Celebrating 150 Years
1874-2024
Nearly every county in Ohio has a historical society, many started after WWII. The Sandusky County Historical Society was formed in 1874, and is one of the oldest in Ohio, even older than the Ohio Historical Society (1885).
In 1874 many of the pioneer settlers of Sandusky County were yet living. A thriving civilization now occupied the land they first knew as a forest wilderness. In the comfort of their prosperity, these pioneers joined together to for the Sandusky County Pioneer and Historical Society. After nearly 2 years of discussion, it was formally organized on June 6th, 1874, in a meeting of 18 interested Sandusky County residents at Birchard Hall, downtown Fremont.
The purpose of the organization was to bring together pioneer settlers of Sandusky County to “perpetuate and cherish a remembrance of the persons and scenes connected with the first settlement of the county, and to collect and preserve whatever may tend to illustrate the history and conditions of the Sandusky Valley before and since it’s settlement.”
A constitution was adopted, and membership requirements were set: “any resident of Sandusky County may become a member of this society by signing the constitution and paying into the treasury the sum of one dollar. ” Furthermore, it exempted fees for any resident who had settled prior to January 1st, 1830. The Society’s first officers were Homer Everett, president: L.Q. Rawson, vice-president: Rutherford B. Hayes, secretary: and J.W. Wilson, treasurer.
Come and visit the Museum this year to see the 150th Year Celebration Exhibit and see if your ancestors were original pioneers!
Photo credit: RB Hayes Library
THE SANDUSKY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Fremont, located in Sandusky County, Ohio was originally known as Lower Sandusky and began as a village of Wyandot Indian natives. During the 1750s, the French constructed a trading post to participate in the fur trade with the Wyandots. During the late 1700s and the early 1800s, other colonial settlers moved into the area. During the War of 1812, the United States Army built an important American military post, known as Fort Stephenson where the current day Birchard Public Library now stands.
On February 12, 1820, the Ohio government sanctioned the creation of Sandusky County. Citizens named the county after an Indian term for “at the cold water.” Sandusky County was originally part of territory set aside for Ohio’s Indian people by the Treaty of Greeneville. White settlement of the county occurred very slowly, due to the Great Black Swamp occupying most of the land.
Fremont is also the home to our nation’s 19th president, Rutherford B. Hayes and is also the location of the first Presidential Library. As you can see, Sandusky County is rich in history and for this reason, the Sandusky County Historical Society was born.
The Sandusky County Historical Society welcomes you to stop by to see the many artifacts on display and to let the history tell you its story through this self guided exploration of days gone by.
For the full history of our area you can visit the Ohio History Connection’s website and read about Fremont and Sandusky County.
“Preserving
the Past
for the
Future.”
Historic Fremont Walking Tours
Members of the Bicentennial Committee have created a downloadable “Fremont Walking Tour” brochure that you can access here. Take a walk through the downtown and surrounding area of historic Fremont, Ohio. Following this map, you can see what the city streets looked like during the days of horses and buggies in the 1800s and the commerce of the mid 20th
century. See the places that helped to shape the city. Some points of interest look similar to their historic photos, and some are covered by empty lots or new buildings. Photo above: Aerial view of downtown Fremont, circa 1930.
Museum Hours
Wednesdays:
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
The Holderman House and the Museum are open from mid-May thru mid-November.
Closed Holidays.
Calendar of Events
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