Shoreline Park's 2 lives

This story was featured in the April 2026 edition of Sandusky Living magazine. SANDUSKY — Long before it was known as a recreation and gathering space, a place for walks along the water's edge, Shoreline Park was a hub of commercial activity. Shoreline Park's modern footprint was once the site of part of Sandusky's commercial harbor. Piers started appearing there in the mid-19th century. In the latter portion of that century, the iron horse — in the form of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad — arrived, bringing three long commercial piers to the site. That terminal of the rail line served as a shipping hub that sent materials such as iron ore, grain, lumber, crushed stone and sand to multiple points around the Great Lakes region. The regional rail lines that led to those piers served to connect Sandusky's industrial economy to the wider world. Some of the barges and ships that serviced the port even wintered at the piers when colder weather froze the lake surface and shipping traffic slowed, often to a halt. By the 1970s, however, commercial activity at the site had declined and the piers were last used for shipping in 1973. Today, Shoreline Park is a place to go for stunning views of Sandusky Bay. In the late 20th century, Sandusky city leaders began efforts to transform the industrial shoreline of Sandusky Bay into a more inviting green space. As part of that renaissance, Shoreline Park was dedicated in 1990. Today, the roughly eight-acre park offers scenic views of Sandusky Bay and the Cedar Point peninsula, along with amenities such as walking paths, a picnic shelter, playground equipment, fishing access and observation areas along nearly 3,500 feet of shoreline. Two bridges connect the three piers, crossing over the areas where ships once docked to take the bounty of Ohio to many points across the Great Lakes. One prominent feature of the park, only visible when lake water levels are particularly low, is the skeletal remains of a long-abandoned ship. The W.R. Stafford was laid down as a freighter by shipbuilder F.W. Wheeler Company in what is now Bay City, Michigan, in 1886. It was refitted in 1913 to act as a sand dredger. The 185-foot-long vessel, with a draft of 12 feet, was laid up in 1925 and later caught fire in its berth. The ship's wooden ribs are visible jutting above the water line during meteorological events called seiches. Those occur when strong winds blow lake water eastward and dramatically lower the waterline in the western basin. Two major seiches occurred in 2025, giving residents multiple opportunities to view the remains of the Stafford.