Bogart, Ohio

Among the different tribes of Indians who inhabited the firelands were the Delawares and Ottawas, which belonged to the Algonquin family, and the Wyandots or Hurons, and the Senecas, which belonged to the Huron-Iroquois family.. As late as 1818 the township was dotted over with Indian wigwams. Near Bogart's Corners was an unusually large encampment, on the farm afterward owned by A. N. Baker. As late as 1889 there still remained near the east line of the township twelve or fifteen buildings composed of poles and bark; and in the northwest corner of section 2 there used to be the ruins of an old fort. The walls were of earth, about three feet in height, through which was an opening or gateway leading to a spring, the path to which had been worn to the depth of one foot. These remains were long ago leveled by the settlers. In different parts of the township relics of these tribes are found, consisting of the flint arrowhead, the charm, the battleax and scalping knife; and in some instances skeletons have been exhumed. These were invariably buried in a sitting posture, their faces turned which were well preserved. Near the south line and north of Bloomingville, on the farm of Solomon J arrett, there was found an Indian grave, which had been covered by two large slabs of stone three feet long, the upper ends of which rested together and the lower ends apart. Between these were ashes and charcoal, and on them lay a claw hammer, worn and battered. This may have been obtained at the old French fort at Venice.

Passage source: A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio, published 1916.

After Mr. Beatty became settled he had the land surveyed where Bogart now stands, and laid out in town lots, some of which were sold, but afterward reverted again to their original owner. In the spring of 1819 he commenced building a stone residence at Bogart, which was one of the landmarks of the township, and was known for many years as the ''Half-Way House.'' It was occupied for many years as a tavern and was well known in all parts of the country. Teamsters, in hauling grain to Sandusky from Mansfield and vicinity, used to stop there, and as many as forty teams have been seen in the yards at night. The stage, in making its regular trips from Milan to Sandusky for twenty-five years, also stopped there. In 1817 Mr. Beatty was appointed the first postmaster in the township. He distributed the mails from his log house, a drygoods box with some shelves being used to contain the mail. It is said that he never reported to the department, and he was removed and the office discontinued in 1818 or 1819.

Passage source: A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio, published 1916.

Mr. Beatty kept in the stone house a small stock of dry goods. The first blacksmith shop was erected by Mr. Johnson on the ground afterward occupied by F. Siegel. Rev. William Gurley kept a shop in which he devoted himself to the silversmith business. Mr. Kellogg was the proprietor of a cooper shop. John Brodhead was the only carpenter. A tavern was kept by Holly Akins, on the location afterward occupied by J. D. Parker's store. Mr. Bell, father of Stewart Bell, of Sandusky, who died at an early day, was a ship carpenter. In the year 1817 he built a small vessel near the lake. It required forty yoke of oxen and a number of men to move it to the shore, which was accomplished after much labor. It was launched a short distance west of the village of Huron. Doctor Christopher, a graduate of Yale College and possessed of a fine education, was without doubt the first practicing physician in the township, his office being located at Bogart. As the pioneers manufactured most of their wearing apparel, looms and spinning wheels were in good demand. These were made to order by Mr. Hubbard, a wheelwright.

Passage source: A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio, published 1916.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Perkins Township - it names this place 2 more 2 times.