67 topographic sheets and 25 fire insurance atlases across 5 places.
This curated hub for Erie County, Ohio brings together the page's documented record links, visible map or image evidence where published, and routes to related local records.
Use the page's provenance and linked records to distinguish the source material from the site's navigation and summaries.
Open the original record, preserve its repository and identifier, then use the citation tool for this page as a path back to the source.
Follow the county or state hub for related places and records, then use the guide for a source-aware research sequence.
175 National Register listings, of which 2 are National Historic Landmarks · 43 businesses named in the fire insurance atlases from 1886 to 1951 · the 1916 county history tells 0 stories and names 0 people.
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
Erie County holds 0 covered bridges on the National Register, more than any other property type here. Each is a listed structure with a federal nomination on file.
Drawn when these were printed as single large sheets: the town seen from the air, and the county divided into its farms with every owner named. Each opens the original at the Library of Congress.
Selected from the Digital Public Library of America's 15 image records catalogued for this county. Every one shown here carries a public-domain status or a licence that permits reuse on a site that carries advertising; non-commercial, share-alike and restricted images are excluded. The selection is spread across the county's towns (at most eight per town), so no single institution's bulk upload crowds out the rest. Each opens the holding library's record, and the complete set at the Digital Public Library of America is one click away.
Flown by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1937 and 1989, the Aerial Photo Single Frames collection is the definitive mid-century view of the land: fields, roads and rivers as the camera saw them. 766 frames touch this county; the selection below spreads across the decades of flights (at most four per year), so one flight cannot crowd out the rest. The full set is free to browse and download at EarthExplorer under the dataset Aerial Photo Single Frames.
The "who lived here, by year" answer: pre-1929 public-domain directory volumes naming the county's people, machine-read and searchable as text.
The thermometers that kept this county's weather, and the gages that watched its rivers, as the federal records hold them. The extremes below are measured values from those records, not estimates.
Who lived here in 1950, one enumeration district at a time, as the Census Bureau described each district. Each row opens its official National Archives result, with Population Schedules and ED Maps available there.
Every Sanborn volume opens with a printed index naming the town's mills, tanneries, hotels and works by proprietor. Those indexes were read off the scanned sheets by machine and then matched to each other, so a business surveyed four times appears here once, with the years it survived. 6 of these 43 were named in more than one atlas. Each carries a crop of the line it was read from: the spelling is the recogniser's and the 1880s lithographer's, and the scan behind it is the proof.
Church
1910 to 1916, named in 4 atlases
Appears in 1910 1910 1911 1916
Read elsewhere as Methodist Episcopal Church.
Warehouse
1893 to 1893, named in 3 atlases
Read elsewhere as Molyneux, H., Fish Warehouse; Zistel, O., Fish Warehouse.
Planing Mill
1893 to 1898, named in 2 atlases
Read elsewhere as Brainard, A. J., Planing Mill.
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 4 of them, burning about 2 acres. 0 started naturally and 1 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. One of them was set deliberately.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 August 2002 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 27 April 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 6 August 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 24 June 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 408 reports for this county, causing 2 deaths, 38 injuries and about $45,025,005 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 226 |
| Hail | 108 |
| Flash Flood | 26 |
| Tornado | 15 |
| Flood | 8 |
| Lightning | 7 |
| Waterspout | 7 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 6 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 |
| Winter Weather | 1 |
| Seiche | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1953 | Tornado (F4) | not stated | 2 killed, 23 hurt | no account filed |
| January 1998 | Winter Weather | Countywide | 8 hurt | no account filed |
| June 1977 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 3 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sandusky | 2 hurt | Large tree downed onto house and injured two inhabitants in Sandusky. Multiple large tree limbs downed elsewhere in Sandusky. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sandusky | 1 hurt, $15,000 | Thunderstorm winds toppled a tree in Sandusky. The tree landed on a car injuring at least one person. |
| April 1998 | Lightning | Berlin Hgts | 1 hurt | A man was struck by lightning and was taken to the hospital. |
| June 2006 | Flood | Countywide | $24,500,000 | Devastating and widespread flooding developed in Erie County on June 22nd as runoff from the heavy thunderstorm rains that fell during the evening of the 21st made it's way into area streams and rivers. Initially much of the flooding in the county was in urban areas where water several feet deep accumulated on streets and roads as a result of overwhelmed storm sewers and drainage ditches. But after the rain quit, this flooding diminished during the early morning hours of the 22nd. The improvement in conditions was short lived as runoff caused area streams and rivers to quickly rise as daybreak on the 22nd approached. By 5:30 a.m. evacuations were being conducted along the Huron River near Milan. Evacuations in Perkins Township began around 7:30 a.m. and by early afternoon residents in the Milan Township community of Franklin Flats were being evacuated. In Perkins Township, Pipe Creek left it's banks flooding six streets in the Lakeland Subdivision, Terrace Court Mobile Home Park and Searsville. Fifty homes on these streets were evacuated after flood waters reached three to four feet in depth. A total of 75 people had to be rescued by boat in this area. Franklin Flats was also devastated by flooding as the Huron River rose from a stage of 6.5 feet just after midnight to 23.95 feet around 2 pm on the 22nd. Much of this rise occurred after 9 a.m. At least half of the homes in Franklin Flats were heavily damaged by the flooding. Flooding along the Vermilion River resulted in several homes being evacuated along Riverside Drive in Vermilion. Three piers and several boats in this area were washed out into Lake Erie. A total of 20 homes were destroyed by flooding in Erie County with 25 homes suffering major damage and 79 more with minor damage. Several motorists has to be rescued from stranded vehicles. In addition, 64 mobile homes in Terrace Court and Franklin Flats were heavily damaged. Several hundred additional homes and businesses sustained damage from either basement or nuisance flooding. A total of 573 people were evacuated in the county by emergency personnel. Damage to roads, culverts and bridges was significant. Crop losses in the county are expected to be substantial as standing water was reported over most of the county. Local officials stated that this flooding was the worst in the county since the storms of July 4th, 1969. |
| August 2023 | Flash Flood | Huron | $2,500,000 | Widespread flooding across western and central Erie County, including the cities of Sandusky and Huron, Margaretta Township, Perkins Township, Oxford Township, and Huron Township. Officials estimated hundreds of homes impacted by basement flooding per local media reports. Widespread road closures due to flooding. Some of the roads impacted by flooding include US-6 from the Sandusky city limits to OH-269, Homegardner Road between OH-269 and Bardshar Road, Campbell Street at Pipe Creek, Old Railroad Road at Mills Creek, Bogart Road at Pipe Creek and at Patten Tract Road, Patten Tract Road at Fox Road and Mason Road, Ransom Road at Wood Road, and Hull Avenue at Lawrence Avenue. Huron High School damaged by flooding. Animal shelter needed evacuated due to flooding. Several residents requiring evacuation near Pipe Creek near Columbus Avenue. Cars stranded in underpass on Columbus Avenue. Apartment complex flooded out in the southeast portion of the city of Sandusky. Radar estimated 3 to 4.75 inches of rainfall in a three hour period, with the highest amount along the Lake Erie shoreline from Sandusky to Huron. |
| July 1992 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sandusky | $2,000,000 | A thunderstorm downburst caused widespread wind damage in the northeast portion of Sandusky. The damage swatg was a half mile wide and approximately 2.25 miles long. Numerous large trees and limbs were brought down across the city with some falling on buildings causing roof damage. Numerous large trees were also downed at Battery Park and the Marina. Approximately 30 power poles were blown over on the causeway to Cedar Point. Some power lines landed on cars trapping 15 to 20 people in their vehicles. Power outages due to the downed lines caused Cedar Point to be closed for the following day. At least one site measured a wind gust to 76 mph. Estimated wind speeds based on damage were 70 to 80 mph in downtown Sandusky and as high and greater than 80 mph on the causeway. |
| June 2006 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $2,000,000 | Thunderstorms dumped torrential rains on Erie County during the evening of June 21st. Rainfall rates with the stronger storms exceeded three inches per hour. As much as 7 to 9 inches of rain fell on Perkins Township with 4 to 6 inches over the remainder of the county. Most of this rainfall fell between 8 and 11 p.m. Devastating flash flooding occurred across the county as result of this rainfall. Perkins, Milan, Huron and Margaretta Townships were the hardest hit by the flooding. Rapid rises in water levels occurred in the county forcing the closure of dozens of roads and streets. Hundreds of people had to be evacuated from flood prone areas. The flooding was especially bad along Pike Creek in Perkins Township which quickly left it's bank. Flooding also occurred along Mills Creek near Sandusky with several roads in the city flooded by two to three feet of water. The flooding worsened after daybreak on the 22nd as runoff from the heavy rains on the 21st made it's way into the larger creeks and rivers. Local officials stated that this flood event was the worst in the county since the July 4th, 1969. See the accompanying flood event write-up for damage estimates and more details on the damage. |
| April 1998 | Storm Surge/Tide | Bay View | $1,000,000 | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sandusky | $750,000 | Severe thunderstorm downburst winds caused substantial damage in Perkins Township, just south of the City of Sandusky, during the late evening hours of the 22nd. The damage was concentrated in an area just west of the Sandusky Mall. The thunderstorm winds were estimated to be around 70 mph. Forty to fifty homes in Perkins Township were damaged. A few homes had moderate damage but most of the damage was minor. A house nearly one hundred and fifty years old had its chimney knocked down from the severe winds. Another house had a roof collapse into the living room. A garage at another location collapsed after the roof was completely torn off. Other houses primarily had damage to their roofs. A church had two sections of it's roof torn off, and four windows blown out of it. Fifteen to twenty trees were completely uprooted in the area, and hundreds of other trees were knocked down or sustained major damage from large limbs broken off of them. Along with trees, many areas had power lines that were downed. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Milan | $750,000 | Strong thunderstorm winds estimated to 70 miles per hour produced widespread damage in Milan. An estimated one thousand or more trees were downed in the area and the roofs of the town hall and police station were badly damaged. |
| November 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermilion | $600,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused extensive damage in Vermilion. Many trees and limbs were downed and a mobile home was knocked off it's foundation and heavily damaged. At a marina, several large boats were heavily damaged when the racks holding them were blown over by the high winds spilling the boats on to the ground. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Venice | $500,000 | A thunderstorm downburst with estimated peak wind gusts of between 70 and 80 mph caused extensive damage in western Erie County. The downburst damage path began southwest of Sandusky along Homegardner Road where a barn was damaged and many trees toppled. The damage path continued northeast across State Routes 2 and 101 and through the City of Sandusky. The damage path ended at the Lake Erie shoreline and was approximately seven miles in length. The most concentrated damage was along State Route 101 between State Route 2 and the Sandusky city limits. Many trees and tree limbs were downed in this area along with 13 utility poles. A few homes and buildings sustained roof damage in this area as well. Damage in the City of Sandusky was sporadic and consisted mainly of downed trees and limbs. Widespread power outages were reported in the area with at least 10,000 people loosing power. Fourteen people were stranded at a restaurant and gas station on the southwest side of Sandusky for seven hours because access was blocked by downed power lines. |
| November 2002 | Tornado (F1) | Kimball | $500,000 | A tornado moved into Erie County from Huron County to the southeast of Kimball near the intersection of Section Line Road and State Route 113. The tornado continued east northeast in the county for around five miles and dissipated north of Milan near the intersection of U.S. Highway 250 and State Route 13. Several high voltage transmission poles were toppled by the tornado in Milan Township. A few homes sustained minor damage and several barns were destroyed. Many trees were downed along the damage path which was generally 25 to 50 yards in width. |
| February 1998 | Storm Surge/Tide | Sandusky | $500,000 | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Sandusky | $400,000 | A swath of large hail fell across Erie County. Golf ball to hen egg size hail fell from the Sandusky area east across the Milan area to near Birmingham. Hundreds of vehicles and many homes were damaged by the hail. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $400,000 | A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Erie County during the early morning hours causing widespread damage and scattered power outages. The Milan, Sandusky and Berlin Heights areas were especially hard hit. A 65 mph thunderstorm gust was measured at Huron at 4:47 a.m. Other measured gusts included 57 mph at Sandusky and 56 mph at Berlin Heights. Dozens of trees were downed and many homes damaged. Three vehicles were destroyed by fallen trees and several others damaged. |
| June 1996 | Lightning | Huron | $350,000 | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Sandusky | $300,000 | A line of severe thunderstorms produced a swath of large hail ranging in size from ping pong balls to golf balls. Numerous vehicles and homes were damaged as a result of the damaging hail. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $300,000 | Trees and power poles downed across the county. A house under construction to the north of Castalia on State Route 269 was damaged when part of its framing was blown down. A nearby barn also lost its roof. A semi truck crossing a bridge over Lake Erie on State Route 2 between Port Clinton and Sandusky was blown over. Thirty poles along a causeway leading to an amusement park were also knocked over. In Sandusky, approximately 30 percent of the streets in the city had to be closed because of fallen trees. One home in Sandusky was severely damaged when a porch on its top floor was destroyed by a fallen tree. Several other homes and at least ten cars were damaged by fallen trees and limbs in Sandusky. At least 20 trees were downed in and around Vermilion. |
| May 2010 | Hail | Sandusky | $250,000 | Quarter to hen egg sized hail was observed. Many vehicles were damaged by the hail. |
| March 1985 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Flash Flood | Castalia | $200,000 | Slow moving thunderstorms dumped locally heavy rainfall on portions of Erie and Sandusky Counties. Rainfall rates at times were between two and three inches per hour. A storm total of 3.98 inches of rainfall was measured in Bellevue with 3.48 inches reported a mile north of Bellevue. A spotter in Bloomingville measured a total of 3.90 inches of rain. Widespread flooding occurred across southwestern Erie County, northwestern Huron County and eastern Sandusky County. The worst flooding was in the Bellevue area. To the north of Bellevue, State Route 269 along with Hale, Potter and Portland Roads had be be closed because of flooding. Over two feet of water was also reported on U.S Route 20 in Bellevue. Several cars became stranded in the flood waters. Many other secondary roads in the area also experienced flooding. Several dozens homes sustained damage, mainly from basement flooding. |
| June 1997 | Storm Surge/Tide | Lake Erie Lakeshore | $200,000 | no account filed |
| September 2000 | Tornado (F2) | Milan | $175,000 | A tornado touched down north of Monroeville in Huron County and traveled east along State Route 113 into southern Erie County. The tornado dissipated near the corner of Higbee and Livengood Roads after destroying a farm house. The destroyed house was ripped from its foundation, moved 40 feet and knocked over. A second house and a small barn were also slightly damaged. The tornado traveled approximately one mile in Erie County and had a damage path about 100 yards wide. Debris from the homes was thrown well outside the damage path which was clearly visible through corn fields. Ears of corn were shucked, apparently by the tornado and some ears had many kernels removed. Several dozen trees were downed along the damage path. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wilmer | $150,000 | Erie County Emergency Management, Sheriff Dispatch, members of the media, and trained spotters reported several areas of wind damage in the Sandusky area. Wind damage generally spanned south to north across the city. Trees, power lines, and power poles were downed across the area. A fire station on US Route 250 lost portions of its roof. The most notable damage was to the Sandusky State Theater in Downtown Sandusky. Winds in excess of 70 mph allowed for a wall of the theater to collapse and the roof to sustain major damage. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sandusky | $150,000 | Thunderstorm downburst winds estimated to be at least 60 mph downed many trees in Sandusky. Damage was also reported in the downtown area. One building lost most of it's roof. A previously fired damaged building in the area partially collapsed. Scattered power outages were also reported. |
| March 2015 | Flash Flood | Vermilion | $150,000 | On March 11th an ice jam developed on the Vermilion River in the Mill Hollow metropark located just south and upstream of the town of Vermilion. The ice jam was stationary for days as water continued to build behind it, flooding the metropark but no other properties or roads. Around 3:30 am on the morning of the 14th the combination of snowmelt and rainfall caused the ice jam to break. The water levels in the Riverside Drive community of Vermilion saw a rapid water rise. One person had to be rescued from waste deep water around 6 am that morning. Several people in the community had already evacuated due to the heightened awareness from the ice jam flood watch leading up to the ice jam break. A second ice jam developed around Riverside Drive which broke around 930 am. It went in cycles all day long, jamming up and then breaking loose because of all the bends in the river. About 20 homes sustained minor flooding damage mainly to garages and outer buildings. |
| August 2007 | Flood | Kimball | $150,000 | Heavy rain fell across the area during the morning hours of the 20th. Rainfall reports indicate that between 2.0 and 3.0 inches of rain fell that morning across the area. The heavy rain was able to quickly make its way to local streams and rivers, but those eventually filled up through the morning hours, and excess runoff began ponding in low lying locations and roads throughout the county. By midday of the 20th, roads northeast of Bellevue to Huron gradually flooded. Flooding continued through the overnight hours into the 21st. By the morning, water eventually flooded out the Franklin Flats area. Floodwaters receded throughout the county during the midday and afternoon hours of the 21st. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Castalia | $125,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed several trees and some utility poles. The damage stretched from Main Street in Castalia north along State Route 269 to near U.S. Highway 6. Main Street (State Route 101) had to be closed because of downed trees and power lines. A vehicle was briefly trapped by downed lines. The occupant was not hurt. Power outages were reported throughout the area. |
| November 2017 | Tornado (EF1) | Prout | $125,000 | An EF1 tornado touched down in open farmland in rural Oxford Township just west of Ransom Road and about half way between Mason Road and the Ohio Turnpike. The tornado continued northeast on the ground for about a mile and a quarter before weakening to EF0 intensity and lifting just as it entered NASA's Plum Brook Station. A home near the initial touchdown was damaged by several trees blown over by the tornado. A small barn was leveled and a trailer flipped at a second property nearby. The tornado ripped a large section of roof including trusses off of a house on Mason Road. The roof was found on the NASA facility nearby. Trees were downed along the entire damage path including on the southwestern end of the NASA property. The damage path was up to 50 yards in width. No injuries were reported. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Milan | $125,000 | Thunderstorms produced golf ball size hail. The large hail damaged numerous vehicles. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Milan | $100,000 | Several buildings in downtown Milan either had their roofs blown off or had significant roof damage. This report was a picture from Facebook. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Berlin Hgts | $100,000 | Thunderstorm down burst winds estimated at 60 mph downed a lot of trees and large limbs over eastern Erie County. |
| July 2013 | Flash Flood | Milan | $100,000 | The towns of Milan, Oxford, and Groton townships were the most impacated by the heavy rains of July 10th. Doppler radar estimates between 3 and 4 inches of rain fell within an hour and a half with strong storms that moved through Erie County. Flooding was so widespread that local and county officials were advising the public to stay off the roads. The major thru ways of Ohio 113, Ohio 99, and U.S. 250 were closed. Drivers trying to circumvent the area were left with few options, as most of the surrounding roads had varying degrees of flooding. Portions of Patten Tract, Mason, Strecker, Ransom, Thomas and Kelley roads were overrun with pools of inches-deep water. A few homes were inundated in the first floor by flood waters, but the majority of the home flood damage was the result of basement flooding. |
| March 2007 | Flash Flood | Vermilion | $100,000 | Ice jams formed on the Vermilion River upstream from Vermilion late on 1st and early on the 2nd. During the early morning hours of the 2nd an ice jam broke upstream and then made its way downstream towards Vermilion. After daybreak on the 2nd, another ice jam formed on the river upstream. This second ice jam broke and sent additional ice and water flowing downstream towards Vermilion. By late morning, the river rose approximately two feet in only a few hours. This caused water to quickly rise out of its banks, and required people living near the river to evacuate from their homes. |
| March 1998 | Storm Surge/Tide | Sandusky | $100,000 | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $100,000 | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Flash Flood | Florence | $80,000 | Training thunderstorms with torrential showers brought as much as 2 to 3 inches of rain over the Berlin Heights region. This heavy rainfall fell during rush hour and all within 2 hours. This resulted in several flooded roads with water as high as bumpers, and several road birms were washed away. |
| April 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Castalia | $75,000 | Thunderstorms winds downed many trees and three power poles in western Erie County. A home near Castalia had it's roof blown off. Another home sustained minor damage in Sandusky. At least one car was damaged by fallen trees. |
| February 1998 | Storm Surge/Tide | Sandusky | $75,000 | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Lightning | Groton Twp | $75,000 | no account filed |
| August 2023 | Flash Flood | Vermilion | $50,000 | Multiple road closures due to flash flooding in eastern Erie County, including in Vermilion and Florence Township. Main Road closed at Chappel Creek due to flooding of the creek. Sperry Road closed between OH-60 and the Erie/Lorain county line. Reports of cars stranded in flooded roadways in Vermilion. Radar estimated 3 to 3.75 inches of rainfall in a three hour period. |
| January 2019 | Flash Flood | Vermilion | $50,000 | River ice estimated between 6 and 8 inches thick developed along the Vermilion River during a cold snap around the 21st. Rain and snowmelt on the 23rd caused the river ice to break up and jam. The jam was reported by local authorities to the NWS around 1025 PM EST. By 1144 PM evacuations were underway with swift water rescue teams. In all 11 people were rescued including children. There were at least 40 homes impacted by the ice and flood waters which measured 2 to 5 feet deep. Reports from a resident that there were no flood waters at 10 pm, 2 feet of water starting encroaching on homes by 1030 pm, and by 11 pm had doubled to 4 feet deep. |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | North Monroeville | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds uprooted trees throughout Erie County. The roof was blown off of a small business in North Monroeville. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sandusky | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees and utility poles. |
| April 2011 | Flash Flood | Berlin Hgts | $50,000 | Training thunderstorms brought as much as 2 to 3 inches of rain to the region within 2 hours, resulting in flash flooding. Several roads were closed as water levels over bumpers were reported. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Huron | $50,000 | Thunderstorm downburst winds estimated to be at least 60 mph caused damage at a mobile home park in Huron. Several mobile homes were damaged and at least one car port was leveled. Several utility poles and trees in the area were also toppled. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $50,000 | A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Erie County and downed a few dozen trees. Scattered power outages were also reported. A spotter in Vermilion estimated winds at 60 mph. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sandusky | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed several trees. A home and building were damaged by fallen trees. A van was crushed by a tree. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sandusky | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed several trees. Two cars were crushed by trees. |
| June 1997 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $50,000 | no account filed |
| September 1996 | Flash Flood | Sandusky | $50,000 | no account filed |
| October 2012 | Flood | Vermilion | $40,000 | This event was unique for the Vermilion River, as well as most Lake Erie tributaries, as the water level along the lake rose about 2-3 feet above normal. Strong northerly gales combined with the higher water levels slowed discharge from the Vermilion River into the lake. The backup of water from the lake flooded portions along the Vermilion River near the mouth in a higher severity than was likely from the river alone. Several roads were closed and some minor property damage occurred. Along Riverside Drive the water came up about 2 to 3 feet above the street level flooding the garages and low lying property near the Vermilion River. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Milan | $40,000 | Thunderstorm winds tore the roof off of a barn located three miles northwest of Milan on Thomas Road in Oxford Township. Several nearby outbuildings were also damaged. |
| November 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lakeshore | $35,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed several trees and some power lines southwest of Huron along Huron Avery Road. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 22 workings inside this county. 14 still produce and 8 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 10 |
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 7 |
| Limestone, General | 3 |
| Calcium | 1 |
| Flagstone | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Quarry | Flagstone | Producer | ||
| Huron Lime Company Plant | Calcium | Producer | ||
| Quarry Division Quarry | Limestone, General | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Sandusky Crushed Stone Quarry | Limestone, General | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Wagner Quarry | Limestone, General | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Erie Materials Inc. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Harris Brothers Sandstone Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Harris Brothers Sandstone Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Kelley Island Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Kellys Island Mill | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Sandusky Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Soldiers Home Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Bauer Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Delhi Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Horon Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Huron Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Huron Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Plant | ||
| Mortensen Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Reer Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Shinrock Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Shinrock Pit & Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Weilnau Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Museum specimens collected inside this county and catalogued with a date and a place: 11,020 of them, by kingdom 7,913 animalia, 2,643 plantae, 416 fungi, 35 chromista, 7 protozoa. Each is a physical object in a named collection, not a sighting. Held by Ohio State University - Fish Division, Columbus, OH (OSUM), CM, INHS, USNM, UMMZ, Ohio State University - Bird Division, Columbus, OH (OSUM) among others, and each settlement page carries the specimens collected near it.
The oldest of them. A specimen proves something was collected on that day; its absence proves nothing.
| Photograph | Year | Species | Kingdom | Where | Collector | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1860 | Perca Linnaeus, 1758 | Animalia | Sandusky | Smithsonian Institution | CUMV 985 |
 | 1868 | Vermivora chrysoptera (Linnaeus, 1766) | Animalia | Taylor | No Person (Birds) | FMNH 308019 |
 | 1871 | Carex L. | Plantae | Put-in-bay Island, Lake Erie. | H. Gillman | NY 2333290 |
 | 1872 | Astragalus canadensis var. canadensis | Plantae | Shores of the Is. at Put-in-Bay. Lake Erie | T. Morong | NY 01247200 |
 | 1872 | Mentha arvensis var. glabrata (Benth.) Fernald | Plantae | Put-in-Bay Is. Lake Erie. On the lake shore. | T. Morong | NY 2059759 |
 | 1872 | Solidago hispida Muhl. ex Willd. | Plantae | Put-in-Bay Island, Lake Erie | T. Morong | NY 2352823 |
 | 1874 | Carduus nutans L. | Plantae | Berlin Twp., just W of Ceylon | Jones, G.T. | CM CM216758 |
 | 1878 | Diphasiastrum complanatum (L.) Holub | Plantae | Put-in Bay;;;; | Roberts, Thomas | MIN 55237 |
A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 7 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin Township | Berlin Heights, Berlin Heights Station, Berlinville, Ceylon, Colonial Villa, Oberlin Beach, Ogontz, Ruggles Beach, Shinrock | 6,812 words | 0 | |
| Florence Township | Birmingham, Florence | 6,497 words | 2 | |
| Groton Township | Lyme, Parkertown | 2,196 words | 0 | |
| Huron Township | Anderson, Chaska Beach, Grand Forest Beach, Huron, North Palm Beach, Rye beach | 4,953 words | 2 | |
| Margaretta Township | Bay View, Castalia, Crystal Rock, Sand Hill, Springbrook, Weyers | 7,024 words | 2 | |
| Oxford Township | Bloomingville, Kimball, Prout | 3,113 words | 0 | |
| Perkins Township | Bogart, Columbus Park, Fairview Lanes, Holiday Estates, Lincolnshire, Ranch Wood, Southgate Acres, Wilmer | 2,831 words | 0 |
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the watercourse or landform it stands on and the survey quadrangle it falls on. The 5 places that were also surveyed for fire insurance come first, with the number of atlases and photographs held for them.
Margaretta township · 44824 · Castalia quadrangle
16 sheets, 1901 to 1986
Fire insurance: 1 atlas
Huron township · 44839 · On Huron River · Huron quadrangle
14 sheets, 1904 to 1986
Fire insurance: 8 atlases
Sandusky city · 44870 · On Mills Creek · Sandusky quadrangle
16 sheets, 1904 to 1986
Fire insurance: 8 atlases
Sandusky city · 44870 · On Cold Creek · Castalia quadrangle
16 sheets, 1901 to 1986
Fire insurance: 1 atlas
Vermilion township · 44089 · On Chappel Creek · Vermilion West quadrangle
12 sheets, 1903 to 1986
No longer a settlement
Sandusky city · 44870 · On Cold Creek · Castalia quadrangle
16 sheets, 1901 to 1986
Vermilion township · 44089 · On Chappel Creek · Vermilion West quadrangle
12 sheets, 1903 to 1986
Florence township · 44889 · On East Fork Vermilion River · Kipton quadrangle
12 sheets, 1903 to 1986
Vermilion township · 44089 · On Edson Creek · Vermilion West quadrangle
12 sheets, 1903 to 1986
Berlin township · 44839 · On Old Woman Creek · Berlin Heights quadrangle
14 sheets, 1903 to 1986
Berlin township · 44839 · On Cranberry Creek · Vermilion West quadrangle
12 sheets, 1903 to 1986
Perkins township · 44870 · On Plum Brook · Sandusky quadrangle
16 sheets, 1904 to 1986
Huron township · 44839 · On Sawmill Creek · Huron quadrangle
14 sheets, 1904 to 1986
Vermilion township · 44089 · On Chappel Creek · Vermilion West quadrangle
12 sheets, 1903 to 1986
Perkins township · 44870 · On Sulphur Brook · Sandusky quadrangle
16 sheets, 1904 to 1986
County subdivisions not defined · 43438 · On Kelleys Island · Kelleys Island quadrangle
13 sheets, 1916 to 1986
Perkins township · 44870 · On Sulphur Brook · Sandusky quadrangle
16 sheets, 1904 to 1986
Vermilion township · 44839 · On Cranberry Creek · Vermilion West quadrangle
12 sheets, 1903 to 1986
Huron township · 44839 · On Sawmill Creek · Huron quadrangle
14 sheets, 1904 to 1986
Berlin township · 44839 · On Old Woman Creek · Huron quadrangle
14 sheets, 1904 to 1986
Vermilion township · 44089 · On Darby Creek · Vermilion West quadrangle
12 sheets, 1903 to 1986
Vermilion township · 44089 · On Darby Creek · Vermilion West quadrangle
12 sheets, 1903 to 1986
Perkins township · 44870 · On Sulphur Brook · Sandusky quadrangle
16 sheets, 1904 to 1986
Berlin township · 44839 · On Cranberry Creek · Vermilion West quadrangle
12 sheets, 1903 to 1986
Margaretta township · 43464 · On Little Pickerel Creek · Vickery quadrangle
15 sheets, 1901 to 1986
Vermilion city · 44089 · On Vermilion River · Vermilion East quadrangle
14 sheets, 1903 to 1986
Vermilion township · 44089 · On Sugar Creek · Vermilion West quadrangle
12 sheets, 1903 to 1986
Sandusky city · 44870 · On Cold Creek · Castalia quadrangle
16 sheets, 1901 to 1986
14 topographic sheets and 8 fire insurance atlases, 1888 to 1944
16 topographic sheets and 8 fire insurance atlases, 1886 to 1955
0 topographic sheets and 7 fire insurance atlases, 1893 to 1954
Each is a separate federal document with its own page: a survey report, or the case file that argued a property on to the National Register. Both are public domain and reproduced word for word. There are too many to list here without burying the rest of this page.
The complete index for Erie County, and the vanished settlements.
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