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Townships' histories don't always match Sandusky County's
The 12 townships that make up Sandusky County — Ballville, Green Creek, Jackson, Madison, Rice, Riley, Sandusky, Scott, Townsend, Washington, Woodville and York — have existed for a long time, but their histories don’t necessarily match the county's.
While Sandusky County is preparing to observe its 200th anniversary in 2020, Lower Sandusky Township — the name that eventually was given to the community that later became Fremont — preceded the creation of the county by five years.
In 1815, Lower Sandusky Township was organized and attached to Huron County. The huge township included all lands between the west line of what is now Huron County and the east lines of what are now Hancock, Wood and Lucas counties (plus the area that is now Jerusalem and Oregon Townships in Lucas County), north from the south boundary line of Seneca County to Lake Erie. Obviously, the township didn’t have to provide the services that it provides today.
Four years later, Croghan Township was created from the portion of Lower Sandusky Township east of the Sandusky River.
Lower Sandusky Township not only shrank dramatically in size, but its name also got smaller as it became the Sandusky Township we now know.
It was one of five townships apparently in existence within the county in 1820, the others being Croghan, Portage, Thompson and Seneca.
Two years later, in 1822, four more townships were added: Green Creek Township, York Township, Ballville Township — named in honor of Col. James V. Ball, famous for his troops’ rout of the Indians at what became known as Ball’s Battlefield during the War of 1812 — and Townsend Township, named for early settler Ephraim Townsend.
Jackson Township was formally organized in 1829 and named for President Andrew Jackson.
Washington Township and Scott Township, which was named for early settler and veteran of the War of 1812 Merritt Scott, were both organized in 1830.
Another township whose leaders honored a president was Madison, which was formally organized in 1833.
Riley township apparently followed, although the information is unclear.
The last of the townships that exist today joined the county in 1840, the year that Ottawa County separated from Sandusky County.
Rice Township, which was named for Ezekiel Rice, an early settler along the Portage River, had been part of Bay Township before the counties were separated with Rice being created in Sandusky County.
Woodville Township, which was part of Clay and Madison townships prior to its organization, was named for Amos Wood, who played a key role in the township’s organization and served it in the U.S. Congress.
Only Sandusky Township survives from days prior to the county’s organization, but it too has changed dramatically.
Roy Wilhelm started a 40-year career at The News-Messenger in 1965, as a reporter. Now retired, he writes about the history of Fremont and Sandusky County.