Ottawa County is named for the Ottawa Native Americans and the name “Ottawa” means “trader” in their language.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Lucas County, Lake Erie and Ontario
E – Lake Erie and Ontario
S – Erie County and Sandusky County
W – Wood County
Created: March 6, 1840 
County Seat:
Port Clinton 1840 – present
County Courthouse – Port Clinton
Location: 315 Madison Street / East 4th Street
Built: 1898 – 1901
Style: Richardsonian Romanesque
Architect: Wing & Mahurin
Contractor: Caldwell & Drake Construction of Columbus, Indiana
Description: The building faces west and is a three story brown colored sandstone and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Port Clinton. The building has North Amherst Sandstone and pink colored Tennessee marble. The square tower, located in the center of the roof, rises to 132 feet above the ground. The top of the tower contains a belfry for the clock chimes, and the clock faces are located in gables similar to, but smaller than, those below. In the interior, the building is constructed around the central stairwell that rises to the second floor and forms a vault. Four scenes depicting Ottawa County are painted on the walls outside the courtroom: “Quarrying,” “Farming,” “Fishing,” and “Fruit Growing.” These four original industries of the county also define in large measure the significant immigrant groups that settled here. The French were the fishermen, the Danes were the farmers, the Germans were the fruit growers, and the Slavic peoples worked the quarries. The chandelier, hanging from the middle, was taken from the courtroom when it was remodeled and the ceiling lowered. The building houses the County Court of Common Pleas – General, Domestic Relations, Juvenile and Probate.
See: The courthouse in Starke County, Indiana is similar in design.
See: The contractor, Caldwell & Drake Construction of Columbus, Indiana also constructed courthouses in Boone County, Monroe County, Putnam County and Starke County; in Ohio in Mahoning County; in Pennsylvania in Somerset County, and in West Virginia in Wetzel County and Wood County.
See: Ohio Court of Appeals – Toledo ( 6th Appellate District )
History: The county was created in 1840 and Port Clinton was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built in 1840. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1898 to 1901 at a cost of $65,000.
County Courthouse – Port Clinton
Photos taken 2015