GHOSTS AND LEGENDS
OF LAKE ERIES
NORTH COAST
GHOSTS AND LEGENDS
OF LAKE ERIES
NORTH COAST
VICTORIA KING HEINSEN
Published by Haunted America
A Division of The History Press
Charleston, SC 29403
www.historypress.net
Copyright 2010 by Victoria King Heinsen
All rights reserved
Unless otherwise noted, all images are by the author.
First published 2010
e-book edition 2011
ISBN 978.1.61423.157.8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Heinsen, Victoria King.
Ghosts and legends of Lake Eries North Coast / Victoria King Heinsen.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p.).
print edition ISBN 978-1-59629-880-4
1. Ghosts--Ohio--North Coast Region. I. Title.
BF1472.U6H442 2010
398.209771212--dc22
2010026948
Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
To my children, Rocco Piacentino and Gina Piacentino; my husband, Ed Heinsen; my parents, Colonel and Mrs. Archie King; my friends; and my editor, Joe Gartrell. My deepest gratitude.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
It has been my pleasure to collect these tales from the North Coast of Lake Erie. I am a native of Port Clinton, married to another native. Whatever prescience, precognition, clairvoyancecall it what you willI have has passed down through the women in my family. My daughter has inherited this ability, as has my son. It should serve them well in their careers: law and sales. My husband, too, is a believer. In fact, his encouragement and experiences have been valuable assets for this book.
Port Clinton is the county seat of Ottawa County and the only city. The surrounding townships of Portage, Catawba, Danbury and Bay compose four of the twelve townships in the county. Put-in-Bay is a township as well as a village. The other villages I discuss in this book are Oak Harbor, Marblehead and Elmore. Adjacent counties are Erie to the east, with Sandusky as the county seat; and Sandusky, with Fremont as the county seat. Kelleys Island is in Erie County.
The counties of Ottawa, Sandusky and Erie have played significant roles in our countrys history from before the American Revolution through the War of 1812 and into the Civil War. All three counties have also contributed servicemen and -women to World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam and the wars in the Middle East.
During World War II, the 192nd Tank Battalion was sent to the Pacific Theater. In April 1942, these troops were captured by the Japanese at the Battle of Bataan; many died in the infamous Bataan Death March or as prisoners of war. Twenty-five years later, Bill Matthews in my high school graduating class, the class of 1966, was the first from our community to die in Vietnam. The last time I saw him was on the beach at East Harbor State Park, where I lifeguarded. He had come home for R&R before his second tour of duty. In high school, Bill had always been kind to me. After graduating, he enlisted; I went to college. You see, I was on my way to bigger and better things than Port Clinton. Lifeguarding for me that summer between my sophomore and junior years was a breeze; I had a terrific future.
Bill looked wonderful the August afternoon so many years ago when we met by chance. Tan, fit, he was every inch a handsome Marine, proud of his service to his country. He stopped me as I, twirling my whistle, strutted along the sand. I didnt even recognize the man he had grown into, a man very much in possession of himself and of his dreams. Im glad he took the time to say hello. It was the last time I saw him. Bill Matthews never came home again alive.
Occasionally, I still return to the beach at East Harbor State Park. Its not the same, of course. A couple of severe stormsfirst in 1969 and then in 1972changed the beach forever. A couple of storms in my own life have changed me forever as well. Come to think of it, I guess we all go through good weather and bad. In the chapter on Catawba Island, you will read how the face of Nabagon, the courageous American Indian, has been damaged by centuries of wind, rain and snow. Interestingly, a friend of ours mentioned that although that face is almost gone, a new Nabagon on an adjacent cliff has appeared. I think that is neat, and certainly symbolic if you are prone to archetypes and that sort of thing.
People ask me if I make up the stories I tell on my ghost walks or include in this book. No, these stories tell themselves. I happen to be the person standing around, in one way or another, to hear them. It is my hope that the tales will entertain and enlighten you. Perhaps, too, windows will open for you. There are wonderful worlds out there, if we just take the time to look and listen.
PORT CLINTON
Ezekiel Haines officially founded the city of Port Clinton, Ohio, in 1837. The story goes that he first owned a hunting and fishing lodge where the Lake House Hotel used to stand. Wendys is there now. It took his friends and him three and a half days by horseback to ride from his home in Cincinnati to his place at the lake Today, it takes three and a half hours by car. As with many cities in Ohio, Port Clinton has changed from a home to the location of industries, some now closed or moved elsewhere, such as Standard Products and the Matthews Boat Company to more of a tourist destination. Officially, about 6,500 people live within the city limits. During the summer, if one considers the surrounding areas of Catawba, Portage and Danbury Townships, the count rises to somewhere around 30,000. Bed-and-breakfasts, hotels, condominiums, restaurants, delightful pubs and gift shops offer tourists relaxation and fun during the summer months and the shoulder seasons of mid-April to Memorial Day and September through mid-November.
Mention Port Clinton and you will see smiles on peoples faces for any number of reasons. Those folks who yearly or just occasionally drive up from regions south for a day of recreational fishing on charter boats can happily recount adventures, real or expanded with time, on the water. Sailors, golfers, swimmers, campers and owners of private yachts of all lengths think of Port Clinton as their getaway spot, the best place to go to lower their blood pressure and have a good time. Within downtown Port Clinton, the Jet Express to Put-in-Bay carries eager travelers to South Bass Island, where they enjoy the sites and the beverages of that most famous of destinations. At Catawba Point, the Miller Ferry runs between Put-in-Bay and the peninsula. Take your pick; tourists do, and they have fun!
Because Port Clinton is nearly 175 years old, it seems reasonable to consider that ghosts and spirits are as much a part of the community as permanent residents and tourists. Whether one believes or not, a brief walk at twilight down Second Street east to Fulton Street or north to the Portage River might confirm that indeed we are not, as the more solipsistic of us may like to think, alone. Here are stories of Port Clinton.
