Phones are down at the Marblehead Peninsula Branch Library and Erie Islands Library. Please contact the main library at 419-732-3212 if you need immediate assistance.

Waterworks Park on Perry Street took its name from the Waterworks building erected there about 1888 to pump water from the Portage River for distribution throughout town. At that time, the superintendent of the “works” and his family lived on the top floor. The building expanded in the early 20th century, becoming a municipal site. The park itself has moved through many layers of planning and change since then. Recent planning has served to enhance public access and, theref

Lakeview Park, on Perry Street, has much to offer us: beach access, lawn and shade, garden areas, and the amenities—a pavilion, basketball court, picnic areas, a bathhouse/restroom, and the county’s first Flagship Collaborative Play Place—are used by residents and tourists whenever the weather cooperates here on the lake. Private events, such as reunions and birthday parties, are held there, as well as are public events, such as Arts in the Park, held in August every year, an

In 1933 the parcel of land behind the National Guard Armory (now the urgent care facility) was gifted to the city and the American Legion. Originally known as The Upper Market Space where farmers sold their produce, after World War II, it served as a memorial to the 37th Tank Company. At the beginning of the war that company became part of the 192 nd Tank Battalion. The 42 local men, Company C, were sent to train at Fort Knox, Kentucky. 32 of this company were supporting G

World War II created high demand for new manufacturing industries, as well as expansion of established industries. Safer industries were located in and around cities and the more dangerous, such as ordnance manufacturing and testing, were located in areas like Port Clinton, considered rural. By October 1940, Erie Ordnance Depot was reported to be expanding to include more military members and civilians. Anti-aircraft guns and new types of anti-aircraft shells were to be shi

To say that Verdi von Thron left her mark on Port Clinton’s history would be a bit of an understatement: She was a dynamo! Agnes Verdi Cangney was born on Catawba Island on March 5, 1899, to J.P. and Rachel Cangney. She graduated in 1917 from the Oak Harbor Normal School, where her family believes she met her future husband. Verdi and Leonard Carl von Thron married on June 18, 1923, at Immaculate Conception in Port Clinton. They and their children, Joseph and Judy, first li

Until the late 17 th century, records show no vessels other than birch canoes were used to cross Lake Erie. These must have been incredibly dangerous trips for those Native Americans and French traders, but danger was a way of life for everyone of that time. When migration began in earnest here, the French explorer, Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, ordered the first vessel built to make journeys with cargo to trade and sell, as well as for passengers traveling for