Local events in Riley Township, Sandusky County
Nothing is posted for Riley Township itself yet; here is what is on within 10 miles. All local events in Riley Township, Sandusky County
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Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Riley Township, Sandusky County began
Riley Township lies in the county's northeastern corner along Sandusky Bay, the largest township in the county by area and one bordering Ottawa and Erie counties as well as its Sandusky County neighbors. It contains no incorporated municipality. Everett's 1882 county history says Riley was established in 1824 (its Townsend chapter says 1823) out of Townsend township, whose records are lost. The marshy prairie in its north end preserves a line of ancient mounds and enclosures, and its swampy south end was the scene of the county's worst outbreak of the pioneer disease called milk sickness.
Settled 1820, by formerly included in Townsend township, which at one time also embraced Green Creek.
Where the name comes from
One of two Riley Townships in Ohio, the other in Putnam County; no source found gives the specific reason for this township's name.
Before the town
No documented Native village or treaty event specific to Riley Township is recorded, but Everett's 1882 county history describes a line of ancient mounds and enclosures along the bay from Raccoon Creek eastward for several miles, which it attributes to a prehistoric mound-building people rather than to the historic nations because of their mathematical regularity and the stone axes and earthenware taken from them. An enclosure of about two acres lay on Section 2, and on the Stull farm stood a circular enclosure about twenty rods across with two opposite gateways and a limestone and earth wall on its west side; three similar enclosures lay within a few miles. Separately, two bones with embedded arrow points (a shoulder blade pierced by a buck-horn point and a leg bone with a flint arrowhead) were plowed up by Daniel Carl and are attributed to a more recent population. The 1820 settler Andrew Stull followed an old army trail that passed through the center of Townsend Township, about a mile south of the prairie.
- Raccoon Creek bay mounds and enclosures (mound) — along Sandusky Bay east of Raccoon Creek, Riley Township, prehistoric (archive.org)
- Circular earthwork enclosure (earthwork) — on a farm in Riley Township (contemporary owner Michael Stull's family land), prehistoric (archive.org)
Timeline
- — Andrew Stull, from Lyme Township in Huron County, packs his goods on a wagon and follows the old army trail west, then cuts a way through the forest to the prairie in Section 1; he is the first settler of Riley and later recalls stacking hay on ground that by the 1880s stood four feet deep in water.
- — Joseph Harris Curtice, a War of 1812 veteran who carried the U.S. mail on horseback in southern Ohio, buys 265 acres from the government; he marries Cynthia Gibbs on December 27, 1824.
- — Riley Township is established from Townsend; the county history gives 1824 in its general chapter and 1823 in the Townsend chapter, and says the township records are lost.
- — Jonas Gibbs of Erie County buys 560 acres near the center of the township and makes his improvement; Isaac Allyn follows and raises horses and cattle.
- — John Faust, a Pennsylvania native, begins improving a farm in the southwest of the township, where he later tells hunting stories.
- — John Karshner of Pickaway County settles in the township; the Woodford family comes in 1834 and Zerah Woodford teaches one of the first schools.
- — George Jacobs, born in Baden, Germany, settles in the neighborhood, one of the first German settlers; Germans improve the heavily timbered south end from about 1835.
- — Daniel Schoch and family from Pennsylvania settle, and Conrad Wonnan comes in 1836.
- — Joseph Haaser, born in France, settles with his family; he later serves as trustee.
- — Eli Faust builds the first of two grist-mills on Green Creek; Mr. Schock builds the second in 1850.
- — The public-school system took effect in the township; the number of school districts grew from eight in 1877 to ten by 1880.
- — The first Methodist class in the township, and probably its first religious society of any kind, was organized in Tuttle's school-house.
- — The marshy northern end of the township, previously used in common by squatters and settlers for hunting and trapping, was entered at low prices and afterward became the property of two private sporting clubs, the Winous Point and Ottawa shooting clubs.
- — Jason Gibbs moves the first steam sawmill in the township to Riley Centre.
- — The census counts 1,214 people living in the township.
Stories
Milk sickness on Pickerel Creek
Along the eastern bank of Pickerel Creek in Riley township grew a poisonous weed that made the milk of any cow which ate it dangerous to drink, a disease early settlers called milk sickness. The plant seemed to do little harm to the cattle that grazed on it, though the 1882 county history records that suckling calves would sometimes tremble, drop, and die with no sign of illness in the mother. People who drank the tainted milk were taken with chills and violent muscle contractions that sometimes settled into a low fever and sometimes killed quickly; in an era when medical help was scarce, entire families and neighborhoods were struck down at once, and many pioneers abandoned improved land rather than risk it. Cultivation eventually crowded out the plant, and the disease had nearly vanished from the county by the time the county history was written.
Fifteen barrels of pickerel in a night
In 1820 Andrew Stull settled on the Riley prairie, six miles from his nearest neighbor and ten miles from a doctor, and the family's food was mostly venison, turkey and fish. His son Michael remembered that he and his brother Jacob once speared fifteen barrels of pickerel in a single night in Pickerel Creek. They built a platform of puncheons across the creek, covered it with earth and lit a fire at the middle of the stream, then drifted along it in a canoe with one man at each end picking the fish out with spears. Swans came to the cabin door and geese and ducks could be shot without leaving the yard; Michael once killed six deer in a day within three miles of home and Charles Lindsey nine. Wolves howled at night, and Stull lost thirty-three sheep in one day. The county historian, writing in 1882, observed that when fish are that plentiful, fishing is common labor and amuses no one.
Two bucks with locked horns
David Camp, the early county surveyor, was travelling the trail road from the Bay-rush prairie one day when he found two bucks lying in the trail with their antlers locked together. One was dead and the other could not free himself. Camp cut the throat of the living one and cut off both heads with the horns still interlocked. Nobody could separate them until about two years later, when Hiram Rawson managed to pull them apart, but every effort to lock them together again in the same way failed. The story is told in Everett's 1882 county history as an item of the township's pioneer life.
Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · archive.org
Water
Mostly private wells The water here
- Fremont City86% of residentsSandusky River (via Ballville Dam intake and city reservoir)
- Erie Co. Margaretta District8% of residentsLake Erie (Sandusky Bay backup intake)
- Clyde City5% of residentsRaccoon Creek & Beaver Creek Reservoirs (upground, off Sandusky River basin)
- Shorewood Village Subdivision1% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
- Brightstar Fremont MHP0% of residentsGroundwater wells (3 wells)
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Riley Township, Sandusky County's boundary: 2 poor-rated bridges, 4 shale and injection wells, 2 Superfund sites, 1 Toxics Release Inventory facility and 13 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Bridges rated poor (2)
-
Jacobs Rd over I80 Ohio TpkPoor · built 1954
- Condition
- Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
- What it is
- Bridge
- Built
- 1954
- Length
- 58 ft
- Owner
- Other
- Vehicles a day
- 30,000
- Coordinates
- 41.38210, -83.02179
National Bridge Inventory (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Karbler Dr over I80 Ohio TpkPoor · built 1954
- Condition
- Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
- What it is
- Bridge
- Built
- 1954
- Length
- 61 ft
- Owner
- Other
- Vehicles a day
- 351
- Coordinates
- 41.37723, -82.99270
National Bridge Inventory (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory 2025. "Poor" means one major part rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale; it calls for repair, not closing, unless the state posts or closes the bridge.
Shale and injection wells (4)
-
Ohio Liquid Disposal Inc 5 InjectionInjection well (Class II) · Well drilled
- What it is
- Injection well (Class II)
- Status (ODNR)
- Well drilled
- County
- Sandusky County
- API well number
- 34143202370000
- Coordinates
- 41.37158, -82.99089
ODNR oil and gas wells (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Ohio Liquid Disposal Inc 6 InjectionInjection well (Class II) · Well drilled
- What it is
- Injection well (Class II)
- Status (ODNR)
- Well drilled
- County
- Sandusky County
- API well number
- 34143202380000
- Coordinates
- 41.37332, -82.98536
ODNR oil and gas wells (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Ohio Liquid Disposal Inc. 2 InjectionInjection well (Class II) · Well drilled
- What it is
- Injection well (Class II)
- Status (ODNR)
- Well drilled
- County
- Sandusky County
- API well number
- 34143202240000
- Coordinates
- 41.37120, -82.98331
ODNR oil and gas wells (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Ohio Liquid Disposal Inc. 4 InjectionInjection well (Class II) · Well drilled
- What it is
- Injection well (Class II)
- Status (ODNR)
- Well drilled
- County
- Sandusky County
- API well number
- 34143202260000
- Coordinates
- 41.36878, -82.97694
ODNR oil and gas wells (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: ODNR Division of Oil and Gas Resources well inventory (September 2026): drilled Utica, Marcellus and horizontal wells and Class II injection wells not plugged. Older vertical wells are on the full map.
Superfund sites (2)
-
County Line Ind IncSuperfund program · Fremont
- Address
- 1680 Co Rd 157, Fremont, OH 43420
- County
- Sandusky County
- Status
- Superfund program site, not on the National Priorities List
- EPA program ID
- OHD000723882
- EPA registry ID
- 110006105302
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Vickery Environmental IncSuperfund program · Vickery
- Address
- 3956 Oh-412, Vickery, OH 43464
- County
- Sandusky County
- Status
- Superfund program site, not on the National Priorities List
- EPA program ID
- OHD020273819
- EPA registry ID
- 110024528368
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: EPA Facility Registry Service, Superfund (SEMS) and National Priorities List sites. Many program sites were assessed and needed no cleanup.
Facilities reporting toxic releases (1)
-
Vickery Environmental IncToxics Release Inventory · Vickery
- Address
- 3956 Oh-412, Vickery, OH 43464
- County
- Sandusky County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
- EPA program ID
- 43464WSTMN3956S
- EPA registry ID
- 110024528368
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 (13)
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2025-06-26 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2025-06-26
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Where
- Riley Twp, Sandusky County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2506EPA0001060
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2025-06-26 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2025-06-26
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 15 gallons
- Where
- Riley Twp, Sandusky County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2506EPA0001055
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Jet / Kerosene (All)2025-05-25 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2025-05-25
- What spilled
- Fuel Jet / Kerosene (All); Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc
- Largest amount reported
- 300 gallons
- Where
- Riley Twp, Sandusky County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2505EPA0000841
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2025-03-17 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2025-03-17
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 30 gallons
- Where
- Riley Twp, Sandusky County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2503EPA0000377
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2025-02-25 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2025-02-25
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 50 gallons
- Where
- Riley Twp, Sandusky County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2502EPA0000252
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc2024-06-16 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2024-06-16
- What spilled
- Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc
- Where
- Riley Twp, Sandusky County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2406EPA0001011
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2024-05-14 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2024-05-14
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Where
- Riley Twp, Sandusky County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2405EPA0000807
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2024-03-08 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2024-03-08
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 80 gallons
- Where
- Riley Twp, Sandusky County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2403EPA0000368
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Material Unknown2023-09-28 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2023-09-28
- What spilled
- Material Unknown
- Where
- Riley Twp, Sandusky County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2309EPA0001688
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2023-01-18 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2023-01-18
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 40 gallons
- Where
- Riley Twp, Sandusky County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2301EPA0000093
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2022-12-11 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2022-12-11
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 50 gallons
- Where
- Riley Twp, Sandusky County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2212EPA0001836
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2022-02-08 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2022-02-08
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road); Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle
- Largest amount reported
- 25 gallons
- Where
- Riley Twp, Sandusky County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2202EPA0000150
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2021-02-15 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2021-02-15
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 45 gallons
- Where
- Riley Twp, Sandusky County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2102EPA0000206
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 Riley Township, Sandusky 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 Riley Township, Sandusky County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Who holds office
| Office | Name | Party | Term ends | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trustee | Gary L. Overmyer | 3420 CR 231, Fremont 1/1/2024 12/31/2027 2027 | ||
| Fiscal Officer | Tina Halbeisen-Bohannan | 795 N CR 232, Fremont 4/1/2024 3/31/2028 2027 | ||
| Zoning Inspector | Brian Woods | 470 CR 97, Fremont |
Roster as of 2026-01-24: county board of elections.
Money issues on the ballot since 2022: 1 of 1 passed.
Ballot issues
| Date | Issue | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-11-08 | Issue: Riley Township Tax Levy | 396 | 138 | Passed (74.16% for) |
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-05 | Member of County Central Committee (Republican primary) | Joy E. Ferkel 173, 99.43%; Donald J. Hedrick 0 |
| 2025-11-04 | Township Trustees | Brian Gibbs 178, 51.0%; Gregory S. Diedrich 171, 49.0% |
| 2023-11-07 | Township Trustee | Gary L. Overmyer 390, 100.0% |
| 2023-11-07 | Township Fiscal Officer | Tina Halbeisen-Bohannan 391, 100.0% |
| 2022-05-03 | Member of County Central Committee (Republican primary) | Joy E. Ferkel 188, 100.0% |
| 2019-11-05 | Township Trustee | Gary L. Overmyer 221, 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 2025-10-16
The county
Sandusky County: 9 ZIP codes, 23 cities, villages and townships, 64,229 people.
Nearby places
Quick answers
What county is Riley Township, Ohio in?
Riley Township, Sandusky County is a township in Sandusky County, Ohio, with 1,214 residents.
When was Riley Township, Ohio founded?
Riley Township, Sandusky County was settled 1820. Founders on record: formerly included in Townsend township, which at one time also embraced Green Creek. Source
How did Riley Township, Ohio get its name?
One of two Riley Townships in Ohio, the other in Putnam County; no source found gives the specific reason for this township's name. Source
What ZIP code is Riley Township, Ohio?
Riley Township, Sandusky County is served by ZIP codes 43464 and 43420; 43464 holds the largest share of its residents.
Where does Riley Township, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Riley Township, Sandusky County (Fremont City): Mostly private wells.
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Riley Township, Sandusky County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/riley-township-sandusky-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
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