Girty's Island, Maumee River

MPratt · May 25, 2008, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RiverRat1

Good Lord, if you could get me a copy of the map showing the lay out of the park words could not describe how thankful I would be.

I contacted a very nice gentlemen from the Henry County historical Society over the winter and he sent me a a write up with pictures that someone sent to the historical society. Your husband must be related to the Voights I am guessing.

This past Saturday, I spent four hours walking the entire island. Leaving the island was bitter-sweet for me. I discovered a lot and a lot of pieces of the puzzle are still missing. The saddest part was knowing this park (and the island itself) truly is a historical sight on the Maumee River and so little of it remains because of the Maumee River. I only hope that my postings will help keep this history alive.

The write-up I received placed structures as it related to the ferry landing. My husband was the one that found the ferry landing. One very large timber remains and a short piece of cable anchored in the ground. A tree still stands that shows the marks where the cable once wrapped around it.

Just to the west of the landing, I found what remains of what I believe to be the ice house. Going north from the ferry landing, I found an old arch which I believe may be the entrance to the park, leading to the house. I have not found any remains of the house as of yet. I believe in later years, this area may have been farmed and the foundation covered. If you can find out if the park entrance did have an arch, then I will know the area behind it is where the house once stood. The pictures of the house that I have may have been taken while standing under this arch. Without the house location, I am missing the location of the refreshment stand that stood next to the house. The area behind the arch has trees, but they are young enough to tell me they weren't there a 100 years ago. To the northwest of the arch, I ran across the strange foundation I found last fall. With the information I received this winter, I believe this to be the stables where visitors stabled their horses while on the island. Next to this structure, I uncovered a coil of cable which I am sure was used for the ferry. North of the stable, I found a very small foundation, which I haven't a clue what it is. I was hoping this was one of the three cottages, but no way to know for sure. Along with the cottages, there was the dance hall, bowling alley, race track and I am totally lost as to where any of these once stood. The write-up states that one cottage still stands because it was make of stone, but I did not see it and I was all over the island.

I did make it to the beach area where the bath houses once stood, but being at the head of the island I am sure the Mighty Maumee took those remains a long time ago. I did find an entire skeleton of what I believe to be a very, very large hog/sow that was once buried about 5 feet down and with the flooding this spring was unearthed. This has both me and my husband stumped. The park would may have served roasted pig, not buried it. Do you have any ideas?

I do have some very good pictures of everything I discovered that I would be happy to pass along to you. Your husband's family may want to have these as it is part of their family history.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

And to my other fellow explorers who have helped me with this historical search, yes, I am still going strong and loving it. As for the ghost of Mr. Simon Girty, he must be resting in peace in the great beyond since I did not see him. For this, I am glad.

Hi - The history that I have of the Fred Voigt family has a chapter on Simon Girty and a chapter on Girty's Island. It is many pages long, too many to scan and try to email. So if you want to email me your address, I will mail you a copy. You can email me at: maritap@earthlink.net.
Glad you're interested,
MPratt

MPratt · May 25, 2008, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MPratt

Hi - The history that I have of the Fred Voigt family has a chapter on Simon Girty and a chapter on Girty's Island. It is many pages long, too many to scan and try to email. So if you want to email me your address, I will mail you a copy. You can email me at: maritap@earthlink.net.
Glad you're interested,
MPratt

Looking at the map that Grandma drew, you are right there is an ice house at the landing. Then directly north was a ball field, with a hitching rail to the west of it. Directly north of the ball field was the grandstand, to its west was the barn, and further west stood the stone home. Diretly to the west of the home was the food stand, and an ice cream stand. To their north was the shooting gallery, beer garden aned bowling alley. Going along the drive from the landing to the northwest, was a pavilion that stood near a fruit orchard. The bathing beach was to the west. Grandfather Voigt had started to build a cottage (the second), in 1912, but the flood of 1913 took everything but the original stone home. They continued to use the island for family vacations, building a dance hall, but sold to the State of Ohio Game Reserve when my husband's mother was a girl, around 65 years ago. A brief summary! It really is a sweet history, you will enjoy reading it in its entirety.

EARLY · May 28, 2008, 02:07 PM

Girty

Stratmando · May 28, 2008, 03:04 PM

Welcome, GREAT first post and Info, You have to be over 70, and have great recollection,
It would be interesting if you could draw a map of the island, the ferry crossing and any nearby buildings, Most of my research is outwest. Lot of great memories or history is lost if not written down. Thanks and Take care.

RiverRat1 · May 28, 2008, 03:23 PM

Thank you very much for the additional information. My research has told me there was a bowling alley on the island and that has always puzzled me because I was thinking in today's terms. You have solved that mystery for me.

You are right about the high water mark on the wall paper. The water reached all the way to the second story of the house, that is why the Voight family called it quits. Each year the river took out a building or two and it was hard to always rebuild.

I last wrote that I thought I found the stables, this is wrong. I went back to the island over Memorial Day weekend and I found the old brick well. This was a very big discovery for me. The blocks you speak of (that I thought were the stables) is actually the remains of the house. Finally finding that well confirmed the house's location. Which also means the concert ring with a dirt hole in the middle right in front of the blocks, was the newer well the Voight family drilled right in front of the house. I know this to be true because I can see the new well in the old picture I have (took the pictures with me in a zip-lock bag). And I will admit it, I cried. Three years of researching this island and to finally know for sure what I found was over whelming. To stand where so many have stood before, wow!

Knowing that the the food stand sat just west of the house, I found a row of cinder blocks that made up the foundation of the food stand. Thanks to you, I now know the location of the bowling alley. Do you know if this was made of any concrete/stone materials? Did the wall have a block wall bottom? If it was all wood, there would be nothing left by now.

I found the original ferry landing on the south side of the island, cable included (from the amusement times). It sounds like your Uncle made a ferry landing on the north side. The side of the tow path. Is this correct? Did your Aunt and Uncle raise hogs? I found a very large skeleton the was once buried about five feet down that the river unveiled this spring? This really has me puzzled. In those days, farm animals were a very precious food item, why bury the animal or the bones. Funny, for every answer I get, I come from the island with another question. But this is ok because I keep getting great information from wonderful people like yourself and it continues my search.

You are right about Simon Girty. I read Simon would go there, but it was his brother James that had the trading post and Simon passed away during his elderly years while living in Canada.

EARLY · May 28, 2008, 04:44 PM

Sorry that I can't provide answers, but after 72 years or so -----?. I don't recall the construction of the bowling alley - I believe that the wall separating it from the dance floor was a low one. My uncle's ferry was on the north side, directly opposite the small farm house on rte. 424, the first one west of the Gunn place. The big house was straight up the hill from the ferry. My uncle worked in Napoleon and aside from a pet dog, they had no animals. I do remember that one day I rowed completely around the island, feeling quite proud that I did it.
Oh yes, they had a trot line out across the north run of the river to catch fish - and did catch fish too.

EARLY · May 30, 2008, 01:16 PM

From EARLY -- Just thought of something else. Seems to me that I remember that Girty's Island is really two islands - one a small one, maybe 50 acres, at the downstream end. The small one was known as Chicken Island. And in the question, Florida, Ohio, was mentioned; When Genl. "Mad " Anthony Wayne led his troops to the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, they left from Fort Defiance and marched along the river, heading for what is now an area adjoining Maumee, Ohio, memorialized as "Fallen Timbers". The first night's march found them at the Indian village of Snake Town - now Florida, Ohio. The canal was still 40 / 50 years in the future but Florida became a village because of the canal. I don't know what happened to the Indian village, but the defeat of the Indian tribes at Fallen Timbers was a major happening in the struggle for control of the Northwest Territory. The Indians gave up shortly thereafter. My great-grandfather worked with his team of horses in building the canal, filling in time when his farm didn't need him - but that was 45 - 50 years after Fallen Timbers and has nothing to do with Girty's Island.

One other thing that occurs to me is that James Girty's major trading post was at St. Mary's, Ohio, so I believe the post on the Maumee was a stopover point on the way to Lake Erie, probably one of several.

I think it is great that Girty's Island is the object of your study - I have always had a soft spot in my heart for it. EARLY

EARLY · Jun 1, 2008, 09:45 AM

One more - this one a suggestion --- try:

Http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/map-machine#theme=Street&c=0|0&sf=187648892.534865

By working your"clicks" properly, you can get a satellite picture of Girty's Island. Not much to see but it gives a good idea of the size and shape.

EARLY · Jun 1, 2008, 04:35 PM

Just one more -- checking the satellite picture, I see Chicken Island at the northeast section of Girty's and it is smaller than the 50 acres I said it might be. Looks more like one or two but it is there. EARLY

RiverRat1 · Jun 1, 2008, 07:25 PM

Thank you again! I know exactly what small island you are talking about (Chicken Island). I was wondering about that small piece of land and if it was once a part of Girty's Island that water have separated it off. Do you know if there was anything built on that island? Was it used for anything?

You are right about thinking the islands were much bigger, because at one time they were. My research has stated that 1/3 of Girty's Island has been washed away by the River and God only know when that number was figured. As I see the smaller little islands become completely gone each year on the way to Girty's, it stands to reason that much more of Girty's is now washed away. It is one reason that I have kelp going on with this research. Girty's Island won't disappear during my lifetime or my children's lifetime, but it may not be there for my grandchildren's lifetime. Hopefully, these writings will be passed down so others in the future will know there once was a wonderful place where people met to have fun and families gathered together. You are helping to make that happen with all the wonderful information you are passing on

I think it is so great that your great Grandfather actually worked on the canal! I think anyone who is interested in history, should read about the Erie-Miami Canal. What a great success it was during that era and so much hard work went into it.

Have you ever stopped by that little store by Lugwig Mill? You park on the east side of the Grand Rapids bridge and walk across the road, down the path and it is right there. Because of Girty's Island, I have also researched the canal and the town of Providence built by Peter Manor, which is now Providence Park. The store has these great little books about the history of that entire area. I have the book on the canal, Providence, & Grand Rapids which was once known as Gilead. With your added information, I will now look into Snake Town and see if there is written history on it.

As you remember things, please keep posting it. Since I opened this question in January of this year, over one thousand people have viewed it! And so many have answered and posted their own memories of the Island. Remember, this island passed through many hands throughout the last 100 years and each writing is precious history being preserved.

Hoping to hear form you again!

RiverRat1

Girty's Island, Maumee River

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