Historical marker remembers War of 1812

jackson@sanduskyregister.comOhio isn't a place that's out on the edge. It's a largely middle-class Midwestern state, and it's been around for a while — the 17th among the 50 states.But as the War of 1812 began, the Huron-Sandusky-Port Clinton area was an undeveloped area, occupied only by Indians and a few log cabins of lonely white settlers. It was the western frontier of the United States.The dangerous early days of the war along the shores of Lake Erie are recalled in a War of 1812 historical marker recently erected in Huron.The text for the marker was written by Lou Schultz, a War of 1812 historian who lives in Sandusky and sits on the board of the Erie County Historical Society. The society paid about $3,500 to get the marker up.The marker is placed at a sidewalk near the boat basin, where it can be seen by anyone strolling by. It's a good location, Schultz says."Most historical markers are by the side of the road," he said, noting it is often not convenient to pull over and read them. It is also a good location because the Huron River marked the frontier in the early days of the War of 1812, when the British controlled Lake Erie.After the fall of Detroit to the British, "everyone west of the Huron River basically fled," Schultz said.There was little settlement in northern Ohio west of the Huron River in those days."You had pioneer settlers living in log cabins," he said. The marker includes a map showing some of the early incidents in the war. It shows the site of the Buell-Gibbs murders (two men killed by Indians at a site along Pipe Creek, near Oakland Cemetery), the Snow-Butler killings by Indians in what is now Castalia, the location of Fort Liberty in Oxford Township, and the camps and blockhouses near the mouth of the Huron River.As Americans prepare to celebrate Veterans Day on Tuesday, it might be good to take a moment to recall the veterans of a war that took place right here, Schultz said."This is the only war that was ever fought in modern-day Erie County," he said.Register photo/ANGELA WILHELM Lou Schultz discusses the War of 1812 with help from the map on the new historical marker Wednesday in Huron. Schultz wrote the text for the plaque.Register photo/ANGELA WILHELM Historian Lou Schultz talks about the new marker at the Huron Boat Basin Wednesday.Register photo/ANGELA WILHELM Local historian Lou Schultz wrote the text for the new War of 1812 marker at the boat basin in Huron.Register photo/ANGELA WILHELM The new War of 1812 plaque at the Huron Boat Basin.Register photo/ANGELA WILHELM The new plaque at the Huron Boat Basin marks the War of 1812.