueForAgainstResult
2025-11-04 Issue: Precinct Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy EMS 31675Passed (80.82% for)
2025-11-04 Issue: Precinct Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy South Bass Parks 235107Passed (68.71% for)
2024-11-05 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy Refuse Site 6224Passed (72.09% for)
2024-11-05 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy Roads 267159Passed (62.68% for)
2024-11-05 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy Physician House 351198Passed (63.93% for)
2024-11-05 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy Current Expenses 296248Passed (54.41% for)
2024-11-05 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Park District Tax Levy Parks 144287Failed (33.41% for)
2023-11-07 Issue: Local Liquor Option Nugents Canal Bay Township 397103Passed (79.4% for)
2023-11-07 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy Police 165160Passed (50.77% for)
2023-11-07 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy Cemeteries 307108Passed (73.98% for)
2023-11-07 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy EMS 32990Passed (78.52% for)
2023-11-07 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy Fire South Bass Island 27692Passed (75.0% for)
2023-11-07 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Port Authority Tax Levy Maintenance 266147Passed (64.41% for)
2022-11-08 Issue: Bay Township Tax Levy 442121Passed (78.51% for)
2022-11-08 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy Police 192192Failed (50.0% for)
2022-11-08 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy Parks 164223Failed (42.38% for)
2020-11-03 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy (EMS) Put-In-Bay Township 475102Passed (82.32% for)
2020-11-03 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township (South Bass - Parks) South Bass Island 367113Passed (76.46% for)
2020-11-03 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy (Middle Bass - Roads) Middle Bass Island 809Passed (89.89% for)
2020-11-03 Issue: Put-in-Bay Township Tax Levy (North Bass - Refuse) North Bass Island 60Passed (100.0% for)

Elections for office

DateOfficeCandidates and votes
2025-11-04 Trustee Jason C. Hefflinger 126, 54.55%; Denton Glovinsky 105, 45.45%
2025-11-04 Trustee Jon R. Scarpelli 283, 39.09%; Eric L. Engel 259, 35.77%; Brian Cultice 182, 25.14%
2023-11-07 Trustee Art Castillo 424, 100.0%
2023-11-07 Trustee Christopher A. Cooper 337, 100.0%
2023-11-07 Fiscal Officer Angela Lorensen 403, 100.0%

Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.

Auditor of State record

Quick answers

What county is Bay Township, Ohio in?

Bay Township, Ottawa County is a township in Ottawa County, Ohio, with 1,142 residents.

When was Bay Township, Ohio founded?

Bay Township, Ottawa County was settled 1829. Founders on record: John and Elizabeth Lattimore, from England by way of Indiana (March 1829). Source

How did Bay Township, Ohio get its name?

Named for its position on Sandusky Bay; it is the only Bay Township in Ohio. Source

What ZIP code is Bay Township, Ohio?

Most of Bay Township, Ottawa County is in ZIP code 43452.

Where does Bay Township, Ohio get its water?

The main water source for Bay Township, Ottawa County (Port Clinton City): Lake Erie, via a submerged intake crib serving the county's regional plant near Port Clinton (precise offshore crib coordinates not documented).

Cite this page

Cite this page as:

Cracked Buckeye, "Bay Township, Ottawa County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/bay-township-ottawa-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].

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