Local events in Catawba Island Township, Ottawa County
Nothing is posted for Catawba Island Township itself yet; here is what is on within 20 miles. All local events in Catawba Island Township, Ottawa County
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Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Catawba Island Township, Ottawa County began
Catawba Island Township is a limestone peninsula northeast of Port Clinton, called an island because the old bed of the Portage River, known as 'The Harbors', once cut it off from the mainland. Connecticut settlers began arriving in 1832, when it was part of Danbury Township in Huron County; it was later Van Rensselaer Township and, according to Howe, was organized as Catawba Island Township as grape growing developed. A cement works and a planned 'Ottawa City' at its north point failed in 1859, and the island turned to peaches, grapes and fishing. It is now a summer community of marinas and cottages with ferries to the Bass Islands.
Settled 1832, by Wheeler Porter and his Connecticut party (October 1832), with one earlier family already present.
Where the name comes from
The name is usually tied to the Catawba grape, which was grown widely here by the 1880s, when Howe wrote that the township was organized as a separate township on the development of grape culture; a separate local tradition ties it to the Catawba people. The first-pass statement that British sources called the peninsula Cunningham's Island is contradicted by the 1889 Erie County history, which identifies Cunningham's Island as Kelley's Island.
Before the town
No source found documents a specific historic-era village, trail, or burial site on the peninsula itself. One local tradition, reported in old newspaper articles and repeated on Wikipedia, holds that nearby Rattlesnake Island (in Lake Erie, part of neighboring Put-in-Bay Township rather than this township) was once inhabited by people of the Catawba nation; the tradition is repeated here as reported but not confirmed, since the Catawba's documented historic homeland lies far to the southeast in the Carolinas. Most of the township's own land was part of the Firelands, ceded to the United States under the 1805 Treaty of Fort Industry.
Nations recorded here: Catawba (disputed local tradition, unverified).
Timeline
- — The Treaty of Fort Industry ceded the Firelands, including most of the future Catawba Island Township, to the United States.
- — Wheeler Porter of Connecticut landed on a 300-acre farm on Catawba, then part of Danbury Township, Huron County; his party of eight spent the first night in a log hut with no floor, door or roof, and only one other American family lived there.
- — The first Thanksgiving observed on Catawba was held at Porter's house.
- — The first religious service on the island was held at Porter's house on the east shore.
- — Van Rensselaer Township, as the island was then organized, had 27 residents.
- — The act creating Ottawa County took Danbury Township on the peninsula from Erie County.
- — When George Mallory settled on Catawba Island there were twenty-two voters on the island.
- — Ira S. Dutcher built a cement works at the north point of the island for New York owner J. B. James, where a city plat named Ottawa City was laid out; the works closed in 1859.
- — Nathaniel A. Hadden's new summer hotel on the north point burned on the night of a school entertainment held on its unfinished third floor.
- — Catawba Island Township had 520 residents.
- — The Betsy Mo-John Cabin, about four miles east of Port Clinton, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- — The Catawba Island Wine Company building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Stories
Ottawa City, the cement town that was not
In 1855 Ira S. Dutcher, a millwright who had built elevators on the Oswego River and in Sandusky, came to the north point of Catawba Island to build a cement works for J. B. James of New York, who believed good cement could be made from the island's limestone. A city was platted beside the works and named Ottawa City. Dutcher ran the works and a general store and lived in the superintendent's house, which by 1895 was the Catawba Island House. The cement did not pay, and in 1859, after four years, James closed the works and moved the machinery to an eastern plant. Dutcher moved his store to Port Clinton and later farmed and grew fruit at Scott's Point on the island's northeast tip. The north point kept the name Ottawa City in local memory into the 1890s.
Photographs
Photo: Lawrence D. Hiett, via Digital Public Library of America, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Lawrence D. Hiett, via Digital Public Library of America, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Nyttend, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain · 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
Historic places
2 places in Catawba Island Township, Ottawa County on the National Register of Historic Places. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.
-
Catawba Island Wine CompanyBuilding · Port Clinton · listed 1983
- Address
- 3845 Wine Celler Rd.
- Where
- Port Clinton, Ottawa County · ZIP 43452
- What it is
- Building
- Listed on the National Register
- 1983
- NRIS reference number
- 83002019
- Coordinates
- 41.53203, -82.85857
National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map
-
Mo-John, Betsy, CabinBuilding · Port Clinton · listed 1976
- Address
- About 4 mi. E of Port Clinton off OH 53
- Where
- Port Clinton, Ottawa County · ZIP 43452
- What it is
- Building
- Listed on the National Register
- 1976
- NRIS reference number
- 76001505
- Coordinates
- 41.53214, -82.85785
National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places point file. The listing year is shown where NPS's certification date agrees with the listing's reference number. Listing recognizes significance; it does not restrict a private owner.
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
- Port Clinton City60% of residentsLake Erie
- Ottawa County Regional Water District39% of residentsLake Erie
- Greenwood Mobile Home Park0% of residentsGroundwater wells (1 wells)
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Catawba Island Township, Ottawa County's boundary: 1 fire or EMS station, 1 museum, 1 police station, 1 public charging site, 1 station or terminal and 4 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Fire and EMS stations (1)
-
Catawba Island Volunteer Fire DepartmentPort Clinton
- Address
- 4730 East Cemetery Road, Port Clinton, OH 43452
- Coordinates
- 41.55635, -82.84364
USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
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.
Museums, historical societies, gardens and zoos (1)
-
Ottawa County Historical SocietyHistorical society · Port Clinton
- What it is
- Historical society
- City
- Port Clinton
- Coordinates
- 41.56890, -82.84438
Search Wikipedia ↗ IMLS Museum Data Files (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
The museum list is IMLS's 2018 file; a museum may have closed or moved since.
Source: IMLS Museum Data Files, 2018.
Police stations (1)
-
Catawba Island Township Police DepartmentPort Clinton
- Address
- 4822 East Cemetery Road, Port Clinton, OH 43452
- Coordinates
- 41.55629, -82.84186
USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: USGS National Map structures, police stations, corrected and completed by hand (September 2026). The department that answers a call is set by jurisdiction, not by distance.
Public EV charging (1)
-
Catawba Island Club - Tesla Destination2 Level 2 · Port Clinton
- Address
- 4235 Beach Club Road, Port Clinton, OH 43452
- Ports
- 2 Level 2
- Plugs
- Tesla (NACS)
- Network
- Tesla Destination
- Phone
- 877-798-3752
Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: NREL Alternative Fuels Data Center station list (May 2026), public and open stations, the posts at one address counted as one site.
Stations and terminals (1)
-
Miller Boat Line TerminalFerry terminal · Miller Boat Line
- What it is
- Ferry terminal
- Operator
- Miller Boat Line
- City
- Catawba Point
- Coordinates
- 41.58528, -82.83694
BTS Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: BTS Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database and National Transit Map (2025). Bus stops are counted on the card and drawn on the full map.
Spills reported since 2021 (4)
-
Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc Reached water2023-08-22 · Catawba Island Twp
- Reported
- 2023-08-22
- What spilled
- Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc
- Reached a waterway
- 62 - Lake Erie
- Where
- Catawba Island Twp, Ottawa County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2308EPA0001450
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Transformer(S)2023-07-24 · Catawba Island Twp
- Reported
- 2023-07-24
- What spilled
- Transformer(S)
- Largest amount reported
- 2 gallons
- Where
- Catawba Island Twp, Ottawa County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2307EPA0001250
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85) Reached water2022-08-20 · Catawba Island Twp
- Reported
- 2022-08-20
- What spilled
- Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)
- Reached a waterway
- 62 - Lake Erie
- Where
- Catawba Island Twp, Ottawa County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2208EPA0001276
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)2026-07-06 · Catawba Island Twp
- Reported
- 2026-07-06
- What spilled
- Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)
- Where
- Catawba Island Twp, Ottawa County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2607EPA0001216
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
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 Catawba Island Township, Ottawa County, with the share of its residents who live here and the same headline figures as the ZIP page.
| ZIP | Share | Water | Radon | Home value | Schools | Flood |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43452 Port Clinton | 27% | Lake Erie, via a submerged intake crib serving the county's regional plant near Port Clinton (precise offshore crib coordinates not documented) | 3.6 pCi/L average radon | Median year built 1968 | Port Clinton City · 4.5 stars overall | 19% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in Catawba Island Township, Ottawa County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Who holds office
| Office | Name | Party | Term ends | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiscal Officer | Shelly Garcia | 2028-03-31 | 4822 E. Cemetery Rd. Port Clinton, OH 43452 | |
| Trustee | Diane C. Belden | 2027-12-31 | 4822 E. Cemetery Rd. Port Clinton, OH 43452 | |
| Trustee | Christopher S. Cellier | 2029-12-31 | 4822 E. Cemetery Rd. Port Clinton, OH 43452 | |
| Trustee | Quintin R. Smith | 2029-12-31 | 4822 E. Cemetery Rd. Port Clinton, OH 43452 |
Roster as of 2026-04-10: county board of elections.
Ballot issues
| Date | Issue | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-05 | Issue: Catawba Island Township Zoning Referendum Catawba Island Township | 151 | 1,476 | Failed (9.28% for) |
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-04 | Trustee | Christopher S. Cellier 1,520, 43.0%; Quintin R. Smith 954, 26.99%; Ann T. Rumpf 421, 11.91%; Matthew J. Montowski 339, 9.59%; Bryan J. Baugh 301, 8.51% |
| 2023-11-07 | Trustee | Diane Belden 1,133, 53.37%; Bryan J. Baugh 684, 32.22%; Vicki Wheatley 306, 14.41% |
| 2023-11-07 | Fiscal Officer | Shelly Garcia 1,559, 100.0% |
Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.
Auditor of State record
- No fiscal caution, watch or emergency on the Auditor of State's lists.
- Agreed Upon Procedures, 2023 to 2024, released 2025-08-26
The county
Ottawa County: 15 ZIP codes, 19 cities, villages and townships, 38,204 people.
Nearby places
Quick answers
What county is Catawba Island Township, Ohio in?
Catawba Island Township, Ottawa County is a township in Ottawa County, Ohio, with 3,607 residents.
When was Catawba Island Township, Ohio founded?
Catawba Island Township, Ottawa County was settled 1832. Founders on record: Wheeler Porter and his Connecticut party (October 1832), with one earlier family already present. Source
How did Catawba Island Township, Ohio get its name?
The name is usually tied to the Catawba grape, which was grown widely here by the 1880s, when Howe wrote that the township was organized as a separate township on the development of grape culture; a separate local tradition ties it to the Catawba people. Source
What ZIP code is Catawba Island Township, Ohio?
Most of Catawba Island Township, Ottawa County is in ZIP code 43452.
Where does Catawba Island Township, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Catawba Island 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, "Catawba Island Township, Ottawa County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/catawba-island-township-ottawa-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
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