OTTAWA COUNTY MUSEUM - Linda Higgins

“Port Clinton plans to have a museum sometime in the future, and the start is being made now. Mayor A J. Davids has appointed Anton Bahnsen, Otto Heineman and Emil Histrup to serve on the museum committee which has just been organized. The plan is to have a place in the city hall building where exhibits of Indian relics and other historical matter can be displayed for the benefit of the general public. A number of relics have already been offered.”                   —The Peninsular News, November 22, 1930

About two years before the above notice was printed, Emil Hostrup (correct spelling!), then a member of Port Clinton Council, along with the DeLery Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution and others, began considering the possibility of a museum in Port Clinton. And two years after the above was printed, on February 23, 1932, the Ottawa County Historical Museum opened.

At the same time, the Ottawa County Historical Society, with Mr. Hostrup as its first president, was also formed. The Society’s members, including the D.A.R., were instrumental in helping gather historical items for display, as well as in organizing and promoting initial and ongoing interest in the museum.

The Ottawa County Historical Museum was originally housed on the first floor of City Hall. Volunteers worked endless hours setting up the purchased and donated cases and equipment for exhibiting historical artifacts. And in May of 1932, May Hesselbart was hired as the first curator. City Council paid her salary of about $8.40 a month and gave her a supply budget. Donations and other community support kept this endeavor on its successful path. The museum was moved into the basement of City Hall when the municipal courts expanded in the 1970s. Flooding would become a problem in that location.

By 1975, the Port Clinton Area Heritage Foundation was formed to find a permanent location for the museum. The Foundation’s work over the next decade made possible the purchase of the John Belknap building on Third Street in 1986 with generous donations and promises of future contributions of time, money, and other support from within and outside the community.

On May 15, 1988, the new county museum opened after extensive remodeling by local contractors and other contributors. Around that time the Ottawa County Historical Society and the Ottawa County Historical Museum became separate entities.

An addition, named in honor of Lockwood and Mary Jane Zeis, major supporters of everything for which the museum stands, was built in 2009, courtesy of the Paul Fox Estate. In 2010, the name of the museum was changed to Ottawa County Museum to end any confusion of its mission with the Ottawa County Historical Society’s.

The museum has thrived with enormous support from both the community and many outside the community. Of course, it could not have begun to be the success that it’s been without its curators. May Hesselbart’s lengthy and productive term ended when she died in 1963, and Marion Cleary took her place. Elizabeth Denney became curator in 1973, to be succeeded in 1992 by Barbara Bailey, then Jane Beckett, Eugene Van Voorhis, Vicki Aston, and Tom Day. In 2008, Peggy Debien became the curator and continues in that role today. An assistant curator, Kaitlin Phillips, was hired in 2025 to help, in part, bring this house of history’s riches into the technological age. She’s updating its online presence, making artifacts and photos readily available to the public when a visit isn’t an option. (theottawacountymuseum,org)

The numerous artifacts represent periods ranging from long before this area was settled until the present and many serve as viable reference materials: maps, newspapers, family genealogies, self-published books, yearbooks, etc. Relics, large and small, give us a glimpse into the lives of those who greeted the settlers centuries ago, those who settled here, who fought the wars, who farmed the land and fished the waters, who made homes, those who became leaders, and those who supported those leaders and developed the area. Many of the museum’s visitors are able to verify or correct family histories, clarify dates of artifacts, or demystify the purposes of some relics. It’s a true community gem, supported through memberships, donations and grants; volunteers who give time, labor and materials; and dedicated, knowledgeable curators.

Do make time to visit! 126 West Third Street: Open Memorial Day through Labor Day, T/W/T 12-3;

Labor Day through Memorial Day, Wed 12-3.