News

CATAWBA ISLAND, OH – November 8, 2021: The 2022 membership campaign for new and renewed membership in the Catawba Island Historical Society (CIHS) has begun. Annual membership dues are a major source of the funds used to operate the Society’s Catawba Museum at Union Chapel and sponsor its biannual Cultural Speakers Program.

The organization’s activities bounced back significantly after being severely curtailed by the COVID crisis in 2020. The Museums mid-May to mid-October operating season saw an increase to 843 visitors in 2021, up 53% from last year. Additionally, they began their speaker’s program again with a presentation last month about U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes. Nearly 100 people attended. 

“We remain vigilant,” said CIHS President, Craig Koerpel. “Never-the-less, we are hopeful the worst of the pandemic is behind us and look forward to doing an even bigger and better job in 2022.” Plans have been made to generally embellish and enhance the Museum’s “Timeline Tale of Catawba” theme. At least two totally new exhibits will be mounted. One will highlight the creation of our west beach communities; Byrneal, Kenykirk and Orchard. The other will recount the birth and demise of the area’s commercial fishing industry.

It is also likely that the Historical Society’s lecture series will include an additional events next season. There would be one in the spring and one in the fall. 

“Our Board made a policy decision not to charge admission for either the Museum or the speaker presentations,” said Koerpel. “We did not want to build a financial barrier between people and their history. The Historical Society depends heavily, instead, upon membership dues for its operating income. With continued support from the community, we are confident we can continue our mission of preserving and protecting the heritage of Catawba Island.”

The museum is in the iconic 1888 Union Chapel on E. Porter Street at the north end of Catawba Island. It began operating in 2018. A year earlier, however, CIHS launched its series of speakers about historical subjects. Examples have ranged from the lives and customs of local Native Americans… to this area’s response to Prohibition… to the geology of Lake Erie’s Western Basin.  

Two levels of annual Historical Society membership are available: the Historian at $25 and the Curator at $100 per year. A lifetime subscription to the Society’s Council of Nabagon can also be acquired for a one time investment of $1000. More information can be obtained by calling the 419-967-5363 or visiting our Membership page.

CATAWBA ISLAND, OH – October 25, 2021: A miniature version of the Don and JoAnn Rhodes log home on NW Catawba Road has been installed in front of the Union Chapel history Museum. The model is a receptacle for swapping books as part of the international Little Free Libraries neighborhood book exchange program. It was built and donated to Catawba Island Historical Society for use at the Museum by local wood-working hobbyist, Dave Mead.

Similar exchange points have been established all over the world to advance literacy by increasing access to books. Over 90,000 Little Free Library exchange boxes currently exist in 91 countries. Other Catawba Island locations include Gem Beach, West Harbor Landing, and the Nehls Memorial Nature Preserve.

In addition to serving as a book exchange point, Catawba Museum at Union Chapel will offer a quiet atmosphere for users to linger and read. Two beautiful iron and wood benches donated by the Catawba Island Garden Club are available for use near or in the facility’s serenely landscaped courtyard.

“Not all participants in the Little Free Libraries program design their own exchange box,” said David Wonnell, Vice President of the Catawba Island Historical Society which operates Union Chapel Museum.  “We did,” he continued, “because the log home is closely associated with Don and JoAnne Rhodes and we wanted to again recognize their contributions to preserving the Island’s heritage.”

The book exchange box is positioned in a landscaping bed adjacent to the Museum’s front parking area. Reading material can be exchanged 24 hours a day, 365 days a year beginning November 1. If you have extra free books you would like to donate, please call 419 967 5363. The general protocol, however, is simply “Take a Book/Leave a Book”.

CATAWBA ISLAND, OH – September 27, 2021:  The Catawba Island Historical Society’s Union Chapel Museum will soon close for its current, 5-month season. The last day of operation in 2021 will be Saturday October 9. Until then, guests are welcome to visit on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Jane Spriestersbach, the Museum’s Curator, advises that attendance bounced back significantly after being adversely impacted by the COVID pandemic in 2020. “With two weeks remaining before our October-to-May break,” she said, “We expect to welcome nearly 800 people. That is up over 50% from last year.”

Over the winter the Museum trustees and staff will make modifications to current exhibits in the facility’s Timeline Tale of Catawba story which began 400 million years ago. Some totally new displays are also being contemplated to help keep the experience fresh for return patrons.

Dr. Richard Thomas, the Historical Society Board member with primary responsibility for designing and presenting museum content, observed that, “Much of the Catawba saga is tied to development of its individual neighborhoods. For example, we have already highlighted the Cliffs and Rock Ledge. Plans call for sharing unique stories about Gem Beach, Little Pittsburgh, the Bluffs and Sugar Rock, the west beach communities of Byrneal, Kenykirk and Orchard, and others.” 

Curator Spriestersbach notes that there is no admission charge to visit the Museum. Annual and lifetime memberships in the Catawba Island Historical Society provide most of the funds that underwrite its mission to preserve and protect local heritage. Membership topped 300 this year, growth of 40 per cent over 2020.

“All kinds of people visit the Museum,” she said. “We meet full-time residents, recreational home-owners, and vacationing tourists. One thing we find they have in common is their love of, and pride in, our Island. It shows up as growing membership support of the Historical Society’s effort to share the Catawba story.”

Despite scheduled seasonal closure of the Union Chapel Museum, the Catawba Island Historical Society has other activity planned for later in October. It will conduct its Annual Membership Business Meeting and present a speaker in its Cultural Lecture Series later next month.

Residents and guests of the Catawba Cliffs were invited to “A Night at the Museum” by the Catawba Island Historical Society on Friday, September 17. The reception and tour of Union Chapel Museum were part of the centennial celebration of the founding of the Cliffs community in 1921. Hors d’oeuvres and beverages were served beneath a tent erected in the Museum’s parking lot where John and Gerri Bolte had parked their vintage Ford Model A Roadster. Several of the CIHS volunteers and Board members wore period costumes. Watercolor artist, Nike Mendenhall, made a surprise offer to do a painting of the house of anyone that became a lifetime (Council of Nabagon) member of CIHS that evening.  Many thanks to Diane and Norm Johnton, Tom and Kathleen Stierwalt, and Debra and Mike Weigel who accepted her offer…and to all the others living in the Cliffs who support the Historical Society’s mission to preserve and protect the heritage of Catawba Island.

Long time Island resident Miriam Ruth Kaptain has made a unique gift to the Catawba Island Historical Society…a 3-ton rock that spent the last 35 years in the yard of the home she and her husband, Albert, had built on East Terrace Circle in Catawba Cliffs. The story, however, begins centuries earlier.

When the Ottawa Indians permanently moved from Catawba in the 1830’s, they left behind several revealing remnants of their civilization. Local archeological examples included two ceremonial mounds, a village site, and a traditional burial location.  

One of the mounds had been built on Sugar Rock, a Dolomite cliff above and behind today’s Catawba Island Club. Although it did not survive the residential development boom of the early 20th century, the mound’s earlier existence confirmed that Sugar Rock had once been a center of Native American activity.

The Kaptains constructed their Catawba Cliffs house in 1955, and concurrently bought 8 acres on Sugar Rock to use as a family recreational retreat. The Sugar Rock property included a lakeside beach for picnics, swimming, and fishing. That beach was strewn with rocks and one exceptionally large boulder which had served the Indians as a platform for grinding grain and medicinal plants. The Grinding Rock’s use was apparent from the bowl-like grove worn into it after years of milling seeds, stems and leaves at the same spot with stone tools. 

In the 1980’s, the Kaptains sold their Sugar Rock property to Catawba Island Club. A condition of the sale was that the Grinding Rock’s Indian heritage be preserved. The CIC agreed, and to assure that commitment they transplanted it to the Kaptain residence in the Cliffs where it paid tribute to Catawba’s Native Americans for 3 ½ decades.

On Wednesday, July 28, 2021, the Grinding Rock changed addresses again. Miriam Kaptain, widowed since the loss of her husband in 1992, asked Catawba Island Historical Society to curate and continue making it available for community viewing. Thanks to generous logistical help from Catawba Island Club and Gill Construction, the Rock was moved to its 3rd home and her wish has been fulfilled. It is now the focal point of the principle front landscaping bed of Union Chapel Museum on E. Porter Street at the North end of the Island.

David Wonnell, Vice President of the Historical Society’s Board of Trustees, coordinated the move and characterizes the project as indicative of the Historical Society’s policy to acquire artifacts with local provenance whenever possible. He noted that Union Chapel Museum is open for the 2021 season. Visitors can see the Grinding Rock and many other displays linked specifically to Catawba Island. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, as well as on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month. There is no admission charge.

CATAWBA ISLAND, OH – July 19, 2021:  Area historian, a founder of the Catawba Island Volunteer Fire Department (CIVFD), and Emeritus Trustee of the Catawba Island Historical Society, Don Rhodes, was surprised with a party at Union Chapel Museum to celebrate his 90th birthday. Members of the CIVFD arrived on both of their fire trucks, and in dress uniforms, to make it a “2 alarm” celebration.

Rhodes was born July 16, 1931, in a small wood-sided building that used to be a White Horse gas station his father built on NW Catawba Road not far from the entrance to what is now called the Sunnyside Tower Bed and Breakfast Inn. 

Except for serving 4 years as a U.S. Navy submariner during the Korean War, he has lived his entire life on Catawba Island. He and JoAnn, his wife of 69 years, have spent over a half century at the corner of NW Catawba Road and E. Porter Street. It is the first and only residence they have owned since their 1953 marriage at Little Chapel Around the Corner in Las Vegas, NV.  

Most people recognize the Rhodes residence because the main house, constructed in 1905, is flanked by a log home and several other rustic outbuildings. These additional structures provided a showcase and storage for the eclectic collection of local antiquities and memorabilia Don and JoAnn acquired over decades. They displayed and sold them under the banner of Ottawa City Museum and General Store, a business they opened on site in 1976. It operated for 40 years. Much of their collection is now on display at the Catawba Union Chapel Museum, a few hundred yards further east on Porter Street.

Don is often at the Museum which is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and the 2nd and 4th Saturday between mid-May and mid-October. Stop by to wish him a belated happy birthday and have him share some of his fascinating and fun stories about growing up on Catawba Island.

Union Chapel was built in 1888 to serve as a non-denominational Sunday school for area children. Dwindling attendance ultimately led to closure. To preserve the iconic structure, ownership was transferred to Catawba Island Township in the 1990’s. The Township leases the building to the Historical Society for use as a community museum and cultural center which opened in June of 2018.

CATAWBA ISLAND, OH – May 8, 2021:  On opening day for the 2021 season at the museum, Catawba Island Township Trustees and Trustees of the Historical Society unveiled the plaque commemorating the recent inclusion of Union Chapel on the prestigious National Register of Historic Places. The plaque has been installed in the foyer of the museum.

CATAWBA ISLAND, OH – April 26, 2021:  The Catawba Island Volunteer Fire Department will display a vintage fire engine at the May 8 opening of Union Chapel Museum 

When Catawba Museum at Union Chapel opens for its 4th season on May 8, 2021 local history will be displayed outside the building as well as inside the 133-year-old former sabbath school and non-denominational house of worship.

Thanks to the Catawba Island Volunteer Fire Department, a 1953 Ward LaFrance fire truck will be parked on the grounds of Union Chapel and available for “hands-on” inspection. It was the first new piece of major fire-fighting equipment purchased by the CIVFD.  Their first truck, a used 1929 American LaFrance, was acquired from the City of Toledo.

“We are happy to add a little extra fun to the Museum’s opening day,” said Catawba VFD Chief, Kevin Gibbons. “Visitors – kids in particular - will be welcome to climb up on the truck to explore. Although the hoses have been removed, original ladders give it the appearance of being ready for action at a moment’s notice. We are currently recruiting new volunteers so we will have a member of the Department there to answer questions and tell stories about how we do our jobs.”

There is a long and close relationship between Catawba’s volunteer firefighters and Union Chapel.

“The first meeting to explore forming the Island’s volunteer fire department was held in the basement of Catawba School in 1949”, recalls long-time resident, Don Rhodes, who attended that gathering and subsequently became a six-decade member of the group. “Even back then the State had rules requiring the rigorous training of a VFD crew.  Union Chapel helped us improve our ladder, rope and rigging skills. They let us practice by climbing up and down from their roof. We could thank them by painting the bell tower and cross while we were up there.”

Upon establishing the department, a social event called “Wives Night” was also organized. It was a gala to honor spouses for supporting the difficult and dangerous efforts of their husbands. Today it takes place annually at the Catawba Island Club, but initially the site varied from year to year. Sometimes the dinner was held at Union Chapel, prepared and served by members of the congregation and other appreciative community volunteers.

Another special occurrence to mark the Museum’s 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. opening day will be a brief ceremony with Township Trustees and Trustees of the Historical Society commemorating the recent inclusion of Union Chapel on the prestigious National Register of Historic Places. That will happen at noon.

There is no admission charge to visit the Museum. Its operating cost is principally underwritten by dues to the Historical Society whose yearly membership drive is currently underway. Those who are signed up by May 8 will be included in an opening day drawing for a signed print of the Chapel by award-winning watercolor artist Patty Cable Wildman. Also included as part of the drawing prize is a guided private group tour of the exhibits and displays. 

For questions about becoming a member, helping as a volunteer, or general historical topics, please call 419 967 5363 or email the Historical Society at info@catawbaislandhistoricalsociety.com. Catawba Island Historical Society also has a webpage which is www.catawbaislandhistoricalsociety.com

April 22, 2021

Read the Sandusky Register article about opening day 2021.

CATAWBA ISLAND, OH – March 2021:  National Park Service awards prestigious National Register status to Union Chapel home of Historical Society museum

When Samuel and Louise Armstrong donated property at the north end of Catawba Island for the 1887/1888 construction of a “Sabbath School” for area children, they could not have known the building would still be standing more than 130 years later, let alone that it would be selected for inclusion on the prestigious National Register of Historic Places. But it is. And it has.

Barb Powers, Department Head, Inventory and Registration of the Ohio State Preservation Office provided notice that Union Chapel was added to the Registry on March 8, 2021. Application for being listed was submitted jointly by the Catawba Island Township Trustees and the Catawba Island Historical Society in late September 2020.

Jeff Brown, a member of the Historical Society Board of Trustees, coordinated submission of the application. Brown is the retired Historic Preservation Administrator for Stark County and spent more than 20 years as a Regional Coordinator of the Ohio Historic Preservation Office. He noted that investigating the possibility of National Register status for the Chapel dates back almost 3 decades, but that detailed research and formal application didn’t begin until last fall.

“Catawba Island Township deserves a great deal of credit for electing to maintain the building rather than razing it when they assumed its ownership in 1992,” observed Brown. “They even put a new roof on the structure rather than allow it to fall prey to time and the elements. In my experience I didn’t often see this type of foresight and recognition of historic value by municipal governments.”

In 2017 the Catawba Island Historical Society was formed to help preserve and protect local heritage. Island residents Don and JoAnn Rhodes offered to donate a variety of representative artifacts if a suitable home for their collection could be secured. The Township put $50,000 into renovating Union Chapel and leased it to the Historical Society for opening a museum there to curate and display such antiquities. 

The Chapel itself is as historically significant as the antiquities it houses. Jeff Brown observed in the NRHP application that, “Religious education played an essential role in the life of Catawba Island’s peach-growing community, and the nonsectarian Union Chapel, constructed as the expansion of peach orchards on the island accelerated, was the center of Catawba Island social and religious life. It is today the sole surviving religious and community building representing the formative years of Catawba Island’s history.” 

There are now 3 Catawba Island properties on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to Union Chapel they are the Gideon Owen Winery building - which was listed when called Mon Ami Restaurant and Historic Winery - and the Betsy Mo-John cabin. The Union Chapel application was unique because of being made by a municipality rather than a private owner. 

The National Register of Historic Places was established in 1966, with passage of the National Historic Preservation Act, as a planning tool to insure that federal funds were not used to adversely affect historic properties.  It is a listing of buildings, sites, and structures, either individually or as parts of historic districts, that are considered significant for their association with broad patterns of history, association with historic people, architecture, or archaeology.  Being listed on the Register has since acquired a measure of prestige as designating the properties most deserving of recognition and preservation.  

According to Craig Koerpel, President of Catawba Island Historical Society which operates its museum at the Chapel, a brief ceremony to commemorate the building’s new status will be conducted there at noon on Saturday, May 8, 2021. That is the date the museum opens for its 4th season.

Koerpel also noted that the Society has begun its 2021 membership drive. “We are hopeful,” he said, “that attaining National Register status will attract new members, as well as raising awareness that Catawba Island has a unique and significant story to be told. Dues from Society membership provide Museum operating funds that allow us to share that story with residents and visitors.”

Although establishing precautionary operating practices because of the COVID pandemic caused a delay in its 2020 opening, Catawba Museum at Union Chapel still hosted more than 500 guests before closing for the season in mid-October. For those who were unable to visit last year both an “introduction” and a “comprehensive” video tour are available at the “Events” tab on the Historical Society’s website which is www.catawbaislandhistoricalsociety.com. Additional information about becoming a member is also on the website or can be obtained by calling the Museum at 419 967 5363.