Local events in Portage Township, Ottawa County
5 events in the next 90 days from 1 public calendar. All local events in Portage Township, Ottawa County
Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Portage Township, Ottawa County began
Portage Township was first erected in 1820 as a Sandusky County township covering much of the Portage River country, and in 1828 still took in the later Bay, Erie, Salem and Carroll townships. Its present ground on Sandusky Bay holds the gypsum beds that gave the old quarry settlement of Plasterbed and the later community of Gypsum their names: Colonel Samuel M. Lockwood was quarrying plaster here from 1821. German, English and Scottish settlers worked the quarries and fruit farms in the 19th century, and the United States Gypsum Corporation mined and milled here through the 20th, leaving a flooded mine that opened sinkholes under Route 2 after 2013.
Settled 1821, incorporated 1820 (erected as a Sandusky County township), by Col. Samuel M. Lockwood among the earliest settlers.
Where the name comes from
Named for the Portage River: residents petitioned the Sandusky County commissioners for a new township to be called Portage, which was erected in 1820. The river name refers to a carrying place, but no source consulted explains which portage it commemorates.
Before the town
No source found documents a Native village, trail, or other specific site within Portage Township's own boundary. The township's ground was part of the Firelands, ceded under the 1805 Treaty of Fort Industry.
Timeline
- — Portage Township was set off from Sandusky Township in Sandusky County after residents petitioned for a new township to be called Portage.
- — Col. Samuel M. Lockwood, a New York militia officer of the War of 1812, moved from Danbury Township to Portage Township, farmed, quarried plaster and built the township's first stone house.
- — The Portage Township tax duplicate listed about thirty taxpayers, including S. M. Lockwood, with a total tax of $19.40.
- — Portage Township still included the later Bay, Erie, Salem and Carroll townships.
- — Scottish immigrant David McRitchie, shipwrecked near Port Clinton, found the quarries at Plaster Bed the only paid work in the area, walking seven miles each Monday and home each Saturday.
- — The township had 357 residents.
- — The township had 2,094 residents.
- — Richard Hagel, born at Plasterbed in 1862, became postmaster at Gypsum.
- — The United States Gypsum Corporation began mining gypsum near the community that took the mineral's name, in the township's eastern section.
- — The company built a wallboard-paper mill at the site.
- — USG switched to processing synthetic gypsum trucked in from elsewhere and abandoned the underground mine, which subsequently flooded.
- — The plant was expanded with a Fiberock production line.
- — Sinkholes opened under Ohio State Route 2 as water dissolved calcium sulfate in the abandoned mine; the Ohio Department of Transportation spent about $20.6 million filling the old workings with grout and rerouting traffic, without contribution from USG.
Stories
A road that fell into its own history
For most of the twentieth century, the gypsum mine beneath the township's namesake community was simply an industrial fact: the United States Gypsum Corporation had worked it since 1902, built a wallboard mill on the site in 1918, and by the 1970s had switched to processing synthetic gypsum trucked in from elsewhere, quietly abandoning the underground workings. Left alone, the old mine flooded, and the water began dissolving the calcium sulfate rock that formed its walls and ceiling -- a slow chemical process invisible from the surface. It stopped being invisible starting in 2013, when sinkholes began opening in the pavement of Ohio State Route 2 directly above the old mine. The Ohio Department of Transportation spent roughly $20.6 million over the following two years pumping grout into the abandoned workings to stabilize the ground and rerouting traffic around the affected stretch, all without a contribution from USG, the company whose century-old mining had created the void in the first place.
Colonel Lockwood and the plaster beds
Samuel M. Lockwood of Stamford, Connecticut, earned his title in the New York militia during the War of 1812 and came to the peninsula about 1818, when it was part of Huron County. In 1821 he moved to Portage Township, where he farmed and quarried the gypsum, then called plaster, that lay along Sandusky Bay, and he built the first stone house in the township. He served several terms in the Ohio legislature and was a state commissioner of the Mad River & Lake Erie railroad; he died in Sandusky in 1848. His widow Gertrude died at Plasterbed in 1875, and his son John Wickliffe Lockwood was still farming, growing fruit and running a large plaster quarry on the homestead in 1896.
Photographs
Photo: Nyttend, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
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 · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org
Water
Mostly private wells 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 Portage Township, Ottawa County's boundary: 1 nursing home, 1 museum, 3 public charging sites, 3 Toxics Release Inventory facilities and 5 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Nursing homes (1)
-
Edgewood Manor Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center Abuse citation1 of 5 stars · Port Clinton
- Address
- 1330 S Fulton St, Port Clinton, OH 43452
- Certified beds
- 80
- Residents on an average day
- 68
- Medicare overall rating
- 1 of 5 stars
- Health inspections
- 2 of 5 stars
- Staffing
- 1 of 5 stars
- Quality measures
- 3 of 5 stars
- Penalties since 2023
- none
- Abuse citation (CMS icon)
- Yes
- Ownership
- For profit - Partnership
- Chain
- CROWN HEALTHCARE GROUP
- Takes
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Phone
- (419) 734-5506
- Medicare ID
- 365489
Medicare Care Compare ↗ CMS nursing home data (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: CMS Care Compare nursing home provider and penalties files; Medicare star ratings run 1 to 5.
Museums, historical societies, gardens and zoos (1)
-
Liberty Aviation MuseumMuseum · Port Clinton
- What it is
- Museum
- City
- Port Clinton
- Coordinates
- 41.50831, -82.86735
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.
Public EV charging (3)
-
Friendship Kitchen 70 DC fast4 DC fast · Port Clinton
- Address
- 3800 E. State Rd., Port Clinton, OH 43452
- Ports
- 4 DC fast
- Plugs
- CCS, CHAdeMO
- Network
- EV Connect
- Hours
- 24 hours daily
- Phone
- 866-816-7584
Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
HAMPTON TOLLS STATION 14 Level 2 · Port Clinton
- Address
- 57 NE Catawba Rd, Port Clinton, OH 43452
- Ports
- 4 Level 2
- Plugs
- J1772
- Network
- ChargePoint Network
- Hours
- 24 hours daily
- Phone
- 888-758-4389
Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
McDonald's1 Level 2 · Port Clinton
- Address
- 18 NE Catawba Rd, Port Clinton, OH 43452
- Ports
- 1 Level 2
- Plugs
- J1772
- Network
- Non-Networked
- Hours
- 24 hours daily; do not leave vehicle unattended
- Price
- Free
- Phone
- 419-734-4092
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.
Facilities reporting toxic releases (3)
-
Bpb America IncorporatedToxics Release Inventory · Port Clinton
- Address
- 795 South Plasterbed Road, Port Clinton, OH 43452
- County
- Ottawa County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
- EPA program ID
- 43452CLTXC795SP
- EPA registry ID
- 110000383308
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Uniroyal Engineered ProductsToxics Release Inventory · Port Clinton
- Address
- Erie Industrial Park Building 146, Port Clinton, OH 43452
- County
- Ottawa County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
- EPA program ID
- 43452NRYLPERIEI
- EPA registry ID
- 110000605408
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Us GypsumToxics Release Inventory · Gypsum
- Address
- 121 S Lake St, Gypsum, OH 43433
- County
- Ottawa County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
- EPA program ID
- 4343WNTDST121LA
- EPA registry ID
- 110007384534
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: EPA Facility Registry Service, Toxics Release Inventory reporters. Reporting a release is required of large users of listed chemicals; it is not by itself a violation.
Spills reported since 2021 (5)
-
Material Green2024-06-19 · Portage Twp
- Reported
- 2024-06-19
- What spilled
- Material Green
- Where
- Portage Twp, Ottawa County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2406EPA0001039
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road) Reached water2024-04-08 · Portage Twp
- Reported
- 2024-04-08
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 60 gallons
- Reached a waterway
- 99 - Unnamed
- Where
- Portage Twp, Ottawa County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2404EPA0000558
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Material Unknown Reached water2023-09-30 · Portage Twp
- Reported
- 2023-09-30
- What spilled
- Material Unknown
- Reached a waterway
- 62 - Portage River
- Where
- Portage Twp, Ottawa County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2309EPA0001705
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2023-07-26 · Portage Twp
- Reported
- 2023-07-26
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 5 gallons
- Where
- Portage Twp, Ottawa County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2307EPA0001265
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Sheen Rainbow / Hydrocarbon2023-07-16 · Portage Twp
- Reported
- 2023-07-16
- What spilled
- Sheen Rainbow / Hydrocarbon; Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Where
- Portage Twp, Ottawa County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2307EPA0001195
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 Portage 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43433 Portage Township and Gypsum | 100% | Mostly private wells | Too few radon tests | Median year built 1906 | Port Clinton City · 4.5 stars overall | 0.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43452 Port Clinton | 8% | 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 Portage 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 | Jennifer Cadmus | 2028-03-31 | 1398 S. Fulton St. Port Clinton, OH 43452 | |
| Trustee | John Gluth, Jr. | 2027-12-31 | 1398 S. Fulton St. Port Clinton, OH 43452 | |
| Trustee | Karl Spencer Kopchak | 2029-12-31 | 1398 S. Fulton St. Port Clinton, OH 43452 | |
| Trustee | Keith Heileman | 2029-12-31 | 1398 S. Fulton St. Port Clinton, OH 43452 |
Roster as of 2026-04-10: county board of elections.
Money issues on the ballot since 2019: 2 of 2 passed.
Ballot issues
| Date | Issue | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-11-07 | Issue: Portage Township Tax Levy Fire | 290 | 209 | Passed (58.12% for) |
| 2022-11-08 | Issue: Local Liquor Option R Coffee Corner Portage Township | 412 | 121 | Passed (77.3% for) |
| 2019-05-07 | Issue: Portage Township Fire Levy | 41 | 7 | Passed (85.42% for) |
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-04 | Trustee | Keith Heileman 98, 53.55%; Karl Spencer Kopchak 85, 46.45% |
| 2023-11-07 | Trustee | John Gluth, Jr. 182, 38.48%; Eric A. Petersen 120, 25.37%; Roseann Marie Huskey 88, 18.6%; Melanie Watling 83, 17.55% |
| 2023-11-07 | Fiscal Officer | Jennifer Cadmus 241, 55.66%; Jennifer Gutman 192, 44.34% |
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 2025-12-02
The county
Ottawa County: 15 ZIP codes, 19 cities, villages and townships, 38,204 people.
Nearby places
Quick answers
What county is Portage Township, Ohio in?
Portage Township, Ottawa County is a township in Ottawa County, Ohio, with 1,217 residents.
When was Portage Township, Ohio founded?
Portage Township, Ottawa County was settled 1821; incorporated 1820 (erected as a Sandusky County township). Founders on record: Col. Samuel M. Lockwood among the earliest settlers. Source
How did Portage Township, Ohio get its name?
Named for the Portage River: residents petitioned the Sandusky County commissioners for a new township to be called Portage, which was erected in 1820. Source
What ZIP code is Portage Township, Ohio?
Portage Township, Ottawa County is served by ZIP codes 43433 and 43452; 43433 holds the largest share of its residents.
Where does Portage Township, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Portage Township, Ottawa County (Port Clinton City): Mostly private wells.
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Portage Township, Ottawa County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/portage-township-ottawa-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
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