Ottokee, Ohio facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ottokee, Ohio
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Ottokee as Fulton County Seat of justice on 1851 railroad map
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Location of Ottokee, Ohio
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| Country | United States |
| State | Ohio |
| County | Fulton |
| Township | Dover |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| Elevation | 781 ft (238 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
43567
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| Area code(s) | 419 and 567 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1065222 |
Ottokee is a small, unincorporated community located in Dover Township, Fulton County, Ohio, in the United States. An "unincorporated community" means it's a place with a shared identity but no official local government like a city or town.
Contents
Discovering Ottokee's Past
Honoring Chief Ottokee
Ottokee was founded in 1850. It was first called "Centre" because it was the geographic center of Fulton County, Ohio. Later, the village was renamed to honor Chief Ot-to-kee, a leader of the Odawa people.
Chief Ot-to-kee was the last Native American chief to try and keep his people on their native lands in Fulton County. Sadly, he was not successful. He was also the half-brother of Chief Wauseon, who the nearby city of Wauseon is named after.
Ottokee as the County Seat
In its early years, Ottokee was an important place. It had a courthouse, a two-room schoolhouse, two taverns, and a few stores. It became the very first "seat of justice" for Fulton County. This means it was where the county government and courts were located.
The first courthouse was built in 1851 from wood. In 1853, a jail was built using wooden planks and spikes. No one ever escaped from this wooden jail! Later, in 1865, a new brick courthouse was built.
However, new railroads were being built through the county. The first railroad, built in 1853, passed south of Ottokee. This made Wauseon a more important center for business. By 1869, people in the county voted to move the county seat to Wauseon. The move was finished in 1872.
Today, a new historical museum and welcome center is being built. It will look like the first wooden courthouse in Ottokee. This museum will be across from the county fairgrounds.
Railroad Connections
In 1895, a railway company called Lima Northern Railway was formed. This railway built tracks north from Lima through Napoleon and Wauseon. It even had a stop in Ottokee, close to where the county fairgrounds are now.
This railway later became the Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad (DT&I) in 1905. After World War I, Henry Ford bought the DT&I railroad. In 1925, he built a new, faster track east of Ottokee. This new track went through Delta, Ohio. The old DT&I railway that served Ottokee became less important and was eventually abandoned in the late 1950s.
The Fulton County Fair
The Fulton County Fair started in 1858. It is a big event that happens every year.
Today, the fairgrounds are home to the Fulton County 9/11 Memorial. This memorial was built in 2013 to remember the events of September 11, 2001.
The Grange Movement
Ottokee was also home to a local chapter of the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, often called the Grange. The Grange is an organization for farmers and their families. Ottokee's Grange, called Grange No. 273, started in 1874.
The Grange helped farmers work together and share ideas. In 1928, the U.S. Congress noted that Ottokee Grange No. 273 had decided to help control the "European corn borer," a pest that harms corn crops.
The Fulton County Home
In 1874, after the county seat moved from Ottokee to Wauseon, the government buildings in Ottokee were used for a new purpose. They became the first tax-supported home for people who needed care in Fulton County. This was called the Fulton County Home.
The old courthouse was changed to fit its new role. Land was bought nearby, and a farm was started. The idea was that growing crops on the farm would help support the home.
Twenty years later, a new main building for the County Home was built. It was a large, three-story building with high ceilings. It even had a special ward for patients who needed extra care. There is also a small cemetery nearby with unmarked graves for past residents of the home.
The Fulton County Home served people for 101 years. In 1975, its residents moved to Detwiler Manor in Wauseon. The old Fulton County Home building was taken down around 1993.
Fulton County Airport
The Fulton County Airport, KUSE was built on the north side of Ottokee in 1967. Today, this area is also home to other county services, like the Dog Warden and the Fulton County Highway Department.
Monument to Women
On the grounds where the Fulton County Home used to be, there is a special monument. It is an obelisk, which is a tall, four-sided pillar that tapers to a pyramid shape at the top. This monument honors women who served in wartime.
The monument has inscriptions on three of its sides:
- "To the memory of the loyal women of fulton county in all wars"
- "Erected by Allen Shadle and Ann Shadle in token memory of Joseph A. Shadle their son"
- The first four lines of the poem "The Bravest Battle that Ever was Fought" by Joaquin Miller
It is not clear exactly when this monument was put in place.
