The first and final volumes of the ten-volume “The People of Ottawa County” collection are available for purchase. It is likely another volume will not be written.

BY SHERI TRUSTY

OTTAWA COUNTY – An oral history project that began in 2003 and preserved the colorful stories of Ottawa County’s past may be ending. “The People of Ottawa County,” a ten-volume collection published by the Ottawa County Historical Society (OCHS) and written from interviews with local residents, has “only scratched the surface” of the county’s history, said longtime writer and editor Martha Dykes, but there is no one to pick up the work after Dykes retired from the volunteer work.

According to information written by the late Janet Stephenson, the Ottawa County project began when OCHS decided to participate in a statewide oral history project in 2001. They began collecting stories, and “came to realize what a really great collection we had,” Stephenson wrote. As they had to choose and eliminate stories for the project, the group recognized a need to preserve the history, inspiring the idea for a book.

“We tried to collect interviews with a conscious effort to include a variety of interests, experiences, ages, careers, but especially all areas of the county,” Stephenson wrote.

When Dykes later joined the project, she continued that commitment to include the entire county.

These photos from “The People of Ottawa County” show contortionist Mae Perry of Oak Harbor who danced before kings and queens in Europe.

Dykes was asked to submit a story based on interviews she conducted in the 1990s with the grandchildren of John Magee, who converted 2,700 acres in Ottawa County to marshland and private hunting grounds. Those lands became the foundation for Magee Marsh Wildlife Area.

“They wanted a narrative about John Magee and then asked me to join the group,” Dykes said.

She began researching, conducting interviews, writing, and editing and eventually was made chair of the project. The group met monthly to discuss ideas for the books.

“Covid brought all that to a screeching halt,” Dykes said.

Boyd Marshall grew up in Port Clinton and became a popular silent screen actor.

The group never rebounded after Covid, and in the past few years, the project has been sustained by Dykes and Ottawa County Museum Curator Peggy Debien and aided by research conducted by John Liske. But in the years that Dykes worked on the project, she created many memories as she scoured the county for not-to-be-lost stories for the project, as well as an additional book, “Along the Highways and Waterways of Ottawa County, Ohio,” published in 2017.

“We had a lot of fun with that. Sandy Zenser and I had a fun day over at Middle Bass’s Victorian village,” Dykes said.

The women ferried over to the island hoping to connect with people who knew the history.

“A lady came out to our car because she thought we were lost. We told her what we were doing, and she told us we need to talk to her husband,” Dykes said. “He had a whole photo album of pictures of when it was in its heyday, and he took us on a golf cart tour of the island.”

On another day, Dykes made arrangements to interview people at the Put-in-Bay senior center. Her adventures across the county helped preserve the stories of people like Boyd Marshall of Port Clinton who grew up to become a silent screen actor. He became a favorite at the New York Hippodrome and performed at the Lyric Theater with Douglas Fairbanks.

This photo of the Old Dutch Band is on the back cover of Volume X of “The People of Ottawa County.”

The books also capture the story of Mae Perry, who was born near Oak Harbor in 1894. She grew up to become a Ziegfeld Girl, danced for kings and queens in Europe, and eventually developed a popular routine as a contortionist.

The books also tell the tales of local residents who made their living fishing, farming, and even bootlegging. There are stories of longtime businesses, early schools, and the area’s lighthouses.

Dykes said there are many stories yet to be told, and she is afraid that vital history will be lost.

“I put hours and hours into the books and never felt like I was working. I just never wanted to lose those voices. But I was 85 when I finished the last book and thought that was a good time to stop,” she said. “I don’t know if anyone will continue the project. I feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface. I hate to have it come to an end.”

The books are available at the Keeper’s House annex in Marblehead and online on the Ottawa County Historical Society website at https://ottawacountyhistory.org.